Daily Times

Our political history is replete with oft repeated stupidity. While there are incidents galore dating back to the late 1940s, let us stick to recent history, which we all are familiar with. Musharraf’s botched attempt to sack Iftikhar Muhammed Chaudhry as CJ was one. His persecution of Chaudhry merely resulted in glorifying a judicial idiot; who was restored as a hero and trampled justice as never before.

The Lal Masjid episode was worse. But, since that was Musharraf’s deliberate effort to ensure it turns ugly so as to distract the reaction to Chaudhry’s sacking, he could claim it a partial success. Nothing follows the script and the episode became worse than Musharraf had catered for; but, it distracted attention from Chaudhry for a while and, some in the international arena did think that Musharraf was Pakistan’s sole saviour from Islamic extremism.

It is unfair to omit Zardari’s antics in the narrative but I intend doing so, merely to emphasize the end-point I wish to make. Nawaz Sharif’s handling of Imran Khan’s ‘dharna’, at least, matched Musharraf’s stupidities. Had it not been for the Khan’s crass idiocies, he might have emerged as much a hero as Chaudhry did against Musharraf. Despite his person, I can only thank the Khan for saving the nation from what might have been, had he emerged truly victorious.

According to a newspaper report, Khan is now telling his followers that ‘it is time now to visit their residences (PMLN’s ministers)’. How despicable. No doubt he will sit in the wings as he always does; just as he hid in his container when he sent his followers to attack PTV Islamabad; he will, after having wrought further destruction, shamelessly and sickeningly, disclaim all responsibility. What unspeakable cowardice.

But the handling of this, most recent dharna, led by the venerable Khadim Hussain, may indeed be the stupidest event so far. Or was it, like Lal Masjid, intended, but went sour? It is fairly well accepted that, when Hussain set out with his handful of followers, their intent was well known to the Punjab government. Consequently, it is safe to assume that the initial inaction was deliberate, or failed to cater for subsequent possibilities. But, Islamabad was prepared for their reception?

On arrival, the handful remained isolated but, as had Lal Masjid, permitted infiltrators to, slowly but steadily, swell their numbers. Despite deliberate abusive provocation in gutter language by protestors, there was no retaliation, nor any attempt to negotiate and settle. One cannot but wonder why? This farce continued for almost three weeks, despite periodic abusive violence.

When a police person was forcefully abducted, the police recovered his person, but no punitive action. Meantime, the protestors continued to swell as the announcement of FIRs and arrest of some individuals who were either from among the protestors or their supporters became public. Numbers were swelling and rumours of some of the reinforcements being armed, were also insufficient to arouse the patiently slumbering government. All the while, the Interior Minister continued hinting at a ‘hidden hand’ behind the dharna, leaving little doubt that he was indicting the army and, all the while commuters were being deliberately inconvenienced, more than necessary, by obstructing avenues where there was no dharna.

With the army opting for negotiations, I fear the precedent has been set; when terrorists, and make no mistake, they are terrorists, amass, even if in small numbers, and under a religious slogan, their demands, however outlandish or unreasonable, will be met

Even when the IHC instructed the government to act, it delayed. Even when the court went so far as to call this entire dharna un-Islamic and an act of terrorism, the governmental patience did not wear thin. All the while, the protestors knew that some action was inevitable and planned a prepared response. And finally, when action was taken, it was the worse planned and worse executed operation one could witness. Everybody knew that the Prophet’s birthday was round the corner and delay had made action increasingly provocative.

The available Rangers were not called on to act, the police disarmed and sent with staffs and, as soon as protestors retaliated, pulled back, with six dead and many injured. I find it difficult to believe that our police could be that bad. Since a decade they have been improving and it’s certainly a force to be reckoned with now, unless, it was not permitted to do as it wished.

Having created this chaos which had expanded across the nation, finally, the army was called in. Even if the entire event was not deliberately orchestrated, it certainly seemed so. Nawaz Sharif’s unending tirade against the army (and judiciary), the attempt to implicate the army as being responsible for the dharna, and the botched police operation make it all seem so.

Without refusing, the army has clearly indicated its reluctance to get involved at a stage when mass bloodshed might well result and the chief has recommended a negotiated settlement to the PM, during their meeting on Sunday. Quite understandably, in the army’s response there was a bit of pique at Sharif’s antics and his ministers, particularly Ahsan Iqbal; but there is a huge lot of sense.

I can empathise with the army’s desire to avoid this imbroglio at such a stage. However, I view the end-result with trepidation. With the army also intent on restraint and negotiations, I fear the precedent being set; when terrorists, and make no mistake, they are terrorists, amass, even if in small numbers, as these were, and, under a religious slogan, their demands, however outlandish or unreasonable, will be met, at least partially, unless the army sheds blood.

But, if they do, it might worsen; that’s the paradox I cannot resolve. The army must; but, it mustn’t.

The writer is a retired brigadier. He is also former vice president and founder of the Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI)

Published in Daily Times, November 28^th 2017.