Prudent patriotism

Submitting their written replies in the Supreme Court regarding the abduction of 11 missing prisoners, this is the line the ISI and MI have taken: spy agencies cannot shut their eyes to the rebellious acts of internal and external elements involved in high – profile terrorism and conspiracies to harm the solidarity, stability and security of the country. “They chase and hound those who play into the hands of the enemies of our dearest homeland,” the heads of the security agencies said in their reply, adding that the security agencies had laid down their lives to protect the national interest of the country. Let’s be very clear; spying is a dark business around the world and unanswered questions and inexplicable acts by intelligence agencies are not exclusive to Pakistan. However, as things stand, Pakistani intelligence agencies are allegedly responsible for over 1,000 disappearances since 2001, of which about 500 are still missing, while in Balochistan, dumped bodies of dissidents are regularly found. No one is at all denying the security agencies’ sacrifices for the sake of national security. However, what must be highlighted is that these sacrifices cannot be cloaked in a veil of impunity. No one is asking the agencies to act with their hands tied behind their back. But a line has to be drawn between legitimately pursuing national interest and bending all law and norms of justice for its cause.

This seems to be the Supreme Court’s purpose in so aggressively pursuing the case of the Adiala 11: to check and to curb the culture of impunity, negligence, and gross misconduct. Indeed, let’s not look at the case of the Adiala 11 simply as that of eleven men picked up by intelligence agents on suspicions of involvement in terrorism. This case has become symptomatic of Pakistan’s existential need to balance the demands of asymmetric warfare and the minimum guarantees of freedom and justice required for the functioning of a free, democratic society.