Had a meeting with Corps Commander Quetta Lt Gen Rahat Naseem Khan in Quetta. He participated in a question and answer session with students of different universities in Quetta. Quetta’s Zehri Auditorium was full of participants. Students from Bolan Medical University and other universities were present.
I had to shoot a Q&A session for one of my programs. The dialogue between the students of the universities in Balochistan and the corps commander was a topic of great interest to me. What questions will there be and how does Corps Commander Lt Gen Rahat Naseem Ahmed Khan answer these questions? This was the interesting aspect.
There is terrorism in Balochistan, the situation is not good. There is also an opinion that Baloch youths are also angry. Before the question and answer session, Lieutenant General Rahat Naseem Ahmad Khan told me that now all commanding officers in the Pakistan Army have been asked to go to different universities. Talk to the educated youth there and answer whatever they have in mind. In this regard, Corps Commander is not only meeting students in different universities in Quetta Balochistan. Rather, they are also answering their questions.
A couple of cases of suicide bombers among educated girls of Balochistan have come to light. In this regard, when the students asked questions, interesting facts came out. Then they are forced to become suicide bombers because they have no other choice. In one such incident, a senior officer’s sister was caught, and during the investigation, she also told a similar story, now she is living with her parents.
On this, a girl asked the corps commander what she should do if a girl falls into the trap of these organizations. In response to this question, Co-Ruckmander said that in such a case we should be contacted immediately. We have not only saved the lives of many girls but also saved their identities. They are also protected. Their families have also been protected. In such a case, help should be taken from the state immediately.
In response to the question regarding the permission of protest in the country, the corps commander took a reasoned stand and explained that peaceful protest is fully permitted in the country within the framework of the constitution and law, however violent protest is not allowed in the country. . He said, look at Mama Qadeer in Balochistan, how long has he been protesting. No one ever said anything to them. But protests cannot be allowed at gunpoint.
Acts of violence against you cannot be called protest. He explained that your opinion may be different from mine, your thinking may be different from mine. But our love for Pakistan is the same.
A youth suggested that there is a need for constant communication and dialogue to bridge the gap between the army and the youth so that both have a chance to understand each other. On which Corps Commander Quetta Lieutenant General Rahat Naseem said that understanding this need, Army Chief General Asim Munir has instructed all the commanding officers to dialogue and communicate with the youth and I am sitting in front of you. You are asking me a question and I am answering.
In response to a question regarding social media, he said that our youth are being misled by social media. Fake news and fake narratives are a huge problem. Our youth should thoroughly research anything before they believe it. Fake news is a huge problem. False propaganda has caused a lot of damage to the country. On this occasion Corps Commander Quetta addressed me and said that you belong to the media. You can solve the problem of fake news.
By saying this, he challenged me in the student court. Before that I was enjoying the dialogue between the tough questions of the students and the corps commander. However, in my opinion, fake news is a major problem in Pakistan because spreading fake news is not a crime in Pakistan. Courts of Pakistan have not punished anyone for false news till date. There are exemplary punishments for defamation cases in the world. The performance of Pakistan’s courts is not good in this regard. Eradicating fake news is not the authority or responsibility of the government or the military. This work has to be done by the courts and the justice system. All over the world this work has been done and is being done by the courts. Even in Pakistan, this can be stopped only by the decisions of the judiciary.
In response to questions regarding corruption in Balochistan, the Corps Commander admitted that corruption is a huge problem. He said you should look at the road. If there is 20% corruption in road construction, its effect will be 80%. Because the road will be bad and people will be affected. In this way, the effect of 20% corruption on the society is more than 80%. This is an important problem but it has to be controlled by the civil government. We can help them.
Corps Commander Quetta told the students to keep in front that Balochistan was established as a province in 1971 compared to Punjab, Sindh and KP. Thus, Balochistan as a governing unit has started its journey after 130 years compared to other provinces. It is a tribal society. It is taking time to improve the governance here. But the pace of Balochistan is faster than other provinces. Today there are more schools per child. There is one school for 2500 children in Punjab. Balochistan has a school for 900 children. We have built more educational institutions, now the problem is running these schools.
In response to various questions, the Corps Commander clarified that there are no traitors in Balochistan. As people in other provinces are patriotic, Balochistan is also patriotic. I am in favor of military dialogue. But it can only be done by those who believe in the constitution of Pakistan. Discussions can take place within the constitution. The rest, when there is no traitor, there is a difference of opinion, dialogue is the best solution to the difference of opinion.
