President's spokesman Maj-Gen (retired) Rashid Qureshi stated, last month, that he was certain that the court martial of Lt-Gen (retired) Jamshaid Gulzar Kiyani was under active consideration for divulging state secrets in violation of the Official Secrets Act.
Let me dear readers, first of all, refresh your memory about what Lt-Gen (retired) Gulzar Kiyani had stated, which provoked the presidential spokesman to make this statement.
Lt-Gen Kiyani had stated:  “There is no possibility of martial law; the president could not use Article 58-2(b); Musharraf's referendum was a fake exercise; innocent students of Lal Masjid-Jamia Hafsa were targeted with chemical weapons like phosphorus grenades which tantamount to killing an ant with a hammer; force was used in South and North Waziristan and 80 students were killed in a Bajaur madressah in an operation launched by the Americans; post-9/11 policies of Musharraf led to suicide attacks in Pakistan; difference of opinion emerged in the views of corps commanders in the wake of 9/11; etc.
The people have been freely talking and writing about these issues. However, it appears from the presidential spokesman's statement that he is, at least, not aware of the comments appearing in the media on these issues. For that very reason Maj-Gen (retired) Rashid Qureshi seems to be subscribing to the views that only the "eyes" had knowledge about these issues, Lt-Gen (retired) Gulzar Kiyani had divulged official secrets and Rashid Qureshi wants him to be court martialled for divulging those "widely known" secrets!
Rashid Qureshi, we believe, knows the maxim "Two men can keep a secret only if one of them dies." In this case, numerous "eyes" were privy to these secrets hence these were known to everyone in the land. However, the notion of the former top brass about these secrets brings to one's mind another maxim – The husband is the last to know… Because everyone in the country knows about these affairs, but the former top brass still believes that these are state secrets!
If Rashid Qureshi's wishful thinking about the court martial of Gulzar Kiyani carries some substance, what would he say about the earlier precedents? Even his boss had revealed a number of secrets in his book "In The Line Of Fire". Logically, all are equal before the law. Or, Gen Qureshi subscribes to the law of the jungle, where law always tilts and bends towards the tiger if the adversary happens to be a lamb! Or, does he subscribe to the law of the sycophants: Boss is always right!
Gen Rashid Qureshi also lamented: He did not expect Gulzar Kiyani to repay the favours bestowed upon him in such a manner. Rashid Qureshi now speaks about showering of favours. But, when the nation used to term the appointments of 'retired buddies' against lucrative posts as favours, Qureshi's boss would always insist that the appointments are on merit, forgetting that the question of merit arises only when a certain post has been advertised and an individual is selected after conducting interviews and choosing one from the best available lot.
Recently, the press carried reports about the objections raised by the Auditor General's office about another appointment 'on merit' at a lucrative salary, without advertising the post. The common folks forget that being the first cousin of a celebrity is in itself a merit! Furthermore, the celebrity's cousin had spent four decades of his prime life in the service of a foreign country. He could have faced adjustment problems, had he opted to return to Pakistan immediately after his retirement. Therefore, it was decided by the authority, in the "national interest" to offer him a suitable job abroad so that he could comfortably live there. The nation should be grateful to the talented cousin for agreeing to the proposal to serve Pakistan from his 'home of choice' abroad. Now, it is for the nation to find out how to make the best use of the talents of Prof. Haroon.
However, it appears that Lt-Gen Gulzar Kiyani has deliberately done a favour to his old boss by not including in his list of charges those pertaining to: Violation and subversion of the Constitution at least twice; violation of oath while donning the uniform; removing the popularly elected prime minister of the country and keeping him under illegal detention; excesses against Baloch population; murder of Nawab Bugti; illegal sacking of judges; refusal to order an enquiry into the May 12, 2007 bloodshed in Karachi; handing over of Pakistani nationals to foreign governments without observing legal formalities; detention of national hero Dr Qadeer Khan without observing legal procedures.
Now, Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan has spoken about the shipment of centrifuges to North Korea. Another embarrassment for the "lion"! Another betrayal by a lamb! Another violation of official secrets act! Another case fit for Court Martial, according to sycophants of the lion, who assert that the lambs are good for nothing but sacrifices!
But, first things first, so reverting to Lt-Gen (retired) Gulzar Kiyani's episode, Kiyani talked about those "widely known secrets" only last month, but the media have been writing about those issues off and on. Even Rashid Qureshi's boss made an effort to 'take the lid off' in many a case through his book "In The Line Of Fire”.
Or, you maintain that some accounts in that book are mere pieces of fiction! Even if that be the case, by now, the whole nation has become familiar with master pieces of the retired commando general on matters ranging from: From Kargil to 9/11 to doffing off the uniform in 2004 to Kalabagh dam to re-instatement of judges.
Strange are the norms in the Land of the Pure! Here the victim has to pay for the crimes of the powerful offenders! The judges, who were wronged and illegally removed are still suffering and waiting for justice; while the person who committed that illegal act remains unrepentant and continues to enjoy life as usual. No arguments please. The tiger (of the story book) was right in the past, rather the tigers were right always, they are right today and shall always remain right whatever may be the case. The lamb was the culprit in the past, its progeny are the culprits today and they shall always remain the accused in the future as well. That is the law of the nature (substituted for jungle). The weaklings should remember this, otherwise they can….!
The judges’ ordeal reminds one about another joke pertaining to the Sikh dynasty period: A constable presented an accused before the court of a Sikh magistrate. The accused was handcuffed. After hearing the case, the magistrate sentenced the "handcuffed" one to six months imprisonment and the one (constable) cuffed at the stomach to six years in jail. When the constable protested, saying that he was a state employee, Sardarji replied" That makes no difference. Our job is to provide justice. The one handcuffed, obviously due to minor role, has been awarded six months sentence; while the one cuffed at the stomach due to major role (in the crime) has been sentenced to six years imprisonment.
In our case, the one who saved the country from plunder of national assets and always seemed eager to provide inexpensive and speedy justice to people has been restrained from discharging his duties by the authority, while the powerful one continues to enjoy all perks, privileges and facilities despite supporting those who took wrong decisions and/or held people incommunicado without legal authority.
Permit me readers to refresh your memory with another old joke of the 1960s pertaining to punishment for revealing state secrets. 'In the Soviet Union, a man was sentenced to 20 years rigorous imprisonment for publicly saying that the man occupying the Kremlin was an idiot. The accused protested and enquired about the justification for the major penalty for an ordinary offence. The judge replied that one year imprisonment was for the offence of calling the Soviet president an idiot and nineteen years for revealing a tightly kept state secret.'
Anyhow, the practice of casting stones at others while living in a glass house can be very damaging for those who indulge in it!