Like all perishable commodities, illusions too have a shelf life .... will Pakistan Army 'realise this' now ?

In March 2024, as many as six senior Pakistani judges accused the country’s powerful spy agency Inter Service Intelligence (ISI) run by Pak-army of interfering in judicial matters and using “intimidatory” tactics such as secret surveillance and even abduction and torture of their family members. 

Perhaps the cat was out of the bag long back. 

More recently, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl [JUI-F] chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman accused the Pak army (read establishment -- moniker used for the all-pervasive Pakistan army) of clinging to authority despite widespread criticism from all sections of society. It also alleged that “it remains indifferent to what is right or wrong” and that “its sole concern is maintaining power.”

India preferred Democracy to decide anything and everything 

Time has come for those concerned Pakistanis and Pakistan do some stocktaking. 

While Pakistanis have shown immense tolerance of 'military power' to reach today's stage, India has preferred Democracy to decide anything and everything. This helped India come up the ladder in the comity of nations and Pakistan instead is almost a failed if not ruined nation. 

But like India's Sickular brigade they do not learn anything. 

Pakistan army claims that the May 9, 2023 protest was “externally sponsored and internally facilitated and orchestrated propaganda warfare... created to achieve political interests.” 

"However, seeing the swiftly emerging chain of events on that day which culminated in this protest, it’s apparent that this incident was more the release of pent-up public emotions amongst PTI supporters accentuated by the Rawalpindi orchestrated removal of Prime Minister Imran Khan through a no confidence vote that were triggered when Rangers abducted him from court premises,

 rather than some deep-rooted conspiracy hatched in some foreign country," writes opinion maker Nilesh Kunwar in 'Brighter Kashmir', a daily. 

Former Pakistan President and army chief Gen Pervez Musharraf’s had rather infamous phrase -- "Military rule has always brought the country back on track, whereas civilian governments have always derailed it". 

That's Pakistan. It has certain crystal clear inherent fault-lines. 

The cases of alleged intimidation and coercion by the Pakistani judges in “politically consequential” cases actually linked to those against the main opposition leader and jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

In the words of Nilesh Kunwar yet again: 

"It goes to the credit of the Pakistan army that despite serious professional failings and its involvement in politics [admitted by none other than former Pakistan army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa himself], Rawalpindi has nevertheless still been able to preserve its holy cow image. 

This it has done by projecting the Pakistan army as the sole guarantor and bulwark of Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity against what it alleges is India’s hegemonistic ambitions." 

Now on to a different plane, Afghanistan is in news. It is also Pakistan's key western neighbour and yes -- a Muslim dominant country. But opening of Indian diplomatic channel with the incumbent Taliban regime lately is truly a path-breaking feature in the region in the recent past.  

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri held talks with Afghanistan's acting Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi in Dubai.

The two sides discussed about various issues pertaining to bilateral relations as well as regional developments, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

On June 24th, 2021, Indian foreign ministry did some plain speaking.  

At the regular weekly briefing, the MEA reiterated that it stands firm with 'peace initiatives' in Afghanistan and asserted that while it has brought in developments, health clinics and roads in that country, the world knew/knows what Pakistan has brought to Afghanistan.

"India has brought electricity, dams, schools, health clinics, roads and community projects to Afghanistan.And the world knows what Pakistan has brought to Afghanistan," MEA spokesman Arindam Bagchi had said.  

In 2021 itself, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar had said:  

India stands for "a genuine political settlement and a comprehensive and permanent ceasefire in Afghanistan", Dr Jaishankar.

"A durable peace in Afghanistan requires a genuine double peace. That is, peace within Afghanistan and peace around Afghanistan."   

Mentioning some of these chapters from the past records is crucial as it narrates the tales of Pakistan's journey.  

The Pakistan army dislikes criticism. 

In May 2017, Voice of America reported a crackdown on social media activists by the cyber crime wing of the Federal Investigation Agency and quoted Pakistan’s then Interior Minister Nisar Ali Khan warning the public that "Ridiculing [the] Pakistan army or its officers on social media in the name of freedom of speech is unacceptable" and "a serious offense."

A year later, while addressing media persons, DGISPR expressed concern on the rapidly increasing trend of adverse comments against the army. 

Advising the people to demonstrate “responsibility,” DGISPR issued a veiled public threat saying, "We have the capability to monitor social media as to who is doing what." 

However, its attempt to intimidate the Pakistani common people didn’t succeed. 

That's 2025 for you. 

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