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Pakistan's Two Serious Internal
Threats: Politically Motivated Generals and Mullahs
Pakistan
has always faced two most dangerous internal threats throughout its history:
military takeovers by politically motivated generals and spread of mullahism.
Military takeovers and mullahism have made devastating impact on Pakistan.
If not checked, Pakistan may suffer incurable damage.
There cannot be two opinions about the devastation caused
by military takeovers. Generals Ayub and Yahya’s takeovers dismembered
Pakistan in 1971. General Zia’s takeover completely destroyed Pakistan’s
social, cultural and political fabric. He introduced, abetted by mullahs,
drugs, klashenakoves, smuggling of narcotics, and religious extremism.
General Zia institutionalized religious extremism and
made it part of state apparatus by involving religious elements in Afghan
war. During his regime, places of worship became breeding grounds for
terrorism that spilled across Pakistani borders into neighboring states and
beyond. No wonder, today, Pakistan’s all four neighbors complain about
terrorists’ infiltration in their countries.
Until 9/11, Pakistani generals and Mullahs worked hand in
hand with each other. They shared vision, philosophy, strategy and tactics.
They reciprocated each other to pursue their internal and external goals.
However, 9/11 changed the picture. General Musharraf who scornfully shelved
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s agreement with Clinton Administration to
apprehend Osama Bin Laden calling it “infeasible, ” ended up making
overnight ‘U-turn’ on Pakistan army’s so-called “strategic depth”
Afghanistan.
Since then, general Musharraf and mullahs are apparently
at odds. However, their motives are no different.
Unfortunately, Pakistani generals and mullahs have always
worked very closely. In the larger scheme of things, it does not matter if
generals and mullahs are allies or adversaries. They reciprocate each other
to perpetuate their grip on power through coercive means. Generals subjugate
Pakistan through military takeovers whereas mullahs use Sharia and
Islamisation as tools of coercion and imposition of old Arab tribal values
in Pakistan.
First, mullahism does not fit in Islam’s overall
temperament. Mullahs did not exist in early Islamic periods. They grew as an
institution during early kingships. Even at that time, they did not contend
for power. They worked as socio-religious groups in various periods of
Islamic history.
History also tells that mullahs always have been on the
wrong side of the history. They did more harm to any cause they took-up than
helping it. Particularly, India’s colonial and post-colonial history offers
many examples to verify our claim.
In Pakistan, they have been constantly using the cause of
Islamisation to impose something what they perceive as Islam. But it has
nothing to do with Islam. The damage they have done to Pakistan and Islam
through so-called Islamisation process is irrecoverable. Particularly, their
notions about modern state are very liquid. In their view, formation of
state is associated with imposition of Sharia and it can camp in one part of
the world and if conditions change it can move somewhere else.
Jamat-i-Islami, the main proponent of Islamisation in
Pakistan, is known for setting up youth wings throughout the educational
institutions in Pakistan. Those youth wings used violent means to intimidate
rivals and threatened college administrations thus infusing violence and
extremism in Pakistani culture. Later on, other religious groups introduced
parallel groups to match the Jamat backed violent groups. From educational
institutions, religious parties enlarged their territories across the total
social arena of Pakistan. First Afghan war provided further legitimacy to
religious parties to imbibe violence in Pakistani society. Recent incidents
in Peshawar, Gujranwala and Multan by Jamaat’s Shabab-i-milli workers show
the continuity of same violent trends by religious parties in Pakistani
politics.
It is about time that Pakistani generals and mullahs go
back to their barracks and mosques and vacate politics for moderate elements
of society to allow it to grow as a normal functioning state.
We agree with general Musharraf that there is no space
for theocracy in Pakistan. But we do say, also, there is no space for
military takeovers, illegitimate presidents who come in power through
fraudulent referendums, and LFOs in Pakistan.
It was Jinnah’s model that gave birth to Pakistan. It is
going to be Jinnah’s model that will save, develop and make Pakistan a
dynamic state.
Both generals and mullahs should desist the temptation to
make Pakistan either a military dictatorship or a theocratic state.
Pakistanis are fed-up with both forces. They deserve a country where
constitution is followed, rule of law prevails, democratic institutions
work, and people enjoy social freedoms, have good healthcare and education
systems, economic prosperity, better transportation facilities, plenty of
fresh and clean water supplies and freedom to vote their rulers in and
out.
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