Who is a traitor?

Commenting on the press conference of DG ISPR Major General Asif Ghafoor, renowned Pakistani English daily in its editorial captioned ‘Who is a traitor’, wrote: “There is a long and ignominious history of the state, or powerful elements within it, declaring politically active citizens of Pakistan traitors, foreign agents or externally funded saboteurs of national peace and security. G.M. Syed, who had moved the Pakistan Resolution in the Sindh Assembly, Wali Khan, Ataullah Mengal, Ghaus Bakhsh Bizenjo – each was at some point declared a traitor or foreign agent. Perhaps most poignantly and tragically, Mujibur Rehman was vilified and declared to be a traitor to Pakistan… Today, it is the turn of the PTM to suffer vilification and slander”. The matter has to be referred to the court as mentioned by DG ISPR, which will decide if leaders of PTM Manzoor Pashteen and Mohsin Dawar are traitors or not.
However, the law experts and people in general are of the view that their statements demonizing military and institutions qualify them for trial under sedition. It is true that G.M. Syed had moved Pakistan Resolution in Sindh Assembly as stated by the leader writer; but he should not have ignored the fact that he had conceived the idea of having separate homeland for Sindhis. As regards Sh. Mujib-ur-Rehman, he was charged along with 34 others for sedition in 1968 by the Ayub government for being part of Agartala conspiracy to separate East Pakistan from the federation. Sh. Mujib-ur-Rehman had later admitted that he participated in the meetings in Agartala in the state of Tripura; yet majority of the political parties in Pakistan did not agree with the charges, and even the leader tried to prove he was a patriot, ignoring PM Narendra Modi’s admission of help create Bangladesh.
Anyhow, addressing a wide-ranging press conference at the General Headquarters in which he asked pertinent questions from PTM that it had received funding from Afghan and Indian intelligence services. “We want to do everything for the people of tribal areas, but those who are playing in the hands of people, their time is up. Their time is up,” Major General Asif Ghafoor said. “You have enjoyed all the liberty that you wanted to,” he added, addressing the PTM leadership”. PTM, MNA Mohsin Dawar, rejected the allegations leveled by the military spokesman against the PTM and said his party was ready for accountability before the parliament only. He said the PTM was being targeted for making the army accountable on the issues of missing persons in tribal areas, extrajudicial killings and targeted killings. But law should take its own course and PTM leaders should be put in the dock without delay.
Some of our leading intellectual lights, analysts and panelists have the ‘penchant’ for self-flagellation. They resort to scathing criticism on Pakistan’s policies and its institutions more than the enemies of Pakistan do. Indeed, Pakistan is passing through the most testing time of its history. Illiteracy, lack of technological prowess, high rate of unemployment, abject poverty, inflation, price hike, and external intrigues are serious challenges for Pakistan. Some of domestic media and members of the ruling elite appear to have forgotten the significance of our own core values and the ideals that could ensure social justice to achieve cohesion in the society. A select group of media anchors not only holds prime time TV Talk Shows to promote skewed logic and opinions but also project their views through print media, leaving no space for patriotic elements to offer their comments on the quality of contents discussed during panel discussions.
Resultantly, freedom of expression is repressed by media itself, as few anchors and media have monopolized the media market and have formed powerful syndicates to support each other while silencing the voice of reason. Hence, serious issues like terrorism, threat to external security get confused and perplexed, causing psychological stress for the audience. The media anchors pose themselves as pedantic and know-all whereas actually they lack knowledge and insight to make correct perceptions on real issues. Consequently, they tend to project the themes tossed around by so-called liberal intelligentsia and political leaders to promote their agenda. Anti-Pakistan forces appear to have collaborated with part of domestic media and some anchors to indirectly weaken Pakistan by inculcating ideas in opposition to sense of patriotism. Some anchor persons bring the military and intelligence agencies under discussion and blame them for every wrong in the country, which is not true.