On September 6, Pakistan observed Defence Day in memory of how the country defended itself in the Indo-Pakistan war of 1965. Thousands died in the fight over Kashmir, a truly agonising issue as old as partition and with no resolution in sight. The message of this day is simple: young people must take responsibility to protect this land. It is a good message and, more importantly, a necessary one.
However, an op-ed published recently in this paper broached the subject of Defence Day with bias. I was surprised to see the piece titled ‘Golden jubilee of delusional adventurism’ (Daily Times, September 10, 2015) by someone I have followed for years, Dr Mohammad Taqi.
Dr Taqi vigorously indicts Pakistan’s motivations and decisions just as he derides its decisionmakers, from Ayub Khan to his civilian point man, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. As someone who has spent the last two years essentially studying global warfare and military planning, I have deconstructed many campaigns and offered analysis containing the whys and wherefores of their failures. Discussing something lengthy like Egypt’s foray into Yemen or a quick mess like the US’s Bay of Pigs fiasco, it is easy to point out all the screw-ups. Anyone is an expert with the benefit of hindsight.
There are lessons within such deconstruction, and it is a fascinating discussion to have. We can break down the battle, take apart Operation Gibraltar and talk about how well (or not) the Pakistani leadership was communicating. We can look at responses to terrain, what the artillery used was, what other actors were at play, all of it, and search out military lessons. But objectively looking at this violent time is not what Dr Taqi is doing. Ayub Khan is “delusional” and “bigoted”, and Pakistan full of “anti-India jingoism” with no mention of the messages emanating out of India. Pakistani leaders are far from perfect but history is unfortunately not as simple as anyone’s perspective.
Dr Taqi writes: “It [the war]…hung on to Lahore by the skin of its teeth.” The tone of this piece comes across rudely and that saddens me. To me, hanging on to Lahore, the cultural capital of Pakistan, the city my family hails from, is inspiring and demonstrative of the spirit of the soldiers who protected it until they carried it to safety.
Courage is contagious. Perhaps that is one of the reasons nations dedicate days solely to commemorate their armed forces. Flash forward from 1965 to 2015. I can get into a debate about the war strategies and tactics Dr Taqi eviscerated, and I do not entirely disagree with him on some points. But Defence Day is not about military logistics. Resolving Kashmir remains a priority for Pakistan, and Pakistan and India will almost certainly raise this in the upcoming United Nations General Assembly in New York.
But Defence Day is not about Kashmir. Meaningful dialogue with a ‘Modi-fied’ Indian government is all but a dream. The Indian polity is lashing out at Pakistan, even as our prime minister (PM) attempts to steady the bilateral relationship.
But Defence Day is not about India. Defence Day exists to underscore a simple idea: to let every nation know, be it an ally or an enemy, that people from this land have always been willing to pay any price to assure the survival of this country. Sometimes we are the ones who need the most reminding.
Pakistan’s realities can be disheartening; the numbers are almost beyond comprehension. The tens of thousands of innocent lives lost to violent terror, the millions out of school, the impoverished and the ill that populate our megacities and the increasingly younger average age of Pakistan — this country faces a lot more challenges than simply Kashmir and India, and to confront the myriad of internal/external/regional/global issues means following in the footsteps of those long gone, and working with brave citizens today. Young people need encouragement and enthusiasm, not pieces that turn a sombre occasion into an opportunity to grind an axe.
Defence Day is about reassuring ourselves we will inevitably persevere. That is not delusion, Dr Taqi, that is hope.
The writer is a freelance columnist