Expectations from the new Army Chief

CHITRAL: The very title of the post may seem odd to those who know the world, as anywhere, the appointments of a defense chief is a routine procedural matter and nobody bothers about it. In Pakistan however things have become so different. It’s metrics and paradigms have changed so much that now the situation in Pakistan has to be seen accordingly.

شہر آسیب میں آنکھیں ہی نہیں ہیں کافی
الٹا لٹکو گے تو پھر سیدھا دکھائی دے گا

That the new Army Chief has been appointed after much ado, it is now upon him to honor the so-coveted and so-‘powerful’ appointment  in Pakistan.
The new Army chief would do well to start his day with declaring that the army would either be on the borders or in their barracks and not interfere in any matters related to civilian government. For this his first step could be to announce disbandment of ISI’s political wing.
The new chief can also do a noble service to Pakistan by announcing reduction of Defense budget by 50 percent so that the money is only used on combat operational expenses instead of harrowing perks and luxuries enjoyed the senior military officers. This wasteful expenditure in the armed forces has snowballed during the years since Ziaul Haq, Musharaff and sees no looking back.  The office of a starred officer which earlier would be a decent but simple and modest room now looks like the office of an oil rich sheikh, with nauseatingly expensive and lavish decor and all.
We have lost our balance and pity for this country which is now reeling under the burden of inevitable bankruptcy. The Army Chief can set an example by himself adopting austerity and enforcing it in the whole army. The other services will quickly follow.
By simply announcing that Army will not interfere in politics is not enough. Practical steps have to be taken starting with reduction in non combat budget of the Armed forces so that they stop yielding unnecessary extra power, because in Pakistan the age old axiom of ‘jiski lathi uski bhains’ prevails and that is why the ‘lathi’ has to be taken away, when considering their treatment of the civil population. .. CN report, 25 Nov 2022

3 thoughts on “Expectations from the new Army Chief

  1. Good assessment and good advice. Characteristic of Chitral News’ balanced and mature approach to affairs of the state. Well done.

  2. Please please people, do yourself a favour. A great favour. It is what you are going to do for yourself and your own country. Sleeping and expecting others to do anything for us is the biggest mistake we have been making all these years.
    If we want to remain slaves to slave takers we can continue to sleep. However those of us who care for ourselves and our country, need to wake up. Wake up and never leave our matters to others who do not deliver. We need to become responsible citizens.
    Responsible to lead our country out of the hands of those who do not deliver.
    The way for us the people is to achieve this is to unite. Unite in the localties where we all can come together regularly. Come together to work for our collective progress and security by bringing in the practise of Virtues and to make Vices obsolete in our thouhts, words ad deeds.
    A nation shall never see a welcome change. Never. Not until the masses will make concerted effortt to bring about the change in themselves. For a start we all need to abandon our most loved bad habit i.e. enticement of Shaitan. This habit
    is poison for good human relationsip. It is rampant among our kind, the humankind. It is arrogance i.e. being boastful. Humility is in the practice of those who are nearer to the Almighty. Arrogance is in the thoughts and deeds of those in the servce of Shaitan.
    Humility helps people make friends whereas arrogance makes people lose friends.
    Hmility shall help us all to unite. Unite to work for our own common good. Once we see the sense in coming together to work collectively, sincerely and peacefully we shall never need the good for nothing middle men/women. We can broaden the sphere of Peoples’ Union and co-operation by electing our representative from our localities to bring about our representaton on a nationwide scale.
    So right now the first thing we need to do is to start workng for bringing our neighbours out of their homes to join hands with each other to start working for our own progress and security.
    If we want to sleep as we have been doing all these years, our colective wealth shall continue to being looted by the thieves and robbers whom we allow to do so. Why? Because We sleep. Thieves and robbers are active, because we sleep.
    Are there Muslims anywhere around? Does not appear to be so. Coming together to unite and work for the common good for humankind, as outlined above is in Almighty’s Command. It is “Wahtusaymoo bay hublilahay Jumeeyah”,
    So why do see so many people enduring trouble? It is due to the fact that the people do NOT obey the way shown by the Almighty for humankind to keep out of trouble. Just too many people can be seen to be promising to obey no one but the Almighty. A promise that cannot be seen in their deeds. Claimng to be a Muslim means nothing. Showing it in deeds is the real thing. It is the deeds of the humankind that will be audited on that terrible day. The day of Judgement.

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