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Opportunity of a lifetime

As Muslims we live with the strong belief that whatever happens to man is ordained by God, given the bizarre events of Oct 12, 1999 destiny has thus blessed Gen Pervez Musharraf and his colleagues, who now have a God-given chance to do good by this nation. Frankly one envies them this opportunity of a lifetime to correct the many wrongs in this country, to set this great nation firmly on the road to prosperity in the new millennium. At the turn of the century, our new military rulers stand unequivocally at the crossroads of destiny, where will they take us? Will they rise above themselves to secure the nation’s future or wallow in the type of petty selfishness and greed that has brought this nation symbolically to its knees? Going by Gen Musharraf’s address to the nation, lightning seems to have struck him. A keen student of history, his message was to the point and carefully crafted, more important his body language was sincere.

The military hierarchy cannot make any excuses for inexperience, they have 3 distinct periods of military rule, almost 22-23 years of the 50 or so years since independence, to have learnt lessons from, they should be clearly able to distinguish right from wrong in the matter of governance of a nation. Over the years much emphasis has been given in the military to all-round knowledge, the present crop of generals is better educated than their predecessors, moreover military culture inculcates constant self-analysis. Plans for the country should thus be based on logic as well as pragmatism, spelling out clear aims and objectives. The Chief Executive’s readiness to declare his assets is by itself a momentous event; it sets a fine precedent for the future.

On Oct 12, 1999 circumstances were engineered that would have split the Army leading to possible civil war. That would have spelt doom for Pakistan as the country fragmented, first among warlords and then on ethnic and sectarian lines, a sure recipe for anarchy. Only 2 days earlier, in a news analysis for THE NATION entitled “THE ARMY AND DISCIPLINE”, we had warned that the difference between a mob and an Army was discipline and there was no substitute to the authority of the COAS, he was head honcho. In the vacuum that ensued because of the former PM’s October madness, does the military have any real legal need to justify their existence at the helm of governance of the nation? All this talk about constitutional lacuna is pure nonsense. What should they have done in the face of economic and political apocalypse, allowed more of the same to take over? The civil war scenario and the governance of the elected representatives that brought this country to this sorry pass justified the means that brought an end to so-called “democratic rule”. In the circumstances it was shocking to learn about the Jadoogars of the world flocking to Pindi to render legal advice about surmounting (or circumventing) the “constitutional lacuna”. Let’s be clear about it. No constitution in the world can make military rule legal, similarly no law recognises the individual’s right to take another’s life, unless it is in self-defence or sudden grave provocation. So what does one do when a constitutional government goes berserk, in whom does the concept of “lawful command” rest? The Army has taken an oath to guard the integrity and sovereignty of the country “even to the peril of the lives”; their conscience should be satisfied that they acted under the concept of the doctrine of necessity. The bloodless counter-coup by the Army did not bring even a semblance of protest from the masses from any part of the country, that deafening silence giving the Army the legality it needs, sovereignty is vested ultimately in the people. No constitutional cover is necessary. The acid test of this military rule will lie in the sincerity of its leaders, in the maintenance of their primary aim they have proclaimed, restoration of the rule of law as envisaged in our religion and by our forefathers, most importantly the Quaid, and in the application of that law evenly to all the citizens of the State. As a constant critic generally of absolute rule and despite our history of the many unkept promises, one sees reason for hope.

The major thing wrong with the economy is the lack of government revenues. Fiscal deficit has to be made up with borrowing, that puts us deeper in trouble. To shore up the fiscal base, we have to immediately generate revenues, viz. (1) make people pay their due taxes and (2) make loan defaulters to return their debts. This will tide us over for a couple of years, enough for the new revenue cycle to kick in. The third part of the exercise may be more long term, the return of ill-gotten wealth, locally and from abroad. Obviously all this falls within the purview of accountability which must be free and fair and across the board to include politicians, bureaucrats and also uniformed personnel, both serving and retired, as well as business and industrialists who may have illegally profited, whether it be under-invoicing or over, transfer of illegal wealth abroad, kickbacks or commission on projects or defence purchases, etc. Laws must be enacted to ensure people do not escape on technical grounds. As far as the present regime is concerned, the crunch will come in the matter of commissions against military purchases. Undeclared commissions are illegal and a fair number of the agents are retired servicemen. There is also the danger of jealousy and spite, it is so rampant in this country that the military hierarchy must always guard against those misusing their authority for personal vendetta or personal gain. Those indulging in making false accusations or bearing false witness must be liable to the same punishment as those they accuse i.e. if their accusations/witness are proved false. There is a tendency among our people to subvert the system by using it for their own selfish, material reasons, will the military be able to avoid that pressure?

All Defence Services officers take an oath to die for the nation if need be. In the narrow sense of the Constitution, no one can justify military rule but what is the paper the Constitution is written on worth if there is no country for the Constitution to be exercised in? One may not agree with the Chief Executive on any number of counts but there is no doubt he is decisive, and he has convinced his colleagues and subordinates about his sincerity of purpose, the acid test of leadership. His legal status will be derived from that moral authority, something he exercises not only on behalf of a much-aggrieved nation but also in the pure sincerity of his initiatives. As a soldier he should be fully prepared to answer for his actions once his task is accomplished. Having the courage of his convictions, let him be judged once accountability is complete and the essential reforms carried out. A referendum on the regime’s performance must be held simultaneously with the final electoral exercise which will lead to the transfer of power to the elected representatives of the people. Would the Supreme Court try Gen Musharraf and his colleagues in the face of a massive “yes” vote by the people in their favour? If the Chief Executive has been true to the aims spelt out and accomplished what he had promised to deliver, no court in the world will ever dare to try and convict him. And if they should so dare, the masses will lynch the members of that particular court.

Gen Musharraf’s predecessor rulers before him failed because to various extents they compromised their moral authority by selfish motivation and personal gain. They subverted their conscience for the sake of individual ambition or personal vendetta or were simply overwhelmed by circumstances. We have been fed for over 50 years with a staple diet of promises that have never been redeemed. Even then the most hardened critic and/or cynic will give the Chief Executive the benefit of doubt in the circumstances availing in the country. Gen Pervez Musharraf has an opportunity of a lifetime to be loyal to the cause of what makes up this country, its citizens. If that should happen, and being an incurable optimist one has every reason to hope that it will, Pakistan has been blessed by Divine Providence going into the new millennium.

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