Beyond the fog

The presser from the ISPR has cleared the fog of confusion. It also candidly asserted the army’s neutrality in the political crisscross and made it clear that it has no stakes in picking sides. DG ISPR Lt Gen Babar Iftikhar took no qualms in also bringing to the fore the consolidated impression of the National Security Council on ‘lettergate’, and remarked that blatant interference from a foreign country was condemned, and this is what led to a demarche with the US. Reading further between the lines is in political context, and this is where the Army believed that the diatribe should come to an end. The greatly rich interaction with the media community was a refresher in an era of rumours and reservations, especially as it was pronounced that the army chief has no intention to seek an extension and the armed forces are alert to their professional responsibilities.

Now is the time to look forward. Harping on the tune of national security is unwarranted. That piece of political narrative should be left to another day, and let serenity set in. What has been happening for the last one week or so is an aura of confrontation between institutions, and that is so because the political context is pitched otherwise. This is not only unnerving but also detrimental to national solidarity, peace and prosperity. While the judiciary, the parliament, the executive and the armed forces are sticking to their constitutional role, and asserting themselves in their given domain, it should be taken in good faith. No point in messing the situation by sowing the seeds of dissent and revulsion.

Pakistan is passing through a tough phase, and the chips are down in political and economic terms. So is the case with international configuration, wherein the region is in a flux and soaring oil and food prices are making life difficult altogether. The month-long political turmoil has come up with many challenges. The foremost objective should be economic relief to the masses, and then buckling up for general elections. To make this happen broad-based national reconciliation is a must. Let there be a new coherence in policies at the domestic and foreign levels, so that the hatchet could be buried.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 16^th, 2022.

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