pdawani

After India’s misadventure of transgressing Pakistan’s territorial boundaries: 1- Pakistan has established that India can no longer behave like a bully; if it does, there will be consequences India wouldn't like. 2—Pakistanis received a much-needed/awaited morale boost and sense of togetherness in an age of extreme polarization. 3- But in that, the military’s centrality has been cemented in the popular mindset. And it is there to stay for a long time now. Unless, God forbid, something bad happens to dilute it, which is what Pakistan (military) will have to prevent because that's what the enemy would do. If not by direct military confrontation, then by greyzone activities, economic front, and/or on the diplomatic front. Beware. Inteospect. And correct where corrections are due. 4—Jubilation and overcelebrating what is perceived as victory might lead to overconfidence, overreliance on the military, and a blind eye to gross human rights violations by the army in large parts of Pakistan (especially KP, Balochistan, and Sindh). If left unchecked, this will be devastating for Pakistan in the long run. 5- After the morale boost and the edge in the domestic power balance that the military got after #May10, it might lead to the continuation of manipulating and controlling political space. The politicians, already an amenable and docile class of privileged elites, will become further passive, submissive, and too eager to please the powerful generals. 6- If no.5 happens, which WILL happen eventually, the pulverization of Pakistan’s democracy will be complete and absolute. 7—There will be no voices in Pakistan calling for rationalizing defence spending. The upcoming budget will be HARD for the people, but it will not bring any bad news to the defence forces. 8— Political and ideological dissent might become impossible (it has been quite close to impossible for the last few years already) if the military continues to monopolize the use of (unlawful) violence and intimidation against the dissenters. 9—If that happens, the already small dissenting community will shrink to nothing. The dissidents and the mavericks will maintain silence for some time before disintegrating into an ocean of complaisance and sycophancy. 10—After this, No. 6 will become irreversible. People who have historically struggled hard for democracy might become permanently numb to the questions of democratic rights, civilian authority, and the supremacy of the constitution and the parliament. 11—You might think I'm overstretching it, but if this is how it happens, Pakistan might see worse days not just economically but also in a downward spiral on the global and domestic fronts. To avoid all this, Pakistan, especially those running Pakistan, will have to see beyond their noses and far beyond their tunnel vision of a country’s power. What we must ensure now is that we seriously introspect and decide to reform and change for the better, not based on sentimental, fanciful, triumphant impulses but on rationality and careful consideration of the cost-benefit analysis of our past choices. I will soon post a compendium of “must-dos” for our next course of action. Your thoughts are welcome.