In other times, other wars

This sixth of September has come with an extraordinary bang. There has been a massive build-up in the media of the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of our 1965 war with India. That brief military encounter is being recalled with a passion that ostensibly is meant to bolster the people’s trust in the military’s ability to win its wars against formidable adversaries. And this fervour may momentarily distract out attention from challenges that we confront at this time.
Fifty years is a long time. A half century, really. An overwhelming majority of our population was born after 1965. In that sense, that September war is gradually slipping away from living memory. One wonders how our youth would relate to a national experience that is now projected as a resounding victory. So, what did change after 1965? How has history dealt with Pakistan in the aftermath of a war that inspired such acts of gallantry and sacrifice?
We should be advised to not ask these and similar questions. Not in the midst of this celebration. However, it should be possible to look at the relevance of this anniversary in the present circumstances. There is certainly a need to promote a sense of pride and of unity in the nation. Irrespective of what the hard facts were, the glorification of the September 1965 war has its purpose in the context of the role that the military is playing in Pakistan’s affairs.
In the first place, a fiftieth anniversary is exceptional in itself. That it should also allow a candid analysis of the event that is being commemorated is another matter. Besides, the general mood in the then West Pakistan during that war was emotionally stirring. Our national songs, particularly the ones sung by Noorjehan, were greatly inspirational. Yes, the times were very different and the reach of the media was restricted.
Another reason that this anniversary has injected a sense of urgency is that we are fighting another kind of war against an enemy that is not stationed across a marked frontier. It is, in a real sense, the enemy within. Operation Zarb-e-Azb – the war against terrorism and extremism – was launched in June last year and it is continuing.
Then, we had to suffer the trauma of December 16, 2014 – a date that is otherwise etched in our memory. This led to the formation of the National Action Plan and a more extensive operation against terrorist and extremist elements. The operation that was meant to bring peace to Karachi was launched in September 2013. In fact, yesterday (September 5) was its second anniversary.
So, many different strands have been brought together to create the sense of a large campaign that is led by the military. It is also significant that the pace of events has picked up in recent months. The most explosive front in this engagement is, of course, Karachi. A political storm is rising. Just as the raid on Nine Zero in March was a milestone in this campaign, the arrest of Dr Asim Hussain last week is emerging as a turning point. A nexus is being established between corruption and terrorism.
In addition, there has been an alarming escalation in tensions between India and Pakistan after incidents on the Line of Control and the working boundary. So much so that the National Security Advisers of the two countries did not make it to a scheduled meeting. Here are intimations of the mutual mentality that made the September war possible. Hence, there are some tactical reasons for playing up this anniversary.
But there are irritants that cannot be wished away. The wars we are engaged in at the moment demand mobilisation of a different kind. What the military can do is peripheral in the overall scheme of things. The real task is to build a society that is fully armed with skills and values that comprise a modern polity. That citadel would be impregnable for any marauding forces. The pity is that, while so much attention is being paid to tangible aspects of the operation – and the contribution made by the military and paramilitary forces is crucial in this respect – no concerted effort is being done to even understand the societal dimensions of our national deficits.
Take corruption. Stories about how widespread and immense this malaise has become boggle the mind. But how was it possible? Where are the roots of this malady? Look around and you will find that almost all our institutions are in a state of disrepair. A nation does not arrive suddenly to, say, a tragedy of the magnitude of the massacre of our schoolchildren in Peshawar. The path to it must have been paved by a number of derelictions, including some by the military itself.
There is another thought that we need to contend with. If we are willing to die for a country it should, in the first place, be a country worth dying for. Otherwise, we run the risk of losing our wars. Or a war may be lost without any alien force marching across our frontiers. What is patriotism if it is not a source of pride in your country and in your own sense of belonging to it. What do we mean when we want our ‘sohni dharti’ to be ‘qadam, qadam abaad’?
Almost on a daily basis, we are reminded of what our society has become through reports in the media. Raids in Lahore and other cities of Punjab have uncovered the quality of meat that is being consumed. Evidence of adulteration in our food is mounting. Levels of hygiene in a large number of establishments that produce edibles are deplorable. As it is, our lives are barricaded by garbage and filth. The Pakistan Medical Association, in a meeting in Karachi on Thursday, took a very serious notice of a news broadcast in the States that 45 percent medicines sold in Pakistan are spurious.
The point I wish to make is that the defence of Pakistan is also undermined by these conditions that certify a moral and an intellectual crisis in our society. That adulteration is rampant in food and also in medicines may serve as a metaphor for our polluted lives. The two vital sectors of health and education project an abject surrender on the part of our rulers.
Against this backdrop, this celebration of the September 1965 war can at best be a tranquilliser. We must wake up to the abrasive realities of our existence and deal with them with the passion and the commitment that we identify with a war so long ago. We now have other wars to fight – and win.
The writer is a staff member.
Email: ghazi_salahuddin@hotmail.com