For weeks, flocks of military helicopters and fast-flying fighter jets have crisscrossed Islamabad's skies in preparation for the annual demonstration of military might on 23rd March, Pakistan Day. These are hard economic times and so, curious about the cost, I consulted ChatGPT. Operating an attack helicopter, she told me, can range from $3,851 to $20,642 per hour. Fighter jets show greater variation, with lighter models costing $4,500-$5,500 per hour and heavier ones reaching $20,000-$60,000. An aerial display, of course, is merely the tip of an iceberg; parades below cost much more.
Still, ignoring cost, many countries hold demonstrative displays. Some seek to project strength and warn adversaries. Parades can also showcase new weapons and technology. Others hope to boost national morale knowing such demonstrations can powerfully impact young minds. As tanks lumber by, the earth trembles at their power. When colored contrails emerge from a tight formation of jets streaking overhead, a collective gasp erupts followed by thunderous applause.
In Pakistan’s case which particular end do these displays of force serve? Who is the target audience?
Intoxicated by their victory over the United States, TTP's fighters brush off Pakistan as a mere midget destined to crumble. Will a handful of Cobra gunships circling Islamabad deter them?
The TTP couldn’t care less. Emboldened by the Taliban government in Kabul its barbaric rampage continues, slaughtering our soldiers and police daily. Driven by a warped ideology, it fights to transform Pakistan into an Islamic state mirroring Afghanistan's brutal theocracy. Intoxicated by their victory over the United States, TTP's fighters brush off Pakistan as a mere midget destined to crumble. Will a handful of Cobra gunships circling Islamabad deter them?
The Indians are also likely to shrug off troop parades and fly-pasts by Chinese origin JF-17s and American F-16s. India’s 2023 defense budget of $72.6 billion is 9 times higher than Pakistan’s, enabling it to buy and put on display more and better military hardware. Flushed with hubris after recent successful space missions, and with greater indigenous weapon production capability, it cares only about Pakistan’s carefully hidden nukes which, for obvious reasons, cannot be paraded.
This leaves only the domestic public as the audience for the grand spectacle to be played out today. Could some razzle-dazzle distract people away from prolonged political instability, a disputed election, fears of further turbulence, and, above all, inflation that is biting deep into people’s pockets?
Social media may be one place to look for an answer but large numbers of trolls, both human and machine, inject uncertainty. I think a low-end barber shop, offering haircuts at a fifth of what one pays in a “decent” place, is more reliable for discovering the pulse of politics among poorer classes.
Sitting in line and awaiting my turn, I was entertained by a running political conversation between other clients and the barbers themselves. Some appeared PTI supporters although one customer sounded like a PTM sympathizer. The din of low-flying army helicopters did not inspire awe or admiration. Instead it was negatively received in pithy, unrepeatable Pothwari. One young man complained he could not afford fuel for his motorbike but the ones flying above were taking joyrides.
Parades won’t work. So what can the Center do to dispel today’s widespread pessimism and instead create a sense of hope for the future? Is it possible to bring about a sense of oneness such as had briefly existed during certain points of Pakistan’s history?
A tried and tested way is to raise public enthusiasm over Kashmir. Pakistan would “wage a war for 1,000 years, a war of defense” against India, thundered foreign minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. His epic speech, delivered at the United Nations just after the 1965 war, was ecstatically received at home. This, in fact, is what launched Bhutto’s political career. But in the summer of 1990, when his daughter repeated these words verbatim, they fell flat.
Could some razzle-dazzle distract people away from prolonged political instability, a disputed election, fears of further turbulence, and, above all, inflation that is biting deep into people’s pockets?
Thereafter this line has not worked well. On 26 August 2019, then prime-minister Imran Khan announced that henceforth “Kashmir Hour” would be observed across the country every week. To show solidarity with the Kashmiri people, government employees and ordinary people were told to come out of their houses and workplaces every Friday at noon for 30 minutes. All traffic lights would be turned red at 12:00pm. The first week went well but the second week’s turnout was poor and by the third week it had disappeared.
Instead of Kashmir, will rousing people to fight terrorism by TTP and other extremist religious groups create national unity? By official counts there were 70,000 deaths from terrorism in 2002-2014 whereas the tally of Pakistanis killed in all four Pakistan-India wars is around 18,000.
This makes clear which enemy is deadlier. Nevertheless officialdom has never articulated clearly why the fight against TTP must be fought. The military’s India-centric cadet and defense colleges are echo chambers that do not intellectually equip officers for combating the enemy within. Hence the army and police lack the public support that they need and rightly deserve. Instead all kinds of confused strategies abound.
The military’s India-centric cadet and defense colleges are echo chambers that do not intellectually equip officers for combating the enemy within. Hence the army and police lack the public support that they need and rightly deserve.
For example, last week’s Sunday Guardian carried an article by former TTP spokesman, Ehsanullah Ehsan, claiming that Pakistan and Tajikistan have hit upon a common strategy for recruiting the fanatical ISKP to combat the Kabul Taliban regime. This is likely false but what if true? Has there ever been proper reflection on the consequences of having used extremists in the past?
National unity is needed for Pakistan for eventually defeating TTP and its backers in Kabul. To this end our officers, soldiers, and police must be told clearly that Pakistan must never become a state like Afghanistan to be ruled by backward, fanatical, and misogynistic mullahs. It’s not just our army and police, but also the general public, that must be given this reason for fighting TTP.
Today’s parade – fueled by borrowed money that must be repaid with interest – will undoubtedly inject a spike of adrenalin and showcase some patriotic displays. For a fleeting moment, the national spirit may soar. However, to truly unite Pakistanis our leaders must demonstrate profound empathy with ordinary people amidst today’s dire economic circumstances. To fight the scourge of terrorism they must articulate an inclusive vision for Pakistan that respects all its regions and religious faiths, and is declaredly modern and forward looking.