The petition has been filed by a lawyer
in public interest but its contents are so explosive, the High Court
Judges cannot touch it. The LHC, under tremendous pressure of the
Army regime, is almost helpless in even admitting or hearing the
petition, let alone give a verdict against the Army.
The main charges mentioned in the
petition include:
- Air Chief Marshal Abbas Khattak
(retired) had received Rs180 million as kickbacks in the purchase of
40 old Mirage fighters
- Air Chief Marshal, Farooq Feroz Khan
was suspected of receiving a five per cent commission on the
purchase of 40 F-7 planes worth $271 million
- In 1996,
the Army bought 1,047 GS-90s jeeps, at a cost of $20,889 per unit.
The market value of a jeep then was only $13,000. According to the
National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Pakistan’s main accountability
organization, some senior Army officers made Rs. 510 million in the
deal.
- One hundred and eleven Army men got
400 plots in Bahawalpur and Rahimyar Khan districts at throwaway
prices, paying Rs. 47.50 per kanal (1/8th of a acre) as against the
actual price of Rs15,000 to Rs20,000 (1US$=Rs. 56). Another 35,000
kanals were distributed among them.
- Six respondents got 400 kanals in the
Punjab while former NAB chairman Lt. Gen Mohammad Amjad was allotted
a two-kanal plot on the Sarwar Road in Lahore for just Rs. 800,000 -
payable in installments over 20 years. The market value of this plot
was Rs. 20 million.
- General
Pervez Musharraf acquired a commercial plot worth Rs 20 million at
DHA in Lahore for just Rs. 100,000, payable in 20 years. "As
mentioned in the report of defense services director-general, a loss
of Rs 5 billion was incurred due to such allotments."
- The Army awarded a contract for the
purchase of 1,000 Hino trucks at $40,000 per unit while the local
Gandhara Industries had offered trucks of the same specification for
$25,000 a piece. In the purchase of 3,000 Land Rover jeeps in 1995,
Army officials allegedly received around Rs. 2 billion as kickbacks.
- The Army management at WAPDA raised
the power tariff 13 times during the last three years besides
purchasing electric meters at Rs. 1,050 a piece against the open
market price of Rs. 456, causing a loss of Rs 1.65 billion to the
national exchequer.
- A former military regime sold the
Pak-Saudi Fertilizers for Rs. 7 billion and earned a Rs 2 billion
commission on the deal.
- In 1996, the Pakistan Navy spent Rs.
13 million on installing air-conditioners at the Islamabad Golf Club
without any justification.
Apart from this petition some other
major scams involving serving or ex members of the military junta
are as follows:
- Ex Army
chief General Jahangir Karamat took kickbacks of more than US$ 20
Million from Ukrainian tank company for purchase of 300 Ukrainian
tanks for Pakistan Army through a middleman named as Colonel Mahmood, a brother tank corps officer of Karamat . Former Prime Minister
Nawaz Sharif sent the present chief of the WAPDA Major General
Zulfiqar, then serving in ISI, to Ukraine and Azerbaijan to
investigate the scam.
- General Zulfiqar compiled a complete
report of the transaction and the bribes given. But the Army tried
to buy him out by rewarding him with the post of WAPDA Chairman and
promoting him to the rank of a three star General. The then Army
Chief, General Jahangir Karamat was forced to resign, based on the
threat that if he did not, he would be charged for corruption.
- Many
road contracts were given to a firm Hasnain Construction company
without any public tenders by the recently removed Railways and
Communication minister General Qazi. The company, owned by a
relative of General Pervez Musharraf’s son, was also awarded the
lease of a lucrative real estate in Lahore for construction of a
Golf Course under frontmanship of Palm Country Golf Club, Singapore.
The relative of General Musharraf admitted publicly that he was
working for a commission to use his contacts and influence for the
company.
- Prime commercial land developed in
Defence Housing Authority Karachi was leased at dirt heap rates to
McDonalds operated by Amin Lakhani by the then Corps Commander,
Karachi Lt. General Afzal Janjua.
- The Army’s coercive organ NAB struck
various under the table deals with various individuals accused of
high profile economic crimes in addition to arm twisting NAB
defaulters, into joining the present government. These include the
present Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali and at least one fourth of
all elected legislators.
Where does the military virtue of a
defense outfit stand in these circumstances? Is 2003 not a year fit
to publish its obituary? Our military virtue died, trampled below
the treacherous wheels of overpriced military trucks and overpriced
Chinese aircraft and defective Atlantique planes that crash in our
waters because of dubious maintenance.
Yes all this has served one important
development purpose. Sons of ex-subedars, ex-clerks and ex-assistant
political agents have done well, climbing from relatively simple
life styles to grand luxuries propelled by phenomenal assets. All
came to clean the Augean stables and all departed richer. The only
exception was General Yahya Khan who whatever his drawbacks at least
did not have the mind of a petty shop keeper.
Clausewitz, the great philosopher of war
described “Military Virtue” of an Army as the corporate spirit which
forms the bond between bravery, enthusiasm and espirit de corps.
Clausewitz further defined military virtue as a quality which drives
an Army in a similar way as genius makes a military commander
illustrious.
Military virtue in words of Clausewitz
could be generated in two ways, i.e. by a succession of military
campaigns and victories or by military training activity carried to
the highest pitch. The more a general demanded of his troops in
terms of dedicated military activity in peace, the surer he would be
that his demands in war would be properly answered. In short
military virtue is the fuel that is supposed to drive an Army in
war.
With the
above premise in mind and keeping in view our present history it can
be safely concluded that military virtue of the Pakistan Army as an
institution witnessed erosion from 1958 once the party started that
made sons of Risaldar majors and Assistant Political Agents progress
into industrial tycoons. It was a joy ride. Men who had one green
suit to wear, in the words of General Tajammul, became the tycoons
of Pakistan. It was the beginning of prosperity for few and the
beginning of the end of military virtue of a previously Spartan and
clean military machine.
The second
military junta of Pakistan was led by the only Army chief not from
humble background and this ensured that the Pakistan Army was kept
away from cheap consumerism and avaricious lust for real estate.
The second
great dinner party started in 1979 when thanks to Soviet invasion of
Afghanistan a heaven-sent opportunity arrived in shape of US
military aid for the third military junta of Pakistan. Stingers were
flown in by the big daddy for the obedient son and these were sold
in the open market by silent soldiers. Thus new business empires
were created. The Zia junta as a whole did roaring business and the
result is that at least four major tycoons of Pakistan today
including present commerce minister have direct links with the Zia
junta.
Where does
building 90 acres of a welfare colony known as Creek City with the
cheapest shack for Rs. 6 million fit in? Did the military junta
begin the occupation for such sublime purposes in 1958 or 1999?
Where does developing 62 acres of land in prime commercial real
estate in Islamabad fit in? Is this the business of a Navy that was
miserably shut up in a mouse hole in Karachi Port in 1971 War? True
that kickback may have been taken, but at least Admiral Mansur
bought a good submarine for the Navy. But for whose welfare is the
Navy undertaking a project 1500 kilometers from the nearest sea?
What began
as an idealistic journey ends with the shady deals around creeks in
Karachi which the Navy failed to defend in 1971 and a military junta
which wants to rule this country for eternity.
And in this messy situation, the
subservient Lahore High Court has been asked to sit on judgment with
the sprawling mountains of charges, some even admitted publicly by
the Army. God help the poor Mr. Justices of the superior court.
The
writer is a retired Pakistan Army Officer and a Defence Analyst who
has written a number of books on defence and security matters.
