This country has rarely seen a general or any other public officeholder retiring with such grace and no controversies
SELANGOR, MALAYSIA: General Raheel Sharif, unlike his predecessors, has the rare distinction and honour of completing his tenure, winning the hearts and minds of his soldiers and over 190 million Pakistanis. He proved through his character and performance that he was a true professional who belonged to a family of men who have served this country with commitment, dedication, loyalty and total devotion.
This country has rarely seen a general or any other public officeholder retiring with such grace and no controversies involving him and I hope that his successor will prove to be worthy of the same standards. Controversies, scams, greed for power and other worldly possessions have been the hallmark of men like Ayub Khan, followed by the debauchery of Yahya Khan and the choice of Ziaul Haq, notorious for his role in Jordan for brutal massacre of thousands of Palestinians, to General (retd) Pervez Musharraf, who handed over citizens for bounty to the US.
General Sharif has tried to restore dignity and professionalism, which is vital for an institution like the army, because it is the people’s love for the armed forces that gives them strength to defend the country. He succeeded where Ashfaq Parvez Kayani failed. He made efforts to initiate the process of accountability within the institution and by being seen to respect laws and the Constitution, whose oath he had taken to defend.
Ali Malik Tariq
Published in The Express Tribune, November 24th, 2016.
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