Pakistan, since its inception, has remained wary of the existential threat to its integrity, sovereignty, and vital interests. This perception has been validated by history due to numerous armed conflicts with her larger neighbor, war and terrorism in and around the national frontiers, and conspiracies that continue to haunt the country. This fact has given rise to unprecedented centrality of armed forces in society which also earned respect and love all across the social spectrum through unlimited acts of courage and valor, often resulting in martyrdom. Without a doubt, the sentiments of the critical role of the armed forces of Pakistan in maintaining the state viable and relevant are shared by virtually every national and acknowledged internationally also.
The nation was never disappointed by the armed forces whenever the country needed a value addition in responding to a natural calamity or engagement in a project of national importance other than securing the geographical borders. This extra mile has always been appreciated by society and the trust nation has in its armed forces has multiplied over the decades. The love, respect, trust, and pride that each Pakistani feels to have a world-acknowledged security apparatus resulted in the masses even ignoring a few hiccups or excess that are part of history books and never impacted the wider vibe. It is even today considered a matter of immense pride to have a family member serving in the armed forces or to be associated closely with someone in uniform.
While some argue that the huge impact of armed forces in Pakistani society has allowed the unnecessary influence of the military in state affairs, the notion is not entirely false. However, the dove-tailed feel also reflects that any such influence has always been used in extreme circumstances and has been largely in the better interest of the nation. Though some fierce voices do resist and criticize the enhanced role of the military in the political domain, the counterargument also raises alarm over the below-par performance or capacity of the civilian stream.
In his 1956 book, The Soldier and the State, Samuel Huntington wrote that political activity within the military is detrimental to military security because it harms professionalism, but critics have argued that the military is inherently political and that military professionals’ expertise is paramount to civilian leadership constructing coherent military strategy. The key distinction is that military officers should, in fact, engage in the political process, but they must remain non-partisan while doing so. In The Professional Soldier, Janowitz advocated for the “citizen-soldier,” where the military is integrated into civilian society because of shared democratic values. Additionally, in a more updated analysis of Huntington, James Burk 2002 emphasized that “objective civilian control” is impractical—especially in modern warfare—because of the blurriness between military and political spheres. Both of these ideas were rebuttals to Huntington’s argument for objective military control in that the military can never really be outside the political process, especially in a democracy.
After mid ninety’s, internet-based social media started to ingress into our lives it also prompted newer segments of jobs, entrepreneurship rose to greater heights, and numerous specialization domains emerged. It was observed that the younger generation found alternatives or more financially progressive streams to be a part of as compared to the military. Thus, the elite or reservoir of the younger generation got distributed and the military dropped in the most proffered profession list for the younger generation. However, despite the attraction that newer domains offered, they all lacked the glamour of uniform, the tag of being the savior of our way of life, and the faith and pride of knights in shining armor. More so, the influence of the earlier generation never allowed the younger lot to completely divorce themselves from the notion of being capable to earn religious and social respect that was offered by only the military.
As the nature of war is changing, studies observed gaps and states started to exploit those for achieving their national objectives by subduing targeted states. Pakistan has been no exception. Pakistan’s history is marred by numerous political fiascos, however never an element of mistrust in the armed forces was observed. As a first, the current political environment in Pakistan has surfaced worrying trends whereby the younger generation seems to be regulated to negativity towards the military. This in all likelihood is a result of electronic and social media accessibility and their influence on the younger generation. Though the decades of love and respect for the military in society can never be erased overnight, the trend does reflect how a hostile media-based soft maneuver can impact a national characteristic/vibe.
The younger generation which seems to have been injected (though not infected to an acute level yet) with malintent towards the military does not realize that a military is a group representing all different segments of society, be it social, financial, sectarian, religious, ethnic or political is bonded with a strong layer of national colors. Even to the disliking of a few, the military shall remain a vital organ of not only Pakistan but any state with relevance to the world. Media / social media, commonly referred to as the “fourth pillar of the state,” is not a formal part of the government, but plays an important role in reporting on the processes and outcomes of the government by holding it accountable. As this mode of information gets embedded more and more into our way of life, it has the moral responsibility to defend any alteration of the relationship equations between masses/younger generation and the military alongside between civil and military. It is also for the younger generation to resist any behavioral changes being imposed on them.
The upcoming generation needs to be assisted by the media in evaluating and observing the hostility prevailing in the region against the Pakistani state. In order to ensure the strongest possible inventory of our country’s best who are willing to serve and protect the rights of all Pakistanis for generations to come, any emerging gap between the younger generation and the military must be bridged.
