by Nilesh Kunwar

From the statement issued by Pakistan army’s media wing Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) on conclusion of the 84th Formation Commanders Conference held last Thursday, it’s apparent that the spectre of “propaganda and disinformation” against the country’s armed forces continues to give the Pakistan military’s top brass sleepless nights. This is understandable because in a country where the army is considered a holy cow by the people, anything that impinges on the military's exalted status is unacceptable as this can become a serious threat to the army’s phenomenal overreach and extra-constitutional authority.

Hence it is evident that Pakistan army chief Gen Syed Asim Munir’s emphatic “any effort to weaken our armed forces is akin to weakening the state” declaration is merely a cunning ploy to invoke nationalism for preserving Rawalpindi’s exclusive turf. Similarly, while there could well be “foreign hand” involvement of in social media campaigns against the Pakistan army, but overplaying this issue to the extent of suggesting that this trend has acquired gargantuan proportions solely due to foreign intervention is clearly an attempt by Rawalpindi to conceal its own misdoings and highhandedness.

Gen Munir wants the government to “check unfettered and unethical use of freedom of expression to spew venom, lies and sow the seeds of polarisation” and maintains that “those spreading fake news for vested political/financial interests need to be identified and brought to justice.” His observations and recommendations do create the misleading impression that even though the Pakistan army is being systematically demonised by “vested political/financial interests,” the government unfortunately continues to remain a silent and inactive spectator.

Readers would recall that after facing mounting criticism, Rawalpindi had in 2021 craftily orchestrated an amendment in Pakistan Penal Code and Code of Criminal Procedure through insertion of Section 500-A. This section which criminalises ridiculing of the armed forces states, “Whosoever intentionally ridicules, brings into disrepute or defames the Armed Forces of Pakistan or a member thereof, he shall be guilty of an offence punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years, or fine which may extend to five hundred thousand rupees, or with both.”

That the Pakistan military is perhaps the only army within the community of democratic nations that needs legal protection against slander from its own countrymen, does convey a lot!

With no clarity on what constitutes ridiculing, bringing into disrepute or defaming the armed forces or its members, this draconian law gives the army (which has its own full-fledged legal setup) the opportunity to take offenders to court. So, instead of initiating legal action against those who he perceives are maligning the army, why is Gen Munir unnecessarily complaining against what he considers to be government apathy and the army's helplessness? Isn’t it his moral responsibility to uphold the image of the army?

However, for the army to blame the government is nothing new in Pakistan. (Didn't former Pakistan army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa say that the 1971 debacle which led to creation of Bangladesh was "a political failure and not a military one"?)

The ISPR statement further mentions that “This pre-planned coordinated and premeditated propaganda reflects the continuity of a sinister design by certain political elements as an attempt to drive a wedge between the public & Armed Forces and institutions of Pakistan.”. Though ISPR hasn’t named the “political elements” that it accuses of spreading propaganda, it’s obvious that this barb is directed at Imran Khan and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. This is yet another classic example of Rawalpindi’s unending interference in politics, which is the prime reason behind its burgeoning unpopularity. Remember former Pakistan army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa’s matter-of-fact admission that “The main reason for this (public criticism) is the involvement of the army in politics for the last 70 years, which is unconstitutional”?

Gen Munir is enraged by PTI’s accusation that the Pakistan army and Rangers (which are commanded by army officers) had opened fire at protesters in D Chowk on November 26 causing death of 12 workers and injuries to several others. This is evident from ISPR’s statement that the “Forum noted with concern the malicious propaganda done in the aftermath of the lawful deployment of the army in the capital to secure key government buildings and provide [a] safe and secure environment for the valued visiting dignitaries.” However, does this anger justify Rawalpindi’s getting into a one-on-one slugfest with PTI and creating a mess?

Both the government and the Pakistan army may deny having fired live bullets at protesters but there’s credible evidence that suggests otherwise. In an Al Jazeera video, senior journalist Kamal Hyder reporting from ‘ground zero’ clearly mentions use of live bullets by security forces and even draws attention of listeners to what’s undoubtedly the repetitive staccato of semi-automatic rifle fire in the background. He also confirms not having seen any armed protesters at D Chowk.Then there are several horrific videos on social media that show civilians with gunshot wounds.

Most importantly, abduction of TV anchor and You-tuber Matiullah Jan and his colleague Saqib Bashir by men in black uniforms while they were collecting data on protester casualties from Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences and booking Jan on terrorism and narcotics related charges also raises serious doubts regarding the official claim that no bullets were fired at protesters. The

One of the most gruesome video that’s bound to generate anti-army sentiments amongst the people is that of an elderly man offering prayers mercilessly being pushed down from atop a container by Rangers. Why has Rawalpindi maintained a stoic silence and failed to take cognisance of this criminal act by soldiers commanded by Pakistan army officers is indeed intriguing and provides a reason for public resentment against the Pakistan army.

Dawn in its December 7 editorial has aptly observed that “The ruling party’s-and the establishment’s (Pakistan army)-disagreements with the PTI are political and need to be resolved through political means, while terrorist groups pose an existential threat to the nation…. It is unwise, therefore, to link the PTI to militant groups. Both the civilian and uniformed leaderships need to focus all their efforts on countering the terrorist threat… the effort to brand the PTI or other critics of the state as ‘terrorists’ will only divert attention from the real threat.”

Whether Gen Munir will heed to this sagacious suggestion however remains a million dollar question!

Nilesh Kunwar is a retired Indian Army Officer who has served in Jammu & Kashmir, Assam, Nagaland and Manipur. He is a keen ‘Kashmir-Watcher,’ and after retirement is pursuing his favourite hobby of writing for newspapers, journals and think-tanks. Views expressed above are the author's own