Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned: Shakespeare
DEADLY UTTERANCES
By: Ahsan Waheed
Shazoo is six years old. He lives in a small remote village at the foot of the Siachen Glacier in Northern Pakistan. For the last one year he has been going to a school and he has to walk a mile to get there. When he comes home he tells his parents and brothers and sisters to wash their hands, brush their teeth and learn from his books. The school is the first in that area and it is run by the military deployed to defend the Glacier. There are many other Shazoos attending schools in remote areas run by the military all over the country in the remotest areas as well as in villages and urban areasmany are free. Military hospitals provide medical treatment to all and are easily among the best in the country. The military runs a vast network of schools, colleges, hospitals and vocational training centers. Much criticized for its commercial activities the military employs hundreds of thousands of civilians and retired personnel and pays billions in taxes. The profits pay for hospitals, schools, parks and troops welfare. Military run enterprises whether farms or factories or real estate are among the best in the country.
Today the military is under fire and rightly so because there have been lapses and there is blowback from past policies. Does this mean we forget all that the military has done for the country and all that it is doing to defend it? The military is stoically bearing all that is thrown its way and our enemies who thought that the center of gravity in Pakistan was in the military are gloating and laughing as everyone lines up to add a stone to the many being heaped on a national institution that is struggling to cope with fast moving events. Pakistan is under attack and the military is defending it from Siachen to the sea and on the sea and in the air and fighting and dying in the western border area.
A lady known for her defense of the down trodden has used most unladylike language in a scathing attack on the military institution. She has chosen to do so when the institution is in a difficult position and not able to defend itself. What she has said has never ever been said by anyone about their armed forces. She chose to do this publicly. She has found supporters but there are also many who are castigating her and the language they are using is far from temperate. Why are people ganging up on an institution that is on the defensive? Who are these people? Whom do they want to please? Is it a hatred welling up? Is it driven by the tone set by the outspoken lady and others of her ilk? Does it have to do with the dire straits in which the country finds itself today? Will the destruction of an institution solve the problems that we face today? The liberals mouthing accusations need breath tests to determine if they are in a fit state to stand up and bellow on television. They need to look at themselves and their petty ambitions.
The country is under attack from within and without. To survive and overcome the odds against it the country needs to muster and orchestrate all its resources. Those creating divisions are not the well wishers of this country. This is perhaps the time to establish civilian supremacy in the country to end the ambiguity that surrounds decision making and leads to speculations about who is in charge and who calls the shots. This can be done if the political leadership takes charge, asserts itself, issues directives to the military, formulates policy and brings about governance that will create harmony, law and order and resolve issues. The defense budget can be scrutinized and the government can decide what kind of options it wants to pay for. The Defense Ministry can be made effective. The DCC can meet every week. Parliamentary committees can develop the capacity to exercise oversight So much can be done if we want to be constructive and not destructive, open minded and not vindictive. We need to be sure of what we are saying and doing and not speculate. By ill informed opinions and rabid outbursts and carefully cloaked barbs we may be doing our enemies a great service and our country a great disservice. Posing as wise owls ,screaming banshees and moderators of orchestrated debates some people are doing grave harm to the county. There is a very high military participation ratio in Pakistan and the military is a factor for cohesion and integration. When a society looks at its military it sees its own face so let us tread carefully. Undoing is easy-building something is difficult(http://pakistanpal.wordpress.com/2011/06/01/deadly-utterances/)
DEADLY UTTERANCES
By: Ahsan Waheed
Shazoo is six years old. He lives in a small remote village at the foot of the Siachen Glacier in Northern Pakistan. For the last one year he has been going to a school and he has to walk a mile to get there. When he comes home he tells his parents and brothers and sisters to wash their hands, brush their teeth and learn from his books. The school is the first in that area and it is run by the military deployed to defend the Glacier. There are many other Shazoos attending schools in remote areas run by the military all over the country in the remotest areas as well as in villages and urban areasmany are free. Military hospitals provide medical treatment to all and are easily among the best in the country. The military runs a vast network of schools, colleges, hospitals and vocational training centers. Much criticized for its commercial activities the military employs hundreds of thousands of civilians and retired personnel and pays billions in taxes. The profits pay for hospitals, schools, parks and troops welfare. Military run enterprises whether farms or factories or real estate are among the best in the country.
Today the military is under fire and rightly so because there have been lapses and there is blowback from past policies. Does this mean we forget all that the military has done for the country and all that it is doing to defend it? The military is stoically bearing all that is thrown its way and our enemies who thought that the center of gravity in Pakistan was in the military are gloating and laughing as everyone lines up to add a stone to the many being heaped on a national institution that is struggling to cope with fast moving events. Pakistan is under attack and the military is defending it from Siachen to the sea and on the sea and in the air and fighting and dying in the western border area.
A lady known for her defense of the down trodden has used most unladylike language in a scathing attack on the military institution. She has chosen to do so when the institution is in a difficult position and not able to defend itself. What she has said has never ever been said by anyone about their armed forces. She chose to do this publicly. She has found supporters but there are also many who are castigating her and the language they are using is far from temperate. Why are people ganging up on an institution that is on the defensive? Who are these people? Whom do they want to please? Is it a hatred welling up? Is it driven by the tone set by the outspoken lady and others of her ilk? Does it have to do with the dire straits in which the country finds itself today? Will the destruction of an institution solve the problems that we face today? The liberals mouthing accusations need breath tests to determine if they are in a fit state to stand up and bellow on television. They need to look at themselves and their petty ambitions.
The country is under attack from within and without. To survive and overcome the odds against it the country needs to muster and orchestrate all its resources. Those creating divisions are not the well wishers of this country. This is perhaps the time to establish civilian supremacy in the country to end the ambiguity that surrounds decision making and leads to speculations about who is in charge and who calls the shots. This can be done if the political leadership takes charge, asserts itself, issues directives to the military, formulates policy and brings about governance that will create harmony, law and order and resolve issues. The defense budget can be scrutinized and the government can decide what kind of options it wants to pay for. The Defense Ministry can be made effective. The DCC can meet every week. Parliamentary committees can develop the capacity to exercise oversight So much can be done if we want to be constructive and not destructive, open minded and not vindictive. We need to be sure of what we are saying and doing and not speculate. By ill informed opinions and rabid outbursts and carefully cloaked barbs we may be doing our enemies a great service and our country a great disservice. Posing as wise owls ,screaming banshees and moderators of orchestrated debates some people are doing grave harm to the county. There is a very high military participation ratio in Pakistan and the military is a factor for cohesion and integration. When a society looks at its military it sees its own face so let us tread carefully. Undoing is easy-building something is difficult(http://pakistanpal.wordpress.com/2011/06/01/deadly-utterances/)
