IT IS the most expensive - and talked about - property development in
Pakistan, but few can get near it. Hidden behind barbed wire, the new
state-of-the-art army headquarter to replace a garrison in Rawalpindi is
costing a reputed £1 billion and will cover 2,400 acres of prime land in
Islamabad, including lakes, a residential complex, schools and clinics.
Originally intended to represent the best of Pakistan, the new army HQ is now
being seen as a symbol of all that is wrong with the country.
Amid nationwide anger over the killing of the opposition leader Benazir Bhutto
and a widespread belief that the country’s military or intelligence may have
been involved, the population is turning against the army for the first time.
From the wailing rice-pickers at Bhutto’s grave in the dusty village of Garhi
Khuda Bakhsh in the southern province of Sindh to the western-educated elite
sipping whisky and soda in the drawing rooms of Lahore, the message is the
same: General Pervez Musharraf, the president, must go and the army must
return to its barracks.
Feelings are running so high that officers have been advised not to venture
into the bazaar in uniform for fear of reprisals.
“The interests of the people of Pakistan are now totally at odds with those of
the army,” said Asma Jahangir, the head of Pakistan’s Human Rights
Commission, who was one of hundreds of lawyers placed under house arrest in
November.
“If a civilian president had done what Musharraf has done, he would have been
dragged by his hair to the sea.”
It is not just civilians who argue that, if the country is to stay together,
power must go back into the hands of the politicians, however corrupt or
inept.
Asad Durrani, a retired general, headed the notorious Inter Services
Intelligence (ISI) bureau during the 1990 elections when, he admits, it
spent millions of dollars to prevent Bhutto being voted back into power. Now
he believes the army should step back.
“If you’re in charge for such a long time, you can’t blame anyone else for the
state of the country,” he said. “You have to take responsibility for the
situation.”
“We’re all trying to get across the message [to Musharraf] that ‘you are the
problem’,” said another retired general. “I’m hearing the same from serving
generals.”
For decades children in Pakistan have grown up on text-books glorifying the
Pakistani army and glossing over its defeat in three wars and loss of half
the country in 1971 (to become Bangladesh). When army chiefs have seized
power they have generally been welcomed. The news of Musharraf’s takeover in
1999 was greeted with people handing out sweets. But none of Pakistan’s
military rulers have stepped down voluntarily and Musharraf, it seems, is no
different, picking an unpopular fight with the country’s judiciary when they
tried to take him on.
Elections scheduled for last week were delayed after Bhutto’s assassination.
The new date is February 18, but there is scepticism about whether they will
go ahead. A suicide bomb that killed 22 in Lahore last week was seen as
another step in creating a climate of insecurity that makes voting
impossible.
Even if they do go ahead, the elections are widely expected to be rigged in
favour of Musharraf’s allies. Last Wednesday the head of the European Union
observer mission visited the president with a list of 10 concerns about a
lack of transparency.
Bhutto’s death has left her one-time rival Nawaz Sharif, leader of the
Pakistan Muslim League, as the main opposition figure. Although he emerged
on the political scene in the 1980s under the patronage of Pakistan’s last
military ruler, General Zia ul-Haq, he now insists the army must stop
interfering in politics. “The only way to move forward is for people to defy
the army and to realise that these generals who keep staging coups are our
real enemies,” he told The Sunday Times in an interview at his
heavily guarded farmhouse outside Lahore.
“It is not the job of generals to hold the prime minister, cabinet or
parliament accountable,” he added. “They are accountable to the people. The
army has to go back to barracks or we’ll never have a functioning state.”
Resentment against the men in khaki is particularly acute in Bhutto’s home
province of Sindh. To Sindhis, she was killed not because of her stand for
democracy and against terrorism but because of where she came from. After
her death many Sindhis went on the rampage, burning lorries, trains and
banks.
They have been reined in by Bhutto’s husband, Asif Zardari, who has taken over
running her Pakistan People’s party. But he warns: “If elections are rigged
or don’t go ahead, this may be impossible to contain.”
Those close to Musharraf say he still believes he is the only person able to
sort out Pakistan, even though under his rule suicide bombs have become an
almost daily occurrence.
“The problem is that 9/11 went to his head,” said Durrani. “After that I found
him a changed man. He went from being a pariah to applause, saviour of
Pakistan and the West.”
Washington and London are clinging to Musharraf for want of other options and
the belief that he represents the best hope of preventing Pakistan’s 50 or
so nuclear warheads falling into militant hands. The West had hoped that
Bhutto would be brought in as prime minister to provide his regime with a
democratic face, but are now working on co-opting Sharif or Zardari.
Sharif, who has received three calls from David Miliband, the foreign
secretary, since Bhutto’s assassination, was the prime minister ousted by
Musharraf in 1999. He insists that working with Musharraf is not an option.
Were free elections to go ahead and the opposition parties to achieve a
two-thirds majority, they would be in a position to impeach the president.
But few believe that, with Musharraf’s hand-picked caretaker government
overseeing the elections, this is a realistic possibility.
The only way he might go is if the army were to decide he had outlived his
purpose.
More than 700 Pakistani soldiers have been killed in the fight in the tribal
areas against militants said to be linked to Al-Qaeda, and officers admit
that morale has not been so low since they lost Bangladesh in 1971.
“We’re being asked to bomb our own people and shrug it off as collateral
damage,” said a Mirage pilot. “I call it killing women and children.”
Hope rests on General Ashfaq Kayani, who took command of the army in late
November when Musharraf succumbed to pressure to take off his uniform and
become a civilian president.
Little is known about Kayani apart from his love of golf and his
professionalism as a soldier. He is said to be unhappy about the army’s
involvement in politics and might pull back if elections proceed smoothly.
“Nobody is anyone’s man once he becomes commander-in-chief with 700,000
soldiers under his command,” says Imran Khan, the former cricketer turned
politician.
Hello,
This is a response to Max Cadenhead from Florida. How do you so casually refer to your own country as simply an "opportunistic feeder," while yourself enjoying its material prosperity? While criticism of one's country is often legitimate and can reflect a true desire to benefit her, your comment seems to be grossly oversimplifying US policy and lacks an explanation which might make your comments more understandable.
Second, perhaps you could explain how Pakistan's not viewing itself as colonial would affect the current situation. How would a shift in that perspective change what is happening on the ground? You criticize their mindsets, but do not explain how that specific problem is actually creating the situation that we currently see.
Regards.
Sara, NC, USA
Aamir what you said it correct. Army is everything is Pakistan and Pakistan is nothing without its great army! I am here in the UK but I still agree with you.
Syed, London, UK
Strange that all comments here are from people sitting abroad, who are fed 'information' by western media. I am a Pakistani (living in my country by choice) who has lost a brother fighting the Indians in Siachin and another battling the extremists in the Tribal Area. I am proud that they wore the uniform of the Pakistan Army and gave their lives to defend our future. And their are millions of Pakistanis, who inspite of what people like you and Ms. Lamb may say, respect and love this great institution.
Aamir Ghafoor, Sukkur, Sind, Pakistan
i agree with the above views.army has been bad news for pakistan.this institution which takes away almost 50% of country's current resources has been responsible for all the misfortunes that pakistan has been through since 1958.we no longer want them here.we need to reduce their budget forthwith and send them back to barracks.the man who has done most harm to the country as army chief is Gen Parwez Musharraf,he aught to be removed from the Presidency he fradulently acquired and impeached.this is not my view only,i bet all our people do hate him and his army which has sustained him,to work for others,invidiouly against the interest of the people of pakistan.
ehsan saeed, philadelphia, Pennsylvania
I totally agree with the above comment. The west needs to understand that the best way to fight extremism and terrorism is to not meddle in the internal affairs of other sovereign nations.
For example, it is an open secret that before Benazir Bhutto was assassinated, she was in constant with Americn officials in the hope they will pressurize Musharraf tp put her in power. John Negreponte, the U.S. Under Secty of State, visited Pakistan to tell her not to push for the restoration of judges that Musharraf illegally dismissed.
No wonder America is so unpopular in Pakistan. It is the middle class and the civil society such as teachers, lawyers, doctors, etc... that is fighting for the restoration of the judges. How would Americans react if they found out that opposition politicians are secretly meeting and dealing with the heads of other countries to pressurize Pres. Bush to give them power?
Hamid, New York, USA
Folks,
There is no secret, at least in the West among historians and philosophers, as to what constitutes Pakistan's greatest problem. It isn't the United States, and the UK, both of whom represent only predatory states who are, in the language of predators everywhere, simply opportunistic feeders. The problem is simply that Pakistanis are still Colonials in their hearts and minds. Pakistani military men sincerely and fervently wish they were British or American, (or German or French), or anything but ignorant, inept "Pakis"......
Harsh? Not at all. Just realistic remembrance of things past. India avoided most of this hangover from Colonialism by having an ancient and involved cultured populace that pulled its Military back from the seduction of Eton and Sandhurst, or West Point, and re-invented its ancient Hindu Pride and self-respect.
Pakistan must cease aping Britian and the US. For God's sake, get some Pride, some Honor, Pakistan!
Max L. Cadenhead
Max L. Cadenhead, Oakland Park, , Florida, USA
One can a get little glimps of the all pervasive hold and power of the army in Pakistan.But even this is just the tip of the iceberg.They hog all the important jobs and postions.The Pak Army is worse than Mafia,as they are a lot more and have legally issued guns and legal immunity form everything.A General in Pakistan can REALLY get away with murder.90% 0f all countries resorces are diverted directly or indirectly to the army.No wonder the peole are deprved of the essentials of life,as there is no money left over for any development.This has been going on for fifty years now.
zaman, hamden, USA
Tariq, please be realistic. The core issue here is that Pakistan has 50+ nuclear war heads, a frightening military-intelligence structure with a reckless history of cultivating radical Islamic terrorism both inside and outside its borders and a demonstrated disregard for nuclear proliferation risks running all the way up to the highest levels of its nuclear programme.
The US and UK are rightly concerned that a loose nuke from Pakistan could find its way in the hands of an Islamic radical who sets it off in central London or midtown Manhattan. The fallout - historical, human and economic - would be so disastrous for the entire world that it justifies "meddling" in Pakistan. If you and/or your fellow Pakistanis have a problem with this, then sort out your own house: become a internationally responsible nuclear power (or better yet, abdicate) and stop exporting radical Islamic terrorists to the rest of the world. Frankly, I am sure the UK and US would then rather focus elsewhere.
H Juneja, London, England
Mussheraff is the real enemy of Pakistan. He has literally killed democracy. He is responsible for the murder of Benazir.Pakistanis will have to kick him out, otherwise Pakistan will further disintegrate. I see Baluchistan and
Sindhistan as independent countries unless things take dramatic turn.
Paul, Edison , USA
It is time for the de-militarization of politics in Pakistan. Army is the source of destabilization of Pakistan for a long time. It failed to accommodate democratic demands of East Pakistanis and paved the way for the re-partition of the country. It executed popular civilian leaders, throttled democratic processes and introduced Islamic militancy within political sphere in a nation that was known for rather rapid space of modernization. Army should retire from politics.
Subho Basu, Syracuse, United States
The Generals must leave governing to the politicians. We have seen them break up the country and they are now bent upon destroying what is left. After 8 years of mis-rule it is odd on the part of Musharraf not to take the blame for the present state of affairs. Inflation has broken the back of the common man and he is now worried about making ends meet rather than come out on the streets. In all this we must not forget people like the deposed Chief Justice and Aitzaz Ahsan who are under detention while the terrorists roam around freely. As your story says even some Generals are no saying enough is enough.
Naushad Shafkat, Karachi, Pakistan
Pakistanis were always against involvement of Armed services into politics. What we see now is the result of Army's control over politics and corrupting the country.
It is a shame that these retired generals and officers land vast expensive lands and managing director's positions in different organizations.
These retired Generals bankrupted Rice Export Corporation along wth the political appontees by PPP government.
Pakistan will be better off with Army in barracks and at borders, a peace deal with India, Afghanistan, Iran and China with NO standing armies at the borders.
Elimination of all mini secret Agencies (except ISI) is key to reducing Army's interference in politics.
Now question is How will Pakistanis confront influence and Control of Power by their Feudels, Jageerdars, Choudharies, Malliks and Political Ulemas? Why only memebers of these families have to be in assemblies?
Why we can not elect sons of an ordinary Farmer in Sindh, Punjab, Baluchistan and NWFP?
Sam, NY, NY, USA
In spite of considerable progress achieved towards a police state in the UK, not all nations are potential Pinochet-led Chilean economic dictatorships. Pakistan seems to prove it. That's not saying that with Bhutto in place (Plan "b" they scrapped) progress would have been anything but slowed.
Look for the US "nightmare" scenario to pop out of a box sometime soon. That's someone who didn't get the memo, hasn't read the script and benefits from massive popular support....
Dion Per Sona, Cardiff, UK,
The biggest criminals here are the US and UK who work hard to cultivate their own puppets and thereby remote control Pakistan.
I am glad Nazwaz Sharif has decided to stay away from being anointed the Viceroy of Pakistan by either the UK or the US.
"Sharif, who has received three calls from David Miliband, the foreign secretary, since Bhutto’s assassination, was the prime minister ousted by Musharraf in 1999. He insists that working with Musharraf is not an option"
Tariq Shah, New York, USA