Farzana Shah
Events that transpired since the last edition of this publication have shaken Pakistan’s political landscape. Politics of collision and clash has divided the social fabric of the nation as well. Violent behaviour by a political party pitched Pakistani people and the national security establishment in front of each other. Its violent political agenda vividly display the divergence mainly from collective future of this nation based on shared national interests in which internal unity is paramount.
The incidents of May 9th 2023 exposed the rise of divergent political ambitions in national politics hiding behind the slogans of justice and human rights. Defense Installations including Jinnah House, Lahore and General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi were attacked, Radio Pakistan Peshawar was burnt, and many other military installations were attacked accross Pakistan on this fateful day. National leadership has declared 9th May 2023 a Black Day in history. The nation is now demanding the accountability of those involved in the planning and carrying out of these heinous acts of treason and betrayal. Pakistan Army has made it crystal that no one involved in these crimes in any capacity will be spared.
But there lies a bigger concern for the state of Pakistan and that is how to synergize the national unity in this charged volatile political environment?
Pakistan’s enemies are well aware of the fact that Pakistan Army remains the centre of gravity and binding force for the federation of Pakistan. The unity of the federation of Pakistan is dependent on the cohesion of the bond of love between the people of Pakistan and its armed forces. A threat to this cohesion is a threat to national unity. The new wave of violent political culture and divergent political ambitions have ushered centrifugal tendencies in national politics in Pakistan.
These tendencies refer to the forces that pull different regions or groups within the state apart, rather than uniting them. Usually, these centrifugal forces are attributed to various factors such as regional disparities, ethnic and linguistic diversity, and historical grievances. It is important to note that while these tendencies exist, the government and various stakeholders continuously work towards promoting national unity and addressing these challenges. What transpired in Pakistani politics in the last 5 years, gave rise to the new wave of these tendencies in social, physical and intellectual spheres.
For a state like Pakistan where already historic ethnic and linguistic fault lines exist, such tendencies in national politics can be a direct threat to national security.
Why 9th May holds much significance can be judged by the fact that never before in the history of the Pakistan, our enemies could achieve despite making huge investments what they achieved on that day without making any investments. To make matters worse, a nefarious propaganda campaign about the military courts’ establishment was launched on social media. The crux of this propaganda is based on the claim that new military courts can’t be set up without parliament’s approval but forgot that the same was sought in 2017 and many terrorists were tried in the same military courts during their own tenure. Military courts in Pakistan never stopped working after 2015 when the then parliament approve of its establishment for the 2nd time after the unfortunate incident of APS. It was not Pakistan Army’s demand to set up these courts, instead, parliament on strong public demand set up these special courts through dozens of hardcore terrorists were convicted and punished.
The severity of these violent centrifugal politics and scale of its adverse effects on national unity is evident from the fact that after 1971, it was the first time that people of Pakistan, mainly misguided youth, were pitched against their own security forces. 52 years ago, the Awami league rallied Bengali youth against the armed forces of Pakistan in former East Pakistan to further India’s strategic designs in the region. Not only armed forces officials, but all non-Bengali people in former East Pakistan were threatened, harmed, and humiliated. The main tactics of Awami league were comprised of the application of centrifugal tendencies in academics, news media, and social domains.
What the state of Pakistan suffered from on May 9th, 2023 was no different from what transpired 5 decades ago. The strategy was the same; the only difference was the operational and tactical approaches due to changed times and circumstances. First, a narrative using new age propaganda medium i.e., social media was launched where Pakistan Army, its leadership, and ISI were presented in extremely bad light. Once a critical mass of youth was indoctrinated, 2nd phase was launched by defying law enforcement on the roads violently when they approached to apprehend the mastermind. Violence worked as a catalyst and now misguided youth was enraged as well. May 9th call for protest was the final act of this grand plan against the 5th largest military and only Muslim nuclear power. If it were not for the restraint shown by Pakistan Army and other LEAs, the situation could have turned into a complete bloodbath in multiple cities.
This misleading and violent politics of divergence and divide also demands a revision of existing cyber laws in the country so that misinformation, deception and sublime non-linguistic programming of youth can be kept in check. The state of Pakistan must make foreign-based tech giants obey local laws and security concerns for their commercial operations in the country’s cyberspace.
Pakistan will have to overcome the challenge of centrifugal tendencies in national politics. Responsible freedom of speech is critical in this regard. Media houses and news outlets regulations must be revised to ensure that provisions in the constitution regarding the sanctity of armed forces and national security institutions are being implemented in letter and spirit across the board.
The application of the writ of the state must be seen by all and must not be limited to platitudes. In this regard, the perpetrators of May 9th must be punished as per the law of the land without any regard for their social and political status. After losing support base on the political landscape considerably, a new propaganda campaign commenced with the narrative that all those who left this party were pressurised by Pakistan Army and they have been pardoned for switching their loyalties, hence May 9th was a false flag operation. This is again a smearing campaign based on misinformation and lies.
This propaganda is the reason why perpetrators of May 9th 2023 must be convicted and punished in a swift manner regardless of where lies their current political allegiances. Failure in this would not only encourage these political jugglers but would further strengthen their propaganda. It would provide them opportunities to continue with their self-centred political agenda to pollute national politics with blatant lies, hatred for the national security establishment and opportunistic leadership. Pakistan is already facing multiple challenges and can’t afford to be hostage to such tendencies. It is time to put the jinni back in the bottle to safeguard our national cohesion!
