For the last 77 years the Pakistani military – intelligence establishment has retained its control, whether through direct rule or indirect rule. They have their control over every branch of the Pakistani state. The latest example is the recent attempt to eliminate any independence of the judiciary.
As former IG Police, Tariq Khosa, wrote in a column in Dawn, “the guardian angels of an authoritarian state perceive themselves not only as protectors but also the proprietors of our future. Like overzealous shepherds, they lose sight of the flock, convinced that only their guardianship can ensure the nation’s survival.”
Asking the question “Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? Who will guard the guardians?” Khosa argues that “it is time to decide what sort of governance structure should dominate Pakistan. Should it be the constitutional order envisioned by the founding fathers, where every citizen is equal under the law, where due process is followed, and where all institutions act within their legal boundaries? Or should Pakistan’s mission persist as one of an eternal security state, where justice, lawmaking, foreign policy and even the economy are militarised?”
Khosa points out, “as a former law-enforcement officer, I oppose the use of violence, not merely on moral grounds but because it is an ineffective means of fighting an ‘authoritarian’ regime. By resorting to violent means, one chooses the very type of struggle in which oppressors nearly always have superiority.”
In conclusion, Khosa warns that “national harmony can only be achieved through tolerance. The role of the state in religion is not that of enforcer but enabler or facilitator. An inclusive, humane state can win the trust of the citizens who are wary of elite capture.”
