Every time an incident happens that reminds me of what happened in 1971, I wonder why Pakistan is so different from India. Remember, it started with the Kashmir dispute (with India going to the UN), but it developed into a secessionist movement in East Pakistan, resulting in the disintegration of the country. Now the same thing is happening in Baluchistan, and one can't help wondering if we're headed for another break-up of the country.
India has been lucky in that it has always been under civilian rule. In Pakistan, the generals were never comfortable with taking orders from the civilian leadership, although Jinnah had told them to do so.The result of course has been years of mismanagement and misrule, but the tragedy is that the establishment hasn't learnt any lessons from it.
Today eleven coal-mine workers in Baluchistan were shot dead in cold blood, in another of several such incidents. By interfering in politics, those who are the real rulers in the country are making a huge mistake. The country has enough problems without rigging of elections and having nincompoops appointed to rule over us. The sooner this hybrid regime is removed and transparent elections are held, the better it will be for the country.
The generals should learn from India and Bangladesh. Their leadership brooks no interference in civilian matters and their armies obey the civilian leaderships without question. The army is meant to defend the frontiers of the country, and to aid the civilian leadership only to maintain law and order when called upon to do so. Let's hope this lesson is learnt before it's too late.
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