look news india
At present, such a big news is coming out from the neighboring country Pakistan which exposes the ongoing war of supremacy between the politics, army and judiciary there. Due to the influence of Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir, such dramatic changes have been made in the country’s constitution and laws that the military’s business interests and real estate business have been completely protected legally. At the center of this entire incident is the high-profile 300-acre valuable real estate project between Rawalpindi and Islamabad, over which there was a long-running dispute. The Army Chief, using his strategic moves and political pressure, has proved that the law and the Constitution in Pakistan dictate the direction the Army wants, which has created an atmosphere of great disappointment and concern among the common citizens and democratic institutions there.
Pakistan Army’s business empire and real estate network
The army in Pakistan is not limited to just protecting the country’s borders, but it is also known as one of the largest business houses in the country. Various foundations and housing authorities under the control of the army operate large-scale commercial malls, housing societies, cement plants, bakeries and fertilizer factories across the country. In the last few decades, the Pakistani Army has captured thousands of acres of land in prime locations in major cities of the country in the name of defense land and has created a business worth billions of rupees by converting it into commercial real estate. Under this huge empire, there is a very valuable land of about 300 acres in the border areas of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, on which many types of legal issues were stuck and cases were going on in the courts.
Amendment of the Constitution to avoid court decisions and legal hassles
For the past few months, hearings regarding this 300-acre controversial real estate project had intensified in Pakistani courts and the judiciary was examining whether such commercial use of military lands was legally valid or not. The military used its full power in the corridors of power to protect its business assets from potentially harsh stances and rulings by the courts. At the behest of General Asim Munir and the military machinery, clever amendments were passed through the Parliament to the country’s Constitution and related laws, which completely exempted the military’s business ventures and land use from all forms of judicial review. After this constitutional change, no court can now question these real estate projects of the army and the law has been completely bent to suit the interests of the army.
Weakness of democratic institutions and helplessness of politicians
This incident in Pakistan has once again made it clear that the elected political governments and parliament there are only nominal, and the key to real power always remains with the General Headquarters (GHQ) located in Rawalpindi. The government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the leaders of the coalition parties bowed to the pressure of the army and allowed these amendments to be passed in the Parliament without any opposition. Analysts believe that politicians are forced to dance to every gesture of the army to save their political survival. When the country’s economy is going through a severe crisis, the common people are drowning in the quagmire of inflation and unemployment, then the country’s resources and land are being used to further strengthen the commercial and economic empire of the army instead of the welfare of the common people.
Public anger and dark clouds looming over the future of Pakistan
There is intense anger among the common citizens and independent intellectuals of Pakistan about how the army has mortgaged the Constitution of the entire country for the personal and institutional economic interests of a few of its top generals and officers. On social media and independent forums, people are openly criticizing that the budget and lands given in the name of defense of the country are being used to earn profits like a corporate house. This entire incident has given a big blow to the image of Pakistan at the international level, because it has been proved that democracy there is only a pretense and in reality it is a ‘military state’. If this situation continues, Pakistan’s economic and social structure may completely collapse, the consequences of which will have to be borne by the coming generations.