The truth will set you free
Dr Syed Mansoor Hussain
That Osama was hiding in Pakistan in ‘plain sight’ for all these years was clearly the result of a fractured sense of national purpose. The people are consumed by anti-American sentiment and overwhelmed by a sense of religiosity that allows many to tolerate and even encourage the terrorists within our midst.
On Saturday, May 14, an English language newspaper reported in its online version that the Punjab Police Inspector General (IG) said during a passing-out parade in the ‘elite police training centre’ in Lahore that the “province was under no threat in retaliation to Abbottabad operation”. A few hours later, in Kharian – a city in Punjab – a roadside bomb hit a bus and killed six people and injured many others. The same newspaper reported after the attack that the “Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack and said it was revenge for the May 2 US raid in Pakistan that killed Osama Bin Laden”.
It is entirely strange that the senior law enforcement officer of the province should make a statement that there was no threat to Punjab from the terrorists in response to the May 2 incident when even I, as an ordinary uninformed civilian, know that such a threat clearly existed. Was he then spreading disinformation or was it the usual sort of macho statements made by our officials to enhance public confidence? Or perhaps charitably he was just misreported?
The question here is that should the political leadership of Punjab, which obviously handpicked this officer for his exalted position, fire him immediately for such an obvious misstatement if indeed he said what he is reported to have said? This a rhetorical question of course. Nobody is going to get fired and nobody is going to apologise for making such a wrong-headed remark either. And that is the problem with the Abbottabad ‘syndrome’.
Politicians we all expect to be ‘economical with the truth’. However, our so-called public servants, especially those responsible for our national and individual security, including the army and the police forces, we expect to tell us the truth, however unpleasant it might seem to be. But all this has changed over the last few decades as our army and our bureaucracy, which includes the police, have become thoroughly politicised and now instead of the blunt truth they would rather indulge in politically acceptable half-truths that are often meant to misinform and even misguide the public.
What happened on Friday the 13th of this month in parliament house was a perfect example of the evolution of our army from just a fighting force to a political entity. Much is being made of the ‘trust deficit’ between the US and Pakistan but the real trust deficit that exists is between the Pakistan Army and the political leadership of Pakistan. It has been a well known ‘secret’ that ever since the present political dispensation came into existence, the political leadership and the army leadership do not trust each other. And with this loss of trust has come a simultaneous loss of respect.
The army is fighting bravely against the Taliban on the western frontier and has concluded a successful campaign against them in Swat. But just as Musharraf needed the politicians to save the army from the consequences of the disaster in Kargil, the army suddenly once again needs to be saved from the consequences of another disaster, this time in Abbottabad. Before we try and apportion blame for the most recent fiasco, we must remember one thing: the army as well as the politicians are from the people and of the people. So who is to blame? If it is institutions we wish to consider, then all of them must share the blame. And into it we must also throw in the media as well as the people of this country. We are all in this together.
That Osama was hiding in Pakistan in ‘plain sight’ for all these years was clearly the result of a fractured sense of national purpose. The people are consumed by anti-American sentiment and overwhelmed by a sense of religiosity that allows many to tolerate and even encourage the terrorists within our midst. The same is true of our politicians and members of the armed forces as well as our civilian security forces. It is this national dichotomy of purpose that confuses our allies abroad and provides support for the terrorists within.
First and most importantly, we the people of Pakistan must accept the simple fact that we are a country in serious trouble. Our economy is shaky, terrorism does not seem to be going anywhere, and now even our ‘allies’ are starting to worry openly about what we as a country want from them. Let our leaders, civilian and in the military, start telling us the truth, however hard it might be for us to digest. And let us as the people learn to accept it and try and do what needs to be done. A tall order but doable. Let us also accept upfront that Abbottabad was a collective failure but the army and the intelligence agencies must accept some direct responsibility and some high-up official must resign, not as punishment but rather as a gesture of goodwill. Perhaps then we can start building a sense of mutual trust. The next step is for our politicians and our generals to get together and come up with a comprehensive rethink of our foreign policy as well as our policy towards terrorism. Perhaps in its ‘time of need’, the army high command will be willing to accept civilian input concerning our national defence priorities.
As far as the people are concerned, it is time for us to accept three basic facts. First, Pakistan cannot win a war against India; second, Afghanistan is an independent country and we can at best be good neighbours and third, terrorism is our problem and it will not disappear if the Americans leave Afghanistan.
Finally, for those self-styled ‘patriots’ crying themselves hoarse about our loss of national honour, all I can do is repeat what Samuel Johnson said a long time ago: “Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.”
The writer has practised and taught medicine in the US. He can be reached at [email protected]
Source: Daily Times
Date:5/16/2011
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