Omar Mukhtar is one of my favorite movies. Director by Moustapha Akkad with the title role of Omar Mukhtar, a teacher-turned freedom fighter, played by Anthony Quinn, the movie is made on the Libyan independence movement in 1929 against Italian imperialism.
In the movie there is a scene where some women, blamed for helping freedom fighters, are made to stand on drums under a pool, which served as temporary gallows, with their hands tied and nooses around their necks.
The commander, known for his severe attitude, asks a young captain to order their hanging. The captain moved by the redneck use of power against innocent people refuses to obey the order and says, “No Sir, I did not join the army to hang women”.   
Gen Kiyani has declared 2008 as the ‘Soldiers Year’. Special care would be taken of the soldiers, their welfare and training. On the eve, however, there are lessons for the decision-makers in the Pakistan Army, like Gen Kiyani, his corps commanders and even below. They need to gauge the pressure they are under due to growing public criticism and day-to-day terrorist attacks on their convoys, garrisons, headquarters and school buses.
The latest attack on a school bus near Kamra shows that that they are under threat and have lost public support which they enjoyed years ago.
There was a time when army officers moved around in uniform with people showing them respect as the defenders of land and honour. Joining an army was a matter of pride. It is no more. In more or less majority of the places where cantonments are located, they are under threat and wearing of uniform or to disclose their identity has been banned.
A major appearing in MA International Relations examination as a private candidate requested me for guidance. When I asked him the reason for being late, he simply said, “Sir, we are at war in our own country and a sense of insecurity is growing day by day.  I put my uniform off, skipped out of the garrison without approval, and parked my car at a mile’s distance from the campus, which was why I am late”.
He was sorry for the state of affairs. They hide their identity in public. Their families are at similar threat and are refraining from moving publicly for shopping or meeting their civilian friends. People driving on highways either keep a distance from convoys or quickly pass them lest they become targets of a suicide attack.
Being one of the professional armies in the world, with field reputation in war and peace, its role as the ruler type has greatly tarnished its image.
The growth of a nation-state with its internal and external sovereignty depends on the mobilization of public in important state decisions which is simply routed through political and non-political institutions at local, provincial and federal level. The existence of independent judiciary, non-interfered bureaucracy and true representative bodies can serve the purpose as has happened in many developed or even developing democratic countries. But in Pakistan the situation is contrary to that. There is only one institution which is fit and qualified enough to deal with all important matters, and that is the Pakistan Army and its affiliated agencies.
Out of the three roles in politics --- moderators, guardian and ruler type --- Pakistan army is playing the role of the ruler type and this has made it lose its legitimacy and given rise to resentment. In the ruler type role, the forces, as a privileged and elite class of the society, control important state and societal structures of the country. It determines the social, political and economic life conditions of people. A uniformed president, existence of crown political party to support the establishment, unbridled agencies’ role, and tamed judiciary are the growing indicators of ruler type role which in Pakistan has marred the possibility of a true representative system.
Terrorism is a force which has grown, and has turned its direction towards military/defence installations.  The issue needs to be addressed politically and diplomatically. History in Pakistan is replete with examples when generals plunged the country into more chaos and crises. Unlike diplomats and politicians they are unaware of the importance of diplomacy and dialogue.
In the wake of a bloody resistance in East Pakistan Gen Tika Khan stated that things would be restored at gunpoint with remarks that the most important thing in East Pakistan was land and not public resentment. Very recently in 2003 when South Waziristan situation was tense Corps Commander Safdar Hussain stated that forces would wipe out the tribesmen if they resisted the army. 
However things became more problematic and the army had to enter into a truce with rival groups and garlanded its leaders. This action neither provided any face saving nor an option for dialogue for the tribal administration, which had been effectively used to settle disputes and armed clashes under the traditional carrot and stick policy.  The office of the political agent exists today but has been hijacked by military commanders and agencies. 
Forces of resistance or terrorism have grown with military installations their target.  The major factors behind this bloody situation are the policies the army has adopted. Public blame them today for most of the ills in the society and destruction of civil institutions. Nevertheless, out of all chaos the decision-makers need to take evasive actions to avoid growing threats to them.