After 41 years (July 1977 to July 2018) the Zia era is finally coming to an end. A resurgent Pakistan is coming out of the dark ages, but with non-functional institutions. The khakis have finally realized that they have to stand behind and not in front of civilian institutions, to keep them going. The nation has participated in another free and fair election after 47 years and 7 months. To give credit where it is due, by invoking Article-6 of the constitution to initiate a court case against Pervez Musharraf, Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif has stalled any future takeovers. The rule of ballot is here to stay. The political journey of Pakistan has been bumpy. The founding fathers of the country worked very hard in building civilian institutions to govern the nascent Islamic Democracy. Instead of standing behind and strengthening these institutions, the khakis under Ayub Khan crossed the lines. The 1956 constitution was abrogated before its complete implementation. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto the chief architect of the 1973 constitution, was very confident that Article-6 of the unanimously implemented document would block future military adventurism, but it did not work. There were two takeovers: one on July 5, 1977 by Zia, and the other on October 12, 1999 by Musharraf. Under Justice Munir’s doctrine of necessity, both martial laws were given legal cover by the Supreme Court of Pakistan. It was Musharraf’s second coup on November 3, 2007, against his own government, that got him into trouble. He now faces a trial under Article-6, which carries a maximum penalty of death; hence the Commander General is in exile. Civilised nations respect their constitution and revere their national institutions. The role of each organ of the state is defined in the sacred document. Ziaul Haq not only defied the constitution, he even ridiculed it. The lawyers’ movement restored the rule of law which eventually toppled the fourth usurper. Since then the democratic order is gaining strength. For its external and internal security, every country needs a strong army. Khakis are trained to fight, and the constitution has clearly defined their role with clear penalties for violations. Former Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Yaqoob Ali came up with an effective doctrine that Mian Sahib followed. Once disarmed, the usurper should be tried under the law, which is why Musharraf is facing trial under Article-6 for violating the constitution. Yes we need the khakis vigilant and strong, to stand behind civilian institutions as they have done during the current electoral exercise, but never in front of them The recent elections were free and fair as the khakis stood behind the two vital institutions, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the SC. Whenever they have tried to overplay their role by encroaching into the civilian domain, the results have been disastrous. In the words of a retired General, ‘we only ensured that the dead do not come out of their graves to vote’. PML-N in Punjab and PPP in Sindh, are known for their tricks to manipulate the ballot. In Punjab, the Police and Revenue departments were kept out of the electoral process, and it made all the difference. In Karachi, the sector commanders of MQM had been disarmed by the Rangers, enabling the people to vote freely; as a result, the PTI was able to win 14 National Assembly seats from the city of our Quaid. Till the eighties, most civilian institutions were functional and even the Pakistan Railway (PR) was profitable. Lt. Gen (R) Saeed Qadir, Zia’s communications minister, was sent to meddle in the affairs of PR and everything has gone downhill since then. There used to be a Railway Board headed by a Chairman, who was a technocrat. Professional railway men operated through their headquarters on Edgerton Road Lahore. The profitable freight business of PR was handed over to the National Logistics Cell (NLC) on a temporary basis, which has continued to date. NLC has now become a rogue institution which should be shut down or handed over to PR. NESPAK (National Engineering Services of Pakistan), formed by ZAB’s minister Dr Mubashir Hasan, has been a commendable institution in the civilian sector. The organization has been professionally managed by competent trained engineers, with excellent results. Retired Generals have been appointed as the Vice Chancellors of two major universities in Lahore. In the University of Engineering and Technology (UET), law and order was restored, but at the cost of academics, while in the University of Punjab this experiment failed entirely. Civilian institutions have to be led by qualified civilians, with khakis at their back for security and not for leadership or policy formulation, in which they have no experience. In 1998, the SCP tried to stop the corrupt practices of Mian Nawaz Sharif while he was the Prime Minister. In retaliation, the goons of PML-N attacked the Judges while the court was in session. The then CJP of Pakistan, Justice Sajjad Ali Shah called the khakis for help but they did not show up as they were unwilling to stand behind SCP. General Jehangir Karamat asked the Chief Justice to make an approach through the Ministry of Defence. The CJP resigned and went home, after which came General Karamat’s turn, who also retired before the expiry of his term. The emboldened Mian Sahib then tried to go after the newly appointed COAS, which resulted in the toppling of his government. Pervez Musharraf proved to be another disaster like the usurpers before him. Kaptaan needs to rebuild civilian institutions. His own father Ikramullah Khan Niazi was an honest and competent civil engineer who took early retirement to safeguard his professional integrity. Yes we need the khakis vigilant and strong, to stand behind civilian institutions as they have done during the current electoral exercise, but never in front of them. Jinnah reprimanded the over ambitious Ayub Khan when he wanted to walk at his side, instead of behind. That command of the father of the nation is valid till today, only a truly elected leadership should lead with all other institutions behind for a unified command structure, which is in the best interests of the nation. The writer is Ex-Chairman Pakistan Science Foundation; He can be reached at fmaliks@hotmail.com Published in Daily Times, September 2nd 2018.