http://military-security-review.blogspot.com/,Brig Shamim Yasin Manto-Interview-Concluded

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You also served as Director General Coast Guard. How was this experience?
This was a surprise posting because I had no experience of having served in a Civil Armed Force. This Force had recently been raised (1973) by Brig Sajjad, who had done a fine job of establishing its infrastructure at the HQs and in its area of responsibility. This covered the entire Coast of Pakistan to a depth of about 30 miles, including Road Uthal-Turbat- Mand. Accommodation for Headquarters, Officers/ORs, Officer Mess at Karachi, and for posts at Pasni, Jiwani and Gwadar are note-worthy. Two battalions, an Intelligence Section, Marine Company (Indigenous wooden boats, two small hovercrafts) and normal logistic support troops was the composition of the Force. A Deputy Collector of Customs was also posted in the HQs. Officers were posted on secondment from the Army and JCOs/ORs were recruited directly. As the area of operation was extended and with little road communication one helicopter was also provided. Apart from the security of the coast line, the principle function of Coast Guard was anti-smuggling. For day to day functioning as a Civil Armed Forces, Coast Guards was under Ministry of Interior. For operational role it was to come under command 5 Corps.
For the performance of their anti-smuggling functions the officers of Coast Guards were given necessary Police/Customs Powers. ie powers to raid, search and seize allegedly smuggled goods, arrest alleged smugglers, their prosecution, and confiscation of seized goods after due process under the Customs Act. The general pattern of activity was: receipt of information through Informer, (who, mostly were smugglers themselves) raid and search; seizure of goods, arrest of smugglers (rather infrequent) lodging of F.I.R (each post of Coast Guard was a Police Station for anti smuggling functions) confiscation of smuggled goods by the Deputy Collector of Customs followed by their disposal under the rules. Reward Money, for which allocation was made in the annual budget of Coast Guards, was given proportionately to the seizing party, the Informer and to the Welfare Fund of Coast Guard. The achievements of battalions and indeed of Coast Guard, was measured in the worth of smuggled good seized.
Few interesting and major anti-smuggling cases, that I recollect are:-
a. Seizure and confiscation of one launch full of liquor.
b. Capture of launches off and on, full of goods — cloth, electronic items, sometime vehicles. Noteworthy were two very big launches, the worth of goods, at that time, was approximately Rs Three Crores.
c. Various quantities of Narcotics off and on.
d. One ship at Gadani, imported for breaking was seized and confiscated by Coast Guard, for having violated customs law. This was before my taking over. The owner's appeal was pending in Sind High Court. A period of two to three years had passed. The ship was being eaten up due to rust and a detachment of Coast Guards personnel was tied up. High Court had accepted our plea that the ship be auctioned and proceeds be kept under its control for disposal in accordance with the final decision. In the first attempt by the Nazir of the High Court the highest bid came to Rs 28 lacs. Coast Guards objected and were allowed to auction the ship. The highest bid came to Rs 78 lacs, close to the market price. The decaying ship was disposed of.
Some of the improvements introduced:-
a. Coast Guards needed additional manpower resources, vehicles and high speed boats. We got one additional battalion, two Italian built high speed, armed boats, some vehicles, wireless equipment and heavy infantry weapons. The additional battalion was assigned part of Baluchistan with HQ at Uthal.
b. On disbandment of FSF (Federal Security Force) their assets were distributed among all the Civil Armed Forces. Coast Guards got approximately 500 men and their land at Korangi, 75 acres.
c. Permanent accommodation were built for posts on Pak-Iran border, at Gwadar, Ormara, Uthal for Bn HQ, and at Korangi for Bn HQ.
d. The seized/confiscated vehicles — cars, jeeps, wagons, trucks — were stored in the open, exposed to weather causing serious deterioration. To me it was a national wastage. If it was to be confiscated, state loss, if not, loss to the individual Pakistani. We got garages built for such vehicles and arrangements made for their regular maintenance.
e. In litigation of major cases the accused party would engage very senior lawyers because they could afford to pay their heavy fee. Coast Guards, usually were represented by the Legal Adviser which was a great handicap. We started to engage lawyers of matching ability and status. This proved to be more effective and cost effective.
Relations with Pakistan Navy:-- On raising of Coast Guards in 1973 as an Army force, Pakistan Navy were very sore, for good reason. All over the world Coast Guards are Naval outfits. On taking over in 1977. I decided to try and establish working relationship with Navy. With kindness of Admiral Sharif, CNS, relationship improved. We were honoured to have a visit from him. We were able to get two regular naval officers (Lt Cdrs) seconded to Coast Guards, one to command Marine Company and the other, to provide technical support. The Navy also agreed to provide maintenance and repair facilities to the high speed boats. Rear Admiral (later Admiral) Niazi decided to build a make-shift jetty on self-help basis at Gwadar for Naval Gun Boats. Coast Guards actively helped in building this jetty. Throughout my tenure, we had very good relation with Pakistan Navy.
It was necessary to have cordial relations with Sindh and Baluchistan Provincial Governments, as we were operating in these two provinces. There were usual complaints by residents, of harassment by Coast Guards personnel. Some were genuine and some not. This was a real problem but, luckily did not attain serious proportions. Relations with Customs also remained cordial. Frankly, one reason was Martial Law declared in July 1977.
Coast Guards made a major contribution for the re-start of the noble game of Polo in Karachi. After shifting of Pakistan Bodyguards to Rawalpindi, Polo in Karachi had almost died down. It was being played once or twice a week 2/3 a side. It was kept alive by the keenness and resilience of Brig Hesky Baig; Cols Nasrullah, Irshad Rashid, M.A.R.Beg (my inspiring elders) the young blood, Mr Naeem Malik, Mr Javed Rizvi, and the Karachi Police led by Mr Salim Vahidy and Mr Babar Khatak with their staff. With the entry of redoubtable Jaja Mian, the great trainer of youngsters in riding and Polo, stage was set to revive this game. Coast Guards were willing and able to provide the logistic support and additional players with horses. Army Remounts Detachment also chipped in. The dusty polo ground inside the old Race Course behind
Cantt Railway Station was prepared and maintained to the extent possible for the daily polo games. Karachi Polo Club was revived. Brig A.S. Nasir and Brig Jafar from Malir also participated regularly. Soon, this club started to have a weekly sponsored match over the week-ends which became a regular social event in Karachi. At one time Karachi Polo Club had highest number of playing members, possibly second only to Lahore Polo Club. Karachi has an advantage; due to mild weather the game can be played throughout the year, unlike other cities in the north where it is played only in winter. With the efforts of everyone involved polo flourished in Karachi for about ten years. More on Polo later.
I had a very unhappy and discouraging experience during my command of Pakistan Coast Guards. Its anti-smuggling operations described above exposed its personnel, to corruption. It was very easy to let go smuggled consignments, in part or the whole, for consideration of money. The smugglers are very adept at making such arrangements with the personnel of all anti-smuggling agencies. I was aware of this malady and hazard on taking over command, and was quite concerned about it. To curb this problem I relied basically on the chain of command, COs, Company Commanders and so on; also on the intelligence resources available in the Force. After a few months I started to receive reports that Coast Guard personnel were involved. I would discuss this problem with COs and staff officers at HQs very frequently. They generally sounded quite confident that their officers and men were not involved in these corrupt practices, at least to the extent reported, conceding that there may be few “black sheep” indulging in minor cases. They also conveyed that the “enemies” of Coast Guards, mainly smugglers, some members of district/provincial governments and to some extent, other anti-smuggling agencies, could be spreading these rumours to bring bad name to our Force, especially the Army Officers. A very likely reason in the days of Martial Law. Used to a very honest, and honourable professional dealings within the chain of command of the Army, I also felt loyalty to my subordinates to protect the honour of the honest. However, I remained concerned and vigilant about this malady. Meanwhile, I receive a report to the effect that a launch full smuggled goods was likely to land in a particular area and an officer of Coast Guard was expected to help in safe passage of its goods, instead of seizing them. I decided to ascertain this information by personally conducting an operation. It all came to be true, I did find an officer red handed. He was put under arrest. What followed next is a long story. Suffice it to say that as a result of the unprecedented action that I took, involvement of a large number of officers, JCOs and ORs was established. Disciplinary action was taken in which approximately 18 officers and about 35 JCOs and ORs were either dismissed, or retired with fault or otherwise. This action shook the Force which helped in re-juvinating it. GHQ posted better category of officers. The effect of this action lasted for quite some time, NOT for ever!!
This episode was very painful for me personally. I had to take action which resulted in severe punishment to officers, whom I had considered to be “my officers”, in the usual Army tradition. Secondly, in the process, my personal honour was likely to be tarnished by an unwise, to say the least, action by Army High Command. I fought back and with Allah's grace, I managed to save my honour and dignity. I may also mention that on imposition of Martial Law in July 1977, the ML Authorities entrusted few inquiries to me involving some dignitaries. I had very sensible and able assistance from Cdr (later Vice Adm) Khalid Mir. The inquiries pertained to Mid East Hospital, Begum Husna Shaikh and allotment of railway land for construction of a 5-Star Hotel near Clifton Bridge. It was alleged that undue and large scale favours had been done to certain dignitaries by the PPP Government in violation of rules. The inquiries were conducted as judiciously as possible and submitted to ML Authorities for actions deemed fit.
We understand that you played a long innings in the PIA. How was this stint?
After completing four years as DG Coast Guards, I was posted to PIA on secondment as Director Administration. I served in PIA physically until Oct 1989 and on paper until Oct 1990. My first five years with PIA were on secondment until Oct 1985 when I retired from the Army. Subsequent 5 years were on contract.
After watching the performance of PIA for about three years (1977-1980) the ML High Command had reached the conclusion that PIA, the National Carrier, was in a Mess and extraordinary measures were required to retrieve it. These measures included change of PIA top management and to provide the Corporation necessary means and support to be able to run the airline efficiently. I was posted as part of the new management. This was another new and challenging job which required a great deal of hard work, patience and ingenuity. It was rather a heavy burden. Apart from running/supervising the complex administration of PIA in Pakistan and aboard, I was expected to implement the policy of removing from service the employees who were not only unproductive but also trouble makers and who had really hamstrung the PIA management. This was considered necessary to enable the management to run the Airline on corporate lines. A very unpleasant but very responsible job. I was all the time concerned that an innocent person should not be affected. It was not possible for me, or for that matter for anyone, to perform these unusual, and usual corporate tasks without cooperation of PIA employees. I soon discovered that bulk of the PIA employees were dedicated professionals. The trouble makers were not in large number. I was able to establish necessary rapport with PIA Directors and down to a loader which helped a great deal.
When I joined PIA in March 1981, the hijacking episode of its aircraft was in progress. The aircraft was at Kabul Airport under the control of the hijackers. I recall that Capt Qazi, Director Flight Operations PIA, did an excellent job of negotiating with the hijackers and contribute a great deal in resolving this tragic episode.
To start with, PIA administration was to be run under its existing policies, rules and regulations. The Employees Associations and Labour Unions were in existence and active. Interacting with them gave me a chance to understand them. It did not take long for me to find that the PIA administration was in serious disorder. It took me almost two months to know the exact number of employees on the pay role of the Airline. It came out to be over 22,000 permanent and about 2,500 on daily wages. In addition, overtimes to the tune of Rs two Crores was being disbursed per month. Personal records were in disarray. Rules and Regulations were generally not followed in the posting, transfer and promotion of employees. The process of disciplinary proceedings was ineffective. Management and CBA/Associations either blamed each other for this disorder or considered it to be good enough system of working.
I found that the CBA did work for the welfare of their electorate, the PIA employees, but had far exceeded their role and functions assigned to them in the IRO 69, (Industrial Relations Ordnance 1969). They interfered in recruitment, postings, transfers and even promotions of not only the unionized staff but also in case of officers. A very limited number were excused duty for the performance of their CBA functions. The number who actually did not perform their duties was in hundreds. They acquired excessive facilities. They did not hesitate to use physical violence against officers, even to the rank of General Managers, if they did not conform to their wishes. No disciplinary action was taken against culprits. I made a number of attempts to advise CBA to conform to their functions and privileges as given in the IRO 69. I offered assurance that I will establish mechanism, and shall personally see that legitimate grievances of employees are removed. This was of no avail. I did make one thing very clear that physical violence against officers, or any other employee, will not be tolerated. In case of any such occurrence, due disciplinary action will be taken.
Another disturbing discovery was existence of unhealthy groupings and tussle on ethnic and provincial lines as well as between major professional entities i.e. Pilots, Engineers, Marketing and Traffic etc.
It was also very clear that political interference in the running of the Airline had been rampant, either directly or through the Unions. With over 22,000 permanent employees and 2,500 Daily Wagers, the Airline was grossly overstaffed in the light of various standards usually followed in the airline industry. Each department had more employees than the work load. In addition, a number of activities such as Janitorial Services, Canteens, Motor Transport etc, which are normally hired, were performed by engaging permanent employees.
After lengthy deliberations Government finally decided to impose Martial Law Regulation 52 in June 1981. Under the Regulation, all Associations and Unions were banned. Mechanism was provided to take expeditious disciplinary action against the employees who had indulged in malpractices or violation of rules and regulations. It was also provided to dispense with the services of employees, no longer required by the Airline. Tough measures indeed. Every effort was made to implement them judiciously. There was marked effect on the performance of employees soon after the imposition of MLR 52. Daily attendance went up from about 60% to 95%, the staff performed their individual functions well and the supervisors became effective. Although it was being propagated that if Associations and Unions were banned, the Airline will be brought to stand still. Nothing of the sort happened. Efficiency of the Airline and service to passenger improved a great deal. After about six months of imposition of MLR 52 a survey indicated (1) Reduction of Permanent Staff strength from 22,000 to approximately 18,000; Daily Wagers from 2,500 to about 200. (2) Reduction of Overtime from Rs 2 Crores to about Rs 20 Lacs per month. (3) Increase of employees productivity by about 10% (4) Incidence of malpractices dropped.
MLR 52 provided for action against those whose service were not required, in three ways. Firstly, those whose functions had been eliminated and contracted out. These were Janitorial Services and Canteens. Such employees were given compensation. Approximately 820 were retired under this category. Secondly, those who were found to be disciplinary cases. These individuals were issued show-cause notices, their replies were processed and considered and verdict in each case was given by the Chairman. Approximately 267 went out under this provision. Thirdly, those employees who were unproductive, allegedly trouble makers, or indulged in malpractices. Approximately 975 went out in this category. A total of approx 2,062 employees were sent out; NOT thousands, as was propagated in those days. Great and meticulous care was taken to decide such cases. Lists were provided by Departments, which were fairly long. The Intelligence Agencies, provided their Lists. A criteria was formulated; each individual was examined in the light of the criteria. His service record was seen (this, I might mention, was not much help because of lack of its credibility). His case was discussed with his Manager, General Manager and Director. In case of any doubt the name was deleted. Final prooning was done by a Committee in Ministry of Defence, headed by the Joint Secretary, it included Director Administration PIA, a Director each from ISI and IB. This Committee made recommendation to the Chairman, who after due consideration gave the approval for dispensation of services of the employee, a loader or a General Manager.
Disciplinary action against a top office-bearer of CBA, before imposition of MLR 52. A test case. He committed physical violence against a Manager in his office whose tooth was broken. This was done after the advice and warning given specifically against such crime. It took a long time and effort, but this employee was eventually dismissed from service under PIA rules and awarded one year R.I. by a Summary Military Court. It was unheard of that disciplinary action could be taken against a paltry functionary member of Union, to take action against a top office- bearer of CBA was inconceivable. To my absolute dismay this individual was re-instated by HQ MLA at Karachi. I took up case with CMLA HQ and had the re-instatement cancelled. This one action by the management put an end to the abhorrent practice of physical violence against officers. By the way this individual visited me at my house before and after his conviction. We had tea together.
In performance of my functions as Director Administration and in implementation of MLR 52, I received inspiring support and guidance from Maj Gen (Retd) A Rahim Khan, Chairman PIA and Secretary General Defence. He was like a rock and protected us against interference from Government High Ups. Aviation Division of Ministry headed by Mr Aitezaz uddin Ahmad (later Federal Secretary) provided full cooperation. I also received full support and guidance from Mr M.M. Saleem MD. Similarly, the higher management of PIA was equally supportive. Col Hatim Zaidi, Col Mirza, Col Zaka and Gp Capt Shah, who had also been posted on secondment, provided valuable assistance. As I have said I received full cooperation from all the PIA staff, mention must be made of Mr Mehmood Alam GM Legal, Mr Ali Hasan GM (P), Mr Farooq Raja Manager (IR).
Normalcy was restored after implementation of MLR-52. The Board of Directors and the Management of PIA went about in earnest to restore PIA's financial health, improve service to passengers and to look after the welfare of the employees. Maj Gen Rahim called the Board meeting every month so that major corporate matters were attended to expeditiously. PIA Management worked smoothly and was responsive to the needs and demands of passengers. Some of the interesting events:-
a. Engagement of foreign consultants, Booz Allen and Hamilton, to seek their expert advice on two major issues. Firstly, Corporate Structure of the Airline. Secondly, Route Structure for PIA. Their recommendations on Corporate Structure were implemented with some modifications. With regard to Route Structure, in a nutshell, they recommended that PIA be made into a regional airline. The PIA Management vehemently disagreed. Consultants recommendations were not implemented. After this whole exercise I was of the view that what Consultants performed at a cost could have been done in-house.
b. A small number of armed forces officers were inducted into the airline. This caused resentment. Most of the inductions were into Departments where armed forces officers could genuinely contribute, like administration, security services, aircraft stores (Air Force). But, unfortunately, one induction of an Air Cdre as GM in New York did a great deal of damage to the credibility of ML Regime.
c. Air Marshal Viqar Azim was appointed MD in the beginning of 1982, until 1986. A very energetic and imaginative officer. One of his first passions was to introduce computerization in the Airline, long overdue requirement which he successfully achieved. Unfortunately his energy and zeal got dissipated because he could not establish healthy working relationship with Chairman, as well as with most of his Directors. Like an excellent pilot one got the impression that he attempted to run the airline like a fighter aircraft. It is a pity that a number of controversies arose during his tenure which eventually landed him in trouble.
d. Air Marshal M.A.Daudpota took over in 1986. A perfect gentleman and a pleasant person. He received everyone in his office by standing up, as a mark of respect for him. A very unusual but a fine gesture. On the whole he ran the Airline well. It was during his tenure that PPP Government was installed at the Centre (1988). The actions taken by ML Regime were undone with vengeance. All the employees who had been removed under MLR-52 were re-instated, most of them with back benefits. To my mind it was a reckless and a very unwise action. It may have achieved a political gain but laid down the grounds for deterioration and wrecking of the Airline, which, eventually it did. If the Government felt that injustice was done to these individuals, their cases could have been reviewed judiciously and final decision taken. The responsible people of the Airline had commented all along that 5% to 10% of the removed individuals may be in gray areas, 90% to 95% deserved to be removed because they were unproductive, were trouble makers, indulged in various malpractices and even crimes.
e. Ordinarily my contract service with PIA was expected to be terminated after the change of Government in 1988 but it did not, possibly, thanks to some friends in the right place. In Oct 1989 I was sent on leave with pay and full benefits until the end of my contract Oct 1990.
Although I had to work very hard in PIA and was required to deal with some very complicated matters, I thoroughly enjoyed my stay. Nine years service in the National Airline was very satisfying and rewarding. I learnt a great deal. The handling of complex management matters of this major Corporation was a great experience; so was interaction with Federal Government, with foreign airlines, with international organizations like IATA. I also got an opportunity to travel extensively.
PIA was a great help to me and my family in dealing with a medical crisis. In 1986 my daughter, Samira, age 15, had renal failure. She needed kidney transplant. Medical facilities for transplant in Pakistan in those days were rudimentary. PIA facilitated this treatment abroad. By the grace of Allah, the transplant successfully took place at Cromwell Hospital London, donor being her father. With further grace of Allah, Samira completed her studies Matric and F Sc in Pakistan, BA in USA. She worked for 3 years in an investment management company in Karachi and converted to IT. Got married in 1999 to Omer Masood. They have a lovely and extraordinarily friendly son Zaid, age 6 months. Allah be praised.
PIA has been the top supporter and developer of sports in Pakistan, especially Cricket, Hockey and Squash. I introduced Polo as well, at affordable cost. Horses, the major cost, were acquired from the Army as boarders on payment of a yearly fee against the names of Army officers serving in the Airline. Few Desi and inexpensive horses were bought. In a short time PIA organized its own Polo team which participated in various tournaments in the country, being National Champions twice. PIA team also visited abroad and played friendly matches. Like other sports, Polo contributed to the publicity of the Airline. One young colt, Sattar Niazi, was developed into a 4 goal handicap player, the highest level Pakistanis have been reaching for the last many years. One of the keen Polo Players was Capt Siraj ul Malik of Chitral. With his efforts PIA team played in Chitral against the local teams under local game rules which really is “free for all”. This visit to Chitral was possibly the first of its kind. Polo also made specific professional contributions during the following visits abroad :- (1) PIA polo team visited Brunie twice, on the recommendation of Pakistan Ambassador, Brig Mir Abad Hussain. We played few games in which Prince Jeffry, younger brother of the Sultan, participated. Brunie Airline was in his care. The Ambassador arranged a meeting in which we both called on the Prince. As a result PIA got business of training Brunie Airline technicians in Brunie as well as in PIA Training Centre. (2) PIA polo team also visited Jordan and played friendly matches in which H.R.H Prince Hasan Bin Talal, a keen polo player, took part. This visit was utilized to make recovery of about USD 2 million from Royal Jordan Airline which was stuck up for a long time. Kind intervention of H.R.H the Prince was a decisive factor. (3) PIA polo team also visited China in 1983 during their October Festival at Hou Hot, capital of Inner Mongolia. This was perhaps the first time a foreign polo team visited China. This visit created great excitement in that region. As many as 10,000 people came to watch the final game. The value of great publicity in China and contribution to the exemplary friendly relationship of our two countries was very valuable. Raza Kuli Khan, a well-known name in Pakistan polo accompanied us at his own expense. Next year, PIA invited Chinese team to Pakistan. They played matches in Peshawar, Lahore and Karachi. They were provided all the courtesy by Polo Clubs in these cities.
In each foreign visit horses and local courtesy was provided by the hosts requiring minimum PIA expenses. Unfortunately there was negative reaction from a small section of Press, and from some of the then legislators who asked questions on the floor of the Senate. Their criticism being that PIA's sponsorship of Polo was at great expense and it was meant for the pleasure of few employees. All questions were duly answered. Those who played this game in PIA deserve a mention. They were Capt Azhar Ali, Capt Sirajul Malik, a Pilot, Capt Imran Aziz, another pilot, Mr Bony Bornshin and Sattar Niazi. We also coopted Javed Mawaz and Aamir Noon, leading polo players at that time, off and on to participate in tournaments of higher handicaps.
What were your impressions about General Zia as a man and as a soldier?
As a man General Zia can be considered as close to perfection. As a soldier better than Average. As Head of Government unsuccessful.
What were the effects of Zia’s long one man rule on the qualitative efficiency of the Pakistan Army?
I cannot really authoritatively comment on it because during this period I was away from the Army and it has not been put to test. However exposure to non-army activities of soldiers, however small in numbers will have an adverse effect.
Please tell us about people who Persons who influenced your development or you remember any noteworthy thing about them?
My parents. My father, Khawaja Ghulam Yasin, was a very decent gentleman. I got some of these qualities from him. My mother gave me everything that a mother provides to her children. In addition. I learnt from her patience, quiet courage and ability to withstand crises and hardships with cheer and equanimity.
My Uncle Shaikh Abdul Hameed. In my young days he was my ideal. I learnt from him values of life especially in context of Islam and as conveyed by Allama Iqbal. He had great pleasure in entertaining guests to delicious Kashmiri meals cooked by his wife, and to Mangoes. He was a passionate mango connoisseur. During the season he maintained stock of choicest qualities in different stages of ripeness. One would dispute his knowledge on the subject of mangoes to his peril. Your Managing Editor knows it very well.
Khawaja Ahmed Hasan Manto. A family elder. A Senior Advocate of Rawalpindi who took active part in struggle for creation of Pakistan. I made it point to spend some time with him in his office on College Road in 50s whenever I came on leave. In 1956 when I was selected for a course in USA I proudly informed him. He was happy but made a deep remark to this effect. This American Military Aid is the second unfortunate thing which has happened to our country. First one was Evacuee property. Acquisitions without effort will breed corruption and take the nation away from self- reliance. How right he was. Such patriotic wisdom was available to us at that time. It is available to us even now. It is a pity we have been unable to allow it to be effective.
Major Mahmood Kamal. A dear friend, from East Pakistan. We served together in Guides and in SSG. His father was a senior CSP officer. His marriage, to Rehana, daughter of Professor Mahmood Husain, Vice Chancellor Raj Shahi University, was a manifestation of profound nation-building feelings, in the two friends one Bengali and the other non-Bengali. One factor in this marriage was that it will contribute towards strengthening of bonds between the two wings of Pakistan. I think recalling such instances is a poignant reminder that Pakistan’s nation building is not yet strong enough.
Colonel Pir Abdullah Shah. A remarkable person in many ways. Very well-known in Armoured Corps and in the Army. He was my CO in Guides in 50s. I learnt a great deal from him especially in human relationship and creating espirit-de-corps. He excelled in taking keen interest in development of young officers and took care of them when in trouble as a family elder. His patience and courage displayed on the Shahadat of his son, Captain Husain Shah, was exemplary. He was very fond of Zia ud Din Abbasi, and kept contact with his family to his last days.
Major Zia ud Din Abbasi, Shaheed. My dear friend and a brother officer of Guides Cavalry. He was a competent and a serious professional. A sensitive person with all the fine qualities which goodness demands. His sense of humour was characteristic and unmatched. Whatever be the company (of Senior or Juniors) and whatever be the mood his remarks and conversation would create his characteristic humour, and even hilarity. Those who knew him yearned for his company. His unprintable TAKIA KALAM was inadvertently acquired by most, including some seniors. He was equally good in humorous writing. It is a joy to read the Newsletter written by him. Before 1965 War we both happened to be in Quetta. I was doing staff course, he was posted as Instructor in Infantry School. The High event of that time was his marriage in early part of the year. He got family accommodation. My wife Farida and his wife Shakira happened to have been college-mates. Farida helped him set up the house before arrival of Shakira. ZU was looking forward to calm family life after a long bachelor’s life of almost fourteen years. He had hardly started to taste it when Rann of Kachh operation took place. He was posted to Guides Cavalry in Cone Area Gujranwala. He had a few days leave in Karachi (or Quetta) before the start of 1965 War and never returned.
Major General A.O.Mitha. He raised the Special Service Group in 1957 and commanded it for about 6 years thereafter. The infrastructure, the training concepts and standards he laid down have served as a firm foundation for this Elite force. He focused on Physical fitness development of initiative and unconventional approach for military skills in All Ranks, especially officers. He was very successful in creating the required espirit-de-corps and high mark of confidence in every member of SSG. He read extensively and believed vehemently in simple living and high ideals. I learnt a great deal from him.
Please tell us something about your post retirement life and ties with the army ?
I remain in fairly close touch with all the elements in the Army that I have been associated with. I try to attend all the Reunions, Annual Days etc. It really gives me great and genuine pleasure.
In 1993 I was appointed Colonel of 26 Cavalry. A singular honour for which I am grateful to the then officers serving in the Regiment. Before me, this honour rightly belonged to Brig Akram Hussain Syed, who raised this Regiment. He laid firm foundation and established fine traditions.