The Fallacy of the Civil-Military Divide

By Sarosh Yakoob

“There is one unalterable difference between a soldier and a civilian, the civilian never does more than he is paid to do.” Field Marshal Erwin Rommel

Pakistan was given to us by Jinnah, look what we have done with it.

It is imperative for all nations of the world to seek consciousness which transcends patriotic egos. It is elemental to realise unity in a diversified way. It is about establishing a logical approach and fosters a shared consciousness in order to pinpoint the dormant indifference prevailing in the society so that it does not turn volatile.

The nature of inept institutions always breeds mistrust. The government is so driven by power and profit that it only brings chaos in the end. No set rules to follow, which result in violence and ire in society. While we realise that the red light blinks on the socio-economic indicators, it is already too late.

The system is collapsing itself, as the political elite is self-destructive, why should the military dirty their hands at this point in time, when CPEC is the biggest milestone achieved and the global Game-Changer.

Since Pakistan was created, we have seen the political elite locking horns with the military, have we ever thought that our backbone is a part of our body and we could not exist without it. It is the proof of our existence.

Take a small example of the Dawn Leaks, when the whole nation was shaken at the abrupt and unexpected decision. I am no exception; I was irritated too as to why did our army take a step back? One thing was sure that our Men of Steel did not sell out. What was the issue that made them retreat?

“A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others. He does not set out to be a leader, but becomes one by the equality of his actions and the integrity of his intent.” – Douglas MacArthur

In the larger interest of the country, our armed forces do us proud as they took the blow of being ridiculed and the guts of the DG ISPR Asif Ghafoor deserve immense appreciation for holding a press conference, as they say, the show must go on. This requires immense courage.

Army always displays wisdom whereas the holders of the beacons of democracy display emotions. Nations are built on wisdom and not emotions.

The Fallacy of the Civil-Military divide is crystal-clear. With due apologies, our government is involved in corruption, nepotism and greed. Still, the COAS kept his calm, for what? Did he recede?

“Winning the men’s confidence requires much of a commander. He must exercise care and caution, look after his men, live under the same hardships, and above all-apply self-discipline. But once he has their confidence, his men will follow him through Hell and high water.” – Erwin Rommel

The system is collapsing itself, as the political elite is self-destructive, why should the military dirty their hands at this point in time, when CPEC is the biggest milestone achieved and the global Game-Changer. Army always displays wisdom whereas the holders of the beacons of democracy display emotions. Nations are built on wisdom and not emotions. Looking at this from a different perspective, all kinds of media went berserk and lashed out vehemently. Our Media, which is owned by conglomerates, business tycoons and land mafias became intensely active.

Pakistan is on an uphill, going fast-track for the best future and right beside; we see a slide where politicians are sliding down. The Fallacy is basically not because we are not one united nation. It is because our political elite is controlled by foreign powers which have different agendas like sectarianism, loot, plunder and to sell national assets for their own interest.

We have enemies looming all around, only the resilience of our Armed Forces stand tall, taking all the blows in silence and working all the way to secure Jinnah’s Pakistan. The need of the hour is to realise and feel proud where Pakistan stands, concentrating on an individual identity, as an ensemble of being human.

So many ways, so many words to say, yet my tongue is tied, not that I will face criticism but I want the people of Pakistan to understand this Fallacy of the civil-military divide which is overblown, bloated and out of shape. There are a number of ways to express this metaphor without creating any ripples.

Let us bring a positive change to our lives, let us learn to trust our institution, and let us learn to unite… but wait a second. Is the political elite ready for this? No—when vested interests are more than being a Pakistani, things turn ugly. This paradigm shift leads to great differences in our societies for the prevalence of violence and terrorism. Yet terrorism remains to be another challenge, and extremist tendencies remain another.

We have to give a wake-up call to the nation with a holistic approach; we have to secure our boundaries and borders. We have enemies looming all around, only the resilience of our Armed Forces stand tall, taking all the blows in silence and working all the way to secure Jinnah’s Pakistan. The need of the hour is to realise and feel proud where Pakistan stands, concentrating on an individual identity, as an ensemble of being human.

Pakistan was given to us by Jinnah, now we know what to do with it.