CIVILIAN governments change, as does the military leadership, yet one factor remains constant in our confused political culture: the desire to crack down on those expressing dissenting views. These reprehensible tactics are applied equally by our civilian rulers as well as those in uniform calling the shots from behind the scenes. The arrest of retired general Amjad Shuaib on Monday, under sections of the law that address “statements conducing to public mischief”, came after he made remarks on a TV show about the PTI’s ongoing ‘Jail Bharo Tehreek’. Reportedly, the former general had urged the PTI to, instead, focus on preventing government servants from attending office in the federal capital. This perceived call to civil disobedience has rubbed our rulers the wrong way; the long arm of the law swiftly moved to apprehend Mr Shuaib, who has been remanded to police custody.

The abovementioned episode follows a familiar plot line. In countless such instances previously, something someone has said on television, or on social media, has hurt the sentiments of some of our hyper-patriotic citizens, often residing in far-flung towns of the country. More often than not, outraged citizens, from multiple cities and towns, collectively take umbrage, citing the same reasons for approaching the law against ‘offensive’ content. Such ‘offensive’ statements often feature mild criticism of the military or other institutions. But in Mr Shuaib’s case, the charges are quite preposterous. The PDM government has used the same playbook to lock up its critics since it came to power, while earlier, the PTI also employed similarly atrocious tactics to silence its opponents. Whether it is civilian rulers or the military establishment, the use of vague legal provisions to silence dissent must be abandoned. Unless an individual is advocating violence, indulging in hate speech against any particular group or breaking a specific law, the right to freely express opinions needs to be respected, and government opponents should not be silenced.

Published in Dawn, March 1st, 2023