By Afshain Afzal

Since decades, the Red Zone, which houses the Parliament House, Prime Minister House, President House, the Supreme Court building, Pak Secretariat, Foreign Embassies and other important installations, is restricted area and not open for general public. Smartly turned out Police personnel stop individuals and vehicles near the barriers to divert to other routes. Despite government’s warnings, imposition of Section 144 of Pakistan Penal Code, which bar assembly of more than five persons and invoking of Article 245 of the Constitution that handed over control of Federal Capital Islamabad to Armed Forces, the leaders of of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) along with their several thousand followers forced their way to the Red Zone and decided to challenge the state authority unless their demands are met. Since then, worse episode of challenging the writ of the government and lawless including defying Section 144, taking over the premises of Parliament House, ransacking headquarters Pakistan Television, causing loss to government property and seriously injuring several Police and government officials including an SSP is being witnessed quite often.

From early August, the leaders of PTI and PAT are issuing repeated threats of violating the writ of the government unless the Prime Minister of Pakistan and Chief Minister of Punjab tender their resignations and accept their demands. They had been instigating the general masses to stand against law enforcement agencies especially the Punjab Police and resort to civil disobedience. The PTI leader, Imran Ahmed Khan while pointing out Punjab Police threatened that if Police try to stop them from their march to Red Zone, he will hang Police personnel from his own hands. Imran Khan while addressing the protesters and media channels warned SSP Captain (Retd) Illyas by shouting his name, “SSP Illyas Ham Tumhay Nahee Choran Gay. Main Jab Tak Zinda Hoon Tumah Nahee Choroon Ga”. Interestingly, soon after the announcement, media telecast news that SSP Captain (Retd) lllyas has refused to take over the charge. One wonders, where the writ of the government is and how someone can dare issue such an insulting and threatening statement against a state authorities. If same statement had been issued by any Police officer against a politician, he would have been sacked by now.

The PAT leader Tahirul Qadri also instigated the general public to eliminate whole family of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif if anything happens to him. He cautioned his followers that if his party workers try to return from Islamabad before dissolution of assemblies and formation of broad based government, they should be put to death. As a result PTI and PAT’s taking the law into their hands, worse episode of challenging the writ of the government and lawless including defying Section 144, taking over the premises of Parliament House, ransacking headquarters Pakistan Television, causing loss to government property and seriously injuring several Police and government officials including an SSP is being witnessed. The law enforcement agencies including Police is showing restraint from taking lawful action against criminals and bearing insult on the orders of political leadership.

Some of the critics view that double standards have been adopted to please certain semi-secular moderate groups of political and religious leadership, who openly defy tenants of Islam and express their own interpretation, against the Islamic traditions and Tariekh. They view that the law enforcement agencies including Armed Forces adopted an entirely different course of actions against the orthodox Muslims during Lal Masjid tragedy, in crackdown and operations in Balochistan and pockets of Khyber Pakhtunkhawa / FATA. No doubt, if we examine the chronology of the events of past crackdown and operations, the present crimes of PAT and PTI are grave as killing of dozens of Police official and conspiracy against state as well as political government is on their credit, which is quite evident with proof of live media recordings of the event. Both PTI and PAT had been giving impression that Armed Forces and some other power, which they referred as”Umpire”, were behind them.

One of the political leader claimed that it was discussed in front of him that Army and judiciary are involved in conspiracy against the ruling government. One wonders he might be right or wrong but how we can trust every other leader who had been telling lies in the past. One fail to understand if these worthy politicians are intentionally playing in the hands of the enemies of the country and fifth columnists or they are destroying institutions as a result of their innocence. Mr.Tahirul Qadri, while talking to ARY News at 2145 hours on 31 August 2014, was asked if he has planned to enter restricted areas again. Mr. Qadri responded that strategy is made somewhere else and cannot comment about strategy at that moment. To whom he was referring is not still clear, however, so far PTI and PAT were successful in giving an impression that the invisible hands, who are devising the strategy, will ensure unconditional resignation of Prime Minister, Main Nawaz Sharif and his brother Chief Minister of Punjab, Mr. Shahbaz Sharif. However, the release press issued by ISPR with regard to Crops Commanders’ Conference removed all sorts of misconceptions created by twisted political statements that Army is behind any conspiracy against the ruling government.

It is quite depressing that media channels are being provided Secret letters pertaining to intelligence agencies in which highly sensitive information is leaked to the world including enemy agencies. A media channel telecast secret letter pertaining to Pakistan’s highly sensitive intelligence agency “Intelligence Bureau”, which he also read out, claiming that government has approved Rs 2.6 billion under head SC-21C02 which is being used against Pakistani agencies namely Inter Services Intelligence and Military Intelligence. It is strange that till to-date no action under Official Secret Act has been taken against the network of anti-state elements, who are involved in leaking highly sensitive information. On need to understand that Pakistan Army is a supreme institution by virtue of custodian of Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan. It is below the level of such institution to give rebuttal and clarification of every political statement.

Another quite unbelievable event was provision of clean drinking water and breakfast to the illegal occupants of Pakistan’s Parliament building since day one, meaning that they should not leave the area and keep illegally occupying the Parliament House. It is really strange to observe that our Police was committed in taking action against all those, who despite announcement by authorities, pulled down the gates and grills at Parliament building by banging truck many times and cutting the security fences but some authorities are ensuring illegal occupation. Federal Government invoked Article 245 of the Constitution and called upon Armed Forces of Pakistan to take over the control of Islamabad for three months to defend Pakistan against external aggression or threat of war and act in aid of civil power. However, so far, the Army is allowing political dialogue a chance to lead to a success story. It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan Army has played an exemplary role this time by not indulging in politics and providing avenues to democracy to find its own course. The statements issued by Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) also reflected non political role of Armed Forces of Pakistan..

It is shameful for us as a nation that despite the passage of 68 years, we are not clear about even the basics. A media person who was quite vocal against government institutions including Police, when contacted disclosed that he belongs to Indian Sarhanpur, India and that PTI leader is his relative from his mother side. He claimed that Pakistan would be modern, progressive and secular state under PTI and PAT leadership. While PAT is openly pronouncing new and moderate version of Islam, where Blasphemy Law will not be applicable to non-Muslims and death penalty would be no more rule of law, attempts are been made to write down new Constitution of Pakistan. Can these leaders deny they have been given millions of dollars by foreign nations and organizations on account of interfaith harmony? It should not surprise anyone that beside Western investment of billions of dollars to renovate thousands of Mosques in Pakistan on modern lines promoting Mohammadism instead of Islam, the Norwegian Church has denoted sufficient amount to devise new syllabus for Madaris in Pakistan.

It is high time that the authorities need to carryout brainstorming in order to streamline the processes and restore the writ of government by implementing Constitution of 1973, which has assent of all the religio-political parties including non-Muslims in Pakistan. One needs to understand that the terminologies used by the media including Balvaie” are imported from India. During the whole episode the influence of Indian intelligence agencies and their illegal hundreds and thousands of immigrants in Pakistan was evident but direct involvement of Indian government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi cannot be claimed, at least for time being. The whole violent drama in Islamabad has proved that the participants have potential to carryout large scale terrorism, which they did on several occasions. It is irony that the ruling government, not realizing that Pakistani Police officers and personnel are counted among one of the best in the world, underestimated the law enforcement machinery. Still they are waiting for the government orders and are not afraid to sacrifice their lives for the defence of their country. Hats off to Police; despite their hands tied by the politicians from coming into action against criminals and anti-states activities in Islamabad, they are patiently performing their duties with these unjustified restrictions and insults. One wonders, despite media footage of every event in which over 200 police personnel were injured by identified individuals and several dozen killed, no action against criminal is being taken. This is high time that we should protect our Constitution and sanctity of our institution. afshain@hotmail.com