On Thursday, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif sacked half a dozen high-ranking military officials over various charges includingthat of corruption. This is an unprecedented move by General Sharif,as there is no previous instance of any such case in the history of Pakistan military where an acting chief of army staff took such a bold step to clean up the cadres of his own institution on a large scale. In fact, this is not the first time that General Sharif has taken this step as in the recent past some military officials who were involved in the National Logistic Cell (NLC) scandalhave also been sacked. Inquiries have also been initiated against those serving/retired colonels, brigadiers and generals who were allegedly involved in corrupt practices within the Defence Housing Authorities (DHA) and Bahria Towns around the country. These inquiries also include those being held against the relatives of the former COAS, General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani. What does all of this signify in the light of General Sharif’s statement on “accountability across the board” earlier this week? It shows that the army, as a disciplined institution, has started to clean up its own mess, and is signalling to those who enjoy political power or influence to follow suit to set a shining example for the prosperity of the country. Most political parties in Pakistan already have an oligarchic and dynastical pattern of holding on to power that is undemocratic in itself. It goes without saying army must stay in its constitutional limits and protect the borders rather than influence the civilian set-up. However, when civilian leadership is morally weak and corrupt, it eventually allows space to be given tostronger and disciplined institutions to take over the helm of affairs, whether openly or behind the scenes. Such a scenario is neither acceptable nor desirable. One of the reasons armed forces are so disciplined is the refinement of a cadet the moment he/she enters the Pakistan Military Academy,Kakul, for two-year training. This is akin to professional career planning when a student completes his high school and university courses, and joins an organisation after getting the necessary training. In contrast, political parties in countries such as Pakistan do not have any kind of training, and even their representatives largely hold influence on the basis of their clan, wealth or contacts. Educational qualifications and prerequisites of holding a political public office are largely disregarded. Former president, General Pervez Musharraf’s mandatory requirement of a bachelor’s degree for contesting the elections for the national assembly of Pakistan actually backfired,as many politicians were high school dropouts who acquired fake degrees to cling to the perks of being an elected representative in Pakistan. This signifies that as Pakistanis we have become our own enemy, as we are willing to do anything for the lust of power and influence. If the house isn’t in order then the outside world and other stakeholders within the country shall always play the blame-game and justify their own stance as valid. Political parties based in North America, Europe and Australasia are far more democratic and more disciplined that not only allow promotion of their officials within the ranks but strengthen the system of governance as well. And that is one of the reasons why dynasties are unable to hold power for long periods and armed forces fail to take space in these regions. Even in China’s Communist Party, which has been ruling the country for almost seven decades, political officials rise from grassroots level. Pakistani political parties do not have courage or discipline to take lessons from the West or China, and even the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, which claims to be the champion of justice, seems to be affected by oligarchic and dynastical influences. Feudalism is also widespread within Pakistan’s political echelons, most of which are corrupt to the core. Unless political parties clean up themselves and allow true democratic notions to devolve, disciplined and morally strong stances to serve the public would be next to impossible. The army chief’s stance over corruption is rightly valid on moral grounds and government and other political stakeholders must consider it more seriously than ever, as they might be next on the list of ‘rotten eggs’. The recent controversy surrounding the Panama Papers and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s ‘leisure trip’ to London under the garb of an apparent medical check-up has already dented government’s credibility. And this week’s events in relation to the armed forces should give a wake-up call not only to government but also the opposition that there will be accountability of corruption and malpractices. Civilian supremacy must be the ultimate objective for Pakistan, and for that to be a reality our leaders and political parties still have a long way to go. The writer is a freelance journalist. He previously worked as an intern at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Islamabad and a Lahore-based research think tank called Research Society of International He tweets at @mhassankhan06 and can be reached at hassankhan440@gmail.com