Thread by @AutoVader

For too long the people of #Pakistan believed that the Army was a force for good in the country. They believed the propaganda of the #ISPR that everything was the politicians' fault, which it partly is, but they conveniently misled people about the harm the Army has caused 1/n

to the country. For too long we believed that the Army can deliver, that it is the savior of last resort when politicians screw us over. The military elite sold us Askari-koolaid which the vast majority of us consumed without question. Finally, we know 2/n

that the emperor has been naked the entire time. In the name of national security we sacrificed our growth, development, and frankly our own future. But it isn't enough to parrot talking points against the Army. It is important to understand how the Army continues to be a 3/n

roadblock in our progress. I know many officers will read this and it will hurt them. To them I say: you are our brothers, our sons, our fathers. This isn't not about your personally but the role that your institution plays in inhibiting our country's progress. Many of 4/n

you aren't even aware of it because you believe what your organization teaches you. We love you and we don't want you to die for causes that can be resolved politically. Please read this with an open mind. Most of you have civilian families who are suffering today. 5/n

1. The Army is the protector of status quo: in fulfilling its role as an army, it ends up protecting the rotten system that exists today. These politicians, mullahs, and the rent-seeking business elite bank on the Army to protect the state as it exists at the cost of masses. 6/n

2. Defence spending: we have an over sized Army for the size of country we have. The entire point of having nukes is that we don't need a large standing army yet it persists. Large military = high spending. We spend more money on defence than on education or health. 7/n

3. Political disasters: From '71 to creating #MQM, #PMLN, #PTI, arming the mullahs, using the mullahs to blackmail political govts, becoming a rent-an-army for $$$ , cutting deals with corrupt politicians, interfering in foreign policy, the list goes on and on... 8/n

4. Economic interests: Running massive corporations in the name of welfare that destroy competition and create monopolies (fauji fertilizer, FWO), and enrich the officer class. Corp Commanders run DHAs and get extra plots for being CC Khi and Lahore. AG in GHQ runs DHA Isb 9/n

Massive corruption in acquisition of land for these DHAs where generals became billionaires overnight (LTGs Zarrar 'Zamin' and Imtiaz Hussain to name a couple). Similar hoarding of state resources that end up benefiting 600k Army vs 200M people. 10/n

Every dollar spent on defence is a dollar wasted because it's a dead investment. It doesn't give us any return. Every dollar spent on defence means a dollar less for education, healthcare, infrastructure, development projects etc. 11/n

5. Usurping rights of the people: every election is staged managed by the Army to bring a political elite that can be blackmailed into keeping the Army's economic interests secure. Not once have the people outvoted political leaders that they chose, 12/n

because every govt is sent packing unconstitutionally. The reason for the lack of working democracy isn't bad politicians, it's because the Army hasn't allowed the democratic process to work long enough for the bad politicians to be filtered out. 13/n

The good news is that the farce is finally over. The people have realized that we don't have an army of officers but an army of 'politicians in uniform', who will bend every rule in the book to protect their economic interests and prolong this rotten republic. 14/n

To my countrymen I say this: never has any political force given up space voluntarily. It has to be taken back, sometimes by force. 600k armed men vs 200M people. Kitni Vigo layen gaye yeh? Don't be afraid, fear is a state of mind that they have used to keep us down. No more.15/n