Words and deeds

The News, Friday, May 02, 2014 From Print Edition

The occasion of Youm-e-Shuhada is as good as any to reflect on the tremendous sacrifices made by our armed forces in more than a decade of fighting a ruthless internal foe. The military is at the frontlines of a war that has cost it thousands of lives; and that should be appreciated by all. Chief of Army Staff Raheel Sharif, in a speech on the eve of Youm-e-Shuhada, appropriately noted the contribution made by the foot soldiers who protect us. Each soldier who laid down his life for us deserves our love and gratitude and about this there can be no doubt. The army chief emphasised how strongly the Pakistan Army backs the constitution, rule of law and democracy and said that the military stood behind press freedom, provided it came with responsibility. The COAS spoke of building a relationship with those who he emphasised had always backed the army. Indeed any relationship needs to be built on mutual respect, and a willingness to follow the rules as defined by the constitution. All too often criticism of the military leadership is confused for bashing the military as a whole. Nothing could be further from the truth. Such criticism is made for the sake of the public good and should never be dismissed as being ‘anti-military’. The military leadership should also recognise that the security it strives for can come only if people are safe, if there is stability in the country – and this can come only if every organisation, every institution, is ready to follow the rules by which the land is run. Democracy, even in the literal sense, means the people should stand at the apex of the pyramid of state. All other institutions are there to serve them.

Given that we are in one of those frequently recurring periods in our history when there is some tension between the civilian government and the military leadership, it was wise of Gen Sharif not to take a confrontational route. He gave his verbal support to democracy and vowed to uphold the supremacy of the constitution, words that come as no small comfort at this time. Speeches alone, however, cannot be taken at face value. The army chief said he believed in the freedom of the press. This comes at a time when there is talk of Geo News being taken off the air and a blanket ban is being pursued on Jang Group media properties in cantonments. One can only show commitment to media freedom by supporting even those in the media who say things you oppose. Freedom of speech is not a relative right that can be suppressed when convenient. Rather than trying to shut down debate, diversity of viewpoints should be encouraged . That will ultimately strengthen this country. In his speech, Gen Sharif pointed out how the inclusion of more Baloch in the military would reduce the alienation felt in that province. We need to build a truly unified state. Gen Raheel Sharif, a military man with much experience, will recognise of course that strength comes through unity. To do this there must be absolute trust between all those making up a nation. Where they have flaws in this, the gaps need to be filled. We must hope the army as well as other bodies will strive towards this for the future. There can be no alternatives. Any doubts and suspicions only weaken us all.