Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has been making a statement since the fall of his government. The same statement has been adopted by the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM). And according to the opposition, it has now become a national statement. There is a sensitive aspect to this statement which the opposition parties must be aware of but they do not seem to be shifting this understanding to the level of workers.
If things go according to the expectations, then this sensitive aspect will suddenly emerge. And when it emerges, it will create a headache not for the establishment but for the leadership of the PDM. Therefore, it is important that the opposition parties continue to shed light on this aspect in their speeches to the media and during their meetings.
Workers of opposition parties believe in the eloquent claim that democracy is the government of the people. Whatever happens in this regime just happens according to the will of the people. But the fact is that this is not a true picture of democracy.
One of its parts is behind the curtains. This part is known as the Establishment. The direction of any country is determined by its national security policy, and its basic framework is set by the Establishment. By keeping this policy very secret, a foreign policy is formulated in its light which reflects the thinking of this state for the world.
In a country with a presidential system, the president and in a country with a parliamentary system, the prime minister outlines the policy, drafts legislation and enforcement, and sends it to parliament for approval. In this framework of legislation and implementation, there is open freedom to change as per one’s mind, but on the condition that the changes do not conflict with the national security policy.
It is true that this policy also includes the input of the elected part of the democratic system. If this input is not causing any problem then it is also made a part. But if the establishment refuses to accept, then the president or prime minister has to step back.
Sometimes the rulers make it an issue of ego. In that case, the head of the Premier Intelligence Agency or the head of the Army may be temporarily fired. After which, the head of the government may temporarily fall prey to the misunderstanding that he is the king. But the fact is that what the Establishment does with such heads of government is part of the history of every major country in the world.
The supremacy of the Establishment can be gauged from the fact that without a “security clearance” no one can become a head of government or a ministerial adviser. Just two weeks ago, newly elected US President Joe Biden’s team went to the Pentagon for a briefing, but they refused to do so, saying that they had not yet received their security clearance.
Establishments exist in every country in the world, including the United States and the United Kingdom. The only difference is that our establishment is very keen to show its existence. The US and British establishment is not interested in this. It stays behind and does the job.
But sometimes it also makes its presence felt at the national level in the most extraordinary circumstances. For example, two or four years ago, when a situation of conflict arose in the British Parliament, the very aggressive opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn became a little furious. The British military made it clear that it will not accept Jeremy Corbyn as prime minister in the near future.
And then sometime later there were reports in the British media that some British military personnel had used pictures of Jeremy Corbyn for shooting practice. No one in Britain then raised the issue of how the military dared to interfere in political affairs.
However, the establishment does not interfere so much in the country’s domestic policy. The real front is foreign affairs on which the establishment has a strong grip. The fault of our establishment is that it has expressed its presence too much, and it is fond of insulting public representatives.
Otherwise, if it were possible to deny the existence and importance of the establishment, this denial would be found mostly in the United States and the United Kingdom. Our establishment should run in the same way as the establishments of big countries.
The Establishment has to exist because it is the foundation of the state’s security. So it is in the interest of the country to live properly. Against this background, it is certain that the role of the Establishment in our country is not and will not end. The opposition has to settle the issues with it.
In such a case, if the image of civil supremacy is presented by the opposition that as a result of their movement the establishment will fall under the government, then it is nothing but a deception.
When the same opposition will finalize matters with the same establishment, only the workers of the opposition parties will raise the question that why did you compromise with the same establishment?
Then no matter how many reasons the leaders of the opposition parties give, their workers will not be satisfied. The opposition should clear that “their quarrel is not with the institutions but with the individuals” means that there is no intention to bring down the establishment and it is not possible.
