The King Is Naked - King Raheel Sharif
Once upon a time, in a distant land, lived a King who was so
exceedingly fond of himself, that he would spend all the state’s money on new
clothes. He wouldn’t care about his people, except when he had to show off his
clothes.
And then came along two weavers who promised the King a new
suit, such glamorous was the suit, that it would be invisible to those who are
stupid or incompetent or unfit for the position. And, when the King parades
before his faithful subjects in his new clothes, no one dared to say that they
don’t see any clothes…
Take two, the great King Raheel Sharif, past week, announced
dismissal of six to twelve army officers – the count ofcourse varies depending
upon the journalist’s inclination towards fauj – on charges of corruption. And
thus, sending his subjects on roll, who see him now as a King, rather than a kingmaker
alias umpire.
Gen Raheel Sharif, wishes to be seen not merely as a
“powerful” Pakistan army chief within a fractured and under-developed polity,
which is quite normal, but instead be seen as the Great King – who selflessly
kept his nations interest paramount and successfully defeated both external and
internal enemies of the state. So if, earlier, it was torpedoing a very nascent
peace process with India or attempting to arm twist President Ashraf Ghani in
Afghanistan; now it is, nudging and pressuring Nawaz Sharif – a competitive
power pole – into resigning over charges of alleged taxation abuse, by
pro-actively initiating action against corrupt individuals within army.
To his faithful subjects, the King has already set the
benchmark against corruption so high that it would be impossible for any mortal,
leave alone democratically elected yet lowly Prime Minister having any choice
but to handover the mantle back to the King willingly, because resting it by
force is unworthy of a Great King.
But has he set any benchmark? Lets analyze it closer. The
King has dismissed individual army officer’s nay officers of Frontier Corps, a
paramilitary force and not army officers, without barring of facts on the
nature of corruption and crime. Ostensibly, the crime must have been ridiculously
naïve, that the otherwise, out spoken and credit garnering ISPR General,
preferred silence, even refusing to acknowledge or confirm, identity and count
of officers dismissed.
Further, the extent of corruption within Pakistan army is
humungous, if not less in comparison to political class considering the army
over years of its rule has institutionalized multiple layers of economic
skullduggery, beginning from direct control and involvement of army in economic
exploitation of state resources, using its front organizations such as Frontier
Works Organization – Pakistan’s largest contractor for constructing roads and
highways, competing with private players in an unfair game. National Logistics
Cell – Pakistan’s largest goods transportation company and highest revenue
earner if only motorway tolls were a measure of profitability. Not stopping at
construction of roads or collecting tolls, these front organization’s economic
reach ranges to owning bakeries, cinemas, gas stations, commercial plazas to
selling sands and allotting contracts for fishing in coastal areas – everything
that army’s faithful subjects should otherwise be owning.
And then ofcourse, there are subsidiary organizations of
Pakistan army, extracting undue economic advantage at the cost of state, such
as Fauji Foundation, Army Welfare Trust, Sheheen Foundation and Bahira
Foundation – enabling themselves to make windfall profits by coercing, often
partnering with private players and politicians in subsidized land grab,
seeking unfair tax breaks for its projects. If that wasn’t enough, there are
individual army officers or people of army fraternity that have special focus
on real estate acquired at subsidized rates for developing and reselling land
in urban and rural areas. It only takes common sense, which is obviously
uncommon among the faithful subjects, to witness how the infamous ISI chief Gen
retired Hameed Gul’s daughter managed to bag profitable bus routes between
Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
Equally important to call out is, how spineless politicians
over the years had chosen to cohabit with army in the exploitation of state
resources – So aptly documented by Shaid-Ur-Rehman’s book – Who Owns Pakistan?
The real problem, however, is in Pakistan army’s invisible
and systemic exploitation. While politicians are thrown to slaughterhouses for
corruption, and rightfully so, but Pakistan army’s economic exploitation of
subjects remains a taboo and off limits for the faithful mortals. Dare we
forget, researcher and author Ayesha Siddiqa being refused space by Hotels for
her book Military Inc. – Inside Pakistan’s Military Economy, launch?
Back to
our story: alas, among the faithful subjects, was a little kid screaming - The
King is naked!!
Published: http://myvoice.opindia.com/2016/05/the-king-is-naked-king-raheel-sharif/
Published: http://myvoice.opindia.com/2016/05/the-king-is-naked-king-raheel-sharif/
NAILED IT, Gernail Saab!!!! BRAVO!!!
ReplyDeletelove u sir
ReplyDeletehamaree dua hai raheelll shareef sahab ALLAH apko 2nooo jahan mein kamiyab karryyyyy
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