Issues MNAs glossed over during sob session

One definitely needed the patience of saints to keep sitting in the National Assembly Wednesday morning and suffer the hypocritical sobbing and bombastic claims made by pseudo revolutionaries, sitting on both sides of the house. Of course, the morning after the audacious attack on a courageous icon for the cause of promoting education for our unprotected girls, “public representatives” appeared visibly upset. They didn’t want to deal with the routine business. Disregarding rules and agenda for the day, they forced the chair to let them deliver speeches and finish with another “unanimously passed resolution” by our uniquely “sovereign” parliament.

Not for once during nonstop speechmaking any member from among the crowd of at least two dozen speakers ever cared recalling that someone by the sobriquet of “Mullah Radio” had been running his own “Emirate” in Swat for at least a decade until 2009. Eventually, the Army was asked to “clear” the Malakand division and restore the writ of state there.

Three years have passed since the launch of a much-hyped operation.

Yet, a daredevil group of obsessive “seekers (Taliban)” was able to intercept a school van that was taking Malala along with some other girl-students to their homes after school.

With all the time at its disposal this group of reckless zealots double-checked the identity of their target and nearly killed her by sharp and precise shooting. Most of “our representatives” also forgot to underline the frightening reality that the stunning act of terror took place right in the middle of Mingora, which happens to be the most populous and dynamic town of the Malakand Division.

If you are a security cleared ‘patriotic journalist,’ the ultimate regulators of the law enforcing outfits in this country have been briefing you through Microsoft Power-point Presentations for around two years that they had finished with “clear and hold” parts of the counterinsurgency. It now was the job of “civilians” to initiate the “building” part of it.

None of the gentlemen, from among those briefing the fortunate patriots, would ever say it, but journalists didn’t require guidance from any Plato to eventually realise and wail over the ‘obvious’ that proved the ‘incompetence of elected civilians’ for another time, notwithstanding their ‘corrupt habits and practices.’

Someone should have informed our sobbing representatives that there is a term called ‘oversight.’ After assigning the mission of “clear and hold” to their armed forces, the elected governments always furnish mechanisms to review progress on the given task.

The self-proclaimed ‘sovereign’ national assembly of Pakistan also has a committee to monitor things related to the ministry of defence. None other than a diligent sister of President Zardari chairs the said committee these days. Can someone tell me when this committee ever summoned the ultimate regulators of “law and order” in Swat to find out the latest on “clear and hold” mission?

Over and above the national committee on defence, we also have an all-party “Parliamentary Committee on national security.” An assiduously meticulous Senator Raza Rabbani heads this committee that boasts representation from both houses of our parliament. This committee often burns the midnight oil to provide corrective guidance to our relations with the US.

Very impressive job, for sure; but, when was the last time the same committee also dared to seek any update on Swat. Prime Minister heads a cabinet committee on defence and national security as well. All heads of the armed and intelligence outfits are integral part of this committee. Had Gilani and now Raja Pervaiz Ashraf ever summoned a meeting of the same committee to know the latest on Swat with pointed and specific questions?

Without ever taking any of the initiatives by elected civilians that I had counted so far, all legislators delivering bombastic speeches on Malala during the national assembly proceedings of Wednesday sounded pathetically rhetorical. Forget the pity, you can’t even feel angry about their shenanigans.

Specifically disgusting was the conduct of legislators representing the Awami National Party. The activists of this party habitually brag about their roots and legacy while frequently flaunting their reputation for being the ultimate democrats and secularists on this side of Suez.

Ameer Haider Hoti of the same party continues as the chief minister of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa for more than four years. He seems to have abandoned the responsibility of restoring the writ of state in Malakand by ‘outsourcing’ it to Pak Army. From Dargai onwards, all access to and from Swat is monitored and regulated by officers and jawans in khaki. The whole area is flooded by ‘security check posts.’

Still, ‘they’ came, intercepted the school van and vanished after pumping a bullet in Malala’s head. Let’s cheer “completion of the clear and hold missions” in Malakand.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 11^th, 2012.