Daily Times

“Amavas” or “Amavasya” is a Hindi word for a moonless night. It is a dark night as the moon overlaps the sun. As the planets move in their orbit, it is also known as a new moon night. It has a major significance for Hindus. For verification, I spoke to my close Indian friends Arjun Desuja and Naresh Ji. Their main festival, Diwali, is celebrated on this day. It includes lighting deeyas (little clay pots) to bring light on this night and offer prayers for their gods Lakshmi and Ganesh.

The significance of this dark night came to mind as the nation was passing through the uncertainty and turmoil surrounding the appointment of the new Army Chief. It is a relief that this prolonged drama has finally ended with all sides showing grace and acceptance. It was unnecessarily prolonged as the nation was perilously inching towards an economic collapse.

Amavas reminded me of a classic Indian movie of its time “Andhi.” It starred Suchitra Sen and Sanjiv Kumar, two iconic actors I enjoy watching. Its story has a similarity to Indira Gandhi, the former Prime Minister of India. A particular scene has been embedded in my mind. Walking in the backyard of a huge house, it is an awkward reunion of two former lovebirds with a gorgeous song playing in the background. Their paths had parted as Suchitra (Indira) moved ahead in her political career charted by the family legacy of Nehru. It was an intense emotional meeting enacted by hugely accomplished actors delivering moving dialogues. Sanjiv Kumar looking at the moon remarks “do you see it is the Amavas night?” “Yes,” replies Suchitra, “but this Amavas has gone on for too long.” These words so accurately depict the tragic events in Pakistan for the last eight months.

It is a new dawn raising hopes and inviting prayers of those who wish Pakistan well. However, as the new rays light up the surroundings, they will show all the scars and warts on our national horizon. All miscalculations will need to be corrected. General Bajwa’s swan song and his farewell speech were a golden opportunity for him to make a graceful exit. It would have smoothened the path for the incoming Chief.

There is a tremendous need to resurrect the image of the Army through a complete withdrawal from the political arena.

Instead, the departing Chief embellished his speech with what may have lightened his heart but it was not a moment for vicarious pleasure. Rather, it was an opportunity to act as a statesman making a courteous departure. He called the debacle of East Pakistan a political failure. Correct. Our valiant armed forces put up fierce and brave fighting despite being greatly outnumbered by the Indian Army and a hostile population supporting well-trained insurgents. Who controls the politics in a Martial Law regime?

He admitted to the failure of the RTS system during the vote count in 2018. History will determine whether it favoured pit or was done to deny them 35 seats that would have given IK a comfortable majority.

General Bajwa’s anger was palpable against Imran Khan. He accused him of raising a storm based on the false premises of a cypher demanding the success of the no-confidence vote against PTI. If that is correct, why did NSC, in which you and your colleagues participated, issue the demarche to the USA?

A huge miscalculation was made about IK’s popularity and the reaction of the masses to his engineered departure. The sudden outpouring of rejection of these actions by the people panicked many. General Bajwa declared corruption as a non-issue and facilitated the looters and plunderers to clean their slates by changing laws and going scot-free.

The present team of ruthless enforcers spent the last six months, in cahoots with Sharifs, to suppress and brutalize the masses and eliminate opponents like Arshad Sharif and attempted to assassinate IK. They invited ire on social media against our respected Establishment never seen in the history of this nation.

Fortunately, this inglorious chapter has ended. There is an enormous need for all stakeholders to wake up from this prolonged nightmare and start the rebuilding exercise. There is a tremendous need to resurrect the image of the Army through a complete withdrawal from the political arena.

All energies need to be focused to bring about political stability that will pave the way to control the economy from completely falling apart. How can it be achieved? By active involvement of all stakeholders to realize the urgent need to rise to the occasion. Agree on an election date and bring back normalcy to this battered nation whose masses need hope to replace threats and violence.

The writer is the director of CERF, a non-profit, charitable organisation in Canada.