ISLAMABAD – Army bashing, especially in our English media, is no secret.For the past several months senior journalists and self-proclaimedintellects have been attacking country’s military establishment. These“intellects” never miss an opportunity to undermine the state interests.One will find them attacking Pakistan’s nukes, law enforcing agencies andeven loyal civilians.

Taliban’s unprecedented defeat in FATA and adjoining areas could not bedigested by their handlers, so they came up with the counter strategy ofexploiting Pashtun grievances. Manzoor Ahmad Mehsud (later became Pashteen)from nowhere became a darling of West and a specific segment of media andpoliticians.

DG ISPR rightly asked “How did one cap made abroad started being importedinto Pakistan? And how did groups of 10 individuals started raisinganti-Pakistan slogans? How did articles start appearing in newspapers andhow did some foreign media start telecasting their protests live onFacebook and Twitter?” he asked rhetorically.

Same intellects teamed up and bashed army, the ones calling for ruthlessoperation in North Waziristan a few years ago, they are now propagatingagainst army’s presence in terror-hit Pashtun areas. The biggest raritytoday in the said portion of the media is the acknowledgement of theachievements of the army in the war against terror. No one can andshouldn’t discourage constructive criticism but from the eye of your ownnot by playing in the hands of enemies. These intellects should not forgetthat media got independence during the Military regime, most of thepolitical leaders imprisoned dozens of journalists who threatened theirempire.

There is no second opinion in addressing concerns of the Pashtun whoundoubtedly sacrificed a lot for the rest of the country. But extraordinarysupport from mainstream leading international media outlets raised eyebrowsof authorities and masses.

The situation becomes murkier when political leaders also follow suit andstart campaigning against the state institutions under the umbrella ofso-called nationalist Pashtuns. Delay in FATA reforms and visiblereluctance in addressing Pashtun reservations left me questioning howpolitics can be so cruel that the politicians attack the state institutionsfor their meagre vested interests.

The day after another we see journalists directly blaming army of strictcensorship, claiming to get calls from unknown numbers and direct threats.Now when DG ISPR has clearly stated that army had never tried to dictateany media group or journalist to report according to their wishes, themedia men can easily prove ISPR wrong by presenting evidence.

Under the garb of democracy, these pseudo-liberals quote examples ofrenowned democracies including America, India and Europe. They are now evenusing foreign media to spit venom against the security agencies. A recentlywritten piece in New York Times by a veteran journalist vehemently toed theline of hawkish elements consistently harming Pakistan’s national security.The so-called western and Indian democracies can never tolerate anti-stateviews being propagated in their media, United States even arrested thejournalists who showed low attendance in Trump’s Inauguration as president,let alone the national security issue.

There is absolutely no doubt that our top security institution hastransgressed its limits in the past and they should never be allowed to doso again in any manner. But our media intellects should know that armyalways calls the shots in the war-torn areas of the country and has a rightto form foreign policy with the civilian establishment. It’s not that allthe army bashers are bribed, but it’s primarily the war of narratives andthe debate of civil-military power balance. For that matter, continuousdialogue and effective working relationship with stakeholders can alter thefate of a common Pakistani.

The evil nexus between prominent media men and political leaders to promoteanti-state elements would not only undermine the army but would also weakendemocratic institutions, as it would escalate mistrust between them. Nowwhen all the institutions are working under their defined jurisdiction (atleast theoretically), a political leader can easily expose any undemocraticor uncalled for action from unelected powerful institutions includingjudiciary and army. If the stakeholders fail to understand the gravity ofthe situation then may the God bless this country.

By: Hassan Siddique, he is pursuing PhD in Communication Studies from theUniversity of Punjab and a freelance journalist.