Daily Times

The 21st century has introduced numerous non-kinetic coercion tools as the primary form of warfare. The term 5th Generation warfare amply elaborates the ways and means deployed by world powers for their vested interests. Targeted states are bombarded with agenda driven narratives exploiting fault lines at critical junctures to malign, slander and destabilize them for attaining their so called set objectives. One such intimidation device is ‘Freedom of Expression- FOE’. Straight from the dictionary, it is the right bestowed upon people of a State to express opinions without censorship, restraint or legal penalty. It is a safeguarded HR in almost all countries but is stifled everywhere to a certain bandwidth which varies from nation to nation as per their requirements. It means every western state has well defined bandwidth through laws which are continuously evolved to plug in the loopholes. This bandwidth is guarded ruthlessly by them; come what may. Any trespasser of any nature under any pretext is taken to cleaners through laws at accelerated pace. However, contrary to their inland laws and practices, World powers have persistently used FOE to spark controversy and create divide in targeted states. And Pakistan is no exception by any means. Rather it is perpetually coerced accusing her for restricting so called free run FOE.

UK has pledged FOE in its Constitution but it stands subjected to conditions. Article 10 of Human Rights Act 1998 guarantees the right to express freely. However, it does not entitle citizens to speak contrary to interests of national security, territorial integrity, public safety and also for prevention of disorder and crime etc. Similarly in US, Article 1 of their Constitution provides FOE but it does not allow for speech that promotes incitement, fraud, obscenity and threatening others etc. Germany has imposed inordinate restrictions on expression for its citizens. Citizens are prohibited to express denial of Holocaust among many restrictions. These restrictions vary from nation to nation as all countries have certain taboo topics and exploitable faultiness which are bound to spark controversy, fuel divide and fan instability.

Pakistan, like other nations has given her citizens FOE via Article 19 of the 1973 Constitution. However, it rightly restricts speaking against the glory of Islam or the integrity, security or defense of Pakistan among other restrictions. As a rising Pakistan is a threat to Western world power construct and direct warfare is out of question given the evolving geo political environment, it is subjected to well-orchestrated, planned, funded and fueled propaganda by her adversaries. Enormous effort is put in by hostile missions in Pakistan into auditing the media landscape to find out exploitable, saleable, pollute able and likeminded ones to carry their baggage. These tamed sources are synergized by their Masters to serve their interests. These puppets / baskets are regulated to cause aspersions on State / state institutions / government to pollute and fuel the minds of masses especially of youth. Once tangent to western designs, State and Government is often painted as backward, extremist and suppressive by said puppets. Funded NGOs are also launched to further instill hatred of Pakistan’s state, government, institutions and LEAs in the minds of locals via fake news, malicious social media trends and planned protests. Whenever the Constitution is enforced through laws by Pakistan Government, these so called baskets and their foreign Masters slander Pakistan for suppressing voices. These trespassers of law are glorified, offered media platforms overnight and protected by the Western states / their cronies as they play their tunes in Pakistan for their vested interests.

Do western countries allow causing aspersions on holocaust on their soil? Do they allow criticism on their intelligence agencies and armed forces anywhere? Do they allow anyone to incite violence and hatred on their stretch? Do they absorb any one picking arms against their state / society under any pretext? Do they offer free run FOE? Do they allow trespassers of law to roam freely anywhere in the globe? Do they allow agenda setting against them on their soil? Do they allow their trespassers to seek asylum elsewhere? No they don’t. And they will never. Here comes my piece of sincere advice. Please shed off hypocrisy and stop this outlived strategy of exploiting the exploitable for vested interests. Stop doing what you don’t like for others. No one is of lesser God. World is fast changing. Given the evolving advancements especially in media domain leading to enormous awareness of masses, western strategy is not only getting naked but it is also injecting hatred against them amongst masses across the affected states. Masses are fast awakening to the challenges in hand. What a waste of western tax payer’s money? What a fall in waiting? I sincerely feel your notion is fast loosing against opposing one. If not addressed now, this would accelerate the momentum and would play decisive role in the evolving geo political construct.

Here I would like to raise few questions for my countrymen across the strata of society. Western countries are spending millions out of their tax payer’s money to run their agenda in Pakistan. If they cannot allow foreign agendas to be run on their soil, why are we allowing them on Pakistani soil? Why are we becoming (knowingly / unknowingly) their tools? Do we know their designs and motives behind such ventures and lavish spending? Why they patronage or stand by with trespassers of Pakistani law? Why are all their media platforms dancing 24/7 exploiting our fault lines? Why are we the carriers? Will they allow us to take the battle of perception and narratives to their land? No they will never allow us to aware their masses about their hypocrisy inciting hatred against them. Therefore, please let’s revisit our souls, reevaluate our obligations, shed off western cultural imperialism, say no to western agenda setting about FOE, reenergize our actions, inject pride within and reform ourselves as patriotic law abiding citizens. Given the need of massive reforms, let’s reform ourselves as an individual, society and state. The society needs to come forward and embrace all those law-abiding ones who stand up for society and state. The ones opposing must be exposed and divorced. This would create far superior deterrence than any law can. Let’s be Allah fearing, after all we have to appear before Him to justify our deeds. The present shape/make is not ultimate, rather we are just passing through it for eternal rewards or otherwise.

Lastly Government needs to realize the challenges in hand. It needs to drastically audit the diplomatic bandwidth of missions in Pakistan. How could they undertake agenda setting at will? They need to be brought in given bandwidth come what may. Those who persist with their colonial strategies must be exposed through political, diplomatic, lawfare and media maneuvers unmasking their ruling elite in their respective masses to inflate political consequences for them. Government requires to audit the laws / enact new ones to plug in the loopholes, get it implemented, make all institutions accountable for their performance with no exception under any pretext, ensure same bar for everyone, no holy cows / no mafias anywhere, introduce exemplary punishments for deterrence and reform institutions ruthlessly. Any delay would be cancerous for state and society.

The writer is a student of law at Quaid i Azam University, Islamabad.