Daily Times

In any other part of the world, whoever led to the bin Laden hideout in Abbottabad, would be rewarded. I had foolishly thought that these people would get the sum of the bounty that Bush had announced on OBL’s head. But in Pakistan things are mostly the other way around. When the New York Times broke the news that ‘CIA informants’ in Pakistan were under arrest, I shook my head, perhaps like many others, and muttered, “There we go again.”

If these people were responsible for espionage of state secrets or did something that compromised the national security, Pakistan had all the right to react in this manner. Here we have people who facilitated the riddance of a notorious terrorist, who had nothing positive to his credit, who are now facing the music for it. There was a swift denial from the usual quarters rubbishing any such move. It was dubbed as yet another attempt to smear the spotless and the valiant.

The prevailing impression is that all this noise is due to the differences between the ISI and the CIA. Even in our media, especially in the Urdu press and television, it is being painted as a ‘grand conspiracy’ to malign Pakistan. The key question to ask ourselves is: can we succeed in the mission against the terrorists without this partnership? Most likely, even a novice like me would say that if the enemy is common and the goals are aligned, then the break-up will serve as a lease of life to the unwanted elements.

A reality check for those who think that we can survive alone is due. The guest killed in Abbottabad was no Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Look at his affiliates and followers, and their open statements of declaration of war against our country. The attackers at PNS Mehran were not Americans, and people who took the responsibility for this attack have openly admitted it as a response to the ‘martyrdom’ of their leader. Saleem Shahzad’s murder and his revelations of jihadi infiltration within the forces are fairly self-explanatory. Now who in their right mind can still think that this is all a work of fiction or someone at the CIA headquarters is scheming to deal Pakistan another blow?

There is a usual noise in the social media that certain elements with ‘vested interests’ in the media are deliberately trying to malign the security establishment. Nothing can be further from the truth. The media, whether right, left or centre, can give an intended spin, but cannot alter the facts. Media is more like a mirror; you see exactly what you bargain for. The fact is that OBL was living within close proximity of the capital city and at a stone’s throw from the military academy. If he were found in some remote area or in a village somewhere in a tribal area, it would have been a totally different story. Rather than focusing on who facilitated the construction of the mansion and who was behind keeping such a guest, we are shifting our focus in the opposite direction.

The media is damned as it reports the events as they unfold. Sometimes the events are favourable to the powers that be and sometimes unfavourable. What the media all over the world does is report as the news items are available through the news wires and correspondents. If the security establishment feels cornered, it is not because of the Pakistani media. Even if a ban was implemented and all the independent electronic media outlets were silenced, the outcome will still remain the same. The media all over the world will pretty much report the same events and it will spread in minutes.

The concept that ‘anti-state elements’ want the most powerful and organised institution to be marginalised is ludicrous. No sane person will want the people responsible for their protection to be removed from their duty. The key word here is ‘protection’. If the institution remains within its defined territory and duties, then no Pakistani in his right mind will want it to fail.

All state institutions and their constitutionally defined roles need to be respected. Any institution that exceeds its limits will be subject to criticism. The criticism is not a sign of disrespect. It is a humble reminder that we, as a nation, are mature enough to question our brothers and sisters who we pay to protect us.

Looking into the recent gruesome incidents of PNS Mehran attack and the murder of Syed Saleem Shahzad, there are many questions whose answers point towards the failure or complicity of the military. It is up to this institution to prove the critics wrong. The only way to do this is for this institution to open itself to scrutiny.

The probes and commissions formed after every shameful incident increase the trust deficit. It is about time that our institutions are made transparent and open to public scrutiny. When facts are irrefutable and when there is no concealment and deceit, the institutions will not need the shields of ‘national security’, ‘patriotism’ and ‘honour’ to deflect criticism. The bottom line is, all state institutions must be answerable to the people through their representatives.

The writer is a Pakistani-American. He blogs at dasghar.blogspot.com and can be reached at dasghar@aol.com