When I heard a few months ago that Pakistan had promoted its army chief to Field Marshal, I could not help but laugh. Not because of any sense of humour the situation carried, but because it reminded me of a puppet show where the puppeteer suddenly pins a medal on his own chest. What feat had this general achieved? No great battle won, no enemy vanquished, only a country that continues to stumble between military control and the illusion of democracy.
And there sits poor Imran Khan, a man who once raised dreams of a new Pakistan, now behind bars while the puppets dance. The tragedy is not that a cricketer-turned-politician is imprisoned, but that an entire nation has accepted the strings tied to its wrists. Every time the people are about to stand tall, someone from the military gives a tug and they sit down again. You would think after decades of such manipulation, they would have cut the cords by now. But no, they keep applauding the same show, hoping that the next act will be better.
In India, for all our faults and follies, such a scene would be unthinkable. Our people would not allow a general or marshal to pull their strings. We argue, we protest, we question. That noisy democracy which so many complain about is our greatest strength. It keeps power in check and voices alive. There is no puppet show here, only a continuous, sometimes chaotic, performance of freedom.
So what ails Pakistan? Fear, perhaps. Or fatigue. Maybe they have been told for too long that their generals are their protectors. Protectors from whom? The favourite enemy across the border, of course. As long as the military can convince its citizens that India is lurking like a monster in the shadows, they can keep justifying their uniforms, medals, and endless promotions. Stop the cross-border terrorism, stop the hostility, and the need for these grand titles will vanish overnight. But then who will hold the strings?
A true democracy is born not when elections are held, but when citizens refuse to be controlled. It takes courage to stand up to those who claim they know what is best for the nation. It takes even more courage to admit that the so-called protectors have become the captors. Pakistan’s people deserve better than to live in fear or blind loyalty. They need to see that their nation’s greatness lies not in the stars on a general’s shoulder, but in the strength of their own collective will.
It is time the puppets woke up, cut the cords, and realised that a nation can never rise if it continues to bow. The world watches, not with amusement anymore, but with concern. For when puppets believe they are free, and the puppeteer believes he is a god, the stage becomes a dangerous place indeed…!
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