Thrice-elected former PM of Pakistan, Mr Nawaz Sharif, in a candid interview with Dawn paper madean admission that non-state actors from Pakistan were involved in the 2008 Mumbai attacks. He said: “Militant organisations are active. Call them non-state actors, should we allow them to cross the border and kill 150 people in Mumbai? Explain it to me. Why can’t we complete the trial?” His remarks were discussed and rejected in a hastily convened National Security Committee’s (NSC) meeting on 14 May 2018. The official statement issued said: “The participants observed that it was very unfortunate that the opinion arising out of either misconceptions or grievances was being presented in disregard of concrete facts and realities. The participants unanimously rejected the allegations and condemned the fallacious assertions”. Next day, Mr Nawaz Sharif, while speaking to reporters at the accountability court “rejected” the NSC statement terming it “painful and regrettable”.
Mr Nawaz Sharif’s statement has since been the focus of discussions in Pakistan’s press, TV and social media. ISPR with actively assistance of Army’s ‘B’ team of retired generals, leaders of political and religious parties, has been highly active on TV and social media in past few days. Mr Nawaz Sharif has been termed as a “Ghaddar”, or a traitor. This term “Ghaddar” has been a handy tool for the army backed Islamist groups and smaller parties to malign their opponents or the elected government or anyone favoring friendly ties with India and US, or propagating non-interference in Afghanistan, or anyone supporting democracy, rule of law and supremacy of the constitution. Interestingly enough, no army general since Md Ayub Khan, the first in the list of those who imposed martial law in Pakistan, not even General Yayha Khan, who is seen as the most responsible for the dismemberment of Pakistan in December 1971 or Gen Pervez Musharraf, the architect of Kargil defeat have ever been labeled as “Ghaddar”. Whereas many prominent personalities such as Benazir Bhutto, Salmaan Tasser, Husain Haqqani, poets like Habib Jalib and Faiz Ahned Faiz and many prominent Baloch and Pashtun leaders among others have been labeled as “Ghaddars” as they have not toed the Pakistan’s Army and Islamist security narrative.
Pakistani military’s desire for institutional supremacy over all other institutions especially civilian governments has created psychological and political layers to the Pakistani nation’s sense of insecurity. The army keeps the bogey of existential threat from India alive and their Islamist partners exaggerates these psycho-political fears and help their military masters to exercise political power. This historic alliance between Islamists and Pakistan’s military which has helped the army to rule the nation is now undermining its own internal security and anti-terrorist operations. After losing more than 63,000 lives in terror and insurgent related incidents and living in an ever increasing radicalized and violent society, It is high time that the silent majority of Pakistan sees the truth and listens to their so called “Ghaddars”.