“The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country.” –Edward Bernays Throughout human history, compelling stories have catalysed the spread of contagious narratives through susceptible groups with enormous, often disastrous, consequences. 2022 has been an eye-opener for Pakistan. We have witnessed one chaos after another on all fronts. The apparent selfishness that has been unleashed on the country has left a very sour taste in our collective mouths. Who is to be blamed for all of this? Can we emerge from this uncertainty with our sanity intact? Let’s attempt to figure this one out and try to find some solutions to this complex equation. If the last three months are anything to go by, we can certainly say that if there ever was a “headless chicken” moment for Pakistan, it would be now. The blame game from all quarters has the citizen-consumers running to all visible corners trying to grasp how the situation got so dire, so quickly. Were we not able to see the writing on the wall? Or, were we so consumed within our bubbles of vested interest that this crisis was able to creep up; jeopardising the fortunes and the ultimate sanity of this nation and its citizens? This piece is not to be one that is meant to run a tirade against a particular political party or institution. Rather, the time has come when the conversation needs to steer towards conflict resolution. The stakeholders deferring responsibility towards each other and claiming to be victims has run its course over the last seven and a half decades. What self-serving politicians do not realise is that economic stability and political stability go hand in hand. Politics needs to run its course and find its footing. Blaming the military establishment for all the ills this society has had to endure may hold merit, but it is not the sole reason why the foundations of the state are starting to show some glaring cracks. Pakistan has been stranded on square one since independence. Political parties have always searched for a figurative “god-father” to ensure success and provide protection, but rarely have we seen them even make an attempt to find their actual calling. The desire to prance around in the corridors of power lusting after the top job has always clouded the judgments of our politicians. Painting the armed forces as the devil and claiming to be helpless when in power is a narrative that cannot, and should not, be peddled any further. The entire base of the current situation rests on deciding when the general elections should be held. The coalition PDM government insists that the elections will happen in October 2023 as per the schedule defined in the constitution. Ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan is adamant that the elections be held no later than march or risk the dissolution of the provincial assemblies in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab. Both sides claim to be working to save the country from impending doom yet no one is willing to sit together and come to an acceptable resolution for the sake of that country, no matter the cost to its economy or the people. What these self-serving politicians do not realise is that economic stability and political stability go hand in hand. The federal government must practice its representative initiative and call for a national dialogue and bring forth a resolution that addresses all pressing matters, which have turned the situation so volatile. Hurling abuses and questioning the patriotism of one’s rivals will not save Pakistan, dialogue and a genuine effort towards the betterment of the country and the lives of its citizens will. In his farewell address, General Qamar Jawed Bajwa, the outgoing Army Chief, insisted that since February of 2022, the military had adopted a hands-off approach and has not and would not be interfering in civilian matters in any way or form. It would be prudent that the new Army Chief General Syed Asim Munir continues with this policy and lets the civilian leaders sort out all issues by adopting a proactive and rational approach. This hands-off approach absolutely cannot come at the cost of Pakistan’s foreign policy interests and national security just so that the politicians, when not in power, can play to the gallery to destabilise and undermine the government. Absolutely Not! The primary objective and constitutional mission of the Pakistan Army is to ensure the national security and national unity of Pakistan by defending it against any form of external and external aggression or the threat of war. It can also be requisitioned by the Pakistani federal government to respond to internal threats within its borders. It would serve all quarters well to keep their assigned roles in check and try not to encroach into each other’s sphere of authority. India, our neighbour to the east, has been having a field day at the expense of our political parties trying to one-up each other; the citizens abusing our armed forces and conspiracy theories flying left, right and centre. The optics of it all portray a very sorry state of affairs nationally and internationally. Indian newsrooms, in their aggressive and abrasive propaganda-infested style, are busy latching to every word uttered by our political leaders and using it as fodder to fan their agenda against the Pakistani military. Clearly, civil-military relations do not exist in a vacuum. They respond to the times. To be sure, there is always some friction between senior elected officials who are in control of the instruments of national power for some limited amount of time and senior military officials with decades of experience managing one of those instruments of national power. However, some factors can increase this friction. Periods when the nation and its military are engaged in foreign conflict understandably heighten interest in civil-military relations and complicate them. Obviously, times of acute pressure on the federal budget put added pressure on civil-military relations. Perhaps, less obvious is the effect of midterm and general elections. For example, when both the federal government and the provincial governments are in the hands of the same party, oversight of senior military leaders is generally cohesive. But, when the federal and provincial governments are in the hands of different parties, oversight is generally more contentious, and the friction does get aggravated. The goal is to keep the friction at its productive best. That goal requires both civilian and military leaders to acknowledge that a harmonious civil-military relationship not only benefits both institutions but also gives the people a sense of security and confidence in their selected and non-selected leaders. For a change, there should be an actual attempt to work for the people of this great nation. Fingers crossed. The writer is a renowned defence and security analyst.