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Journalism of Courage
President Pervez Musharraf addressed army officers at the Jhelum garrison on Wednesday, and The Daily Times reported the next day that he said that 8220;it is every Pakistani8217;s responsibility to ensure that the sanctity and reverence of national institutions, such as the armed forces, is maintained8221;. On Friday, the paper took a longer view of the army8217;s role in Pakistan: 8220;Pakistan gave its military a special status at the time of its birth because it was militarily threatened by its next door neighbour India. Scholars who study the subject of politicisation of the institution of armed forces are of the opinion that mistakes were made in the early phase 1947-1957 when bureaucrats rather than elected politicians ruled the state. A revisionist nationalism elevated the image of the general above the politicians who were seen as 8216;venal and unprincipled8217;. The result was the overthrow of the political system and its takeover by General Ayub Khan in 1958.8221; The editorial concluded: 8220;The army has interfered in the political system 8212; directly or as arbiter 8212; for the last 30 years. It must decide to reorient itself, but not before analysing those aspects of the revisionist state that provoke it to interfere in the political process in the name of national security. By giving primacy to the national economy President Musharraf has pointed the way, but he has stopped short of liberating the state from its revisionist anti-economics shackles because of his irreducible military indoctrination. Therefore the army can only win its respect back by retreating from the political system and intellectually readjusting its regional character.8221;
Meanwhile, on Thursday, reported Dawn, Ayesha Siddiqa launched her book, Military Inc: Inside Pakistan8217;s Military Economy, from a 8220;virtual sanctuary8221;. Siddiqa said the launch was to have been at the Islamabad Club, but the booking was cancelled, and she curiously could not get a venue at the city8217;s hotels. The book 8220;puts the net worth of the army8217;s commercial empire at Rs 200 billion8221;.
For reconciliation
In his column in The Friday Times, Najam Sethi sought largeheartedness from all participants in public life to put an end to the confrontations that have been accentuated since March. 8220;What is required is an orderly transition to democracy in which the fruits of the last decade are preserved and allowed to ripen for all Pakistanis while power and benefits are shared more equitably,8221; he argued. 8220;This can only happen if General Musharraf and the Pakistan army, no less than the politicians in opposition, can be persuaded to sit down in a truth-and-reconciliation mode to determine the nature of a dynamic collective enterprise in the future. Singly, both civilians and soldiers have failed the people of Pakistan time and again. So we should stop blaming each other and start shouldering responsibility collectively. All exiled politicians should be allowed to return and contest the next general elections without fear or favour and President Musharraf must take off his uniform and respect the verdict of the electorate. There is no other way out.8221;
Imran vs Sarfaraz
You have to be a cricket enthusiast to understand the side drama of Imran Khan8217;s current clash with the MQM8217;s Altaf Hussain. Dawn reported on Friday that Sarfaraz Nawaz, former fast bowler and chief of PML8217;s Central Sports Wing, met Hussain in London and gave him 8220;documentary evidence8221; against Khan. Earlier in the week, the newspaper explained in an editorial: 8220;We would like to take notice of some disturbing developments which are unlikely to further the cause of democracy because they draw the attention away from the larger political picture. On Saturday, the Sindh government banned Imran Khan8217;s entry into the province, and the Punjab government followed suit by restricting the PTI Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf chief8217;s presence to Lahore. The heavens would not have fallen if Imran Khan were allowed to visit Karachi. He is not the only politician to have forcefully come out against the MQM after the May 12 killings; virtually all political parties have held the MQM responsible for the May 12 trauma. Imran Khan has also threatened to go to Britain to file a suit against Prime Minister Tony Blair for letting Altaf Hussain do what he has been doing from London8217;s safety. Enraged by his critical utterances, MQM followers have started a vilification campaign focusing on Imran Khan8217;s personal life.8221;
The newspaper reported that Hussain had asked his supporters to stop demonstrating against 8220;a political leader8221;. Another report hinted at PML chief Shujaat Hussain8217;s displeasure at the ban on the former cricketer.
