An acquaintance (who’s a retired PAF officer) recently narrated a discussion he had in a long personal meeting with Air Marshal Nur Khan. This was in the late 2000s.

Nur Khan elaborated the inclusive nature of decision-making during his time. He provided examples where a senior officer had the accountability to provide logic behind his plans and decisions.

The legend then commented: “You don’t have officers these days in the air force. You have yes-men.”

(Later on, my friend had another long meeting with the air force chief to discuss Nur Khan’s counsel. The discussion, though, came to the conclusion that things were no longer recoverable.)

One could disagree with Nur Khan, but it would be difficult to argue that he didn’t know what he was talking about. The problem is not limited to the PAF; it would apply to the Army and the Navy too.

For a long time, we “worshipped” humans and human creations. (Sometimes we used the “institution” label for such objects of worship.) Instead of demanding accountability, we even created criminal laws to eliminate any criticism of these gods — or the custodians of such sacred temples. Veneration protocol compelled us to keep the holy ones look purer than angels.

We were not going to accept that such “godly” entities with no accountability were bound to spread corruption and destruction.

In the last year or so, many such idols have fallen in disgrace.

The chicanery of May 9 has made many other illusions dissipate for most reasonable people (with the exception of those blinded by ideology).

It should surprise no one that scores of serving officers (commissioned by Pakistan’s President) were engaged in the planning and execution of this treasonous and terrorist operation against the nation.

However shocking, this shouldn’t be surprising. (The “institution” abducts and tortures even its serving officers who’d try to expose corruption within the military.)

To hide their own crimes, the Desperados now want to dispense justice via military courts.

Justice? What justice?

In a sycophantic system where open treason is now the norm in the venerable “institutions,” citizenry has rightly concluded that justice will not be served to those intentionally framed — especially those “bloody civilians” who are on the hit list of the Desperados.

The idols keep falling.