Musharraf the Out-smarter
Here underneath is a letter I wrote to Riaz Jafri responding his non-ending stream of letters to editors and requesting him not to use that repugnant prefix Colonel. I am glad to see that the guy has heeded my request. Interestingly, he is not alone there are several so-called fauji writers who have stopped mentioning their erstwhile ranks. I don’t know whether they are afraid of public wrath or are they ashamed of their identity. Or perhaps they [rightly] think that disclosing their affiliations would prompt people to blacken their ugly faces as well. And black faces with dark hearts are probably too much even for these shameless creatures.

Anyhow, here follows the letter I mailed to him, and cc:d to all editors in Pakistan.
Jafri sahib, thanks for sparing us the agony of colonelship.


Rejoinder to Riaz Jafri

I know you are very fond of writing letters to editor. Can’t you kindly submit your letters without adding that disgusting thing called colonel.

I have all respect and reverence, even love, for those brave sons of soil of the armed forces who risk their lives for the defence of the motherland. But it is preposterous to demand this respect to those who misuse their power to trample upon the Constitution and democratic institutions.

Every time I come across worlds like colonel, major, generals and all that crap, I, personally, start seeing in front of my eyes rapists and murderers raping and killing their own sisters and daughters in East Pakistan. I start thinking of a major raping Dr. Shazia in Sui, I start hearing a filthy general who probably due to his personal and family experiences say on an international forum that Pakistani women make up rape stories to get Canadian visas.

I start hearing the screams of poor tenants at military farms being crushed by Pak army. I start hearing the bloody threats [bharaks in Punjabi] of loathsome generals being delivered to the Chief Justice of Pakistan at Army House. I start seeing the generals distributing among themselves the loot made by the throw-away sale of Pakistan Steel Mills. I start thinking of billions of rupees taken away from health and school of Pakistanis living in abject poverty and being spent on lousy referendums and bullet-proof limousines. I start smelling the blood of innocent Pakistani children from the palatial villas of generals. Imagine, we are talking about an army that can blow up an ammunition depot just to cover up the plunder of some generals right in the middle of its own mega-city. Remember Ojhri camp.

Then, really how shameless you are, Mr Jafri, you have the gumption to write about indiscipline of the lawyers protesting against the gang-rape of the nation. Yes, I own my words, the treatment meted out to the chief justice of the country is NOT less than a gang-rape of the nation. No matter, how corrupt the said C J was.

Keep in mind, we are talking about the C H I E F J U S T I C E of the country, not a rascal general. We are talking about the S U P R E M E C O U R T of Pakistan. The very foundation of the country was dynamited on March 9. If there are rules and regulations, procedures to remove a peon – the argument shitty Musharraf used to give for taking over, so I demand to ask what about sacking of the C H I E F J U S T I C E. Not even fundamental decency, what to talk about following lawful procedures, was shown on that fateful day.

Mr Jafri, apparently you have forgotten that not a long time ago, ISI hooligans thrashed Brigadier (retd) Taj and tear his daughter-in-law’s clothes at the behest of a serving major-general so better don’t try to be more loyal than king. Tomorrow when some petty army officers will be molesting your grand-daughters [as you too might have done once in your military career under the cover of several Martial Laws] you will be left with no door to knock for justice because today when the war for the independence of judiciary is being waged you are spitefully busy teaching lawyers discipline and telling them plight of under-trial prisoners.

By the way, what courts you talk about? The very S U P R E M E C O U R T has been gunned down - live - by some nasty generals in broad daylight. Can courts dispense justice under these circumstances?

To have such a disgusting army, one starts vomiting, just by thinking about it. Believe me, there are infinite number of Pakistanis who now throw up like me just to read or hear anything that has to do something with military - even remotely.

Now, if you are wondering that why do I then read the nonsense you produce non-stop. Yeah, I read all such stuff because it gives me solace that my hatred for the army is not without very strong reasons on one hand and cement my disparaging views about you and your peti-bahis on the other.

What a pity that a large number of Pakistani would prefer today to be occupied by India, Israel, whatever, but no more by Pak army or should I call it Na-Pak Generals of (Na)Pak army.

Once again, please, for God’s sake stop adding that obnoxious Colonel with your name, at the least, if you cannot stop churning out your stupid letters or don’t have anything better to do.

S Saleemi

Justice, Judiciary and Journalist My message to President of Pakistan through his website

Subject: Chief Justice
The one reading this message:

If you have the slightest of courage and an iota of shame, kindly forward my message to the people concerned.

I bet, I challenge you to find me a single Pakistani - beyond the filth Pervez Musharraf has gathered around him of course – who is not spitting and cursing the top command of Pak Fauj.

To be very honest, we have come to realize that Pervez Musharraf personally is very much involved in the ongoing loot of public money. He himself takes a part of the plunder [maal-e-ghanimat in military jargon].

The shameful sale of Pakistan Steel Mills is proof of my claim. Shaukat Aziz was previously money laundering for Zardari and Co. Today he collects “batha” for Pervez Musharraf.

The PSM robbery (and all other dubios deals going on) was definitely not possible without personal approval of Musharraf. Every primary school student understands very well what is going on.

Not a single institution is left in the country that has not been crushed under the filth of GHQ.

I swear to God that I have never felt this much repulsion for anything what I am doing right now for you people.

Take my words for it, there will be no one to shed tears when people will be digging you out from your pitholes and chasing you like mad dogs.

Pak Fauj ke NaPak Generals
Time to ask: How does it really work in our military offices?
Is it like this?
One possible scenario.

A Major General calls a Major and says, Son, my son was roughed up by some ghoondas.
It is a matter of our collective izzat and naamoos; it is an issue of national importance, and strategic concerns.
We have to teach them a lesson.
Take some jawans with you and beat the hell out of them and their families.
Major salutes and says, your khadim, Sir.

Major orders a dozen or so jawans to get ready.
On their way out, he tells them, that there are some ghaddars who have dared to touch beta saab of general saab. We can never let it go unpunished.

Charge.

All of them rush to the battlefield and write a new chapter of gallantry.
They come back.

Major triumphantly comes back along with his team and reports back to his Major General.

Salutes. Sir, khadim hazir hai.
Mission Accomplished.

We have taught them a lesson they will never ever forget.
Right now some of the culprits are doing takors and some are sewing the clothes we tore apart.

Major Generals: Well done boy. I will recommend you for a fast track promotion.
You may leave now.

Both shout together: Pak Fauj Zindabad.

Saviour or Tinpot Dictator?
Evaluating performance
http://www.dawn.com/2006/04/16/letted.htm#3

EVERY time President Musharraf talks about his uniform, he talks about how good his performance has been as the country’s leader. He talks about the country’s economy, its image and forex reserves. But any dispassionate evaluation of his performance has to focus also on his role as a military commander.

As commander-in-chief of the army President Musharraf has initiated many military campaigns. There was the Kargil campaign, there’s the campaign in Wana and the campaign in Balochistan. The Kargil campaign was based on wrong premises and bought the country very close to war. The Wana campaign was launched two years ago.

At the time we were told that this it would be a short campaign but two years on there seems to be no end. Many lives have been lost. In fact, Fata seems lost to the country. A Taliban-style movement has sprung up in the area and most pro-Pakistan notables there have been killed.

Then there is the Balochistan campaign. Soldiers and gunships have been deployed in the province but the conflict there doesn’t seem to be ending. Piplelines are still being blown up regularly, train tracks have been destroyed and the writ of the state doesn’t exist there.

TAHIR JAFFER
Lahore

Pak Armed Forces vs. Pakistan
Two recent news items from the same day ought to be juxtaposed. The first news piece (March 17, 2006) was where President Gen Pervez Musharraf said that he would request donor countries to convert the loans pledged or given in the wake of last year’s earthquake catastrophe into financial assistance.
http://dawn.com/2006/03/18/top2.htm

The second one was that the Ministry of Defence had demanded an increase of Rs 61 billion in the defence budget to meet the needs of the armed forces, and the National Assembly Special Committee working under the Public Accounts Committee had already supported the demand.
http://www.jang.com.pk/thenews/mar2006-daily/18-03-2006/main/main5.htm

Can anything be more ironic? Are we insulting the donors’ intelligence or displaying our own total lack of perspective?
What do our [military] rulers keep dear to them or consider more urgent: helping Pakistanis in dire need of help or procuring good-for-nothing gadgets and bullet-proof limousines. A litmus test of patriotism, indeed.

By the way, pretty nice & very blunt article.

Judicial Murder or Plain Manslaughter Romair, I am afraid you are mixing up two cases. G R Khan is right.
Islam Siddiqui was hanged because of first attempt where they blew up the bridge and in that case there was NO casualty at all.
What you mentioned is also true but it is about the second attempt involving at least two suicide bombers.
And I am also extremely confused that how can you hang someone that summarily when there is not even an injure let alone dead.
G R Khan has done a service to the nation by highlighting the issue.
Regards

Ref: #22 by Romair on September 7, 2005 10:14am PT

**** I thought 15 civilians were killed in this case. Isn`t this the one in Rawalpindi. I actually saw the sight afterwards, next to the petrol pump. Everything was blown up........

``Gen Musharraf narrowly escaped when two suicide car bombers rammed his motorcade on Christmas Day, 2003, in Rawalpindi. Fifteen people were killed.`` (www.dawn.com) ***

Uproar over a Cartoon?
We ordinary Pakistanis firmly believe that it would be much much closer to the reality and truth if the word PAKISTAN on now that famous dog of Washington Times should be considered and read PAKISTANI GENERALS instead. Yeah, RULERS would be more appropriate but RULERS = Generals. More or less same crap. Hats off to the Washington Times that calls thing with their true names. Please be sure that 90 % Pakistani civilians think like this.

A Call for Justice

Courts can`t take up army matters - GHQ
http://www.dawn.com/2005/02/02/nat17.htm

LAHORE, Feb 1: The General Headquarters on Tuesday deposed before the Lahore High Court that no matter related to armed forces personnel could be agitated before any law court.
In a reply in a writ petition which challenged the allotment of lands to senior army officers in Cholistan, the GHQ submitted that the high court was not competent to adjudicate the legal vires of the allotment.
Advocate M D Tahir challenged in 2002 the allotment of land to about 100 senior armed forces officers, including President Gen Pervez Musharraf and Governor Khalid Maqbool, who, the petitioner contended, were given land in Cholistan by the Punjab Board of Revenue at a price of Rs380 per acre.
The GHQ cited article 199 (3) (1) of the constitution which, the reply pleaded, gave immunity to members of armed forces in their actions and orders as part of their service matters.
The reply also questioned the locus standi of the petitioner-advocate and said that he had no bonafide to raise such questions because the law stipulated that only an aggrieved party could move the superior courts on infringement of its constitutional and legal right.
Justice Syed Zahid Husain directed the petitioner to submit his rejoinder within a month. The hearing of the writ petition was adjourned with date in office. Advocate M D Tahir moved the Lahore High Court in 2002 and Justice Anwarul Haq called for the reply from the Punjab Board of Revenue and the GHQ.
The Member (Colonies) PBOR, in his reply the same year, stated that the board allotted the land at a price of Rs1,000 an acre. The reply said that the BOR received a price for the land which was provided by the law and it had shown no discrimination in allotment of land to senior army officers.
The BOR reply also stated that senior army officers were allotted lands not only in Cholistan but many other areas across the province. It said that allotment of lands was a legal right of the members of armed forces as part of their service conditions.

---

A very pertinent question is what legal venues, non-violent means left for Pakistanis to get their grievances addressed?
Perhaps, BLA is a natural and inevitable outcome.

You Can’t Strip The Army Well, i would like to add one more aspect to all this

Moustache + uniform = Demon

These are times of startling revelations and amazing discoveries. First, we were told, to our utmost surprise, that 96 % of Pakistanis prefer to be kicked around by fauji boots than to be beaten by civilian chappals. Then came a lesson in history with all its illusory analogies interpolating similarities between French general Charles de Gaulle and the incumbent indispensable desi saviour.

To start with, ordinary mortals have little interest with historic parallels and wishful resemblances of our messiah(s) with other towering political personalities of the world, factual and fictional alike. Second, with my limited knowledge of the history and imperfect understanding of politics, it would be immodest on my part to deliver gratis opinion both in general terms as well as endeavour to debunk one specific grand claim or the other.

I am writing this note to humbly draw readers’ kind attention towards a couple of superficial factors common among majority of dictators. Obsession for uniform and shaggy facial design.

Please, observe. Internationally, Hitler, Saddam Hussein and Stalin - the worst of worst human race has ever produced. On home turf, Ayub Khan, Zia ul Haq and Musharraf - the best we have cursed with so far. Distinguished company, indeed. Juxtapose them and even amateur would discern some pretty obvious common denominators. Yeah, uniform and moustache together would turn out to be a lethal combination.

With due respect for countless brothers in uniform worldwide, exhibiting their masculinity through this particular mode, I would like to accentuate one bizarre observation: very true, not all uniformed men sporting moustaches are demonic dictators but a bitter fact remains that most of the repugnant despots humankind have ever had are nonetheless men with moustache- and wardi.

As a socio-political research project, it would be very interesting to observe the transformation of personality or changes in character by methodically removing/shuffling these variables, wherever possible and applicable. To check whether it is moustache, uniform or both parameters working in concert that makes one self-serving, callous and manipulating tyrant. Locating answer to this riddle would be a great service to fellow human beings.

Thanks

Musharraf Will Die Well, to be frank, no one should be surprised if one day the circle comes full way -- finally.

... While many politicians were prevented from fighting elections on patently frivolous grounds, the Sipah-i-Sahaba leader, accused of sectarian killings, was allowed to contest from jail. He was freed after he agreed to join the pro-Musharraf alliance in the National Assembly. To retain Tariq`s support the government ignored the non-bailable warrants of arrest issued against him by anti-terrorism courts. He was later killed apparently in a revenge attack by a rival group. Similarly Maulana Azhar Masood and leaders of other outlawed militant groups, were only detained for a few months under the Maintenance of Public Order, although their activities clearly violated numerous articles of the anti-terrorism laws.

Despite Musharraf`s promise to reform the madrassas and eradicate extremism, the issue does not seem to be on the government`s priority list. To date no regulation has been formulated to make it mandatory for madrassas to register with the government . No national syllabus has been developed and no rules on the funding of madrassas has been adopted. Most observers agree that without any legal mechanism, or a long-term strategy in place, the government cannot prevent the flow of funds to unregulated madrassas and other religious groups involved in extremist activities.

The government`s failure to curb the jihadi madrassas is largely responsible for fueling Islamic extremism. Many of the Islamic schools continue to provide recruits for jihad in Afghanistan and Kashmir. While Musharraf has repeatedly downplayed the link between jihad and the madrassas, most religious schools continue to preach jihad as an essential aspect of Islam. After the failed attempts on Musharraf`s life, the administration launched raids on some jihadi madrassas, but such half-hearted and piecemeal measures will hardly help improve the situation. ``Musharraf`s failure owes less to the difficulty of implementing reforms than the military-led government`s own unwillingness,`` says Samina Ahmed, director, International Crisis Group.

In order to retain international support, the Musharraf government has shown their commitment to apprehend Al Qaeda fugitives. There is, however, little evidence of it taking a tougher position against homegrown extremists, many of whom are associated with the Islamic groups that it needs for its own survival. The Musharraf government`s politics of expediency has allowed the religious right and Islamic extremists to expand their bases. And this poses the most serious threat to Pakistan`s internal security.

http://www.newsline.com.pk/NewsMar2004/cover1Mar2004.htm

Another Attempt on Musharraf Another point about the Military.

Everything the military in Pakistan creates, ends up biting the military (and quite often Pakistan as well) in the butt. They created the Mujahideen and supported the Taliban. Now these same guys are biting them in the butt. They created Osama, now he is biting them in the butt. They empowered bigoted Mullahs. They have started to bite them in the butt. They empowered centrifugal ethnical MQM to counter mainstream PPP. That policy bit them in the butt for a decade till they started the cycle once again from 0-0. They have installed Chaudhries and like in Pakistan. I can make a bet that though Chaudries are too shameless to raise their heads but some other in their company will bite them in the butt soon. And the new govt., post- Nawaz Sharif, pro-Musharaf in Pakistan will do the same, sooner or later.

Maybe there is a trend. Maybe some of the Standard Operating Procedures in the military need to be changed.

Maybe the military needs a bit of cleansing. I suggest the military do an inventory of all its agents. And slowly start kicking out anyone politically engineered. These quasi-Leaguers are turning into a liability for Pakistan and its poor masses. They are too confused and scared to be coherent. They either go overboard in criticizing independent voices or overboard in supporting everything military does. If there is another attack on democracy, then these guys will be hounded by the people anyways, both Pirzadas and Haramzadas. Why not just get rid of them, before that?

It will save both Pakistan and the USA a lot of headaches.
What about this paraphrasing??

Will Persecuting Hashmi Help? B S, thanks for a well-wriiten and convincing article. From my side I would like to add as follows:

Unpleasant Truth & A wake up call

Pakistanis may have divergent views on almost everything under the sun. But on one count there is a universal consensus in the country namely our police are rotten to the core. For sure, they are second to none, as far as callousness, ineffectiveness and incompetence are concerned. A widely held opinion is that expecting mercy from police is equivalent to asking for the moon. In other words, undoubtedly and justifiably, police is considered as the most ignoble institution around deserving 0.0 % deference and trust.

Therefore, regardless of the exact details or the actual chain of events, the recent episode in Lahore where a police constable Nazir Dogar became a (more or less) national hero only by bullying an army driver and misbehaving with the accompanying family of a serving major general speaks volumes of the diminishing respect for the armed forces left in the public eye.

It must be kept in mind that the massive support this incident generated for Mr Dogar is by no means tantamount to approval for the police department or indicative of any previously unknown affection for police officials. Few have misconceptions about the nobleness, or total lack of it, of the police. It is merely an outpouring of the extreme dislike ordinary people have developed for senior military officers.

I think, more and more countrymen are undergoing the painful metamorphosis where even spiteful police is preferred over army. Some introspection, a bit of soul-searching on the part of the top brass in this regard would be highly appreciated. To be honest, patriotism and love for the country entails that this mounting public aversion for the armed forces must not be allowed to flourish unchecked. Military is the only somewhat functioning institution we are left with -- it would be a tragedy of colossal dimension to let it go lost.

Thus, it is a moral obligation of every well-wishing Pakistani to do whatever he/she can to persuade the military to move back to the barracks -- NOT primarily due to political and/or ideological reasons but for the larger interests of the country. To keep this precious institution intact, to rescue its prestige and to salvage the dwindling public support for it, we all are duty bound to mobilize all forces on hand. The top brass have got to take out the factors that resulted in an instant elevation of the individual whose acts could be interpreted as defiance, if not outright humiliation of the khakis.

To put things in perspective, one more pertinent point needs to be taken in consideration over here: A former provincial minister from Balochistan was sentenced to jail for misusing his official vehicle. In contrast, the internal stringent accountability mechanism of the armed forces appears totally helpless when untouchable mighty generals caught red-handed abusing staff cars, chauffeured by uniformed personnel, as their family property. Hypocrisy and double standards cannot become more startling. Hence, the magnitude of public revulsion evoked shouldn’t surprise anyone.

Generals, please, for god’s sake wake up. I don’t know whether Hashmi is guilty of treason, sedition and all that, but it would be truly a high treason, by any definition of the term, not to defuse the reasons for the burgeoning animosity among Pakistanis against the military.

Regards