THE Ministry of Defence’s public disowning of two veterans’ organisations led by retired officers of the armed forces is a surprising escalation. The ministry on Friday accused the Pakistan Ex-Servicemen Society and Veterans of Pakistan of “masquerading” as representatives of retired servicemen and even warned them of legal action over their alleged “deceptions”. Is this punishment? An effort to cut loose voices considered too sympathetic to narratives that go against its own? Both organisations have been around for a while: the VOP (formerly Pakistan Ex-Servicemen Association) was formed towards the end of the Musharraf era, and the PESS more than a decade earlier. They have been led by individuals who were previously ‘authorised’ by the military to speak to the media as defence analysts. In the past, they acted as proxies when Nawaz Sharif fell afoul of the establishment and needed to be cut to size.

The major irritant in their relationship with the state seems to be their support for the PTI and its political narrative. When those differences became public, it was a remarkable break from the past: two organisations that had hitherto acted as handmaidens of the deep state — eagerly using their platform to discredit the country’s leadership — had seemingly found a new love for democracy. The PESS, in particular, seems to have been in the cross hairs for the outspokenness of one of its office-bearers, retired Maj Adil Raja, who repeatedly criticised the army over Mr Khan’s ouster. He fled the country after a brief ‘disappearance’ in April. The VOP, on the other hand, had issued a press release in April calling for early elections. It also bears noting that the army had withdrawn pensions and benefits of some retired officers after a group of veterans held a press conference demanding early elections in June. These developments, when taken together, are reflective of a level of polarisation not seen in the country before, much of which can be attributed to the prevailing animus in the political sphere.

Published in Dawn, September 5th, 2022