75th independence anniversary and national resolve
The writer is associated with International Relations Department of DHA Suffa University, Karachi. He tweets @Dr M Ali Ehsan
Today is a great moment of joy as Pakistan is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its independence. There is no room for remorse — the tragedies we faced as a nation, the opportunities we lost or the dreams many of us may think remained unfulfilled were all part of the distance this nation has traveled on the path of survival. The biggest story on the 75th anniversary of this nation is that it has survived. Two generations have tried to give their best to take the fortunes of this nation forward and the third generation — the product of the information age which has this great opportunity to put under scrutiny the work of their previous generations — is surely in a great position to understand their responsibilities and most likely to do a much better job than their elders.
The concept of reward and punishment is a simple one. In the long run, good deeds always produce good results and bad deeds lead to a world of evil. The most important follow-up activity after any reward or punishment is introspection. A state cannot have consciousness, feelings or thoughts but if a state is an organised political community under a government, then the fortunate members of the community representing the people in the government represent any state’s thoughts, feelings and consciousness. So, when the government introspects the state introspects. True introspection leads to two things — in the physical sense, it tells us about our mental state; and in the spiritual context, it tells us about the state of our soul (spirit). The best thing about introspection is that it creates consciousness and self-awareness and leads to feelings and emotions of pride, shame or guilt. To feel guilty is truly a positive and amazing feeling as only if one feels guilty can the remedy to that guilt be found. So, on the 75th anniversary of Pakistan if someone could evoke the state’s consciousness and ask her this question: How do you feel about the way we have treated you? Proud, guilty or ashamed? What would be her answer?
In 2015, I was hired by a newly launched channel to act as their host in a programme titled Sazish, meaning intrigue. The theme of the programme was Sach Ki Talash i.e. the discovery of truth. The management of the channel forced me to do my first programme on BCCI, the Bank of Commerce and Commercial International. I protested as I had no experience of banking. My guests were ex-finance minister Shaukat Tarin and Gen (retd) Hameed Gul. The programme went well, but by 12 noon the following day, I was fired. I was told I didn’t understand the nature of my task as the channel received threats for its closure and discontinuity. So, my dreams of becoming a TV host were shattered within 24 hours. But that is not the end of the story. I had already interviewed former President Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf a week prior and the interview was to be telecasted in my next programme. It was never aired. During the interview, I had asked the ex-president to share the three mistakes he though he felt guilty about during his rule. The three mistakes he pointed out were — the appointment of Gen Kayani as army chief; issuing NRO in 2007; and the manner in which he handled the issue of ex-CJP Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.
There are three actors in the story I have shared. Me, I feel very proud of the opportunity I got and the way I handled it. I think Mr Musharraf’s interview is the best prize I hold. The ex-president, who was very fair in how introspection had led him to accept his guilt. And the channel, well there was nothing immoral or dishonorable about the truth I tried to explore in my BCCI programme yet the channel caved in under some pressure. I think that was shameful.
Seven years later nothing much has changed in the electronic media. There are lies, deceit, twisting of facts, narratives and counter-narratives. One channel’s sach is another’s jhoot. There is no introspection at any level, there is no consciousness and hence no feeling of guilt. The many channels we can switch over to watch had this great responsibility of creating political and social harmony as well as fostering unity across the nation but that has not happened.
NRO (National Reconciliation Ordinance) is the most commonly used phrase in all political discussions across the media. What we need to understand is how national reconciliation can ever take place if the use of the phrase is a joke and mentioned only in a mocking or sarcastic way. Reconciliation never takes place through an ordinance and that’s a lesson that Musharraf has left us with to think about.
On the 75th anniversary of this nation, my great desire remains about Sach Ki Talash. This nation needs to uncover many truths to bring about a reconciliation of its people. The South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was set up by a government of National Unity in 1995 to heal the country after grave human rights violations were committed during apartheid. The commission was a court-like body and was able to perform amicably the tasks it undertook. It established the abusers and the victims, and gave amnesty to those who fully disclosed their involvement in rights violations. The world accepted the TCR which continues to act as a great model for others to follow; yet doing that by promulgating an ordinance as Musharraf did was never the right thing to do.
There have been many violators and abusers of power in the short history of this country. Not the human rights but the abusers of the dignity, honour and pride of this nation-state have been violated on numerous occasions. As long as this state doesn’t bring to justice these violators and abusers, all celebrations to mark our Independence Day will remain cosmetic in nature. We must find a way to establish a genuinely powerful TRC as the people have a right to know who all have abused this country. Those who confess to their crime should be given amnesty but should be permanently barred from politics. Those who don’t confess should be punished. This TRC’s mandate should be limited to the accountability of both past and present rulers.
Unless we clean up the corridors of power from the unrepenting guilt we will only embolden the abusers of power to further abuse this nation-state, and come the 100th anniversary of independence we will still be sitting on this merry-go-round of our ill fortunes created by rulers who are unsuitable for the status, positions and the offices they occupy.
On this 75th anniversary of our independence, I am reminded of the cadet’s honour code we were taught at the Pakistan Military Academy: “An officer never cheats, steals or tells a lie and neither does he tolerate others doing so.” I hope all officers both in the military and civil bureaucracy can understand the meaning of this and contribute to creating an honest and incorruptible environment under which Pakistan can progress, grow and flourish. Lastly, on the 75th anniversary of this nation, I would like to bow down in respect and pay my tribute to all the men and women who laid down their lives serving this nation because there can be no bigger sacrifice than the sacrifice of your life that you give for your nation. They are our true heroes and heroines.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 14th, 2022.
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