Musharraf's
moment draws near
By Syed Saleem Shahzad
KARACHI - The coming weeks promise to be landmark ones in Pakistan, with
President General Pervez Musharraf having pledged to shed his uniform five
years after taking power in a coup in October 1999.
Before he can do this, though, he will have to purge his opponents from both
the civilian and military camps - a move already anticipated by the opposition,
and even Washington: "We would not be supportive of any effort to change the
government of Pakistan in a way that is not part of the political process or
constitutionally," said US Secretary of State Colin Powell recently.
Syed Kabir Ali Wasti, the central vice president of the ruling Pakistan Muslim
League (PML), hinted at things to come in recent appearances on state-run
television and in briefings to the major press when he spoke of the "assemblies
[chambers in parliament] being broken" and of "holding new elections". His
comments were widely interpreted as being a direct warning from general army
headquarters in Rawalpindi to all Pakistani politicians unanimously to
surrender to Musharraf's command or face the music. Pakistan staged elections
to the upper and lower houses of parliament in October 2002 after the House had
been suspended since Musharraf's coup.
Speaking to Asia Times Online by telephone from Rawalpindi, Wasti commented:
"The recent call from Chaudhary Shujaat Hussain, the president of the PML, for
a national-consensus government in Sindh is a signal that a broad-based
national-consensus government is also under consideration as a last-ditch
effort on his [Hussain's] part to preserve the present parliamentary system and
his call is the result of some signal from 'concerned quarters' [the army].
"Now politicians should join hands to form a consensus government or the
military will play its cards and it is most likely that the present
parliamentary system will pack up. I tell you that the present system has
failed to deliver results to the general public, and if the present system is
abandoned, all the players in this system will be sent home with no role in the
future.
"So for the sake of their own survival, politicians will have to play their
cards intelligently to save the present system and their own interests. To do
this they will have to resolve their differences and bring in a national
consensus government in which the Pakistan Muslim League, the [opposition]
Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarian [PPPP] led by Benazir Bhutto and the
[opposition] Muttahida Majlis-i-Ama [grouping of six religious parties], beside
other segments who are already part of the government, will participate with
mutual consensus," Wasti said.
Wasti added that one can assess the seriousness of the situation in that
Hussain has invited the PPPP to join a consensus government even though he has
been against it throughout his political career.
Pakistan's politicians, clearly, feel that something is in the air. Similarly,
within the army, disaffected elements are preparing to strike should political
turmoil occur. Along with exclusive information and documents leaked to Asia
Times Online, some quarters in general headquarters in Rawalpindi explained how
several issues were coming to a head in the military.
The contacts say Musharraf's recent revelations that only junior-level soldiers
were involved in attempts on his life last December were a direct message to
senior officers that the "Pakistan army's al-Qaeda connection has been exposed
and now whoever stands against Musharraf will be considered as part of the
Islamic militancy which wants to topple Musharraf".
It is also common knowledge that a brigadier was killed in one of the abortive
attacks on Musharraf.
Musharraf earned the ire of many militants and others in the military when he
withdrew the country's support of the Taliban in Afghanistan in late 2001 and
fell in line with the United States' "war on terrorism".
Opposition in the military to Musharraf takes different forms. At the higher
level, what resentment there is is generally by officers who feel that the
general has eroded the system of promotions based on merit, while at the lower
levels opposition stems from ideological convictions.
Two top generals are due to retire in October, which means that two
lieutenant-generals will have to be promoted. They are expected to be
Musharraf's men, some literally by blood relationships, rather than those due
the step up on merit. (The director of military intelligence, the director
general of internal security of the Inter-Services Intelligence and the chief
of army staff are all related to Musharraf through marriage, while
Lieutenant-General Shahid Aziz, the corps commander Lahore, who is tipped to
become a full general, is a direct cousin of Musharraf.)
Infighting at headquarters
All is not well within the four walls of General Headquarters. As stated, there
was resentment in the army over Musharraf's pro-US position, a situation he
well knows of and has tried to combat.
On February 16, the Attorney General's Office of General Headquarters issued a
confidential letter saying:
1) In 1976 the req [requirement] of seeking permission for keeping a
beard was waived. Since then there have been incidents of impersonation by
taking advantage of relaxation in the rules. This has also resulted in
loopholes in our sys [system] of ident [identification].
2) In view of the above and the req for having a foolproof sys of identin in
the prevailing environment, explicit permission of superior offr [officers]
will be mandatory for keeping/shaving off the beard.
3) Upon permission to grow a beard, proper CORO/unit pt II will be pub
[published] and all ident docus [documents] will include latest photographs
showing beard.
4) Comds [commanders] at all echs [echelons] to ensure compliance, please.
Sources who leaked this document to Asia Times Online described the circular as
a direct offense on Islamic-minded officers, who are in abundance, and already
denied high-ranking promotions because
of their religious beliefs. "CORO/unit pt II" means Central Officers Record
Office. These orders are published when there is a major change in the life of
an officer and which needs to be conveyed to all tiers of the army. Before
1976, it was mandatory for a soldier to shave and special permission was
required from a commander for one to keep a beard. But even then, no CORO
notification was required. However, in 1976 General Zia ul-Haq even waived the
need to ask for permission. Zia was then chief of army staff; he took over the
government in 1977.
This development apart, stories of the "kidnapping" of army officers with
strong Islamic leanings are the talk of the military cantonments, and pamphlets
have become the main source of expression of grievances. Several such pamphlets
are now in circulation, and they list dates and names of officers who have been
picked up.
There is also talk of the establishment of special detention areas where dozens
of soldiers and officers are being held without rights, including those who
defied orders to fight in the South Waziristan tribal area in April.
Asia Times Online has been given a letter written by one Major Atta to the
government of Pakistan, through proper army channels. The letter explains that
in defiance of all military rules and regulations, officers are being kept in
extremely poor conditions.
A redress of grievances on similar lines was
forwarded by the undersigned on 15 Jan 2004, which is still unanswered,
therefore present complaint is
being launched with the hope that some god-fearing gentle soul or kind heart in
the chain might consider the facts and circumstances positively.
1) General: I joined Pakistan army during 1990. By virtue of my legal
qualifications and aptitude I was posted to JAG [Judge Advocate General]
Department GHQ and performed duties in various legal assignments. Lastly, I was
posted to HQ Army Air Defence Command, Rawalpindi.
2) Arrest: On 31 May, 2003 ... I was arrested ... and placed in solitary
confinement in Rawalpindi. After about six-and-a-half mouths I was told about
my release and was to sign a paper having 11 Dec, 2003 as date of release, but
instead I was handcuffed, blindfolded and shifted to another place and put in
the cell. After a couple of days I was made the victim of further humiliation
and disgrace. Both hands were tied at the back, long chains attached to the
handcuffs, blindfolded head and face covered with black sack and transported
from Rawalpindi to Attock Fort in a condition worse than animals ... in gross
violation to the instructions given in note 4 to PAA [Pakistan Army Act] sec
73.
3) Illegality of confinement ... in my case, all mandatory commands of the
[PAA] act have been ruthlessly violated, which has made this confinement
illegal ... no law of the world permits to arrest someone and keep in custody
without producing him before a proper legal forum/court for justice.
The letter then goes on to describe the poor conditions of confinement,
including lack of sanitation, no physical exercise, denial of access to family
members and no communal prayer facilities, and finally a plea to be released.
Matters on both the political and military front are fast coming to a head.
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