By Agha Iqrar Haroon
Everybody has a job description and terms of reference of his appointment in today’s world when someone goes for accepting a job or a career. Executing job description and following terms of reference is a part of duty, not a favour to an organisation or group someone is working for.
I am a journalist, and having long working hours and putting myself into dangerous circumstances to find and expose truth, is my responsibility and duty. Only a responsible person can excel and survive in competitive world.
One has to be more careful and responsible when someone is serving the country by opting job in state run institutions. Civil and military bureaucracies are the foremost components of any society those have overt and covert check and balances on publically elected representatives forming governments.
There is no doubt that the civil and military bureaucracies legally work under elected governments but both are “Monitors” of elected governments practically even in the strongest democracies of the world. The Secretary who is a part of state machinery and bureaucracy is the Principal Accounting Officer (PAO) of any ministry in Pakistan although the Ministry is officially and legally headed by the elected representative— the Minister. Not a single penny can be spent without the approval of the secretary meaning by that anything that relates with state exchequer comes under the authority of the Secretary including all appointments and expenditures of his respective ministry. Civil and military bureaucracies work according to their terms of references and job descriptions and run country. Do they favour the country while executing their jobs and terms of references? —- I believe that they are doing their jobs, they are hired and paid for, therefore they do not favour the country but just play their assigned roles. Everybody can differ from my opinion and can place his or her opinion but my opinion is based on what Establishment Code (Esta Code), Rules of Procedure, Code of Conduct and Constitution are explaining while dealing with issues related with civil and military bureaucracies.
Pakistan Army is an institution that works under the same procedure at macro level that is set for other state institutions. Army is the name of sacrificing lives to protect motherland and the courage to face and fight death while seeking Shahadat (Martyrdom). When someone joins Army, he or she knows what he or she is going for —– Ghazi or Shaheed (A winning warrior or martyr).
Every graceful and respected nation lauds and appreciates its soldiers and army officers and considers them as their heroes. Glorifying lives of soldiers are common in folklores of almost every society. History indicates that some societies made their winning warriors as their saints and made their statues. The society of sub-continent is influenced by heroism therefore we craft heroes instantly and sometimes abruptly.
So-called Media Revolution has taken over the responsibilities of story tellers and ode writers (Qaṣīda Gou). Since sub-continent had been ruled by foreigners for thousands of years therefore execution of jobs by state operatives are considered as “favour done by state operatives” therefore we can find lots of folklores about state operatives in our literature about those who had been kind with people or had provided some basic civic facilities to people under their rules.
Pakistani media nowadays is thanking Chief of Pakistan Army Gen. Raheel Sharif for his commendable services he performed during his job tenure. Media is thanking him for going to retire instead of demanding extension in his job tenure. Media is also thanking him for not running over civilian government and clamping Army rules although he could do anytime during his three-year job tenure.
Gen. Raheel Sharif shall be remembered in Pakistani history for honestly performing his duty as the head of military bureaucracy and for fulfilling his terms of reference of providing security to people of the country against aggressive and hostile enemies who are trying to destabilise Pakistan. He fought and won war against fourth generation warfare launched by India in Pakistan in the form of terrorism and radicalism. He successfully established the writ of the State in tribal areas where Pakistani state was never present or respected. He provided all support to civilian government to stay in power by openly supporting democracy and parliament.
Gen. Raheel Sharif shall be remembered as a different kind of personality who dedicated his tenure to gain respect for Pakistan Army among democrats like me. I consider Gen. Raheel Sharif the tallest personality among all former chiefs of Pakistan Army those never trusted democracy, parliament and even their own institution—Pakistan Army and who thought that Pakistan Army could not work without them.
Shukriya Raheel Sharif for trusting your institution and finishing your tenure with grace and honour instead of demanding extensions or running over elected government for ruling the country for decades as your predecessors did in past.
Disclaimer:
The views and opinions expressed in this article/Opinion/Comment are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Dispatch News Desk (DND). Assumptions made within the analysis are not reflective of the position of Dispatch News Desk.
