An upsetting political gusty scenario is gripping #Pakistan over the passage the 27th #ConstitutionalAmendment , and there are certain political parties, journalists, and writers who are stirring the stalemate situation holding the military responsible for it. But if we examine the conduct of both the military and the political parties, one must ask: who is truly responsible for these constitutional amendments? People blame the army because, in today’s Pakistan, holding the military and its generals responsible for everything has become a popular trend. Yet, if thought and reasoning are also turned into passing fashions, then truth becomes the first casualty. Unless we analyze any issue with honesty—by weighing both its positive and negative aspects instead of following popular slogans—we can never reach the right conclusion. When a nation adheres to sheer thoughs as a fashion rather than a matter of truth, its rulers learn to exploit the people accordingly. The public, in turn, keeps falling for fashionable slogans and ends up with nothing but regret. Today, the army is once again held as the architect of the 27th Amendment. Let me ask whether were these 27 amendments presented in the Senate by military generals, or were they brought forward by the Pakistan Muslim League (N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party? Who actually drafted and tabled these amendments, the army, or these two political parties themselves? The fact remains that the army never comes on its own; it is always invited in. It has always been these very political and religious parties that have provided the shoulders for the military to climb upon. Then is it fair to blame the army alone for this? Did the PPP and PML-N not run authoritarian governments of their own? Remember the 1970 general elections conducted under military ruler General Yahya Khan. The Awami League of former East Pakistan had won a clear majority, while the PPP had less than half those seats. Instead of accepting the Awami League’s victory and transferring power according to democratic principles, who was it that coined the divisive slogan, “You stay there, we stay here”? Who became Pakistan’s first civilian martial law administrator? Mian Nawaz Sharif, Shahbaz Sharif, and Maryam Nawaz used to raise the slogan “Respect the Vote.” Yet who betrayed those very principles and deceived the public for personal gain? Altaf Hussain is the initiator of defiance to the army’s interference in politics. But the same political and religious parties that now claim to be champions of democracy branded him a traitor and terrorist, hurling countless accusations and slanders against him.
In 1992, under the guise of an operation against “72 big fish,” the worst crackdown in history was launched against the MQM. At that time, it was Prime Minister
who approved that operation even though MQM was part of his coalition government. He even boasted in a public rally that he had “sacrificed fifteen friends for the sake of peace.” During that operation, thousands of MQM workers were killed, hundreds went missing many of whom remain unaccounted for even today while thousands were imprisoned, tortured, and left to rot under false charges. Not a single political or religious party spoke up in condemnation; instead, they joined the chorus of slander against
. That operation targeted the very movement that had challenged the rule of a few elite families and for the first time helped the poor to become lawmakers. Altaf Hussain has benn tirelessly eroding the corruption through his words, exploitation, and anti-democratic actions of the ruling mafia. Yet those so-called defenders of democracy united only to accuse him, vilify him, and portray him as an enemy of the nation. And now, they themselves are victims of the same oppression they once ignored. Had they stood with me then, the country would not be facing today’s grim situation.
The people must realize that these #ConstitutionalAmendment are not meant to serve the nation or the military, they are being introduced to protect the interests of the Sharif and Zardari families. The aim is to shield their corruption and looting from accountability so they may continue to plunder the nation while the people remain enslaved.
May God grants the people of Pakistan the wisdom to rise above fashion, to adhere to the facts with clarity, and to develop the courage and resolve to speak the truth and strive practically to change their destiny.
Altaf Hussain
London.
245th study circle via TikTok on November 9, 2025۔