The Hypocrisy!

After the ISPR`s strong condemnation on the statement of Munawwar Hassan, Jamat-e-Islami , instead of tendering apology over it, has criticized the ISPR`s reaction and has termed it as a political and a non-military. “Army`s right to intervene in the politics cannot be accepted”, said Liaquat Baloch, the JI`s spokes man.

As far as the ISRPR`s press release is concerned, it was a very unusual, strong and a direct reaction to the Munawwar Hasan`s statement in which the Army also asked the Jamate-e-Islami as party to clarify its position on this matter. As a result, some anchorpersons as well as political analysts directly or indirectly raised questions on it. According to them, it was not through a proper channel; rather, it must have come from the government. “Can the Pakistan Army directly require a political party to clarify its position on any matter like this?” they asked.

What the critics have pointed out is quite reasonable to a big extent. Because the government of Pakistan should have expressed similarly condemnation on the highly offensive statement and it must have required JI to clearly explain its official stance on it. In addition to this, the federal government should have filed a case of high treasons again Munawwar Hassan. However, the federal government let it go as if it was like a political statement generally given during the election campaigns.

Not only the government, but the Supreme Court of Pakistan did not react to it either. The Supreme Court of Pakistan has been frequently issuing the contempt of court notices to different people including the head of the state on either making any comment over the SC`s judgment/ performance or not following (as per the understanding of the SC) its judgments saying “We know how to make people or government to implement our judgments”. The question is, does only the Supreme Court have its respect? Can only the judiciary behave like this in order to ensure its value and image and not any other Institution? Should the Chief Justice Supreme Court of Pakistan not have taken a suo moto notice on disowning the sacrifices of the Pakistani troops in comparison to the killers of more than 50,000 Pakistanis? Similarly, there was a complete silence over the matter of national concern from the Parliament as well.  In this scenario, the reaction from the Pakistan Army seems to be justified.

It is on record that in 1992, the military operation, whose only object was to target the 72 big culprits as discussed in the federal cabinet, was suddenly diverted to MQM. In the name of operation clean-up, the anti-MQM elements were equipped with sophisticated weapons and deployed against MQM in Karachi. MQM`s offices were occupied by these militants under the full protection of the army-men and MQM`s office bearers and workers were kidnapped and brutally killed. The cat came out of its bag when the Chie of the Army staff of that time General  Asif Nawaz said, “When Muslim League can be in groups, why not MQM?” . Furthermore, on the occasion of general elections of 1993, MQM was pressurized by the military establishment to leave some constituencies for Haqiqi group, due to which MQM preferred boycotting the elections for the national seats. Later on, the PML-N`s leadership clarified its position to MQM revealing that it was not PML-N`s government, but the Army`s Chief Gen. Asif Nawaz who deliberately targeted MQM.

The question is, was the role played by the Army and its chief against MQM in the 90`s not political and non-military?? Does the Constitution of Pakistan empower any Army Chief to use its institution against a politically elected party by bypassing the head of the state? Could that unconstitutional, unethical as well as ethnically motivated role of the Army have been accepted in the politics? Did Jamat-e-Islami, any anchorperson or political analyst object to that vicious role?

Not only in the 90`s, the similar role is still being played against MQM and its followers. Now-a-days, the D.G. Rangers and the Police chiefs issue political statement targeting a specific political party, i.e., MQM. The raid at the MQM`s office in Landhi and doing very abusive wall chalking against Mr. Altaf Hussain prove the same. Can these activities ever be considered as non-political or non-ethnical? Further, soon after the MQM`s press conference protesting on the raid and abusive language, a press release was issued by the Rangers denying all that by terming MQM a “so-called” political party. The question is, will the Rangers or Police decide which of the political party is genuine or forged?? Should the Rangers or Police be allowed to play this kind of role in the country??

Why have all the critics of the ISPR`s reaction on the MunawwarHassan`s statement seal their lips on such a non-military and ethnically prejudiced role against the people of Urban Sindh? Why did they, especially including JI and its chief Munawwar Hassan, not condemn it? Why did all of them so easily accept it and let it continue against MQM and its following people? What else should be called if not hypocrisy?

It obviously shows that for all these people and the institutions, it is not important that what is being done is good or bad. What is more important for them is who is the victim or beneficiary of it. That motivates them to oppose or support the said act. When this is the standard of justice in a society or country, can it have unity or harmony anyway?? At least I do not think so.