Chain of Command

Recent statements by Mr Musharraf & his infamous henchmen about the bloody uniform make one sick.
Quality & honesty of our generals deserve to be thoroughly honoured and appreciated.
Shame, shame & shame.

Indeed a good article by Nighat and and very good comments by ikonoclast. Lets all who feel the same way, try to be more vocal on this and organize opposition to military rule. And try to strengthen the civil society in any way that we can.

A well-written piece Nighat, you deserve all the kudos. The reality is that Pakistan is being ruled aince the last 50 years,by unholy alliance of the khakis, bureaucracy and the feudals/politico; recently the beards have been added to this triumative.
Unless the feudal mindset is expunged from our psyche, nothing will change, Each military takeover further delibitates not only the state and society, but the military itself too. Witness the abysmal performance in Kargil and still abysmal performance during the first Wana foray.
Miltary is an archconservative entity, it cant bring in reforms; it is a status quo organization.
Usurping power from a legitimate government, however unsavoury it might have been,is high treason; he spineless judiciary not only exonerated this supreme crime, but also granted its perpetuater the power to mulitiate the constitution, which it had no right to give. The judiciary is equally, rather more culpable than the military.
Musharraf justified the military rule, rape of the constitution, LFO, NSC and 17 th amendment on the grounds that it will curb Praetorianism. But than, if he has erect such impregnable defence to safeguard the polity, is he afraid of the next army chief? Apart from other conclusions it shows that his system is only a house of cards. And the military`s predatory instincts remain uncurbed.
The only viable way out of this horrendous maliase is to strengthen the civil society. The first step is to protest.

It is unfortunate for the 150 million people of Pakistan that they should be suffering under the military rule. It is a curse. The country can’t move ahead in human terms and otherwise until the faujis are sent to barracks for good. They should only do their duties as specified in their terms of employment.

Some important measures will have to be taken to ensure that. First there should be a consensus that army should not have any role in the political life.

Fundamental reforms will have to be introduced in the structure and the composition. It will have to be transformed into a true federal army not an army belonging to the people coming from a few privileged areas. All the people of all the provinces will have to be given true representation in all the ranks.

Military expenditure will have to be drastically cut in real terms.

Military enterprise will have to be privatized. The military can’t be allowed to become the largest trade, business and industrial empire that it is now with vested interests that it thinks can only safeguard if it has the state power.

It should have no assignments in civilian bureaucracy or other spheres of civilian life.

Full accountability: A truth commission should be established to look into all the unfair practices by military or civilian officials and politicians.

One doesn’t see much chance for the polity if current situation doesn’t change.

Regards

Dear friends,

I have always said and believed that the current lot of generals (Yahya onwards) are products of shahi mohalla and fit for its business only, at best. To fight is beyond the expertise and courage of this disgusting lot. A proof:

... ``General Aslam Beg`s attempt at glasnost when he invited the media to cover the Zarb-e-Momin exercise across the Punjab, provided us much food for thought: clearly this was one army whose top generals were not interested in war. Desperate to use the loo, two other women journalists and I sneaked into the caravan assigned to one general. We had seen him in the dining area and assumed it was safe to enter.
It was quite a revelation. The grandeur of makeshift living quarters - and that too during a military exercise - was nothing short of mind-boggling. Nothing, it seemed, was too much for the generals` comfort. After I wrote a piece on the experience, my father, a soldier from the old school, was shell-shocked: was the army really only using mineral water? And that was the least of it. If only the photographs we took had been published! As for the rest of my information, that fell prey to the editor`s brief regarding word count.`` ...

From
Decades of Living Dangerously
Journalism can be a dangerous business and a heady experience, says Mariana Baabar the diplomatic correspondent for The News and the Islamabad correspondent for The Outlook.

http://www.newsline.com.pk/NewsAug2004/guestaug2004.htm

I advocate the opinion that it is not incompetency; insincerity; dishonesty that is giving a torrid time to Gen. Musharraf to choose his successor. But once he sheds his uniform, Mr. Musharraf would no longer be ``the most`` powerful president ever of this country. Lots of his strength comes from the Armed Forces and once he is no longer associated with it constitutionally, it would be very difficult for him to control the democracy emphatically. But, for the record I will put all my money on General Arif Hassan to assume the COAS office if Musharraf decides to quit it.

HisExcellency #19: Interesting suggestions. Most I agree with, but some points.

``No officer should ever be promoted out of turn.``

This cannot happen, and probably should not happen, in my opinion. The appointment of the Chief is much like the appointment of the CEO of a company. One selects the best out of the top Vice Presidents. One cannot just automatically select the most senior one. In many cases, the one below him are much more capable, and will reach retirement age, if he doesn`t get appointed. Usually, the retiring Chief gives the names of a few Generals he considers fit for the job, and the poitical leader choses the one he wants. This has worked fine in the PAF and Navy. In the Army, it has only not worked when the political leader appointed someone way out of turn, (who may not have been recommended). I think Zia is a good example. And Nawaz Sharif`s attempt to appoint the replacement for Musharraf was another.

Musharraf`s own appt. as COAS was fine (the coup is a different story). He was no. 3 in line, and a valid candidate. He isn`t the only one who was not the senior most candidate. In fact, the senior most candidate ususally does not become the Chief in any of the branches of the armed forces in Pakistan. Specifically because someone below him is more capable than him.

As for the other problems, there is no way to keep the Army out of politics, in any country, unless the political leadership in power has the support of the people, who will come out on the streets, if the Army takes over. That is the only deterent.

But certain other things can be done, in my opinion:

1. Reduce the number of Generals in all three forces to 1/3rd there current number, from a total of around 150 to 50. Eliminate the ranks, all together, instead of trying to restrict their influence.

2. Get the Army out of all civilian business ventures, by privitizing all of them, from the gigantic fauji foundation to the small Shaheen foundation. Even if the companies are running well.

3. Eliminate all placements into civilian organizations from the military, like CSS, PIA, etc. All retired military candidates should have to take the test, and qualify on their own.

4. Increase the promotion opportunities of technically qualified officers, like doctors, engineers, Ph.Ds etc. Instead of only promoting the fighting arms to the top. Most of the brilliant minds in the military do not make it beyond Brigadier/Air Cdr., because they are not in the fighting arms.

Simultaneously, make it more important for the fighting arms officers to get civilian higher degrees, like the doctors, engrs. etc. have to.

5. Make the Army far less high profile, in civilian areas, by keeping them in their own cantonments, like the PAF does.

6. Increase the salary of officers of lower ranks manifold. Specifically for those who have high qualifications. So that they don`t leave, and the military doesn`t lose its best people. A Ph.D. Major, with ten years of experience teaching at NUST should not make 15-20000 ruppees, while his equivalent at LUMS makes 2 lakh. An F-16 instructor pilot should not make 20000, while his friend who flunked out of training, and joined PIA is making over 1 lakh (including benefits). So on and so forth.

7. Do not allow the political leaders to control military organizations, like ISI, and use them for their own political benefits, much like they use the police.

However, to do all of the above, one needs a political leader who is so secure in his popularity amongst the populace, that he knows poeple will not celebrate when he gets kicked out........

A very timely and well-written article.
Without going into complex analysis one cannot avoid noticing that rght now Pak army is fighting fellow Pakistanis in all four provinces. From Karachi to Wana to Okara to Balochistan army is firing on Pakistanis and people are firing back on army installations and personnel.

Three killed in Kohat blasts
By Abdul Sami Paracha
http://www.dawn.com/2004/07/29/top7.htm

KOHAT, July 28: An assistant director and an inspector of the Intelligence Bureau (IB), and a suspected suicide bomber were killed in two bomb explosions that took place near the official residence of General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the Pakistan Army`s 9th division here on Wednesday night.
Besides, two persons, including two inspectors of the IB and a security guard of the military police, were injured, according to official sources. Police and personnel of secret agencies who had gathered at the place of the first bomb explosion had to run to save their lives as the second blast shook the area.
In the second explosion, which took place 50 minutes after the first blast at 8.50pm, at least three officials of the IB, including the assistant director, were seriously injured.
The injured were rushed to the Combined Military Hospital where assistant director Baitullah Masud and inspector Khubaz Khan succumbed to their injuries. Mohammed Nabi`s condition was stated to be critical. A sleuth of the military policy is also under treatment.
Official sources talking to Dawn said that the attacker was a suicide bomber. His body was also moved to the hospital. However, the Inter Service Public Relations Director-General Maj-Gen Shaukat Sultan, talking to a television channel, rejected reports the impression that it was a case of suicide bombing.
The attacker, the military spokesman added, was killed when he was planting a home made device in a public park situated in the Kohat cantonment.
The bomb explosions close to the official residence of the GOC on Wednesday followed rocket attack on the air base of the Pakistan air force and quarters of the signal training centre of the Pakistan Army situated in the cantonment here a fortnight ago.

The wardi drama is resented within the Army as well because it weakens the institution of the military. Many competent lieutenant generals had to resign when their juniors were suddenly promoted out of turn and appointed Army chiefs.

Most of the officers who become Army chief out of turn, also ended up either usurping power or becoming controversial. Zia-ul-Haq and Pervaiz Musharraf were both lower down the seniority rank and appointed by their Prime Ministers on the flawed assumption that these junior officers would remain obliged to the PM.

Until the political vacuum in Pakistan is filled by an honest, democratic and visionary leader (preferably non-feudal), we should persevere with Musharraf. But if such a leader does emerge, then I suggest the following steps to ensure continuity of democracy...

1. Chiefs of armed services, and especially the Army, should be appointed strictly on the basis of seniority. No officer should ever be promoted out of turn. An Army chief and deputy army chief should be designated for a period of 3 years. When the Army chief retires, the deputy Army chief automatically becomes Army chief. The next senior-most officer assumes the post of Deputy Army Chief.



2. All officers who collaborate in military coups (in the future) shall be stripped of their military ranks, their medals/gallantary awards, and (most importantly) of the land that they were allotted by the Army welfare trust.



3. In future whenever the Supreme Court requests protection of the Army, the Army Chief shall comply.
   
   (In 1997 if Gen. Karamat had sent just one truck of soldiers to protect Justice Sajjad Ali Shah`s bench, there would never have been an attack on the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court would have disqualified Nawaz on technical grounds (loan default) and another elected PML parliamentarian would have become PM. There would never have been a military coup in 1999!)



4. No troops shall be stationed within 50 miles of Islamabad. All military cantonments in Rawalpindi and its vicinity shall be relocated to Kharian.



5. Accountability net shall be expanded to include retired as well as serving generals. Assets of Aslam Beg Mirza, Khalid Mehmood Arif, Akhtar Abdur Rehman, Zia-ul-Haq and of course Pervez Musharraf shall be scrutinized.



6. The practice of awarding land to Army generals are discounted prices shall be discontinued. Perks and privileges of the generals shall be reduced. In contrast, the salaries of jawans, lieutenants, majors and corporals shall be increased.



7. Any person promoting sectarianism through speech or literature shall be disqualified from joining the Army or becoming a member of parliament.

With these steps in place, we can even keep the NSC and 17th Amendment. These amendments place too many checks on the power of elected politicians... but contain no checks on the power of Armed services. IMO, the steps outlined above will redress this lack of balance in powers.

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We all have to do for it, and requires contineous struggle, but as I repeatidly saying, We are dead as a nation and that is the only reason every is making us fool.

#13 wrote:Bangladesh is the shining example and a model for Pakistan and Pakistanis to follow

To become the second most corrupt nation of the world.

One should follow an example if it has brought some good,which didn`t happen in case of Bangladesh. During Benazir rule ( DEMOCRACY) we were in top 5 corrupt nations as for as I remember. We are some how better know. For me it doesn`t matter who is in power as along as he or she is bringing some good to the country. We as a nation don`t have enough time to give power in the hands of corrupt politicians and wait for the democracy to strengthen its roots. Musharraf is the best choice right now. His positives are more than his negatives. If he succeedes in implementing a system of checks and balances , we would be on the path of development.

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#10 by Urstruly
//...H-Iram there is no hope unless you and me do something...//

Ya - cut off your ba!!s - that way you guys might stand a chance, since it is the age of eunuch generals. Any case - you folks have intellectually castrated yourselves longtime ago.

You guys can do nothing. Only rant and rave on chowk.

HP:

You are right about the power enjoyed by the COAS. Truth and belief are two different things. One may or may not like truths. It is true that Bush is the president but many people disagree vehemently about his policies because of their beliefs. They will be voting to elect Kerry or someone else. I believe in democracy and illegality of Musharraf, and truth that Musharraf is president and COAS do not change it. Since I, or Pakistanis, can not remove him by voting him out does not mean to act defeatist or to present solutions which can be overturned on post overthrough basis without a problem.

Bangladesh was part of Pakistan and had same military mentality and corrupt politicans. After initially acting like Pakistani generals, Bangladeshi army is settling down to accept democracy by equally corrupt politicians. I believe Bangladesh will not have a coup d`tat in near future and as democracy keeps getting hold, the chances of military taking over keep decreasing. The generals there can also blame corruption of politicians and can overtake much easily than Pakistan, for Bangladesh being a smaller country. I believe, humiliation of one COAS, general H. M. Irshad made the big difference there. He was given prison terms and actually served his prison terms fully.

Bangladesh is the shining example and a model for Pakistan and Pakistanis to follow. I see no point of making excuses of corruption of politicians for the sake of a dismissed COAS who is still COAS.

The trouble is power hunger of Pakistani generals and nothing else. The democracy does not grow like bamboos overnight. It needs tending, watering, fertilizer and above all time to get its roots hold tightly through developing institutions. That is why, generals interrupt this process and regularly derail it from getting a hold.