A lesson from The Lion King
It contained many lessons I said, particularly for Pakistani ‘leaders’ who thought they were all-powerful just because they were army dictators, or thought they had the people behind them, or because they thought they were in an unassailable position constitutionally. The principal lesson taught by King Mufasa to his son Simba was that there was a limit to everyone’s power. In The Lion King’s words “I am only brave when I have to be”.
Not that the Commando listened, as he strutted about on the national stage, finally strutting off it in most inglorious fashion. I mean even his most ardent supporter and recipient of much government largesse, the very loud Barrister Saif, who even called people names on live TV if they bad-mouthed the Commando, has not been seen or heard from in months and years!
Anyhow, that is how it ends for all those who consider themselves omnipotent and above it all. Look right next door at India and see the travails of its former Chief of Army Staff General V K Singh. From loudly embarrassing the government because of its refusal to change his date of birth so that he could serve another year, to now just the other day appearing before the Metropolitan Magistrate of Delhi (listening, My Lords of the Supreme Court of Pakistan before whom prime ministers quiver, but even lowly major generals are loath to appear?!) for bail before arrest.
The point to note is that he was accompanied in this appearance for bail by four serving officers: Lt Gen S K Singh, Vice Chief of Army Staff; Lt Gen B S Thakur, Director General of Military Intelligence (Great God! The DG MI himself!?); Maj Gen S L Narshiman, Additional Director General of Public Information (sister of our much-vaunted ISPR); and Lt Col Hitten Sawhney.
When the senior army officers plead that the “intricate details of the functioning of the army” merited a “more complex procedure” the Delhi High Court refused to stay the trial (Magistrate’s) court’s summons, saying that the generals could raise the objection after appearing before the magistrate. The next date of hearing is August 8. (Ironically the date on which our PM has to tell the SC whether he will write the letter or not, or else!). The case continues and has to do with General Singh accusing Lt-Gen (retd) Tejinder Singh of attempting to bribe him; and for the army spreading misinformation in an army press release.
Golly! And our generals get away with openly criticising the government of compromising the country’s sovereignty, even malfeasance, in matters like the Kerry Lugar Bill in press releases by the ISPR, and by loud condemnation of the many and varied ‘spokesmen’ and ‘spokeswomen’ appearing on the Ghairatmand TV channels! Golly!
Which, by the way, is small potatoes for our Rommels and Guderians for they even threatened the government of “very serious ramifications with potentially grievous consequences for the country” when the prime minister suggested that the COAS and the DG ISI might have acted against the Constitution at the time of the most ludicrous and laughable ‘Mamogate’!
But while we can do anything at all being a unique people with very unique institutions, let us look again at the Indian situation, and the fallout of General V K Singh’s locking horns with the government by openly targeting Defence Minister A K Antony. While General Singh goes about seeking bail before arrest from Metropolitan Magistrates, Mr Antony is now the senior minister in India’s cabinet. We Pakistanis must note that this was made possible by the Indian government standing firmly behind its defence minister, and all Indian political stakeholders standing firm behind the civilian authority.
One has to agree with General Talat Masood who wrote on these pages on July 25 that the army needed to change its perceptions because only then could the country change direction. But the generals have no reason to change when all is hunky-dory for them: it is the government that must take the first firm steps towards reining in the army high command and forcing it to change direction.
I might add that whilst it is true that the brass hat’s own ineptness in the various debacles that have happened in the last four years (e g, brazen attacks on their own installations/OBL/Mehran and so on), has stripped away some of the Teflon coating on their much decorated uniforms, more firm action is needed to curb their latent Bonapartism.
Which, incidentally, is leading the country into extremely dangerous waters with the whole world literally ganging up on us by labelling us the most troublesome country in the whole world, the home base of terror. I have an ugly feeling that we are soon going to find to our cost the wages of persistently doing the wrong thing at exactly the wrong time.
Like right now. While this is a time for coming together as one and civilising the national discourse in all matters, international and national, we see old enmities coming to the fore. Is this the time to (as just one example) open long-buried cases against the Sharif family and people who work for them?
No, friends, this is the time to come together as one so that we can effectively cleanse our country of its ills for ourselves and our children, and for the world. And to tell the world, particularly our neighbours, that we understand the beautiful concept of being a ‘humsaya’ (those who share the shade of the tree: tr. ‘neighbour’); that if our neighbour is in trouble, we are in trouble too.
Might I end with expressing relief that the Supreme Court has disposed of the case concerning the price of samosas in Punjab?
Published in The Express Tribune, July 27th, 2012.
COMMENTS (42)
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@Hella:
Your reply would have been admissible on principle except that a whole SLEW of NON-ELECTED people e.g. GOVERNORS, and various office-holders, including bureaucrats, ambassadors, etc. ALL UNELECTED, are exempted from the security screening. If these parasites and highly corrupt clowns who feed off the exchequer without shame can also feed their egos in this manner, it is shameful that the topmost military ranks be made subordinate to them in this petty manner.
@OB: point taken and acknowledged. I have seen this process at first hand as i have helped some of my friends from uni days to get settle in Uk & Canada, for the future well being of their kids.
Reading your article after lapse of 4 months find no change you are still anti army. To change army attitude and authority you have to change.As long as you keep appointing retired generals on lucrative assignments things will never change.This requires courage and not confrontation with the judiciary
@soothla: LOL !!!! The beauty of WWW and the world is yours ! However you do need Electricity to use it, so if the poor man on street is suffering Power cuts of 12 hours a day it certainly restricts his abilty to gain knowledge or in some cases work !
I fully support your sentiments Mr Kamran Shafi and I am glad someone is voicing them on behalf of an old fogey like me.
The would be Napoleons HAVE to be reined in. Politicians will have to stand together and the Judiciary will have to stand unbiased and strong for this to happen and happen it shall with a nudge from the media. I cannot wait for the day when our 4 Star heroes are compelled to obey a Magistrates summons or a police constables orders like all other citizens.
The samosa bit was a deserved gentle nudge to the judiciary. Milords we do not doubt your sincerity but if you appear to expand jurisdiction and not take care to dispel the perception that the court is not as indifferent to outcomes as it is required to be you will caricature the very institution you serve.
@Hegdefunder Thank you for the comments. I invite you to read your comments again and think why are the silent few silent? They are silent because they are few. Why are they few? Because unlike the average Pakistanis, they have been blessed with the rare opportunities to educate themselves, study, think and analyse situations, gain exposure through interaction with people in other countries, travel and so on. So how can we increase the numbers of these few so that they not silent any more? Perhaps we can try and use communication mechanisms like this article in such a way that is simple enough for the message to be understood and appreciated by the average Pakistanis. May be some of them join the silent few and before long, the silent few will be few no more. And BTW, what is the point of preaching to the converted?
Thank you sir for using a word I was ignorant of.I looked for the meaning on wikipedia which says: "The term Bonapartism is often used to refer to a situation in which counter-revolutionary military officers seize power from revolutionaries, and then use selective reformism to co-opt the radicalism of the popular classes. In the process, Marx argued, Bonapartists preserve and mask the power of a narrower ruling class." In the process I also learnt something about French History. You are not only a writer but also my INTERNET TEACHER.Thank you Sir. Please always be safe and best wishes over the fasting season.
@Falcon: One can repeal the unwanted section of law but as long as they are on the books laws should be respected. Judges have no right or rewrite law. These ae same judges who allowed mush gunman to amend law as he wished in uniform and looked him to contest elections not once but twice.
@Falcon: “@gp65: Certainly happy times for Pranab Mukherjee to have escaped the accountability net. However, may I question, why don’t we on both sides of the border protest against this bizarre immunity rather than taking everything British gave us and running with it for our generations to come?”
Pranab Mukherjee escapes scrutiny only as long as`he is President. The immunity is for the post of President and not for Pranab Mukharjee or any xyz. The President of India is the first citizen of India and Supreme commander of the armed forces. It is no ordinary post and thus cannot be subject to judicial scrutiny. Of course once the holder leaves the post he/she can be hauled up before any court. Anyway nobody is spared. Ex-President Pratibha Patil was under intense media scrutiny, near the ending of her term for her travel expenses and plans to build a lavish bungalow on army land in Pune. Despite being President she had to issue calrifications and give up plans to build her house on army land. On a side note, when Zardari could not be proven guilty after 10 years in jail, when he was a nobody, what are the chances that things will be different when he is President.
@gt, "Do you not find it equally illogical to offer exemption to any group of public servants, e.g. legislators, from mandatory security screenings at airports?On what constitutional basis is the Indian government able to exclude one group? " I think the basis is that the exempted group are directly elected by the people, who are supreme. Whereas defence personnel, bureaucrats etc. are selected and will always be subordinate to those who are elected.
From "The Lion King" to the 'Samosas of Punjab" is a good blend of the east and the west. The sooner we learn, the better.
@Shahid Sidhu:
Dear Mr. Sidhu,
Do you not find it equally illogical to offer exemption to any group of public servants, e.g. legislators, from mandatory security screenings at airports? On what constitutional basis is the Indian government able to exclude one group but bring all others, include highest ranking defense service personnel, under this scrutiny? Is this not merely a matter of bureaucratic one-upmanship that needs to be eliminated with a strong hand? What do you say?
Pakistani army and civilians cannot go together, because the inflation between them concerning budget, the allotting of plots in most costly areas without any reason. The accountability in the Army as well there is no court marshal against the so called generals in Pakistan. I am not against the Pakistan army but the thing is they should revere the Pakistan’s anarchy. They considered themselves superior than any civilians at all. Until these factors don't eliminate, the unanimity between military and civilians is not possible. Their interruption in the political affairs should be eliminated.
Now that was an evenly balanced, sensible article. For the civilian set-up to take responsibility, let alone take control from the army, they have to first produce a decent human being and that machine has broken down, long ago. What we are now realising is that a similar machine that works for the armed forces has been repaired so many times that the end result it churns out is sadly wanting.
@OB: So whats the point of writing something which an average Pakistani cannot understand.
Ever considered the fact that there is a good few million intelligent Silent Pakistanis, who are watching this daily charade with contempt but are unable to act or raise their voices in fear that they too will be silenced ! These are the people who can build a nation and provide the know how and manage the commerce, but sadly they have been silenced !
Usual weekly quota against Army.
Sir, The concept of ‘humsaya’ is one perhaps that India has been living with for past six decades, and yet the neighbour has not changed or learnt any lessons or improved themselves, on contarary have started various conflicts and wars and in course lost half of their Nation, due to their misadventures. Firstly to have stable civilised society of democratic means , one needs transparency and accountability, which in Pakistani society is simply non existant and very selective too. There is another major problem, that is short termism in every sphere of life, as the mentality is to simply worry about now and let Allah take care of the rest ! Unfortunately Allah has turned blind eye on them, hence the current position of this Nation ! Smart Nations are not built on present, but on basis of solid foundation and long term planning.
@Raw is War So whats the point of writing something which an average Pakistani cannot understand.
Time and again I keep telling my fellow Indians who I meet in my everyday life to look at Pakistan and thank heavens (and Jinnah!) that we did not end up like Pakistan.
India might have a lot of problems but they are insignificant compared to the monstrously dangerous Constitutional problems in Pakistan. In fact the Constitution is itself a problem.
Nehru was right, it was better to let Jinnah have his way, a compromise would not have given India the structure it has now.
@Logic Europe: You said "Army cannot be reined while there are pseudo intellectuals , taunting tv anchors, failed politicians mcorrupt beurocrates and ex Genrals discrediting and weakening the government and singing for Army rules virtues.." I agree with you 100%. The problem with Pakistan is there is no real value and appreciation of constitution in the country. People have no concept of the holiness of the constitution and that talking agianst it is like talking against holy books. I would add to your comment that why are people allowed to praise high treason in the media? It is worse than people endorsing and supporting killers (which they sadly do in Pakistan). The worst crime in a country is high treason and when that can be committed day and night without fear then there cannot be any rule of law. When people can get away with high treason they would continue to commit it. Once again a great Op Ed, except the cases against Sharifs must have been active not now but long ago. Thanks and regards, Mirza
@Falcon: "@gp65: Certainly happy times for Pranab Mukherjee to have escaped the accountability net. However, may I question, why don’t we on both sides of the border protest against this bizarre immunity rather than taking everything British gave us and running with it for our generations to come?" if this issue is considered big in Pakistan, by all means people should demand change and enforce accountability through elections. But the current judicial overreach is not the best way to go about it, in my opinion.
There are many issues that need to be fixed in India. Indians do not see the issue of Presidential immunity as such a big deal because Presidential immunity is for the term only. The issues that are important to Indian and for which they come out to streets are corruption for which millions came out in the street in non-violent protests led by Anna Hazare, inflation which is particularly difficult for the old and poor. In 1975 when Indira Gandhi imposed emergency, tens of thousands came out in the street to protect democracy. In the aftermath of 26/11 millions of Indian came out in the street to make the point to the government that they expected the government to provide more security. The CM of Maharashtra and Home Minister (similar to your interior minister) were forced to resign due to their incompetence in the issue.
Good article sir, if average Pakistanis can even understand this.
The Indian Generals appearing in courts and also in front of Parliamentary committees is a matter of routine. By doing so the Indian Generals are performing their constitutional duties in letter and spirit. This is the laid down procedure in any democracy in the world and India is no exception. But all these routine procedures become a big thing when Pakistanis compare it with their own army. Pakistan neither had a stable constitution nor a stable democracy. When the army either directly or indirectly is in charge of Pakistan, then to expect Generals to bow to the civilian authorities is asking a bit too much. Even the mighty Pakistani army, which for all practical purposes is above law, will have to bow to the people's wishes; But the question is whether the people of Pakistan do actually want their army to be subservient to the constitution of Pakistan. If the answer was yes then the Pakistan army would have returned to its barracks long back. If Pakistan army is above law, if not a not a law unto itself, then the blame goes to the people of Pakistan.
We have a sacred cow on other side of the border above the law and we have a sacred army here in our country above every law.And why shoul'nt it be.They are after all custodian of "ideology " of pakistan.This very" sacred ideology" was not in the notice of the founder of pakistan not even his commrades.This DISCOVERY was made by by military janta of great general Yeha khan in 1970.this great theory known as Two nation theory was made public and instilled in our text books.And with in two years,excited with this sensational theoy we lost half of pakistan.since inventer of this "ideology" was a serving general (famous general sher ali khan) miltary became the custodian of this idealogy with"All rights reserved".That is why we hear every now and then from highest ranks in the army that Pakistan armed forces are not only savior of our physical boundaries but ideolgical boundaries too".message is clear generals have the final say It is now thirty two years since inception of this theory, we have a "better"pakistan than what it used to be until 1970.so no wonder if generals are above law.why changing of status quo.
Prices of Samosas, Bottle of liquor, etc etc. duh. Supreme Court does have very important issues like these. ("hundreds of people have died in karachi since the start of Ramzan"). so what? people are here to die. let them die.
@gp65: Certainly happy times for Pranab Mukherjee to have escaped the accountability net. However, may I question, why don't we on both sides of the border protest against this bizarre immunity rather than taking everything British gave us and running with it for our generations to come?
who even takes this guy seriously..
Spot on as usual Mr Shafi, though may I warn you to be prepared for the plethora of routine attacks from defenders (read trolls) of the supposed defenders of our borders.
An army, with the high corporate interest in the economy, will always be difficult to handle-Be it Egypt or Pakistan.
Boring article. Perhaps a job as writer for animated films is in order?
Although Indian democracy did not achieve any good for the poor and only created new Rajas & Maharas but in case of civilian supremacy it did a great job. In recent past Indian forces chiefs (Army, Air Force, Navy) requested for exemption from routine security checks to pass through the security gates of civilian airports. They were of the view that we are the defenders of the country and this security checks show otherwise and is against their dignity. But Indian defence ministry and government refused to give this allownce to them and declared that while using civilian airports they must have to follow the routine security procedures. Point to be noted that Indian governors, CMs, ministers are exempted from these checks.
Bravo . Like always, I wish people understood your message.
When exactly are you going to ask the politicians who rule this country and who were elected to bring things under civil control and to whom these holy cows are DIRECTLY responsible to do something about this situation? Or were they only elected to run this country as their personal fiefdoms, shred the rule of law into shreds? The CJP stood up to the generals when he was all alone surrounded by the generals in the presidency. But for that act of courage we would still be under the boot. We should at least recognize what he has done; regardless of what happened in the past he stood up when it really mattered and that changed all. Instead of constantly satirizing the court and passing sly remarks about them it would be far better, for a change, to ask our rulers to stand up and be counted.
Army cannot be reined while there are pseudo intellectuals , taunting tv anchors, failed politicians mcorrupt beurocrates and ex Genrals discrediting and weakening the government and singing for Army rules virtues.. In Pakistan no body seems to care for the country and it's immage ,supreme court going berserk because a case is not opened against countrys present Now! as it can not wait . I dont support dictators .weather they are military,civil or judicial
Reading above article, it becomes very clear that moslems are a distinct nation of the subcontinent, So Mr. Jinnah was right and his two nation theory correct. All Indians should be thankful to Mr. Jinnah for what ever he did to create a country for moslems of the sub-continent, because remainder of Indians moslems and non moslems alike are learning to live together. Religion and Military in India have no political influence on general public.
Dear Kamraan saab, You have the example of how serving Indian lieutenant generals are accountable to the civilians and can be hauled in courts in case of indiscipline and contrasted it with DG FC refusing to show up in Pakistani courts and ofcourse refusing to follow SC orders.
You should also give the example of what happened with regards to corruption cases in India. Anna Hazare (who is a national hero for his crusade against corruption) had planned to take several ministers in current federal government to court on corruption charges. This included erstwhilefinance minister Pranab Mukherjee also. Now that Pranab has been elected as President of India, he has immunity from criminal charges until he is President. So Anna's team acknowledged this and said that Pranab would not be one of the respondents now in light of his imunity. This is different from the situation where a PM was dismissed for honouring the constitutional immunity given to a President during the time he is President.
Above the law peoples never learns form past or present...
A brave article challenging the Mutalaya e Pakistan Institute of Strategic Studies headed by the GHQ.
What people do not understand is that the one who holds the most power should be accountable the most or more than others.
The GHQ high command cleverly hides behind the sacrifices of foot soldiers if any attempt for accountability is made against their empire.
Army and ISI will only be contained when we bring people like Imran to top not present thugs
So in your view, not opening cases against Sharifs will be a symbol of national unity? What else is a symbol of unity...letting all bureaucrats, politicians, and generals off the hook for their blatant corruption but not holding them accountable while the people are suffering from hunger, disease, and inflation?
Confused article