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Turkish Chivalry-Buggering Female Journalists in Custody

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Female journalists 'abused' in custody in Turkey

ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News

Derya Oktan, 32, (R) and Arzu Demir, 39, working at the Etkin News Agency (ETHA), claim that they were abused by police officers in detention. DAILY NEWS photo, Emrah GÜREL

Derya Oktan, 32, (R) and Arzu Demir, 39, working at the Etkin News Agency (ETHA), claim that they were abused by police officers in detention. DAILY NEWS photo, Emrah GÜREL

Two female journalists have accused police of sexually, verbally and physically abusing them during raids at their news agency over their coverage of the Gezi Park protests. 

Derya Oktan, 32, and Arzu Demir, 39, were at the Etkin News Agency (ETHA) bureau when police staged a raid at the left-wing news outlet on June 18 as part of its operations regarding the nationwide anti-government protests. 

Claims of sexual abuse toward women in detention have been widely reported on in social media, but many women have preferred not to speak about the incidents. However, Demir said victims should speak out to prevent further cases from occurring. 

"In order to cope with what's happening, in order to prevent abuses from increasing, we need to speak out," Demir told the Hürriyet Daily News. "That is why we don't shy away from speaking and revealing our identity." 

Oktan said police staged an intervention at the building, in which the two journalists' rooms and the bureau was located, at around 4:30 a.m. on June 18. The police entered the bureau with a search warrant and took many items, including press cards, photograph archives, recorders and even the kitchen equipment, such as aprons. 

Oktan said she was in her pajamas and tried to go to the bathroom to change, but a male police officer stood in her way and asked where she was going. 

"There were 44 officers, only one of them was a woman," she said. "The female officer took me to the bathroom, touched my breasts and then wanted me to take off my pajamas. I didn't agree to it but she stripped them off and hand-searched me. When I objected, she said: 'What did I do? Did I torture you? Did I put handcuffs on you?' as if nothing happened." 

Demir said she went through a similar episode. 

"The police took off my T-shirt, hand-searched between my breasts, my genitalia," she said. "When I said, 'You cannot do that, I am a journalist,' she told me, 'You are wolves in journalists' clothing.'" 

The journalists said the search continued until 6 p.m. 

"It is hard for a woman to speak about abuse. You can prove that you were beaten, but it is hard to prove sexual abuse," Demir said, before criticizing mainstream media for relating abuse stories "as pornographic material." 

Oktan said what she experienced was not directed at "Derya Oktan the woman, but Derya Oktan the critical journalist." 

The two reporters said almost all of their Gezi Park protest archives were taken during the raids, although they said they were expecting such raids. 

"Every year they raid ETHA, confiscating our archives," Demir said. "We were expecting it, because we are critical [of the government], and we are the press."

July/17/2013


General Ghulam Faruq Yaqubi

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Few know that most of the so called Mujahid heroes had secret protocols with DRA regime , this includes not only non Pashtuns but many famous Pashtun so called Mujahid leaders


General Ghulam Faruq Yaqubi-Sublime Genius, Outstanding Intelligence Operator

Agha H Amin


General Ghulam Faruq Yaqubi

Qaharman i Milli , Fakhr i Khalq o Parcham





General Ghulam Farooq Yaqubi , a great human being and a committed leftist,head of KHAD from 1986 to 1992 made a brilliant plan in 1986.To infiltrate the so called Mujahids with leftists slowly and gradually.The Northern Alliance parties who were handed over Kabul by the leftists were and are run by old leftists.

When Kabul was handed over to Mujahids they headed for the Ministry of National Security (KHAD) and shot General Yaqubi dead.Later they falsely proclaimed that he had committed suicide.The Mujahids destroy many secret documents but an Afghan intelligence colonel disclosed that many documents were shifted to the USSR in 1989.

Parchami  officers who joined Mujahids teach Mujahid Operations of War !
with a brilliant Pashtun Khad Officer trained in USSR Intelligence Schools at Tashkent and Moscow


Celebrating first snowfall of 2006 December with Grants Scotch Whiskey with Jagran (Major) Zakir who was trained at the Riga Military Academy,Jagran Zakir gave some brilliant insights into Afghan Intelligence history .His brother was Chief of Khad in Kandahar Helmand and Nimroz


Committed leftist Intelligence officers like this one in middle were dismissed by so called Mujahids like Amrullah Saleh.Still Afghan Intelligence remains a bastion of old DRA regime officers




Ghulam Faruq Yaqubi

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ghulam Faruq Yaqubi
No image.png
Minister of State Security
In office
6 December 1985 – 16 April 1992
Prime MinisterSultan Ali Keshtmand
Mohammad Hasan Sharq
Fazal Haq Khaliqyar
Preceded byMohammad Najibullah
Personal details
Born1938
Died16 April 1992
KabulRepublic of Afghanistan
Political partyPeople's Democratic Party of Afghanistan
Ghulam Faruq Yaqubi was an Afghan politician and Army General. He was a significant figure In the Afghan Security Service, KHAD, from 1980 to 1985.
He was promoted both to Politburo status and the rank of Colonel General, the highest rank held by the regime's military. In 1986 the KHAD became a separate ministry under the name Ministry of State Security (WAD). The ministry was personally controlled by him, who started to take part in cabinet meetings in a ministerial capacity.[1]
He was responsible for the defeat of a coup attempt on March 6, 1990. In that opportunity, Lieut. Gen. Shahnawaz Tanai and Gulbuddin Hekmatyar attempted to overthrow the Government, but their plans were discovered by the WAD under his command.[1]
After the collapse of President Najibullah's government on April 1992, he was either assassinated by the Mujahideen or committed suicide.[1] Although the new ruling council eventually declared a general amnesty, there were other instances of summary execution and reprisal killings by various forces after the coup. Some sources claimed that he killed himself after learning of the President's attempted escape.

References[edit]

  1. a b c Frank Clements and Ludwig W. Adamec. Conflict in AfghanistanGoogle Books. Retrieved 2009-03-22.
Government offices
Preceded by
Mohammad Najibullah
General Secretary of KHAD
May 1986 – April, 1992
Succeeded by
None - Government dissolved
Preceded by
None - Position created
Minister of State Security
May 1986 – April, 1992
Succeeded by
None - Government dissolved

GEO TV CANNOT PLOT SUNTSAR ON MAP

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Eight killed in attack on coast guards checkpost

Eight killed in attack on coast guards checkpost

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QUETTA: Gunmen stormed a checkpoint of Pakistan coast guards in Gwadar and shot dead eight personnel.

According to sources, armed men surrounded Pashookan post of Pakistan coast guards near the town of Gwadar and gunned down eight soldier and four others were wounded.

The assailants, believed to be about a dozen, fled on motorbikes after the shooting, an official said.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. (Geo Urdu/AFP)

Print this story


BLF ATTACKS PAKISTAN COAST GUARDS POST AT SUNTSAR NEAR IRAN BORDER

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http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/Pakistan/Eight-personnel-of-Pak-Coast-Guard-killed-in-attack/Article1-893273.aspx


Eight personnel of Pak Coast Guard killed in attack
PTI
Islamabad, July 21, 2012
First Published: 19:41 IST(21/7/2012)
Last Updated: 19:47 IST(21/7/2012)
Eight Pakistani Coast Guard personnel were on Saturday killed and two others injured after gunmen stormed a security check post near the port city of Gwadar in the country's southhwest, officials said. The gunmen fired several rockets at the check post in Peshi Kan, 35 kms from Gawadar in 
the insurgency-hit province
of Balochistan, and then fired at the personnel with automatic weapons, officials of the Coast Guards told the media.

Six Coast Guards personnel were killed instantly while two more died later in hospital. The attackers, believed to be about a dozen, escaped on motorcycles and a pick-up truck.

Soon after the attack, security forces cordoned off the spot and launched a search operation. No group claimed
responsibility for the attack.

Balochistan has witnessed numerous attacks on security forces by Baloch national groups that are waging a violent
campaign for greater autonomy and a share of profits from the natural resources of the region.

The province has also been wracked by widespread ethnic and sectarian violence, especially attacks on the minority
Hazara Shia community.

Khalid Aziz -The only man who can teach the STUPID PUNJABIS HOW TO LEAD AND GOVERN-OTHERWISE PAKISTAN IS TOTALLY FUCKED

The July 15, 2013 House of Lords ceremony-Pakistan: The Garrison State, Origins, Evolution, Consequences (1947-2011)

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Dear All,

This Sunday I present a summary of the what transpired in the House of Lords on July 15, 2013 when I presented my book to Baroness Shreela Flather. Comments are welcome. 

PhD (Stockholm University); Professor Emeritus of Political Science, Stockholm University; and Honorary Senior Fellow, Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore.Latest publications: Pakistan: The Garrison State, Origins, Evolution, Consequences (1947-2011), Karachi: Oxford University Press, 2013; The Punjab Bloodied, Partitioned and Cleansed: Unravelling the 1947 Tragedy through Secret British Reports and First-Person Accounts (Karachi: Oxford University Press, 2012; New Delhi: Rupa Books, 2011). He can be reached at: billumian@gmail.com

Daily Times, Sunday, July 15, 2013

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2013\07\28\story_28-7-2013_pg3_3

COMMENT : The July 15, 2013 House of Lords ceremony — Dr Ishtiaq Ahmed

Baroness Flather recalled her joyful days in Lahore as a teenager. Her closest friends were Muslims. She would go to the Imambargah and her Muslim friends were always taking part in Hindu festivals 

On July 15, 2013, Baroness Shreela Flather, great granddaughter of the great builder, social reformer and philanthropist of undivided Punjab, Sir Ganga Ram, hosted my book The Punjab Bloodied, Partitioned and Cleansed (Oxford, 2012), in Committee Room No. 2 of the House of Lords. It was packed to full capacity and many people had to stand for the two hours we spent discussing it.

Once the hereditary preserve of the British aristocracy (now includes non-hereditary peers), the House of Lords historically played the decisive role as a counterweight to absolute monarchy and thus set into motion the democratisation process that over several centuries culminated in power transferring decisively to the directly-elected House of Commons. The two houses of Parliament stand majestically in the centre of London at Westminster.

Baroness Flather welcomed the guests, who included members of the two houses of the British Parliament, a cross section of Indians and Pakistanis, and even a Sri Lankan gentleman, Joe Nathan, Editor of Confluence. Some relatives of British officers who served in the Punjab in 1947 also attended the book launch.

Baroness Flather recalled her joyful days in Lahore as a teenager. She lived with her family next to the Sherpao Bridge. Her closest friends were Muslims, especially a Shia family bearing the surname Hakim. She would go to the Imambargah and her Muslim friends were always taking part in Hindu festivals. Then in May 1947 that halcyon world came crashing down as criminals aided and abetted by biased police (73 percent of the Punjab police was Muslim) began to hound the Hindus and Sikhs out of Lahore. However, in England she continued to meet Pakistanis and visited Lahore a number of times. Her best friend in Lahore was the late Afsar Qizilbash. She surprised everyone by saying that she always received more love and affection in Pakistan, especially Lahore, than in India.

Eminent Punjabi poet and leading scholar of Punjabi sufism, Sarwat Mohiuddin, travelled all the way from Lahore to share her authoritative views on my book in the light of sufism. She observed that even in the greatly disturbed atmosphere of 1947, the humanistic teachings of sufis, sants and gurus stood in good stead and helped save lives. Her speech was very well received.

The next speaker was Dr Arunabha Roy. I had met him in Nagpur on February 7, 2013 at Ajay Deshpande's residence. Dr Roy, a Bengali brought up in Mumbai, won the hearts of everyone in the room with his brilliantly incisive and insightful observations about the findings of the book. He said that previously he believed that Indians and Pakistanis had nothing in common, but not anymore. The book made him realise that there were good and bad people in all communities, and therefore responsible intellectuals had a duty to preach and promote peace and friendship.

Dr Pritam Singh of Oxford Brookes University was the third speaker. He brought to bear his vast knowledge of ethnic conflict in his remarks. He made the very important point that without the state conniving at or participating in ethnic cleansing and genocide, such crimes against humanity are not possible. The comparisons he drew with later events such as the 1984 slaughter of Sikhs in Delhi and other parts of India were ample corroboration of the central argument of my book.

Professor Amin Mughal provided a sketch about me as a young student in Lahore who was involved in left politics. I then narrated how the Punjab book was conceived and the why and how it was completed against all odds.

The question and answer session had very useful interventions from Musthaq Lashari and some other guests. Peter Riddell of the Initiatives of Change wanted to know the role of the British in the partition of the Punjab. I told him that the British administration in the Punjab kept warning the viceroy in Delhi that a bloodbath would take place in Punjab, and he needed thousands of British troops to supervise a peaceful transfer of power, but Delhi did not pay heed to his warnings. On August 4, 1947, Governor Sir Evan Jenkins noted that only 5,200 people had been killed in Punjab since January 1947 (I think the actual figure was around 7,000 at least). However, once power was transferred to the Indian and Pakistan administrations in the two Punjabs, the loss of life shot up to a staggering 500,000 to 800,000. Out of Punjab's 34 million total population, some 10 million or 30 percent was forced to flee for their lives to the other side of the border drawn on August 17, 1947 by the Radcliffe Award.

I pointed out that accusations of individual British officials siding with one community or the other did exist and were included in my book. The decision taken by Lord Mountbatten to transfer power in mid-August 1947 instead of June 1948 greatly aggravated the explosive situation in Punjab. Therefore, it was at the level of the viceroy and above that the British could be held responsible for the great tragedy of the Punjab.

Christopher Graham narrated that his father was sent by the BBC to report the "peaceful transfer of power in 1947". When he instead reported that it was anything but peaceful, London did not like it.

In her concluding remarks Baroness Flather said that she had attended many book launches, but nothing compared to the interest and tempo that the Punjab book had generated.

Some of us then went to the Punjab Restaurant (established in 1946) in Covent Gardens, London, for a hearty dinner and talked till late in the night.

The writer is a PhD (Stockholm University); Professor Emeritus of Political Science, Stockholm University; and Honorary Senior Fellow, Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore. Latest publications: Pakistan: The Garrison State, Origins, Evolution, Consequences (1947-2011), Karachi: Oxford Unversity Press, 2013; The Punjab Bloodied, Partitioned and Cleansed: Unravelling the 1947 Tragedy through Secret British Reports and First-Person Accounts (Karachi: Oxford University Press, 2012; New Delhi: Rupa Books, 2011). He can be reached at billumian@gmail.com


A look at Libya ‘liberated’ by Western war mongers

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FROM MY DEAR FRIEND , AMBASSADOR GAJENDRA SINGH FROM INDIA

AGHA H AMIN


You may use it .Vijay Persad will be happy .
Warm regards Gajendra

A look at Libya 'liberated' by Western war mongers; under the pretext of so called humanitarian 'Right To Protect '
 
Ever since West invented more and more lethal war machines , bombs and missiles to use Chinese invented gunpowder ,they were on warpath first among themselves in Europe .Then ,after the defeat of the Ottoman arms at the Gates of Vienna in 16th century ,they began colonization  of north Africa , then Africa and most of Asia under so called  mission of civilizing the natives , who were much more civilised then them in most places .
 
There was some respite under the Mutual Assured Destruction strategic balance after WWII but following the Collapse of USSR in 1990, US led West has been on rampage .We will not detail them all but here look at what they have achieved under the policy of Right to Protect in Libya, a very rich and welfare flourishing state under Qaddafi with many more rights and freedoms then citizens of Western friends in Gulf led by Saudi Arabia.
 
While no exact figures are available, it was reported that before US led NATO and Gulf states began their bombing missions and testing missiles and other latest killing machines on Libyans, during the rebellion around 5 to 10 thousand Libyans had lost lives .Since then some reports suggest up to one hundred thousand fatalities including the US Ambassador Stevens have been estimated.
 
I had done a few pieces during the Libyan rebellion and the massive bombings and missiles attack by NATO forces, one article given at the end .But below is a recent piece by Vijay Pershad, an analyst, teacher and journalist of repute.
 
K.Gajendra Singh 28 July, 2013
 
JULY 23, 2013
Report Card from Libya
Blood and Oil
By VIJAY PRASHAD
On September 16, 2013, the Libyan National Oil Corporation is going to hold a three-day fest called the Libya Forum for Oil, Gas and Sustainable Growth. The speakers include a mix of Libyan government officials and energy bureaucrats as well as suits from the major oil and gas corporations. The opening session, for instance, will be anchored by a keynote address from the Libyan Minister of Oil and Gas, Dr. Abdelbari al-Arusi ("Building Libya's Future from Resource Wealth"). Dr Nurri Berruein, chairman of the National Oil Corporation and Ferdinando Rigardo, regional head of Repsol, the Spanish petrochemical multinational, will join him on the panel. Rigardo is no stranger to North Africa's oil. In 2011, during the Arab Spring, he was at another such summit in Madrid where he noted in typical corporate jargon, "The bottom-line is European countries may need to increase their involvement within the internal sustainable development of these countries as to maintain and improve relations, which are crucial in the European energy panorama." In other words, European petrochemical firms will need to bet on the winners and help them secure their dominion so as to ensure the smooth flow of oil and gas across the Mediterranean. Repsol will be standing shoulder to shoulder with political and technical advisors (such as Petroleum Regimes Advisory) and with petrochemical multinationals (such as Eni, Schlumberger, Zakhem).
For a week now, the oil workers at the Zueitina oil port near the city of Ajdabiya in eastern Libya have blockaded the port. Last Tuesday, in the evening, just as the oil workers suspended a strike at oil-fields 103A and 103D in honour of Ramadan about a dozen men entered the port and took possession of the facility. One of the engineers at the port reported, "The group arrived and asked that operations be shut down. A ship bound for Italy was being loaded with crude and I had to negotiate with them to allow the loading to continue. It was difficult to convince them but the ship is being loaded. Everything else is shut down." A week on, a Libyan oil official notes, "The situation is still the same. Exports are down." Indeed, exports dropped from 1.6 million barrels a day to 1.36 million barrels, and electric supply also collapsed. Twenty per cent of Libya's oil leaves from this port.
Local residents in the area of Zueitina have been unrelenting in their demand for jobs in the lucrative oil sector. Last December, about one hundred and twenty people broke into the oil terminal and stopped work there for almost a week. They demanded jobs and health benefits. Deputy Oil Minister Omar Shakmak said at that time that the management closed down operations to "avoid any risk" as he deplored the capture of oil facilities as protest. But this is indeed what continued to occur – in February of this year, in May (when protestors shut down a value that sends oil into the terminal), and again in July. The protests simmer down after deals are made, and then when nothing comes of it, the residents are once more inflamed. What worries the Libyan authorities is the close nexus between oil workers' struggles and the aggravations of the local residents. That is why Oil Minister al-Arusi hastily met with a delegation of oil workers in Tripoli and told them that some of their demands would be implemented after Ramadan. It would be far too dangerous to allow the oil workers' grievances to be bundled politically with those of the citizenry who cavil that their sacrifices in the battles of 2011 have come to naught. The oil bureaucrats and their petrochemical friends seem to have made out well. Not so the rag-tag "tribesmen" of eastern Libya.
Suicidal Scenes
At the annual Aspen meeting on July 20, US African Command head Carter Ham said that the five men suspected of killing US Ambassador Christopher Stevens cannot be arrested because of "the fragility of the Libyan government.""Progress was made initially," he said, "but then the government changes, key leaders change." Stevens was killed in September, when the Prime Minister was Abdulrahim el-Keib, a US citizen with close ties to Washington. By November the government changed, with the new Prime Minister Ali Zeidan far closer to the Europeans (he was the rebel's envoy to Europe during 2011). Zeidan's cabinet was also less pro-American, with many of them had been accused of having close ties to the Qaddafi regime – subsequently cleared by the National Integrity Commission.
 
Zeidan's patience with the current dispensation seems to have altered. Last month, when insurgents seized hold of several government offices in Tripoli, Zeidan's Defense Minister Mohammed Al-Barghathi offered his resignation. It was refused. Last week, Zeidan sacked al-Barghathi after major clashes paralyzed the streets of Tripoli. Such "suicidal scenes," Zeidan said, should not be part of the landscape of a modern city. Militias from the different cities of Libya have remained encamped in the capital, demanding a greater share of the spoils. One of the groups had seized the Interior Ministry, which was held for about a week. Their demand was that the government disband the Supreme Security Committee, the agency responsible for law and order in the capital but made up of militiamen whose discipline is questionable.
Walking the streets of Tripoli can be fraught, but so can trying to use the airport. Clashes in the Hay Al-Zohour district, near the airport, have become commonplace. It is mainly between militias from Misrata and Zintan who have been at it for over a year. It is one thing for officials to say that these are less city-based militia and more just young people looking for trouble, and it is another for them to admit that these city-based militias who have not been integrated into the armed forces or have found jobs have now morphed into criminal gangs. Oily claims about "bringing them to justice" slide off the backs of the RPGs routinely seen on the shoulders of the young men.
Assassinations in the East
Tripoli, being the centre of power, has fallen deep into the pit of instability. In the eastern part of the country, the dangers are not less but different. There are the strikes and the attacks on the oil facilities, but these are less violent to the lives of ordinary people. They are reported with drama in the business press because they are violent toward the bottom line. Last month, the army chief Yussef al-Mangoush resigned because of clashes in Benghazi between the Libyan Shield Brigade, the government-sponsored militia and those militias outside government control. Thirty people died. A local activist, Ahmed Belashahr told al-Jazeera, "People protested because they believe militias go against Libya's stability, which can only be achieved through a proper army and police." This struggle mirrors what happened in Tripoli this month.
But most of the violence in the east has not been as anarchic as the violence in Tripoli. Assassinations rule the day. Three in particular bear mention, all from last week:
(1) Col. Fathi el-Emami, head of the Derna Air Force Search and Rescue head, was shot dead;
(2) Col. Aqila al-Dukali Ubaidi, Commander of the Search and Rescue division of Benghazi's Air Force, was abducted when he left el-Emami's house where he went to offer his sorrow to the family. His body was found the next day;
(3) Col. Abdel Latif Amdawi el-Mazeeni was shot dead in Derna.
What unites these three killings is that all the victims were in the armed forces. Otherwise, el-Mazeeni (age 70) was the only one who spent his entire career under Qaddafi's command although he did not have a political reputation. Ubaidi was in the staff of the assassinated head of the rebellion Major General Abdel-Fattah Younis, and el-Emami was his friend. Little links these attacks on army men with the attacks on the French, first the car bomb outside their Tripoli embassy in April and in early July a storm of gunfire at the convoy of France's consul Jean Dufriche in Benghazi. The only bind is that these are targeted attacks that seem geared toward creating an atmosphere of instability in the country.
When the Libyan elect gather at the Corinthia Hotel in the well-appointed al Gadim area of Tripoli to talk about oil and gas in September, this gunfire will be on their minds. Oil deals have been swift, and revenues have begun to flow in. What spurred on the rebellion in 2011 was not Qaddafi's prisons alone, although that is what motivated the political Islamists who knew its walls well. The bulk of the people who supported Qaddafi's overthrow had begun to experience the down-side of neo-liberal policy – oil revenues had ceased to be transferred for their well-being and new opportunities for the next generations did not seem on the horizon (all this I detail in Arab Spring, Libyan Winter). This lesson is not clear to the new elect in Tripoli, who seem to believe that as long as they appear responsible to their Western backers and as long as they get the oil out and the revenue in all will be well. Rumbles from the ground show that the demands are greater than that, and that the demands cannot be met by the current dispensation.
In Egypt, it was mass demonstrations in concert with the army that led to Mubarak's ouster in January 2011. Much the same sort of grammar led to the removal of Morsi last month. It was an armed uprising against Qaddafi, not mass demonstrations that threatened the Libyan regime. That NATO entered the fray simply hastened the end of the regime and handed over its keys to the neo-liberal technocrats (such as Mahmud Jibril and Shukri Ghanem). The new violence in Libya runs parallel to the new crowds in Tahrir Square. They are not happy with the first flush of what their rebellion produced. They are at it again. Not in five-star hotels but in their hovels.
Vijay Prashad will be in conversation with his editor Andy Hsiao (Verso Books) at the Brecht Forum on July 24 in New York City on his new book, The Poorer Nations: A Possible History of the Global South.
 
Humanitarian Imperialism in Libya Could End the Whiteman's Burden!
by K. Gajendra Singh 10 March,2011
 

http://mwcnews.net/focus/analysis/9203-humanitarian-imperialism-in-libya.html

http://cms.boloji.com/index.cfm?md=Content&sd=Articles&ArticleID=10666

"Using force to stop slaughter is lawful. The duty to stop the mass murder of innocents, as best we can, has crystallized to make the use of force by NATO not merely 'legitimate' but lawful." Geoffrey Robertson QC, a member of the UN's justice council 
David Cameron, now heading a coalition government of a bankrupt United Kingdom, along with some elements in France and elsewhere in Europe is raring to go to war on Libya in the 21century version of Whiteman's burden. Still drunk with the colonial power hangover, Cameron is an apt successor of Tony Blair, who told lies before the2003 invasion of Iraq and joined George Bush in spite of the original legal advice that it was illegal. Though accused of various crimes he is still roaming around relatively free.
Day of Reckoning 
Josh Gerstein wrote in 'Politico' on 22 February, 2011 that the US Justice Department has quietly dropped its legal representation of more than a dozen Bush-era Pentagon and administration officials - including former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and aide Paul Wolfowitz - in a lawsuit by José Padilla, who spent years behind bars without charges in conditions his lawyers compare to torture.
Ray McGovern, former CIA officer and now a member of the Steering Group of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS) wrote in Information Clearing House on 19 February 2011 that former president George Bush abruptly canceled his scheduled appearance that week in Geneva to avoid the risk of arrest on a torture charge. 
Libya and the Return of Humanitarian Imperialism
Writing in Counterpunch.org, Jean Brichmont says that "The whole gang is back' which includes the parties of the European Left and other assorted groups, Bernard-Henry Lévy and Bernard Kouchner, calling for some sort of "humanitarian intervention against the Libyan tyrant."
It reminds me of the breakup of Yugoslavia and the Kosovo war to stop a nonexistent genocide. Since then US led West after the illegal invasion and brutal occupation of Iraq, has resulted in over 1.4 million Iraqis deaths and the destruction of the country. These European leaders of humanitarian intervention in Libya do not talk of genocide in Iraq. Was not the Afghan war to protect women (go and check their situation now), and the Iraq war to protect the Kurds and find weapons of mass destruction (none were found).  Was not even Hitler "protecting minorities" in Czechoslovakia and Poland? scoffs Brichmont. 
(At New Delhi's National Defense College Seminar last year on the - 'Role of Force in Strategic Affairs',  Lawrence Freedman, a member of the Chilcot Enquiry, while presiding at a session claimed that the Iraq invasion was to quickly make a regime change and come out. He even contested my claim, based on my over 50 articles (2002 to 2010) on the Iraq war that both former US deputy defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz and former Fed reserve chief Alan Greenspan had proclaimed that the invasion was for Iraq's oil. Wikileaks has confirmed that the Chiclot Enquiry is but a whitewash to help save Tony Blair's skin!)
Likely Ramifications of Imposing a No-fly Zone over Libya 
Mike Lind writes in Salon, "The implication [of McCain, Lieberman, Kerry et al.] is that the enforcement of "no-fly zones," by the U.S. alone or with NATO allies, would be a moderate, reasonable measure short of war, like a trade embargo. In reality, declaring and enforcing a no-fly zone in Libya would be a radical act of war. It would require the U.S. not only to shoot down Libyan military aircraft but also to bomb Libya in order to destroy anti-aircraft defenses. Under any legal theory, bombing a foreign government's territory and blasting its air force out of the sky is war.
"Could America's war in Libya remain limited? The hawks glibly promise that the U.S. could limit its participation in the Libyan civil war to airstrikes, leaving the fighting to Libyan rebels.
"These assurances by the hawks are ominously familiar."
Lind then traces us back through the Balkans, Afghanistan and Iraq, arguing that each of these turned into wars of larger scale than intended (Afghanistan and Iraq were supposed to be quick and easy, remember?).   
                                                            
"Stay the Course", he concludes; "The lesson of these three wars is that the rhetoric of lift-and-strike is a gateway drug that leads to all-out American military invasion and occupation. Once the U.S. has committed itself to using limited military force to depose a foreign regime, the pressure to "stay the course" becomes irresistible. If lift-and-strike were to fail in Libya, the same neo-con hawks who promised that it would succeed would not apologize for their mistake. Instead, they would up the ante. They would call for escalating American involvement further, because America's prestige would now be on the line. They would denounce any alternative as a cowardly policy of "cut and run." And as soon as any American soldiers died in Libya, the hawks would claim that we would be betraying their memory, unless we conquered Libya and occupied it for years or decades until it became a functioning, pro-American democracy.
"Those who are promoting an American war against Gaddafi must answer the question: "You and whose army?" The term "jingoism" comes from a Victorian British music-hall ditty: "We don't want to fight but by Jingo if we do, We've got the ships, we've got theme, we've got the money too." Unfortunately for 21st-century America's jingoes, we haven't got the ships, the men or the money."(As for the men, late decorated US Marine Col Murtha had said in 2006 that the US army was broken in Iraq.)
'No-fly zone' is a Euphemism for War 
Similar views are expressed by Simon Jenkins in the Guardian of 9 March; "We'd be mad to try it."
"Cameron's urge to dust himself in military glory may be strong, but he should not interfere in the Libyan rebels' cause. The craving of politicians to dust themselves in military glory is as old as the hills, embedded in leadership psychosis. However daft a war may be, however illegal, however unwinnable, politicians seem helpless before the sound of trumpets and drums. Considerations of prudence, economy or overstretch are nothing. That Britain has been fighting and not winning two wars already in Muslim countries seems to teach nothing in Libya. Jingoism never dies.
"There is no point is repeating that Libya is not our country or our business. It was always going to be bloody one day. I find it incredible that Labour ministers, as they simpered in Gaddafi's presence, could have thought he would lie down like a lamb should his people rise against him. But unless we redefine words, he is not committing genocide and his brutality is hardly exceptional. If the rebels win it should be their victory, emerging from a new balance of power inside Libya. If they fail, they must fight another day. There is no good reason for us to intervene. However embattled they feel, Obama and Cameron should find other paths to glory." 
Cameron outlined his conversation with Obama on BBC1, "We have got to prepare for what we might have to do if he [Gaddafi] goes on brutalizing his own people," he said. "I had a phone call with President Obama this afternoon to talk about the planning we have to do in case this continues and in case he does terrible things to his own people. I don't think we can stand aside and let that happen." 
A Downing Street spokesman said: "The prime minister and the president agreed to press forward with planning, including at NATO on the full spectrum of possible responses, including surveillance, humanitarian assistance, enforcement of the arms embargo , and a no-fly zone. They committed to close co-ordination on next steps."
US Secretaries of Defense and State oppose 'No Fly Zone'
But only last week Robert Gates, the US defense secretary, criticized "loose talk" over a no-fly zone and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton cautioned that a no-fly zone would need clear approval by the UN security council and warned of the dangers if the West took charge of any military operation Clinton told Sky News: 
"We think it's important that the United Nations make this decision, not the United States, and so far the United Nations has not done that.
"I think it's very important that this not be a US-led effort, because this comes from the people of Libya themselves, this doesn't come from the outside, this doesn't come from, you know, some western power, or some Gulf country saying, 'this is what you should do, thesis how you should live'."
But British and French diplomats at the UN headquarters in New York have completed a draft resolution authorizing the creation of a no-fly zone which could be put before the security council within hours if aerial bombing by pro-Gaddafi forces causes mass civilian casualties.
GCC and OIC Oppose Intervention
The Gulf Co-operation Council, the Organisation of the Islamic Conference and the secretary general of the Arab League have called for the protection of Libyan civilians while rejecting the intervention of western ground troops. Turkey, the most reluctant NATO member state, has relaxed its opposition and allowed contingency planning to go ahead. Last week Turkish PM Recep Erdogan had opposed any intervention and described it unacceptable. Both Moscow and China are opposed to Western proposal for a 'No-Fly Zone.' 
Even India, now member of UNSC for two years opposes it. "As of now we are not in favor of a no-fly zone. We are opposed to use of force," Indian foreign secretary Nirupama Rao told The Hindu newspaper." Among BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) countries, questions have been raised and reservations expressed," she said. 
The decision to step up air and sea monitoring was taken on Monday by NATO Council at a meeting of ambassadors from NATO's 28 member states. Guardian reported that the West was preparing to act to protect Libyan citizens from Gaddafi forces. 
Western Intervention for Libya and its Oil is On
Prof Michel Chossudovsky wrote in 'Global Research' that "Operation Libya" and "the Battle for Oil" is already on. The US and NATO are supporting an armed insurrection in Eastern Libya, with a view to justifying a "humanitarian intervention". 
"This is not a non-violent protest movement as in Egypt and Tunisia. Conditions in Libya are fundamentally different. The armed insurgency in Eastern Libya is directly supported by foreign powers. The insurrection in Benghazi immediately hoisted the red, black and green banner with the crescent and star: the flag of the monarchy of King Idris, which symbolized the rule of the former colonial powers. 
(King Idris was overthrown by Col Gaddafi in 1969 .He was then a Captain but like his idol Col Abdul Gamal Nasser he did not promote himself beyond the rank of a Colonel ) 
"US and NATO military advisers and special forces are already on the ground. The operation was planned to coincide with the protest movement in neighboring Arab countries. Public opinion was led to believe that the protest movement had spread spontaneously from Tunisia and Egypt to Libya.  
"The real objective of "Operation Libya" is not to establish democracy but to take possession of Libya's oil reserves, destabilize the National Oil Corporation(NOC) and eventually privatize the country's oil industry, namely transfer the control and ownership of Libya's oil wealth into foreign hands. The National Oil Corporation (NOC) is ranked 25 among the world's Top 100 Oil Companies. Libya is among the World's largest oil economies with approximately 3.5% of global oil reserves, more than twice those of the US. 
"The planned invasion of Libya, which is already underway is part of the broader "Battle for Oil".  Close to 80 percent of Libya's oil reserves are located in the Sirte Gulf basin of Eastern Libya. The strategic assumptions behind "Operation Libya" are reminiscent of previous US-NATO military undertakings in Yugoslavia and Iraq. 
"In Yugoslavia, US-NATO forces triggered a civil war. The objective was to create political and ethnic divisions, which eventually led to the breakup of an entire country. This objective was achieved through the covert funding and training of armed paramilitary armies, first in Bosnia (Bosnian Muslim Army, 1991-95) and subsequently in Kosovo (Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), 1998-1999). In both Kosovo and Bosnia, media disinformation (including outright lies and fabrications) were used to support US-EU claims that the Belgrade government had committed atrocities, thereby justifying a military intervention on humanitarian grounds. (Kosovo now has a US military base called Bond steel of nearly one thousand acres, also used by NATO).
Ironically, "Operation Yugoslavia" is now on the lips of US foreign policymakers:=. Senator Lieberman has likened the situation in Libya to the events in the Balkans in the 1990s when he said the U.S. "intervened to stop a genocide against Bosnians. And the first we did was to provide them the arms to defend themselves. That's what I think we ought to do in Libya"
"The strategic scenario would be to push towards the formation and recognition of an interim government of the secessionist province, with a view to eventually breaking up the country.
"This option is already underway. The invasion of Libya has already commenced. Hundreds of US, British and French military advisers have arrived in Cyrenaica, Libya's eastern breakaway province,... The advisers, including intelligence officers, were dropped from warships and missile boats at the coastal towns of Benghazi and Tobruk" (DEBKA file, US military advisers in Cyrenaica, February 25, 2011)
"US and allied special forces are on the ground in Eastern Libya, providing covert support to the rebels  This was recognized when British SAS Special Forces commandos were arrested in the Benghazi region. They were acting as military advisers to opposition forces.
British Agents Caught in Eastern Libya with their Pants Down
"Eight British special forces commandos, on a secret mission to put British diplomats in touch with leading opponents of Col Muammar Gadaffi in Libya, ended in humiliation after they were held by rebel forces in eastern Libya (The Sunday Times report). The men, armed but in plain clothes, claimed they were there to check the opposition's needs and offer help." (Indian Express, March 6, 2011,)
The SAS forces were arrested while escorting a British "diplomatic mission" who entered the country illegally (no doubt from a British warship) for discussions with leaders of the rebellion. The British foreign office has acknowledged that "a small British diplomatic team [had been] sent to eastern Libya to initiate contacts with the rebel-backed opposition.
Ironically, the reports not only confirm Western military intervention (including several hundred special forces), they also acknowledge that the rebellion was firmly opposed tithe illegal presence of foreign troops on Libyan soil:
"The SAS's intervention angered Libyan opposition figures who ordered the soldiers to be locked up on a military base. Gadaffi's opponents fear he could use any evidence of western military interference to rally patriotic support for his regime." The captured British "diplomat" with seven special forces soldiers was a member of British Intelligence, an MI6 agent on a "secret mission". 
"Confirmed by US NATO statements, weapons are being supplied to opposition forces. There are indications, although no clear evidence so far, that weapons were delivered to the insurgents prior to the onslaught of the rebellion. In all likelihood, USNATO military and intelligence advisers were also on the ground prior to the insurgency. This was the pattern applied in Kosovo: special forces supporting and training the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) in the months prior to the 1999 bombing campaign and invasion of Yugoslavia." 
"In Washington and London, talk of military intervention on the side of the Libyan opposition was muted by the realization that field intelligence on both sides of the Libyan conflict was too sketchy to serve as a basis for decision-making. But The opposition movement is firmly divided regarding the issue of foreign intervention. The division is between the grassroots movement on the one hand and the US supported "leaders" of the armed insurrection who favor foreign military intervention on "humanitarian grounds".
The majority of the Libyan population, both the supporters and opponents of the regime, are firmly opposed to any form of outside intervention.
Extremist Elements in Eastern Libya 
When Col Gaddafi said that the opposition to him also consists of Al Qaeda and other fundamentalists , he was laughed off by western leaders and its subservient media. But leaked diplomatic cables obtained by the Wikileaks website and passed to The Daily Telegraph disclose that eastern Libya could be under extremists' intent on overthrowing Colonel Gaddafi's regime. The Daily Telegraph of 7 March reported that former jihadi fighters who underwent "religious and ideological training" in Afghanistan, Lebanon and the West Bank in the 1980s have returned to eastern towns in Libya such as Benghazi and Derna to propagate their Islamist beliefs.
One February 2008 US embassy cable to Washington reported a conversation with a local businessman who described the increasingly incendiary rhetoric at backstreet mosques in Derna, where coded talk of "martyrdom operations" had become commonplace. "By contrast with mosques in Tripoli and elsewhere in the country, where references to jihad are extremely rare, in Benghazi and Derna they are fairly frequent subjects, "it added.  
The unemployed, disfranchised young men of eastern Libya 'have nothing to lose' and were  'willing to sacrifice themselves' for something greater than themselves by engaging in extremism in the name of religion. Their lives mean nothing and they know it, so they seek to give meaning to their existence through their deaths'." "not everyone likes the bearded ones" (a reference to conservative imams), "it's jihad – it's our duty, and you're talking about people who don't have much else to be proud of", said a resident.
Another confidential cable to Washington from the US embassy in Tripoli in June 2008 described Derna as a "wellspring" of insurgent fighters and suicide bombers in Iraq.
Further Confusion 
Writing on Race and Arab Nationalism, BAR executive editor Glen Ford says that US corporate media apart from spinning facts and telling lies understand little of the confused situation in Libya. The rebels claim that black  mercenaries from Sahara below are fighting for Gaddafi. It may be partly true but more than a million blacks from Libya's adjacent states , who are working in Libya , many for foreign firms are being treated and hounded like Blacks were in USA. 
"The testimony of black African victims is most disturbing. "We were being attacked by local people who said that we were mercenaries killing people. Let me say that they did not want to see black people," 60-year-old Julius Kiluu, an African building supervisor, told Reuters. Even in Tripoli, where the regime is not in full control of neighborhoods, Somalis told they were "being hunted on suspicion of being mercenaries" and "feel trapped and frightened to go out." Ethiopians told of being "dragged from their apartments, beaten up and showed to the world as mercenaries. "Ethiopian News and Opinions reported that "Muammar Gaddafi haters are taking revenge on black Africans for money Gaddafi threw for many African dictators. The mob attacked and killed many Africans including Ethiopians for being only black." 
America's Secret Plan to Arm Libya's Rebels
UK's Independent's well respected Middle East Correspondent Robert Fisk wrote on 7 March that Obama has  requested Saudi Arabia to airlift weapons into Benghazi. Riyadh has so far not responded to Washington's highly classified request. But this is in line with Washington-Riyadh military co-operation in the past. The Saudis were deeply involved in the Contra scandal during the Reagan administration. It was this cooperation in 1980s along with many other western nations and Muslim countries against USSR that permanent nurseries were created in Pak-Af for training of terrorist cadres Their daily terrorist acts hang over the region, including India and are now chewing up the entrails of the Pakistan state itself. 
But the Saudi Kingdom itself had to face up to demonstrations in oil rich north east, where its Shia population is concentrated. It adjoins Shia south Iraq and Shia majority Bahrain, the latter under daily sit ins and demonstrations with many deaths. On Friday, 11 February, Riyadh was to face , a "day of rage" from its 10 per cent Shia Muslim community. Of course Riyadh has banned all demonstrations and fatwas were issued by Sunni Clerics.
The continued agitation for majority rule in Bahrain and strikes in Saudi Arabia could be the thin edge of the wedge which could spark turmoil in the Kingdom, even beginning its unraveling, which would be a fatal blow to US dollar and US economic hegemony based on it. 
Interesting times (as the Chinese would say) are ahead for the region and the world. 
Libyan State-a Brief History 
The current official title of the state is the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya. 
Rock paintings and carvings at Wadi Mathendoud and the mountainous region of Jebel are the best sources of information about prehistoric Libya, and the pastoralist culture there. The paintings reveal that the Libyan Sahara contained rivers, grassy plateaus and an abundance of wildlife such as giraffes, elephants and crocodiles. There are underground lakes of water, now being exploited.  (The lions in Greek and Romans stories like Androcles and the Lion and during gladiators contests were probably brought over from the forests of Libya). 
Libya was part of, Carthagian, Persian, Roman (with magnificent Roman ruins like those of Leptis Magna) and Byzantine empires. In 7 century, the Arabs from the deserts of Arabia under the banner of new faith Islam, conquered Libya and it remained apart of Umayyad and Abbassid empires. Later the Fatimids brought about the migration of as many as 200,000 families from two Bedouin tribes, the Banu Sulaym and Banu Hilal to north Africa—this act completely altered the fabric of Libya and cemented the cultural and linguistic Arabisation of the region. Ibn Khaldun noted that the lands ravaged by Banu Hilal invaders had become completely arid desert. Barring intermittent intervention by the Christians, Libya remained under the Arab rule and was taken over by the Ottomans in mid-16th century. 
Libya became an Independent Kingdom in 1952. 
Libya extends over 1,759,540 square kilometres (679,362 sq. miles), making it the 17th largest nation by size in the world. The main language spoken in Libya is Arabic (Libyan dialect ) by 80% of the Libyans, and Modern Standard Arabic is also the official language; the Tamazight spoken by 20% (i.e. Berber and Tuareg languages), which do not have official status, are spoken by Libyan Berbers and Tuaregs in the south beside Arabic language. 
Native Libyans are primarily Berbers; Arabized Berbers and Turks; ethnic "pure" Arabs, mainly tribal desert "Bedouins "; and Tuaregs. Small Hausa, and Tebu tribal groups in southern Libya are nomadic or semi-nomadic. Among foreign residents, the largest groups are citizens of other African nations, including North Africans (primarily Egyptians), and Sub-Saharan Africans. In 2011, there were also an estimated 60,000 Bangladeshis, 30,000 Chinese , 30,000 Filipinos ,18000 Indians (12,000 have been evacuated so far) among others in Libya. 
Libya is home to a large illegal population which numbers more than one million, mostly Egyptians and Sub-Saharan Africans. Libya has a small Italian minority. Previously, there was a visible presence of Italian settlers, but many left after independence in 1947 and many more left in 1970. 
Libya is a tribal society.  There are about 140tribes and clans in Libya. Thirty of them are the key, one of them - Warfalla –boasts of 1 million people (out of a population of 6.2 million). Often, they bear the names of the cities they come from. Family life is important for Libyan families.
Some Observations
While neighbor Egypt has a big population of over 80 million, it is mostly concentrated in the valley of river Nile with an area of around 3% only of the country. Based on agriculture it has been a regulated and well organized polity almost since Pharaohnic times. Libya is a nomadic and tribal jungle and it would not be easy to control it. Even in Iraq, inspite of best US efforts the local population has not allowed oil production to even come up to Saddam Hussein era level. Any Western intervention in Libya would be like entering a wasp's nest. Another quagmire like in Iraq and Afghanistan!
Western intervention will give freer hand to Tehran to fulfill its regional ambitions, which had gained by US invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan. The historic blunder of 'Operation Iraqi Freedom' has brought Shias to power in Baghdad in place of Sunnis for the first time since Ottoman days and with the ending of the Saddam Hussein regime. 
US led West has its hands full with unmanageable problems around Afghanistan (and Iraq ) which in the words of Prof Paul Kennedy is a Gordian Knot so vexed and complicated that it would have tested the wisdom of the greatest leaders and strategists of the past. Imagine "Augustus, William Pitt the Elder, Bismarck or George Marshall pondering over a map which detailed the lands that stretch from the Bekaa Valley to the Khyber Pass. None of them would have liked what they saw." Now add Arabs in revolt from Morocco to Saudi Arabia. What if Palestinians also revolt in Occupied Territories, for example!  
 
10-Mar-2011
 
 
 
 




Without pride nations fall...a shameless people without any sense of national identity

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 AS RECEIVED FROM MOST RESPECTED AIR COMMODORE KASIER TUFAIL, A MAN WHO SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE AIR CHIEF BUT ALAS HE WAS NOT A SHAMELESS SYCOPHANT DARBARI AND HE DID NOT ATTEND THE MOST ESSENTIAL COURSE " HAZOOR KA IQBAL BULAND KARNA" ABBREVIATED    HKIBK

ACTIONS OF ONE MAN CAN CHANGE HISTORY . WHEN NATO ATTACKED FC POST MAJ GEN TARIQ KHAN CLOSED KP AFGHANISTAN BORDER WITHOUT ASKING ANYONE IN MID 2010 AND INSISISTED ON A US APOLOGY THAT WAS OBTAINED ?  LATER GHQ OWNED THAT THEY CLOSED THE BORDER ? BUT IT WAS TARIQ KHAN. WHEN THE COS 11 CORPS RANG HIM UP TO ASK WHO HE HAD ASKED BEFORE CLOSING THE BORDER ? TARIQ KHAN TOLD HIM TO GET LOST !

I AM CONFIDENT THAT IF KAISER TUFAIL WAS AIR CHIEF AT TIME OF SALALA ATTACK , HE WOULD HAVE RESPONDED WITH AERIAL POWER ? THATS WHY HE WAS SUPERSEDED. A MAN WITH GUTS HAS NO PLACE IN ARMY OR AIRFORCE OR NAVYS HIGHEST ECHELONS !

AGHA H AMIN

Salman Rashid

Travel writer, Fellow of Royal Geographical Society

Whithout pride, nations fail 
Tuesday, July 16, 2013

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Pakistanis are the most shameless nation on the planet earth! And let no man contest this statement for I make it with sound, unassailable reason.
 
 
We do not deserve to have a country. We should forever have remained slaves to be guided by men better than us. Men who could teach us the meaning of patriotism, self respect, sense of belonging to a land, and, above all, a sense of identity and pride in our nationhood. Men who could have taught us to forswear empty rhetoric and words high-sounding devoid of substance and sincerity. For this is all we have learned in our six decades and a half of sordid, sorry existence.
 
Everywhere you turn you hear men of straw proclaim loudly for the world to hear how much they love this country. On television (which is of no worth really), radio and the print medium, the harshness of public announcement of love of country jars the finer senses of anyone possessed of wisdom and perspicacity. But really, it takes less than these superior qualities to see the brazen mendacity of these avowals made for the consumption of the public. Yet we don't recognise deceit even when we have an over-abundance of it and nothing moves us when we see something anti-nation occurring.
 
We have a new phenomenon that sickens me. It nauseates me even when I have never made any claims to patriotism and I am surprised why all these high-falutin, loud-mouthed, fork-tongued 'patriots' are not offended by it. This is the phenomenon of the new car registration plates that is quickly catching on at least in Lahore. I estimate there are several thousand such plates and counting.

The registration number on these plates is in Urdu. Above the number is a red strip which carries in Arabic script the words Al-Bakistan. I ask you! Al-Bakistan, indeed. The name of one's country is sacred. If this sorry country was peopled by real patriots who had taught us the value of being a nation there would have been some condemnation of this shameful act of bastardising Pakistan's name. But we have committed this act of high treason with impunity. We have committed it in public and we exhibit it without shame. I ask you if there is another country in the entire world whose citizens would so proudly commit this atrocity.
 
Not a single so-called patriot is offended. I have never seen a newspaper editorial or op-ed or heard from a TV watcher (I never, never watch TV) that a discussion to curb this reprehensible act of high treason has taken place. And what, I ask you, is it, if it is not treason of the highest order to bastardise, corrupt, disfigure the name of one's own country? We are guilty of this treasonous crime without help from RAW, CIA and Mossad. After this, don't anyone please tell me of the foreign hand trying to destroy this unfortunate country.
 
The cars are mostly expensive models and the fat-faced men (the pot-bellies being hidden) who drive them are clearly the uncultured yahoo types with whom you can never have a decent, logical exchange – the very types who make all that empty clangour about their 'patriotism'. Every time I see such a registration plate I have wanted to talk to the owner to congratulate him on the creation of this new country of Bakistanis. But knowing where such an act would lead, discretion has always taken the better of me. So, let no man challenge my statement that we Bakistanis are the most shameless, unpatriotic mob of people who never deserved a country.
 
 
Postscript. In a fortnight's time, Bakistani flags will go on sale to celebrate Partition. The flags will carry images of Mickey Mouse and Superman in the white space meant to signify the country's maltreated and terrorised minorities. This disfigurement of the national flag has gone on unnoticed and unchecked for more than two decades. It will happen again this year and forever after. And we Bakistanis call ourselves patriots. Hot, putrid, foul-smelling air. That is what we are all full of.
Labels: AboutPakistan
posted by Salman Rashid @ 12:00 AM,

15 Comments:

Whenever I see such number plates, I feel disgusted. We are making ourselves monkeys of Arabs.
Thanks for writing about this issue.
At July 16, 2013 at 9:48 PMAnonymous Anonymous said...
Not only that, you stand on the Mall and you will see big big cars with fat people sitting in them and no two are similar. It seems that no one want a number plate of official pattern that is, BTW, issued by the government with registration. Funny, no ironic, rather sad. 

Jamshed
At July 16, 2013 at 9:59 PMAnonymous Kamran Shafiq said...
Headline in the News today, "Action should be taken if my car violates traffic rules: Ch Nisar."

BTW, as per the rules, any number plate other than the one issued by the registration authority is against traffic rules.
Salman havent you heard those who speak in the accent and pronunciation of Indians? This is nothing but inferiority complex as a nation. A nation that is not proud of its belongings, heroes, assets, legacies....is just rubbish
At July 17, 2013 at 12:05 AMAnonymous Haroon said...
Hear Hear .. 

But Salman Sb why do you stop short of saying that the Pakistan experiment has failed and we should move on to different paradigms now.
At July 17, 2013 at 1:59 PMAnonymous Anonymous said...
Shame all around!
What pride? Money is the pride these days. Who has more of it and how can it be exhibited. Sad.
Agreed sir
At July 17, 2013 at 7:23 PMAnonymous Anonymous said...
When I read such scary things I think we are doomed already. I don't know what is keeping my hope alive.
At July 17, 2013 at 7:57 PMAnonymous Nadeem said...
They say, "We must accept finite disappointment but we must never lose infinite hope."
At July 18, 2013 at 12:01 AMAnonymous Anonymous said...
Even worst are those who have words PRESS, MNA, MPA, ARMY written on bumper on or instead of a number plate.
Haroon, Have you never heard of the people who are "vanished" by the security apparatus of this shameless country if they utter so much as a word against this non-existent state?
At July 18, 2013 at 9:24 AMAnonymous Anonymous said...
What else you expect when "A multi-billion rupee scam is brewing in the Punjab government where 850,000 people have not been delivered computerized number plates for their newly registered vehicles despite paying for them (News)."
At July 20, 2013 at 12:38 AMAnonymous Anonymous said...
As a Pakistani living in the middle east, what pains me most is that while most arabs think of Pakistanis as second rate citizens and turn us away from jobs because of our green passport, we can't stop kissing their feet. But this process has been going on at a government level from a long time - renaming Lyallpur to Faisalabad being the prime example. Each passing day, my faith in our people keeps going down.
we are a shameless people without any sense of national identity and pride. Please, refer to Lyallpur by its real name only. I do. Except when booking a seat on government transport where it is necessary.

BRIG YASUB DOGAR ON PROMOTIONS IN HAZOOR KA IQBAL BULAND KARNA-DHA DEDICATED DEMO CENTRED PAKISTAN ARMY

BRIG YASUB DOGAR ON PROMOTIONS IN HAZOOR KA IQBAL BULAND KARNA-DHA DEDICATED DEMO CENTRED PAKISTAN ARMY


Dear HH,
 
Your piece on promotions within the army was as always a very welcome one particularly coming from a civilian and that too a doctor. 
 
The promotions criteria particularly at the higher ranks has been criticized & questionable right from the selection of Ayub Khan as the 1st chief. I have heard that Maj Gen NAM Raza was a more suitable candidate but he had started saying that when he becomes the chief he will do such & such thing, These utterances were not liked by the powers to be & the result was Ayub Khan, about whose war record you have carried out enough research.

None of our Army Chiefs had an appreciable war record when compared with their Indian counter-parts. Lots of our senior officers with DSO's, MC's and later HJ's &SJ's were wasted out due to this questionable criteria. Even after the 1965 War most of the war decorated officers i.e. Brigs Zafar Ali & Amjad Ali etc were sidelined & those with only good staff officers' record promoted. Gens Shar Ali Khan, Mian Hayauddin, Akbar Khan FFR & others who had commanded battalions in WW were superseded. Just compare it with India.
 
1KodanderaMadappa CariappaField Marshal16 January 194914 January 1953Infantry -Rajput RegimentOBE
2Maharaj Shri Rajendrasinhji JadejaGeneral15 January 195314 May 1955ArmouredCorps, 2nd LancersDSO, Commanded an armour regt in 2nd WW
3SatyawantMallannah ShrinageshGeneral15 May 19557 May 1957Infantry -KumaonRegiment
4KodanderaSubayya ThimayyaGeneral8 May 19577 May 1961Infantry -KumaonRegimentPadma Vibhushan, DSO, ADC
Commanded a Brigade in Burma for some time
5Pran Nath ThaparGeneral8 May 196119 November 1962Infantry - 1st Punjab Regiment[4]
6Joyanto Nath ChaudhuriGeneral20 November 19627 June 1966ArmouredCorps, 16th Light Cavalry and 7th Light CavalryPadma Vibhushan, OBE, 
Commanded an armour regt in 2nd WW 
7ParamasivaPrabhakar KumaramangalamGeneral8 June 19667 June 1969Regiment of ArtilleryPadma Vibhushan, DSOMBE
8Sam Hormusji Framji Jamshedji ManekshawField Marshal8 June 196915 January 1973Infantry - 8 Gorkha RiflesPadma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan,MC
9GopalGurunath BewoorGeneral16 January 197331 May 1975Infantry - 11 Gorkha Rifles andDograPVSM
10TapishwarNarain RainaGeneral1 June 197531 May 1978Infantry -KumaonRegimentPadma Bhushan MVC
11Om Prakash MalhotraGeneral1 June 197831 May 1981Regiment of ArtilleryPVSM
12KotikalapudiVenkata Krishna RaoGeneral1 June 198131 July 1983Infantry - MaharRegimentPVSM
13Arun Shridhar VaidyaGeneral1 August 198331 January 1985ArmouredCorps, Deccan HorsePadma Vibhushan, PVSMMVC(Bar),AVSM Commanded a regt in 1965 & Brigade in 1971, gallantry, award in both the wars

from Wikipedia: insertions in red colour are mine

Over a period of time this has resulted in ascendency of staff over the command. Officers come to command only for ticket punching and that too, for very safe commands mostly under officers already well known to them. One of my friends Brig SM has carried out a detailed research in this regard. Also the 4 military regimes have caused havoc with the merit system as loyalty to the boss over took merit. Maj Agha Amin has been very forthright in his writings on the subject.

Indians seem have learnt their lessons after continuous employment on low intensity conflicts with IPKF in Sri Lanka, Kashmir, Siachin & Kargil, etc to have sorted out this by taking a step further by separating command echelons from the staff echelons thereby, ensuring that only officers with proven command records will go to the higher ranks. An attempt to undo this system by the last Indian Army chief was not allowed by their Defense ministry. The other army we should look at is the Israeli army where the proven war record is stepping stone for any advancement. Their staff appointments are not more than 10% of the total appointments at Brigadier and higher levels. By keeping a ratio of not more than 25% appointments for Brigadier and above level we can ensure that officers command their units for a far more reasonable length of time. 

 

Overall we need to discuss & debate the promotion system with an open mind by all stake holders, juniors who suffer at the hands of incompetent as well as the seniors both retired & serving to evolve a reasonably efficient criteria for promotion to the command ranks.

 

thanks & Best wishes

Yasub Dogar 


January 13,2013

"Islamabad  - The military command has promoted four two-star generals to the rank of three-star lieutenant generals. The promoted generals are: Major General Maqsood Ahmad, Major General Zubair Mahmood Hayat, Major General Syed Wajid Hussain and Major General Najib Ullah Khan, according to a statement from Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Friday." The Nation, January 12, 2013

Recent promotions were announced.  Answering some questions about this subject, I wrote a piece recently but avoided circulating before announcement to avoid unnecessary speculation and rumors. You can enjoy it now.

Hamid

 

Promotions to Three Star Rank

Hamid Hussain

Armies are large bureaucracies and only a small number of officers can be promoted to higher ranks.  As a general rule, officers tend to promote officers who are like them.  There is a set pattern for selection of senior brass and every candidate has done more or less similar stints at command, staff and instructional appointments.  You have to choose only a few among a batch of equally qualified officers.  The pyramid becomes very steep near the top.  This does not mean that the officer not chosen for the next rank is somehow inferior to the one chosen. Unfortunately, rank is sometimes equated with professionalism therefore many officers feel bitter when they are not promoted. 

Promotions are a normal process of the army and nothing exciting about it.  However, some officers as well as everybody and his cousin nowadays interested in Pakistan pays a lot of attention to the process.  A while ago, I did some crystal gazing on the subject just to highlight the process.  Jingle bells in concerned quarters and steady stream of communications from friends, family members and course mates of officers under discussion changed the whole course of discussion which was not the purpose.  I was looking at institutional issues but it ultimately became about individuals therefore I stopped that exercise.  Still, some naughty boys ask about the subject so we here we go again.

 In view of difficult situation of the last ten years, my personal view is that sackings rather than promotions should be the top priority and subject of serious discussion.  As a spectator of events of the region, when I became aware of extremely poor performance during operations, I had suggested that about a dozen sackings will do the army a lot of good.  In an all out war scenario lasting for ten years this is not such a radical idea.  If history is any guide this should be rather norm.  Lincoln had to sack a cart load of generals (McClellan, Pope, McDowell, Hooker, Burnside) until he found few good men who could win the civil war for him. 

My view was (and still is) that sacking of one Lieutenant General, two Major Generals and about a dozen Brigadiers and Colonels will send a clear message to everyone that complacency is not an option.  Everyone will sit up straight and pay attention.  You don't need hundred thousand soldiers to perform at their best to win wars.  Even if three dozen officers are given clear task and GHQ removes smoke and mirrors, a lot can be achieved. 

To be fair, army has done a good deal of heavy lifting and sacrificed a lot.  We are also not naïve not to understand army's limitations.  However, we need to hold the feet of senior officers to fire to make sure that they improve performance.  In many areas, militants have been pushed out of populated areas although some swamps remain.  However, there is a lot of room for improvement both in strategic and operational terms.  If I have to pick one single weakness of the army chief that had the most negative impact on all spheres, it is painfully slow decision making ability (I have my own theories about it but that for another day).  On the civilian side, with the exception of Awami National Party (ANP) and to some extent Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), civilians have essentially thrown in the towel hoping that the wolves will devour their neighbor and leave them alone.  The end result is an inertia bordering on paralysis and confusion at the highest level.  There is enough blame to go around. 

Selection of senior officers should be viewed in this broader context of challenges as I'm sure all officers are fine fellows.  Promotions of three or four Major Generals (MG) to next rank are due.  All officers contending for these positions have gone through normal command, staff and instructional appointments, therefore nothing exciting to elaborate.  Personal preferences aside, all are average officers and anyone selected will be as good or bad as the other.  All qualified officers are eligible and there is no role of civilian leaders in the process, therefore Army chief is the final decider. 

About ten officers on top of seniority list from combat arms will be considered for these slots.  List includes MGs Raza Muhammad, Khawar Hanif, Maqsood Ahmad, Zubair Mahmood Hayat, Farrukh Bashir, Wajid Hussain, Najibullah Khan, and Farrukh Rashid. In my view, for a number of reasons, former GOC of SSG Farrukh Bashir (currently, head of defense security guards), Farrukh Rashid (currently, DG training) and Najibullah Khan (GOC of 17 Division) will not be considered. 

Najibullah is from Engineers and there are already two three star Engineer officers.  LG Sajjad Ghani is Quarter Master General and LG Ahsan Mahmud is Chairman of Pakistan Ordnance Factory.  These are second and third tier positions and have no impact on other important three star rank positions.  If Najibullah is promoted that will be unprecedented (three Lieutenant Generals from Engineers), however the caveat is that the position of Engineer-in-Chief (E-in-C) has become vacant and he could become E-in-C on promotion.  Other possibility is that Sajjad Ghani is shifted to E-in-C post to vacate another Principle Staff Officer (PSO) position for a newly promoted LG and keep only two Engineers LGs.

If army chief decides to go a bit further down the list superseding a number of officers then only one candidate among a group of six will be chosen.  I think the choice will be between MG Ashfaq Nadeem, MG Asfandyar Ali Khan Pataudi and MG Mazhar Jamil.  Other three; Noel Israr Khokar, Changez Dil and Javed Iqbal are not likely in the race. Chief will be faced with a tough choice of Ashfaq or Mazhar Jamil.  In my view, knowing the nature of General Kayani, he will not likely make any ripples and not go deep down the list.

The short list of officers;

MG Raza Muhammad: He is an infantry officer from Sindh Regiment.  He has served at many coveted positions at different ranks such as COS of X Corps, Directing Staff at National Defence University and GOC of Lahore based 11 Division.  He has spent a good deal of time in military's intelligence outfits; first as director at Military Intelligence (MI) directorate (I think he was working on operations side) and now serving with ISI.  He is probably preferred by Chief for promotion but a potential complication has recently emerged.  Supreme Court has appointed a judicial commission to look into the Lal Masjid operation.  Raza was serving with MI at that time and if judiciary starts to summon serving officers linked with operation that can create public relations problem for the military.  Chief may have considered this angle when deciding about promotion and this can go against his promotion. On a previous occasion, Chief has maneuvered in way to avoid conflict with judiciary and still keep his man on the job.  Sindh Rangers shot an unarmed man that was recorded on camera and caused an uproar.  Supreme Court took a suo moto action asking for head of then DG Rangers Major General Ijaz Chaudhry.  Chaudhry was temporality sidelined and a speedy trail and conviction of accused Ranger soldiers satisfied the court.  Chaudhry got his job back and later promoted to Lieutenant General rank and now commanding Karachi Corps.  However, Raza's case is quite different and Chief may not want to add another problem on his already full plate. 

MG Khawar Hanif:  He is an infantry officer from Punjab Regiment.  He is a cerebral officer with good reputation among peers.  He has served as Pakistan's defense attaché to Washington and currently serving as director general evaluation at Directorate of Training & Evaluation. Clear headed and balanced and will be a good choice but in the numbers game and the way process works, his chances are very slim.

MG Maqsood Ahmad: He is an infantry officer from Frontier Force Regiment.  He commanded Murree based 12 Division; the largest and most important formation of Pakistan army.  GOC 12th Division post is a clear path to promotion and previous five GOCs have become Lieutenant Generals and this simple fact goes in his favor.  He is currently serving with ISI.   In my view, among front runners and will likely be promoted.  The only caveat is that two MGs from ISI; Raza and Maqsood are in the race and only one will be considered.  Potential problems of Raza in view of judicial inquiry into Lal Masjid go also in Maqsood's favor. 

Zubair Mahmood Hayat:  He is a gunner officer and currently commanding a division.  His advantage is that he has worked closely with General Kayani when serving as Director General Staff Duties at COAS Secretariat.  Personal relations count a lot and this may have an impact on his promotion.  Another factor is that only two Lieutenant Generals are gunner officers and there is a room for one more which increases Zubair's chances enormously as he is the only gunner officer in the race. Most likely, he will be promoted.  He is one of three brothers serving at the rank of Major General.  For first time in Pakistan army's history (probably any army), three brothers are serving at the same time at Major General Rank.  Omar Hayat is from Ordnance and Ahmad Hayat from Armored Corps and currently commanding a division.  Their father late Major General Alam Hayat was a gunner officer. 

 MG Wajid Hussain: He is from Armored Corps (AC). Probably not a top runner in the race but one factor goes in his favor.  He is the only runner from AC and with retirement of LG Waheed Arshad, another position for an AC officer opens up.  Other favorable factor is that he is Vice Chief of General Staff and this important position is usually given to groom an officer for next step and may be Chief has a favorable view about him. 

Second Tier List in case Chief goes deep down the list but not likely and they have to wait their turn in next cycle;

MG Ashfaq Nadeem: He is an infantry officer currently holding the important post of Director General Military Operations (DGMO).  He has commanded a division in restive Swat. 

MG Asfandyar Ali Khan Pataudi: He is an armored corps officer.  He is son of a contemporary of Field Marshal Ayub Khan, Major General Sher Ali Khan Pataudi (7th Cavalry & 1/1 Punjab Regiment). He is currently serving with ISI on analysis side.  Probably, one of the preferred ones on Kayani's short list but others may have an edge over him.

MG Mazhar Jamil:  He is a gunner officer.  He has held coveted appointments of GOC of Lahore based 10 Division and Commandant of Pakistan Military Academy.  He is currently serving in General Staff branch.   If Kayani goes deep down the line then he will be the likely choice. 

I think Chief will pick MG Raza Muhammad, Zubair Mahmood Hayat and Maqsood Ahmad.  If a fourth is considered from deep down the list then competition is between Ashfaq Nadeem and Mazhar Jamil.  If he considers dropping Raza in view of potential problems due to Lal Masjid inquiry then MG Wajid Hussain stands a good chance. 

After promotions, there will be limited shuffle at the top level.  It will be interesting as this will have an impact on the selection of next army chief in the winter of 2013.  It may be asking too much but hopefully a clear headed and resolute new army chief supported by a reasonably stable and functional civilian government emerging from 2013 elections can work as responsible adults to face challenges.  I think 2013 will be wasted in transition and muddling through incidents hopefully only small and not big.  We have to wait for 2014.  In the meantime, with every passing day, the price both in blood and treasure will continue to escalate. 

Disclaimer: This is just my analysis based on observations of general trends and history of selection process of Pakistan army.  I don't have access to any privileged information and don't have any personal favorites or punching bags. 

Hamid Hussain

January 05, 2013

coeusconsultant@optonline.net

 

Assessment of Officers and Military Training-Pakistan Army


Assessment of Officers and Military Training-Pakistan Army

What was wrong with Assessment of Officers and Military Training-Pakistan Army and What continues to be wrong till to date as research indicates

Click on scanned pages pictures to enlarge

Major Agha H Amin (Retired)




















































Complete article for page above on --


http://www.scribd.com/doc/27384291/Intangible-Forces-Behind-a-Military-Manoeuvre-an-Examination-of-the-Clausewitzian-Model-of-Military-Leadership

Also see the military interviews conducted by this scribe with senior Pakistani officers to see role of sycophancy and unrealistic training and assessment in Pakistan Army specially interviews of Major Gen Tajammul and Brig Z.A Khan


http://www.scribd.com/doc/23150027/Pakistan-Army-through-eyes-of-Pakistani-Generals






Selection and Assessment of Commanders in Pakistan Army-Pakistan Army Journal-Citadel-Command and Staff College



These articles published in military journals of Pakistan Army endeavour to subject the highly defective system of assessment of officers to criticism despite strict censorship.

One must add that some discussion became possible in the army only after 1988 when General M.A Baig took over .

In the Zia era , with intellectual honesty buried and hypocrisy and sycophancy being hallmark of the army for 12 long years (1976-88) this was impossible.

After 1998 once Brigadier Riaz took over as DG ISPR the situation improved.

Three editors of Pakistan Army Journal were outstanding , all in succession , i.e Colonel I.D Hassan (a chronic bachelor and very cereberal and well read) , Lieutenant Colonel Syed Ishfaq Naqvi (outstanding) and Lieutenant Colonel Syed Jawaid Ahmad (soft spoken but bold as far as publishing articles and extremely knowledgeable).

In the command and staff college there was Lieutenant Colonel Ashraf Saleem (later lieutenant general) , Lieutenant Colonel Tariq Khan (now lieutenant general) and Lieutenant Colonel Ahsan Mahmood (now major general) , all three were well read and had a high intellectual calibre particularly Tariq Khan.

After these three the pedants came and pedants and the conformists off course are in preponderance !

I would say the assessments that I made in faulty and fallacious assessment of military commanders continue !

If Tariq Khan  ما شاء الله    became a three star it was a triumph of destiny over a thoroughly rotten system !


 ما شاء الله
 ما شاء الله
ما شاء الله

But then we must remember that Moses survived in Pharohs palace and finally overcame the Pharoah !

This unfortunate country Pakistan needs a Moses , a man who purges this rotten country !

If not , then I dont have the least doubt that Pakistan will be destroyed ! It will cease to exist as a country ! This is my conviction !

This country Pakistan has no soft solutions !



WHEN ORDERS SHOULD BE OBEYED AND WHEN DISOBEYED OR MODIFIED AS SEEN IN MILITARY HISTORY-MARCH 1991



http://www.scribd.com/doc/27648037/Orders-and-Obedience


On the first page a question is raised " if selection and assessment system in an army is realistic" .

There was a big question mark in 1991 when I wrote this , it remained when I retired in December 1993 because the army then was run on whims and likes and dislikes and no one bothered how good an officer was in real command and intellectual ability ! I fear that the large gaps and question marks remain to date ? The very Kargil operation proves that an overambitious man with myopic strategic vision like Musharraf can rise to the highest ranks ,shamelessly abandons bodies of soldiers and then proclaim Kargil as his greatest success ! One could see an ambitious man in him in 1993 , who was obsessed with self projection ! I had asked Lieuenant Colonel Ashraf (then CO 46 Field and my platoon commander in PMA , also GSO 1 , 14 Division what he thought of Musharraf his brother gunner officer .Ashraf an outstandingly honest and straight man hailing from Kalar Saidan near Pindi stated " what can you make of a man who uses generator of his locating unit for his house "





http://www.scribd.com/doc/40295974/Resolution-Cardinal-Command-Virtue



No one in kargil had the courage to point out that the operation was a wild gamble ! Brigadier Simon confided that that General Tauqir Zia was against it but then Tauqir Zia never gave his dissent ?

PROBLEM WITH MILITARY TRAINING , MILITARY EXERCISES AND ASSESSMENT OF OFFICERS






http://www.scribd.com/doc/40295974/Resolution-Cardinal-Command-Virtue





A real soldier in the peacteime environment of jee hazoori and yes man ship hardly has any chance of being promoted ! True in 1992 when I wrote this and true today ! Can Pakistan afford this ?







PROBABLY IN OUR SCENARIO A QUALITY TERMED AS LOYALTY , WHICH IN REALITY IS DOCILITY AND OVERCONFORMITY IS HIGHLY VALUED !AND LOYALTY OF A PERSONAL NATURE IS SHEER INTELLECTUAL DISHONESTY !

http://www.scribd.com/doc/40295974/Resolution-Cardinal-Command-Virtue


Complete article " Resolution-Cardinal Command Virtue" as published in the Pakistan Army Journal June 1992 may be downloaded from the following link---




WHY ASSESSMENT OF OFFICERS QUALITIES IS OF CARDINAL IMPORTANCE




http://www.scribd.com/doc/27384291/Intangible-Forces-Behind-a-Military-Manoeuvre-an-Examination-of-the-Clausewitzian-Model-of-Military-Leadership






http://www.scribd.com/doc/27384291/Intangible-Forces-Behind-a-Military-Manoeuvre-an-Examination-of-the-Clausewitzian-Model-of-Military-Leadership







http://www.scribd.com/doc/27386132/Plain-as-Well-as-Subtle-Aspects-of-Military-Decision-Making







http://www.scribd.com/doc/27386132/Plain-as-Well-as-Subtle-Aspects-of-Military-Decision-Making









http://www.scribd.com/doc/27386132/Plain-as-Well-as-Subtle-Aspects-of-Military-Decision-Making



http://www.scribd.com/doc/27386132/Plain-as-Well-as-Subtle-Aspects-of-Military-Decision-Making



http://www.scribd.com/doc/22460733/The-Armoured-Thrust-Article-Based-on-Experiences-as-an-Umpire-with-a-tank-regiment-in-December-1993






http://www.scribd.com/doc/22460733/The-Armoured-Thrust-Article-Based-on-Experiences-as-an-Umpire-with-a-tank-regiment-in-December-1993




For letters as sent to the staff college including the above one see the following link-


For letters as published in various military journals see the following link--












THE ABOVE ARTICLES MAY BE DOWNLOADED IN COMPLETE FROM FOLLOWING LINKS:---


http://www.scribd.com/doc/27648037/Orders-and-Obedience

http://www.scribd.com/doc/40295974/Resolution-Cardinal-Command-Virtue

http://www.scribd.com/doc/27384291/Intangible-Forces-Behind-a-Military-Manoeuvre-an-Examination-of-the-Clausewitzian-Model-of-Military-Leadership


http://www.scribd.com/doc/27386132/Plain-as-Well-as-Subtle-Aspects-of-Military-Decision-Making
http://www.scribd.com/doc/40295974/Resolution-Cardinal-Command-Virtue



Historical Proof of the argument presented above
War Performance had nothing to do with promotion to higher ranks in Pakistan Army

Major Agha H Amin (Retired)

Altaf Gauhar Ayub's close confidant inadvertently proves this fact once he quite uncharitably, and for reasons, other than dispassionate objective historical considerations, described Yahya as one " selected…in preference to some other generals, because Yahya, who had come to hit the bottle hard, had no time for politics and was considered a harmless and loyal person".

 
Major General Abrar, who had proved himself as the finest military commander, at the divisional level, at least by sub continental standards, was sidelined and ultimately retired in the same rank! 


Lieutenant Colonel Nisar of 25 Cavalry who had saved Pakistan's territorial integrity from being seriously compromised at a strategic level at Gadgor on the 8th of September 1965 was sidelined. 


Lieutenant Colonel Nisar of 25 Cavalry who had saved Pakistan's territorial integrity from being seriously compromised at a strategic level at Gadgor on the 8th of September 1965 was sidelined. This may be gauged from the fact that at the time of outbreak of the 1971 War Nisar although promoted to brigadier rank, was only commanding the Armoured corps recruit training centre, a poor appointment for a man who had distinguished himself as a tank regiment commander in stopping the main Indian attack. A man whose unit's performance was described by the enemy opposing him as one "which was certainly creditable because it alone stood between the 1st Indian Armoured Division and its objective"23 was considered by the Pakistani General Headquarters pedantic officers as fit only to command a recruit training centre while one who was instrumental in failure of the main Pakistani intelligence failure as DMI was promoted to Major General rank and trusted later with the command of Pakistan's 1 Corps with disastorous results ! 





Brigadier Qayyum Sher who had distinguished himself as a brigade commander in 10 Division area in Lahore was also not promoted! Qayyum Sher was one of the few brigade commanders of the army who had led from the front. 


Major General Shaukat Riza who rarely praised anyone had the following to say about Sher's conduct while leading the Pakistan army's most important infantry brigade counter attack on Lahore Front as a result of which the Indian 15 Division despite considerable numerical superiority was completely thrown off balance. Shaukat stated that "Brigadier Qayyum Sher, in his command jeep, moved from unit to unit and then personally led the advance, star plate and pennant visible. This was something no troops worth their salt could ignore". 


But the Army's Selection Boards ignored Qayyum Sher once his turn for promotion came! Qayyum Sher did well in war and was awarded the Pakistani D.S.O i.e. the HJ! 

 

But war performance or even performance in peacetime training manoeuvres was, and still is, no criteria for promotion in the Pakistan Army! Qayyum retired as a brigadier, remembered by those who fought under him as a brave and resolute commander, who was not given an opportunity to rise to a higher rank, which Qayyum had deserved, more than any brigadier of the Pakistan Army did. 


Brigadier Nisar of 25 Cavalry who was praised by Indian historians as outstanding in delaying battle in Shakargarh as commander of changez Force was also sidelined because he was not close to Tikka Khan and company and did not possess Zias mastery of art of sycophancy and appeasement of seniors !


It was typical of Pakistan Army that Brigadier Rahimuddin who did not join his brigade in Chamb on pretext of martial law duty was promoted to general rank while Nisar who fought both the 1965 and 1971 wars exceedingly well sidelined ! 


In 1965 Nisar by his singular action at Gadgor had literally saved Pakistan ! But promotion in Pakistan Army had nothing to do with war performance or real soldiering ! Pathetic !


Interestingly Brigadier Irshaad heading the military intelligence in 1965 and guilty of Pakistan Armys greatest intelligence failure of 1965 i.e disregarding a genuine report that Indian Armoured division was in kashmir , dismissing it as a deception plan , was promoted to two and three star after the war .He played hell with Pakistans 1 Corps in 1971 War !

Major General Sarfaraz whose conduct as GOC was outstanding in 1965 War was not promoted because his ability was regarded as a threat by Ayub Khan !


 
Brigadier Tajammul Hussain Malik was praised as an outstanding commander by a person no less than the Indian opponent of his Major General lachman Singh .

A special commission was appointed by Indian Army to study Tajammuls brigade actions !

 
The tragedy is that all starting from Liaquat Ali Khan sidelined officers with outstanding war performance ! The first being the elevation of Ayub Khan to army chief with a proven record of tactical timidity in Burma !

Ayub Khan ,Tikka Khan and Bhutto sidelined the best officers of 1971 ! Tajammul was sidelined because he was not a pathetic sycophant with no war record like Zia ul Haq ! This is a man whose war performance was so outstanding that the Indians appointed a high level commission to study his epic brigade battle at Hilli where he literally repelled a division plus! His direct Indian opponent Major General Lachman Singh praised him as an outstanding and very brave man in his book Indian sword penetrates East Pakistan ! But the Pakistani selection boards criterion for promotion was certainly not war performance !

Major General Abdul Ali Malik noted by Major General Fazal i Muqeem for launcjing the most ill planned and failed counter attacks of 1971 War in Shakargarh Bulge was promoted to three star rank after the war !

General K.M Arif who had no war record in 1971 and no command experience beyond a brigade command for few months was promoted to two three and four star rank !

Brigadier Ameer Hamza who conducted a brilliant brigade offensive battle at Sulaimanke was similarly sidelined as a Lieutenant General whereas many others who had no war record in 1971 war as brigade commanders became corps commanders !

 
Major General Tajammul Hussain Malik in an interview with this scribe in September 2001 summed up these promotions in the following words:--


The peculiarity about these promotions was that except for Jahanzeb Arbab, who had been superseded earlier because of having been found guilty of embezzlement of huge amount of money while in East Pakistan by a Court of Inquiry, headed by Major General M H Ansari but continued to remain in an officiating Command of a Division with the rank of a Brigadier for nearly two years upto as late as February 1976 when he was promoted to the rank of a Major General, all others were those who were on staff in GHQ. 

 
Major General Iqbal was doing as Chief of General Staff, Major General Sawar Khan was Adjutant General, Major General Chishti was Military Secretary and Major General Ghulam Hassan was Director General Military Training. 

 
The Division Commanders that is to say myself, Major General Akhtar Abdur Rehman, Major General Fazal e Raziq, Major General Mateen, Major General Ch Abdur Rehman, Major General Jamal Said Mian, Major General Amir Hamza (DG Civil Armed Forces), Major General Wajahat Hussain (Commadant Staff College) were all superseded."

General Zia ul Haq had seen my conduct during the Division Commanders conferences expressing my view very candidly. He, therefore, thought that he would not be able to control me. He selected a team of 'yes men' who were more docile and prepared to accept his command without any hesitation."

 
Even the normal and highly defective ACR system in the army was disregarded in promotions.

Thus while Major General Tajammul had been graded as "OUTSTANDING", as a Brigadier, in his last Annual Confidential Report and again as a Division Commander was graded "Above Average" by the then Corps Commander Lieutenant General Aftab Ahmad Khan, his contemporaries Lieutenant General Faiz Ali Chisti and Late General Akhtar Abdur Rehman were adjudged on the lower side of the "Average" grade were promoted to three star rank .Chishti in 1976 and Akhtar Abdul Rahman in 1977-78.

Tajammul Hussain thus well summed up Pakistan Armys tradition of promotions when he stated:--

"In our Army, Field Marshal Ayub Khan since he became Commander-in-Chief in 1951, made sure that only those people were promoted to higher ranks, who proved their personal loyalty to him rather than loyalty to the state.

He did so because he had the ambitions of becoming the Head of State from the very beginning. As I said before, he had a contempt for the politicians and with the passage of time he went on getting extension of his tenure till he finally took over in Oct 1958.


From amongst the senior officers anyone who expressed his opinion against the Army indulging in politics was immediately retired. Some of the very capable generals who had passed out from Sandhurst were superseded when General Musa was appointed Commander-in-Chief. Now that he is dead, it is not proper for me to pass any remarks against him but I have no hesitation in saying that he was a typical Gorkha Soldier, who had learnt to obey the command of their superiors whether right or wrong. The junior officers following examples of the seniors, had also learnt that perhaps sycophancy, rather than professional capabilities, was the only criteria for attaining the higher command.

Exceptions are always there, but as a general practice many good officers who would have become very good Generals could not go beyond the rank of Lieutenant Colonel because they were intellectually and professionally far superior to their seniors and always expressed their views without any hesitation whenever and wherever required.

Commanders who attain the higher ranks through following the path of sycophancy soon crumble in the face of danger and cannot stand the test of battle fatigue. That has been an inherent weakness in our Army, which perhaps continues till today.

I had not intimately known General Zia before he became the Chief of the Army Staff but from his conduct during the Divisional Commanders Conferences, he appeared to me an incompetent and low grade officer.

In one of the Division Commanders promotion conferences, I even saw him sleeping with his mouth open. 

He surpassed all limits of sycophancy when meeting the Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. While in uniform, he used to bow when shaking hands with Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. 



 

I remember my old Brigade Commander, Brigadier Hayat, with whom I served as his Brigade Major, once told me that he had written in Major Zia ul Haq's ACR when he served under his command, "Not fit to go beyond the rank of a Major". It is an irony of fate that a person of such a calibre had ruled Pakistan for a long period of eleven years till he was finally killed in an air crash."



There is no second opinion possible about how Pakistan Army suffered because of military rule.Thus Major General Fazal Muqeem Khan in an officially sponsored book admitted this cardinal fact when he wrote :--

"We had been declining according to the degree of our involvement in making and unmaking of regimes. Gradually the officer corps, intensely proud of its professionalism was eroded at its apex into third class politicians and administrators. Due to the absence of a properly constituted political government, the selection and promotion of officers to the higher rank depended on one man's will. Gradually, the welfare of institutions was sacrificed to the welfare of personalities. To take the example of the army, the higher command had been slowly weakened by retiring experienced officers at a disturbingly fine rate. Between 1955 and November 1971, in about 17 years 40 Generals had been retired, of whom only four had reached their superannuating age. Similar was the case with other senior ranks. Those in the higher ranks who showed some independence of outlook were invariably removed from service. Some left in sheer disgust in this atmosphere of insecurity and lack of the right of criticism, the two most important privileges of an Armed Forces officer. The extraordinary wastage of senior officers particularly of the army denied the services, of the experience and training vital to their efficiency and welfare. Some officers were placed in positions that they did not deserve or had no training for"


The tradition continued till to date.Lieutenant General Mahmood and Usmani with all their drawbacks was far superior to Generals Aziz Yusuf and Ahsan Saleem Hayat promoted to four star rank but sidelined because feared as more resolute and thus dangerous ! It would be actually comical to match these two groups at all ! Usmani was so upright that he risked his career twice as a brigadier and major general when he took a righteous stand with his direct superiors Malik Saleem Khan in Karachi and Mumtaz Gul at Peshawar !

It is no secret that had Yusuf or Ahsan Saleem Hayat been commander 10 Corps in place of Mahmud on 12 October 1999 , Musharrafs coup would have failed ! Perhaps that was the key selection criterion for both ! Lack of resolution ! But that's what Pakistan is all about !

A Conspiracy against originality and boldness ! An undoubted failure !
 






Pakistan has no short of talent and military genius but our military system is a conspiracy against talent originality and boldness.Below is an article of this scribe published in Daily Nation summarising whats wrong with Pakistan Army published  :---










The Development of Taliban Factions in Afghanistan and Pakistan: A Geographical Account, February 2010
Amin, Agha , Osinski, David J. , & DeGeorges, Paul Andre



BOOKS ON PAKISTAN REVIEWED-AMAZON UK





Military Leadership





Taliban war in Afghanistan



Atlas and History of Wars


THE ESSENTIAL CLAUSEWITZ


 
USA,ISI,AL QAEDA and TALIBAN-Setting Straight Bruce Riedels Strategic Narrative


1971 War


Mans Role in History



How a private English Company conquered a sub continent



Atlas of a great tank battle



Atlas of a bloody Indian Pakistan battle



A forgotten and  Bloody British Failure



The Pakistani Tank Divisions Failure in 1965



Second  World Wars Forgotten History



How Indian Army saved France and Suez Canal




 Sepoy Rebellion of 1857-59 Reinterpreted


PAKISTAN ARMY THROUGH EYES OF PAKISTANI GENERALS



 







“Exercising caution” —Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur

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Respected and Dear Friend,

                                                          I hope all is well with you and your Respected Family.   

       I am sending my piece, "Exercising caution" printed in today's Daily Times for your kind perusal. Your kind comments will be highly appreciated. 


  With Very Best Regards
  Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur
 
"I know that I am prejudiced on this matter, but I would be ashamed of myself if I were not."
Mark Twain
 

"A cynical, mercenary, demagogic press will produce in time a people as base as itself." - Joseph Pulitzer

    "Organized religion is like organized crime, it preys on people's weaknesses, generates huge profits for its operators and is almost impossible to eradicate" Mike Hermann

COMMENT : Exercising caution — Mir Mohammad Ali Talpur

The Baloch have been going missing since the early 1970s but the dirty war against them has intensified since 2005 and not a single perpetrator has even been named

On February 26, 2012, 17-year-old African-American Trayvon Martin was shot dead by George Zimmerman claiming self-defence; there were no witnesses. On July 13, 2013 the six-woman jury with three choices — guilty of second-degree murder, manslaughter, and not guilty — after deliberating for 16 hours found him not guilty. The only African-American woman on the jury later said that Zimmerman got away with murder. There have been mild protests, while on April 29, 1992 when the accused in Rodney King's beating case were acquitted, Los Angeles riots followed. And by the time order was restored the riots had caused 53 deaths, 2,383 injuries, more than 7,000 fires, damage to 3,100 businesses, and nearly one billion dollars in financial losses. Some things may have changed in the US but the justice system is still not colour blind; at the time of announcing the judgment, the blindfold on the eyes of the lady of justice slips just a little to ensure that it sees that the victim is black and the perpetrator white.

The brutal murder of Emmett Louis Till from Chicago, Illinois, the 14-year-old African-American boy who was murdered in Mississippi on August 28, 1955, after reportedly flirting with a white woman, though not widely known, is noted as a pivotal event motivating the African-American Civil Rights Movement. Visiting his relatives in Money, Mississippi, he reportedly whistled at Carolyn Bryant, a small grocery store owner. Several nights later, her husband Roy Bryant and his half-brother John William Milam took him from his great-uncle's house, beat him, gouged out one of his eyes, shot him in the head and then weighting his body with a 32 kg cotton gin fan, threw it in the Tallahatchie River. Discovered and retrieved three days later with face mutilated beyond recognition, he was positively identified by the ring that his mother had given him, engraved with his father's initials LT (Louis Till).

Till's body was returned to his mother Mamie Till in Chicago; she who had raised him mostly by herself, insisted on a public funeral service with an open casket because as she put it, "Let the world see what has happened, because there is no way I could describe this. And I needed somebody to help me tell what it was like." Tens of thousands attended his funeral or viewed his casket; images of his mutilated body were published in black magazines like Jet and newspapers.

Because then blacks and women were barred from serving jury duty, Bryant and Milam were tried before an all-white, all-male jury. In an act of extraordinary bravery, Moses Wright, Till's uncle, risking retribution, took the stand and identified them as Till's kidnappers and killers, yet both were acquitted. A few months later, protected by double jeopardy laws they, for $ 4,000, told Emmett Till's kidnap and murder story to Look magazine. Black support and white sympathy in the northern US brought to bear on the condition of black civil rights in Mississippi as newspapers there criticised the crime but soon the whites in the South rallied support for the killers; Southern newspapers, particularly in Mississippi, wrote that the court system had done its job.

This warped dispensation of justice shows how the establishment's narrative, because of its instruments of force and unchallenged influence, becomes the dominant narrative and decides how justice is meted out to those whom the state and influential elements target. Tainted justice is the norm wherever the state, through illegal methods, seeks to undermine the rights of people and the judiciary feels obligated to cover the backs of erring institutions and individuals violating human rights. It is this unfairly dispensed tainted justice that nurtures the culture of impunity and this is exactly what has been happening in Pakistan since 1947. Hundreds of Baloch Emmett Tills have been murdered for angering the state with demands for their rights while the Pakistani Bryants, Milams and Zimmermans have enjoyed complete immunity.

On July 23, 2013, Potohar Town Superintendent Police Haroon Joya informed the three-member Supreme Court (SC) bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, hearing the missing persons cases that following the court's orders he got the arrest warrants of ISI Brigadier Mansoor Saeed Sheikh from Rawalpindi Civil Judge Irfan Naseem Tarar. The Chief Justice asked him to 'exercise caution' in this matter and observed that institutions should not be blamed for the acts of individuals. Needless to remind that the SC claims that it would not rest unless the missing persons were recovered and those responsible punished proved hollow, as it chose to support the erring institution over and above the demands of justice. Apparently when the so-called honour of institutions is at stake the rights of people become meaningless. As long as 'exercising caution' remains the keystone and watchword of justice where erring institutions' violations of human rights are concerned, the Baloch and Sindhis will continue to be meted out the justice that was Trayvon Martin and Emmett Louis Till's fate.

The establishment always 'exercises caution' in its dealings with the Haqqani group, the Quetta Shura, the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, the Musala Diffa Tanzeem and outfits it uses as strategic assets for acquiring strategic depth in Afghanistan, against the nationalists or for keeping India on its toes. The establishment rides roughshod over the Baloch in an attempt to subdue them to exploit their resources. Apparently since Jeay Sindh Muttahida Mahaz (JSMM) came up with its July 6 Sindh's independence demand, the 'dirty war' against Sindhi nationalists has intensified; two workers of JSMM, brothers Ali and Zafar Noonari, have gone missing.

The Baloch have been going missing since the early 1970s but the dirty war against them has intensified since 2005 and not a single perpetrator has even been named. The systematic dirty war being conducted by the army, the Frontier Corps and intelligence agencies has perturbed neither the judiciary nor the public at large. Never has any institution here asked the perpetrators to 'exercise caution' or ventured to question their atrocities. Probably when there is so much at stake for the establishment and rulers in the form of economic gain from resources, people become expendable, the Baloch being deemed expendable in this case. All that the judiciary and the media have done so far is to plod along proving that the need of maintaining the status quo far outweighs their need for questioning atrocities, first against Bengalis and now the Baloch. A commission on missing persons exists and a task force too is in the offing but then Pakistan is the notorious Bermuda Triangle for the same.

The writer has an association with the Baloch rights movement going back to the early 1970s. He tweets at mmatalpur and can be contacted at mmatalpur@gmail.com

 


Saudi Arabia will send Salafi imams to Pakistan to create more suicide bombers

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http://worldshiaforum.wordpress.com/2013/07/26/saudi-arabia-will-send-salafi-imams-to-pakistan-to-create-more-suicide-bombers/?goback=%2Egmp_1271127%2Egde_1271127_member_261298103

Saudi Arabia will send Salafi imams to Pakistan to create more suicide bombers


Saudi Arabia will send Salafi imams to Pakistan to create more suicide bombers

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RIYADH: Saudi Arabia would send imams, one each from Masjidul Haram in Makkah and Masjid-i-Nabawi in Madina, to Pakistan every year.

Talking to visiting Pakistan's Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Sardar Mohammed Yousaf, President of the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques Sheikh Abdulrahman Al-Sudais made the announcement.

He said this was being done to promote ties between the two countries. He said that King Abdullah attached great importance to Pakistan and its people.

Relations between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are based on deep love and reverence, Sheikh Al-Sudais told the Pakistani minister and the accompanying delegation. He also prayed for the Muslim Ummah and progress and prosperity of Pakistan.

The Pakistani minister told Sheikh Al-Sudais that Pakistan was making a concerted effort to promote interfaith dialogue in line with the initiative of King Abdullah. He also extended an invitation to Sheikh Al-Sudais to visit Pakistan.

Sheikh Al-Sudais visited Pakistan while the Lal Masjid episode was dominating headlines, apparently to convince Maulana Abdul Aziz and late Abdul Rasheed Ghazi to surrender before authorities.

However, clerics of Lal Masjid did not pay heed to his advice.

Source :

http://dawn.com/news/1031646

Colonel Aga Javed Iqbal

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FROM MY DEAR FRIEND DR HAMID HUSSAIN IN THE USA


Colonel Aga Javed Iqbal (October 23, 1930 – July 16, 2013)

Hamid Hussain

 

Colonel Aga Javed Iqbal passed away in Dubai on July 16, 2013.  He was from the first generation of post-independence officer corps that joined Pakistan army right after independence.  He was from the generation that absorbed all the best traditions of British Indian army and carried it forward in the formative years of the army of the new nation.  He was born in Montgomery (now renamed Sahiwal) on 23rd October 1930. He was commissioned with the 3rd PMA Long Course and joined Probyn's Horse on 16 July 1951. Probyn's Horse was numbered 5 in 1922 re-organization but it is the only cavalry regiment of India and Pakistan still known as Probyn's Horse.  He was adjutant of the Regiment from 6 September 1953 to 19 February 1954. In 1947, when Indian army was divided, cavalry regiments were also divided among successor states.  Indian share was twelve cavalry regiments while Pakistan got six (5th Probyn's Horse, 6th DCO Lancers, 10th Guides Cavalry, 11 PAVO Cavalry, 13th DCO Lancers & 19th KGO Lancers).  Famous 4th Hodson Horse was allotted to India and that number was vacant.  In 1956, Pakistan raised 4th Cavalry and Probyn's Horse provided personnel under the command of Iqbal for the new regiment. After helping in raising of 4th Cavalry, he served as an instructor in the Tactical Wing of School of Armor. On promotion to Lieutenant Colonel rank he rejoined Probyn's Horse as commandant on 29 December 1966 taking command from Lieutenant Colonel Sabiruddin.  He remained in command till 12 April 1969 when he handed over to Lieutenant Colonel (later Lieutenant General) S.R. Kallue.  In 1971 war, he was Colonel Staff of 6th Armored Division. He was retired from the army in early 1972. 

 

Colonel Iqbal was a regimental officer par excellence. Probyn's Horse was his first love.  He carried forward the traditions of British predecessors where regiment formed the backbone of the institution. Lieutenant Colonel Maqsood Ali Khan remembers an incident when one day Colonel Iqbal's wife Joy asked him "What is wrong with Javed? He gets up in the middle of the night, scribbles something on the pad and goes back to sleep". "Those", Maqsood replied "are the points which keep everyone hopping in the regiment from morning to night and beyond".  Lieutenant General S. M. Amjad who served as his Adjutant narrates an incident that shows that while taking risks he cared about his subordinates.  He was returning after inspecting the regiment at firing ranges and decided to take a short cut by taking his jeep sliding down a steep sand dune.  However, he ordered his Adjutant, driver and wireless operator out and took the jeep down alone. 

 

He was a hard task master and demanded excellence from his subordinates but also fiercely protected their interests.  He was not afraid to confront his seniors in defense of his under command officers and men. His famous maxim was, "I lick the juniors and kick the seniors". He was able to wrest back 81 acres of the original large estate of regiment's stud farm appropriated by General Head Quarters (GHQ).  In 2000, he helped Daniel P. Marston in his excellent work on the role of Indian army in Burma campaign of Second World War.  This work was published in 2003 titled Phoenix from the Ashes.  Colonel Iqbal provided information about the role of Probyn's Horse in Burma campaign and arranged for Marston's visit to the regiment in Pakistan and interviews with regiment's veterans. 

 

A typical example of Colonel Iqbal's character is shown in another incident narrated by Lieutenant Colonel Maqsood Ali Khan.  Once, the formation Head Quarter (HQ) asked the regiment to send its most decorated soldier to attend a get together of some visiting foreign soldiers. Colonel Iqbal ordered that regiment's head sweeper Neela to be fitted with a new uniform at regimental expense, and attend with all his medals. Neela was a World War II veteran, with Burma Cross on his chest. When formation HQ objected, Colonel Iqbal remarked that Neela was a non combatant ENROLLED (a soldier), and the most decorated soldier of his regiment. His point of view prevailed and the HQ relented.  This shows that only a thoroughly professional officer could take such a stance with faith in every member under his command and not compromising his stand to simply please superiors.

 

One of his regimental officers Brigadier Javed Khan remembers him as "always the gentleman, he was an officer, whom many wanted to imitate but few could live up to his conduct and his zest for life". He regularly visited England attending events arranged by former Indian Cavalry Officers' Association.  He was Chairman of Common Wealth Ex-Servicemen Association of Pakistan that is affiliated with Royal Commonwealth Ex-Services League (RCEL). RCEL holds a conference every few years and Colonel Iqbal attended every conference, including those held in Cape town, Barbados, London, Ottawa, Ghana and, last year in Malta. Major John Chiles who had known Colonel Iqbal for over two decades has this to say about Colonel Iqbal; "It was a very great privilege to have known Colonel Javed Iqbal. To have worked with him gave one an insight into a remarkable man who cared so much, and achieved so much, for others."

 

Colonel Iqbal was a key player in a little known act in the immediate aftermath of the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war that resulted in emergence of independent Bangladesh.  A small group of officers showed their displeasure at the pathetic performance of senior brass and were instrumental in forcing military leadership to hand power to civilian leaders. . 

 

Army Reserve North (ARN) was assembled at the onset of war as a reserve formation based near Gujranwala.  It was commanded by Major General Muhammad Bashir Khan and his Chief of Staff (COS) was Colonel Aleem Afridi.  Aleem was a first rate gunner officer and serving as Chief Instructor at War Wing of National Defence College (NDC).  When war started, college was closed and he was appointed COS of ARN.  ARN consisted of 6th Armored Division commanded by Major General Iskandarul Karim (he was a Bengali officer and nick named Bacchu Karim) and 17th Infantry Division commanded by Major General R.D. Shamim.  Colonel Iqbal was serving as Colonel Staff of 6th Armored Division. 

 

When news of surrender in East Pakistan was announced, soon followed by the announcement of a cease fire in West Pakistan, there was general anger and discontent in army.  Brigadier F.B. Ali of 6th Armored Division thought that army leadership may try to hang on to power and use army against civilian unrest.  He made the decision to convey these feelings to senior brass.  Colonel Iqbal readily agreed to the proposal.  They failed to convince their GOC Major General Karim.  They drafted a letter and Colonel Iqbal and Colonel Aleem flew to Rawalpindi and met CGS Lieutenant General Gul Hassan conveying their demand that senior brass must hand over power to elected representatives. This internal pressure from the organization was instrumental in handing over power to civilians.  Lieutenant General Gul Hassan was appointed new Commander-in-Chief.  Officers involved in forcing the hand of military brass including Colonel Iqbal were removed from their posts and later retired from army. 

 

Three years ago, Colonel Iqbal contacted me regarding some of my own work on Pakistan army.  I had twice planned to meet him but my own trips to Pakistan were so hectic that I was unable to meet him; however we remained 'e-mail pals'.  He was always kind and gracious, correcting my mistakes as well as providing valuable information about many aspects of Pakistan army history.  If he was not sure of something, he would consult his colleagues (which he called vintage era pals) and promptly get back to me with relevant information and clarification and all this was done despite his ill health.  My last interaction with him was few months ago when he provided valuable information about my two pieces; one about Lieutenant General Shah Rafi Alam and another about role of Pakistan army in filming of Bhowani Junction starring Ava Gardner. 

 

Colonel Iqbal left army in early 1972, but he remained fully involved with the welfare of soldiers especially his regiment for the next forty years.  He is remembered by those who knew him as an officer and gentleman.  Knowing his love for Probyn's Horse, I'm sure first in line to greet him at the doors of heaven would be General Deighton Probyn, Lieutenant Generals Shah Rafi Alam, Gul Hassan and S.R. Kallue. 

 

Lest the young soldiers be strange in heaven, God bids the old soldier they all adored

Come to Him and wait for them, clean, new-shriven,

 

A happy door keeper in the House of the Lord.

Lest it abash them, the strange new splendor,

Lest it affright them, the new robes clean;

Here's an old face, now, long-tried, and tender,

 

A word and a hand-clasp as they troop in.

"My boys," he greets them: and heaven is homely,

 

He their great captain in days gone o'er;

Dear is the friend's face, honest and comely,

Waiting to welcome them by the strange door.

 

                                                                                                The Old Soldier by Katharine Tynan

 

Acknowledgement: Author thanks Brigadier Asad Ali Khan for providing memories from regimental officers of Probyn's Horse including Lieutenant General S.M. Amjad, Brigadier Javed Khan, Brigadier Maqsood Ahmad Khan, Lieutenant Colonel Maqsood Ali Khan and Major John Chiles.  Special thanks to Brigadier F. B. Ali for providing details of events of December 1971.

 

Hamid Hussain

July 28, 2013

coeusconsultant@optonline.net

 

 

 

 


tree red (3)

The Artillery of the Sikh Army Under Maharaja Ranjit SinghBy: Madan G Singh

US ARMY ENGINEER SCHOOL FORT BELVOIR, VIRGINIA

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The best generals of US Army , Lee , Meade and  Macarthur were from US Army Corps of Engineers.

Jinnah himself who set the ball rolling. To court the Americans

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I discovered this fact first when I read Venkatramanis book on Pakistan US relations in 1983 or so.

Agha H Amin





Dear All,

Some time back Farooq Sulehria, editor Viewpoint published a review of my new book on the garrison state in the News, Karachi. Given the word-limit and other constraints the review was shortened. He has now published the complete text in Viewpoint.

He considers the new book important on a global level to understand the role of garrison states. Each garrison state is unique but all of them share some core features. That is the difference between history and social science, as we approach phenomena from a general to a particular and not the other way round. 

Best regards,
Ishtiaq

PhD (Stockholm University); Professor Emeritus of Political Science, Stockholm University; and Honorary Senior Fellow, Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore.Latest publications: Pakistan: The Garrison State, Origins, Evolution, Consequences (1947-2011), Karachi: Oxford University Press, 2013; The Punjab Bloodied, Partitioned and Cleansed: Unravelling the 1947 Tragedy through Secret British Reports and First-Person Accounts (Karachi: Oxford University Press, 2012; New Delhi: Rupa Books, 2011). He can be reached at: billumian@gmail.com

http://www.viewpointonline.net/exploring-the-garrison-state-with-ishtiaq-ahmed.html

Exploring the Garrison state with Ishtiaq Ahmed

Thursday, 25 July 2013 21:07by Farooq Sulehria | PDF | Print | E-mail

In fact, it was Jinnah himself who set the ball rolling. To court the Americans, he was the first to market Pakistan as an anti-communism garrison

The role of Pakistan's military in shaping state and polity has been the subject of many scholarly works since the 1950s.

Among recent studies on the topic, Ayesha Siddiqa's brilliant work Military Inc (2007) is crucial. Employing the concept of Milibus, defined as 'military capital used for the personal benefit of the military fraternity, especially the officer cadre',   she helps us understand the motivation of the military to dominate the state. While Milibus relies on the dominance of political power, this in turn has engendered a state which, according to Ayesha, can be characterised as a praetorian state defined by Perlmutter as a state that 'favors the development of military as the core group and encourages the growth of its expectations as a ruling class'.

While Ayesha characterises the Pakistani state from political economic approach, Ishtiaq Ahmed's recently published 'Pakistan-The Garrison State: Origins, Evolution, Consequences 1947-2011' approaches the question from the perspective of international relations. However, he extends the scope, though, because "the domination of the Pakistan military cannot be explained merely as an effect of the Cold War; rather, it is a peculiar evolution of historical and contemporaneous internal and external factors, as well as religious-cultural and social dimensions".

As a result, the evolution of the country as a 'fortress of Islam' – a description Gen Musharraf used in a televised speech in 2002 – is, in fact, a delineation of the garrison state.

The beauty of Ahmed's works is in his attempt to ground his research in sound theoretical framework. In this case, he synthesises a framework by combining the notion of the post-colonial state with Harold Lasswell's concept of a garrison state. Viewing the 'fortress of Islam' through such a theoretical prism, he is able to deconstruct the 'multi-layered connotations' this metaphor carries.

According to Ahmed, the metaphor 'fortress of Islam' was used to "underline the Pakistan military's role as the core element in the composition of a fortress". After all, a fortress "includes not only the armed soldiers but also those who live inside it and perform multifarious civilian tasks and functions and thus constitute a viable community".

What Benedict Anderson calls 'imagined communities' – a fashionable but flawed theory – is in Pakistan's case "ipso facto, a garrison community, vigilant and armed to defend and assert its independence, to thwart aggression, and to carry out punitive actions against enemies".

In this regard, "the feeling of being beleaguered is imperative in order to construct a strong and formidable fortress – a garrison". From the very beginning, the establishment "staked its dominant position in Pakistani society by prioritising security and defence" against real and imagined foes.

Another important characteristic Ahmed attributes to the garrison is its role as "an outpost of a state, kingdom, or empire". Contemporary garrison states emerged "during the Cold War...as part of the global contest between the United States and the Soviet Union".

In fact, it was Jinnah himself who set the ball rolling. To court the Americans, he was the first to market Pakistan as an anti-communism garrison. Ignored and rebuffed initially, the country's requests to rent itself out as a US outpost in the fight against godless communism began to bear fruit in earnest by the mid-fifties. However, this patronage by the US had repercussions within Pakistan.

Pakistan's military began to emerge as a key political player. The changing political realities found their first big expression in the form of the first military coup, captained by Gen Ayub, in 1958. However, Washington began to realise by the early 1960s that Pakistan was less interested in countering communism, and that US patronage was being sought to fortify itself against India.

Even if India was championing the cause of the Non-Aligned Movement, Washington was not ready to annoy the country. Therefore, Pakistan was armed against the Soviets. When Pakistan – in violation of stated agreements – used the military might provided by the US against India in 1965, relations between Pakistan and the US were strained. Having developed parasitic tendencies, Pakistan could not survive without a donor – and so China was cultivated as a substitute.

Following the 1962 Sino-India war, China, in turn, needed Pakistan as a satellite. Though Pak-China relations irked Washington initially, when the US decided to court Beijing – driven by Cold War imperatives – Pakistan was the preferred conduit. It was partly this role in mind that Nixon ordered his (in)famous tilt during the 1971 war.

While semi-official narratives cast Washington's role during 1971 in a bad light, Ahmed highlights Pakistan's self-inflicted wounds instead of blaming the US or China for Pakistan's dismemberment. Curiously, Sheikh Mujib comes across as a reconciliatory leader – ready to work with the army. Ahmed also shows that the military action was planned long before it was launched in March 1971.

According to Ishtiaq, in fact, the Yahya-Mujib-Bhutto meet in March 1971 in Dhaka was a camouflage. This indeed is a revealing assertion. Following the debacle in East Pakistan, the Pakistan Army was in crisis. Bhutto rescued it, and then tried to dominate it. In a way, he dug his own grave with a khaki spade, paving the way for the Zia dictatorship.

Initially, the Zia regime was given a cold shoulder by Washington. Pakistan, however, is lucky to have been blessed with a strategic location that cannot be ignored by world powers. Consequently, Washington began to cosy up to Pakistan once the Afghan jihad began in earnest. On the one hand, the Afghan jihad exacerbated Pakistan's perennial concern regarding its Islamised identity, while on the other, it helped Pakistan acquire Saudi Arabia as another external donor. The latter, in turn, wanted to contain Iranian influence.

Consequently, Islamisation under the Zia rule became intense, with dire consequences for women, unions and religious and ethnic minorities. Ahmed has brilliantly documented the brutalities suffered by women and minorities as a result of the garrison state's 'Islamisation'. The garrison state has cost its people their basic rights, with budget allocations for education, health and other basics embarrassingly low.

Once the Afghan jihad was over, Pakistan lost its relevance. Moreover, its adventures in the name of strategic depth and nuclear ambitions further turned it into an international pariah state. Thanks to 9/11, Al-Qaeda revived the country's strategic value for Washington. However, post-9/11 Pakistan – driven by its dependency on Washington – has been running with the militant hare and hunting with the US hound. The Taliban curse is a consequence of this contradictory and self-defeating policy. How long will it go on?

"Pakistan can continue as a post-colonial garrison state as long as the donors are willing to provide it with the required resources and it can convince or coerce its population that the struggle for survival necessitates prioritisation of the allocation of scarce resources to security and defence", says Ahmed (p.24).

One of the strengths of Ahmed's work is his skill to use oral history to fill gaps. His interaction with army generals, particularly Gen Musharraf, offers interesting insights.

Author of several books and research papers, Ishtiaq Ahmed is Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Stockholm University. 'Pakistan-The Garrison State' is yet another seminal study Ahmed has contributed to scholarly works on Pakistani state showing the breadth of his knowledge and sweep of his research. However, this lucid, penetrating and refreshingly original original work should not be restricted to the study of Pakistani state and polity. In fact, Pakistan serves as an interesting case study that offers spine to Ahmed's conceptualization of 'garrison state', a concept one can employ beyond Pakistan to understand host of dev eloping states. Herein lies its global appeal.

Farooq Sulehria is doing his doctorate in media studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. Previously, he  worked with Stockholm-based Weekly Internationalen. In Pakistan, he had worked for The Nation, The Frontier Post, The News, and Pakistan. He did his master's in mass communication from the University of Punjab, Lahore. He also contributes to Znet and various other left-wing publications.



Patton vs Centurion 1965 Indo-Pakistan war

A Russian Missile Shield for Pakistan ?

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A Russian Missile Shield for Pakistan ?

Agha H Amin

If Pakistans peanut brained and gut less political and military leaders have any grey matter they should ask for a Russian missile shield against drones.


UAVs alone cannot win a war. ground presence is must.


its a matter of time that Russia or China will provide insurgents with SAMs good enough to shoot down drones.


Af Pak will be a testing ground where  NATO , Russia ,China will test their dirtiest and most lethal weapons on the stupid guinea pig mouses called the foolish muslims !


Arming the Syrian Opposition Will Create Another Afghanistan

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FROM MY DEAR FRIEND AMBASSADOR GAJENDRA SINGH FROM INDIA


A perceptive piece from Le Monde Diplomatique on Syria .West will end up turning Syria into Afghanistan and Libya rolled into one and worse .Apart from destabilising the whole greater Middle East including Turkey and, Kurds , Alevis and other Shias  in the region ,the fire will cross over right inside into the Gulf states , who are financing the rebellion by worst kind of Jihadists in Syria , vainly hoping to keep the peoples' urge for freedom at home from medieval monachies .There are 6 million Indians working in the Gulf .

On what has happened in Libya I circulated  a long joint piece earlier , below ;
 
Arming the Syrian Opposition Will Create Another Afghanistan

By Kapil Komireddi
July 28, 2013 "Information Clearing House - Syria, once a land of pluralistic coexistence in the Arab world, is now irreparably fractured between competing factions. There isn't a single group that can claim to speak for even a modest majority of Syrians. Syria itself has become a catchment for foreign jihadists whose ambition goes far beyond toppling the secular dictatorship of Bashar al-Assad.

In Damascus alone I met fighters from more than half a dozen countries, some from places as far as Afghanistan, dreaming of transforming Syria into a theocratic state. Secular opponents of Assad, always a minority, have from the beginning found themselves in the impossible position of having to counteract the foreign fighters in Syria while also preserving themselves from the state's overwhelming power. Unable to win at home and neglected by the world, their own ideological complexion gradually altered, and many embraced the foreign jihadists in their midst. What could have turned into an Egyptian-style mass uprising dissolved instead into a series of local insurgencies in which religious minorities, particularly Christians, became targets of fighters sympathetic to or affiliated with Al-Qaida. Ancient communities were cleansed from their homes in the province of Homs. Churches were bombed. Dissenters, in a phenomenon alien to Syria, were beheaded. And women, who had traditionally enjoyed greater freedoms in Syria than in most other parts of the Arab world, were forced into the veil.

For all the prophesies of imminent overthrow, Assad and his Baathist machine have remained the only stable features in Syria. Despite periodic bombings that claim dozens of lives, daily life in Damascus, Assad's bastion, largely continues as before: schools and offices remain open, government employees receive their salaries, and new episodes of popular soaps continue to be produced and aired on television. Unsettled by the extremist turn of the opposition, Syria's minorities and, increasingly, its prosperous middle classes are once again viewing Assad as the guarantor of their security and Syria's secularism. Most important of all, more than 250,000 soldiers in the Syrian Arab Army still pledge loyalty to Assad, fighting, dying and securing territory for him throughout Syria.

Acutely aware of the possibility of Western intervention, Assad, who is driven by instincts of self-preservation, has no reason to cross the red line delineated by President Obama and introduce chemical weapons into a war that he is, if not exactly winning, not in much danger of losing, either. Therefore, the claim that he used small quantities of Sarin gas is hard to believe without conclusive proof — and Washington has provided nothing of the kind.

The failure to mount concerted pressure on Assad during the early months of the rebellion may have radicalised some Syrians. But, contrary to what Western proponents of military intervention appear to believe, deposing Assad from power now will not miraculously bring peace. The collapse of the state will instead carry the civil war to an even bloodier phase as the groups that are arrayed against Assad vie for power in post-Baathist Syria. Yet some advocates of intervention, excited by the prospect of humiliating Iran by engineering the ouster of its strongest Arab ally, are willing to bear this price. There's a strange echo in these arguments for direct involvement in Syria of the kind of thinking that led America in the 1980s to intervene in Afghanistan. The urge then to chasten the Soviet Union trumped any concerns about arming an unknown group of fighters who, abetted by Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, eventually emerged as the Taliban.

It is worth remembering that, soon after expelling the Soviets, many veterans of the anti-Soviet jihad moved to Kashmir to defeat India; the region's sole functioning democracy was, in the eyes of the mujahideen, an infidel power in occupation of a Muslim land. Once Assad falls, where will the foreign fighters in Syria go?

Once the bloodshed ends in Syria, the perennial animosities that have for so long defined the region will resurface. For what began two years ago as a limited but genuine people's uprising against a tyrannical regime was expropriated, early on, by regional powers who saw the turmoil provoked by the Arab Spring as an opportunity to reshape the Middle East's political landscape to their advantage. Saudi Arabia, the preeminent Sunni power in the region, facilitated the transfer of arms and money to the rebels. Qatar, having gained outsize influence in the region through shrewd deployment of its Al Jazeera news network, amplified their struggles. Turkey, whose Islamist prime minister had for some years been leaning on Damascus to decriminalise the Syrian chapter of the Muslim Brotherhood, vigorously internationalised the conflict.

This regional dynamic is crucial because, fixated with weakening Iran at any cost, the West appears to be overlooking the fact that the Middle East which these apparently pro-Western powers are labouring to engender will be far more hostile to the West than Assad's Syria ever was.

Pouring arms into Syria will take the heat off Obama at home, where his critics have been piling on the pressure; but in Syria, it will only exacerbate the conflict. Despite assurances from leaders of seemingly secular opposition bodies, once sophisticated American weapons enter the chaotic theatre of conflict, monitoring their movement or keeping them from falling into the hands of implacably anti-Western extremists will be impossible. Only intense diplomacy led by America and aided by Russia, Assad's most powerful international benefactor, can bring the violence to a swift end. Washington will have to start by acknowledging that there is a substantial pro-Assad constituency in Syria — and, fearful of its place in a post-Assad future, it won't settle for an arrangement in which Assad is denied a role. A settlement that denies outright victory to any one party, and forces all sides to arrive at a power-sharing agreement under international supervision, is the least risky option available to the West. A blueprint for this already exists in the so-called Geneva Communiqué of last year. Since then, all parties have tried to undermine it because it refuses to privilege any one side. But discord at the negotiating table is preferable to bloodbaths in towns and cities across Syria. This is the plan the West must back. The alternative is unthinkable: another Afghanistan.
This article was originally published at Le Monde diplomatique


MONSANTO POISED TO TAKE OVER FOOD INDUSTRY IN PAKISTAN

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A food expert said genetic modification manufacturing was a biotechnology mainly used to make new products, particularly new types of crop plants. — Photo by Reuters

ISLAMABAD: Three multinational companies along with a number of national firms have approached the Ministry of Food Security seeking licences to raise genetically-modified (GM) food products in Pakistan.
A senior federal government official, refusing to share his name, told Dawn that "a request in this regard has been received by the Ministry of Food Security a few weeks back and it is being reviewed."
He added that the ministry had received the request to launch the GM products – maize and cotton. He identified the firms as Monsanto, Pioneer and Syngenta.
A food expert said genetic modification manufacturing was a biotechnology mainly used to make new products, particularly new types of crop plants.
According to the federal government official, Monsanto is a US-based biotech company and is famous for BT cotton. He said the BT cotton product of Monsanto was resistant against certain pests.
The official explained that Monsanto was currently providing different variety of seeds (non-genetically modified) and herbicides to farmers in Pakistan.
"I am not aware of the products of Pioneer; however, Syngenta is the largest agri-business company of the world," added the official.
The spokesman for the ministry could not be contacted for confirmation of the requests.
However, when approached, the director general of the Pakistan Environment Protection Agency (Pak-Epa), Asif Shuja, told Dawn: "The three companies have also approached us. But we are only concerned with the assessment of environmental impacts of these companies."
When asked to comment on the genetically-modified food products, he said: "It's a long debate as research is still continuing internationally whether the genetically-modified products have an impact on human health."
A number of Pakistani companies have also approached Pak-Epa for launching genetically-modified food products but 'we have not given a no-objection certificate (NOC) to any of them," he added.
"Many of the local companies want to import genetically-modified food products from China and we have not given any approval in this regard," added the Pak-Epa chief.
Mr Shuja said the Ministry of Climate Change had also established a committee to review the requests of these companies and it was yet to take a final decision regarding the establishment of their plants in Pakistan.
Meanwhile, Dr Jawad Chishtie, a public health and environment management specialist, said: "Genetically-modified products have been rejected in Europe, and most recently in France, for damaging crops and endangering human health."
He warned that effects of the genetically-engineered organisms were not yet known to researchers and "they are suspected of causing dangerous allergies and even cancer."
Dr Chishtie cited the example of India where hundreds of farmers committed suicide after introduction of the genetically-modified crops since it damaged their land. Besides, the input price of raising the crop was getting higher.
He said seeds had terminator genes which did not allow the same crop to be planted again from the harvested seeds. "Once a genetically-modified agri-product is planted, the farmers are trapped into buying the seed and its related pesticides each and every year from the same company," he told Dawn.
"Even there are legal issues like companies do not allow replanting of the seed," he maintained.
Dr Chishtie asked the government to promote organic farming in Pakistan for which the country had far better environment.
Umar Munawar, an agri-business expert, maintained: "Such a move will increase the cost of food which will become more regulated like we have seen across the world in relation to the bottled water."
He added; "We have to buy water of different brands so if such a move is approved by the government food will also be regulated by multinational companies."

Brigadier General Khalid M Amin

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Activity

Background

Summary

Company Profile

http://strategicus-inc.blogspot.com/2011/08/shifting-of-180-pieces-of-plant-and.html


Consultants firm dealing with civil ,electrical,mechanical,chemical engineering and social,environmental, political,security studies and assessments.

Professor of Survey and Astronomy at Military College of Engineering Risalpur.

I graduated from US Army Engineer School Fort Belvoir in 1964.

Served in Military Operations Directorate as principal officer dealing with war plans.

Served as Director General National Highway Board from March 1981 to March 1987.

Looked after operations of Nazir and Company in Libya from 1987 to 1992.

Successfully negotiated Fourth Highway Loan with World Bank.

World Bank Consultant on Highways in Nigeria-1988.

Member Operations National Highway Authority Pakistan from April 1992 to June 1994.

Director General Punjab Highway Authority from November 1994 to January 1997.

Looked after operations of Nazir and Company in Iraq from 1997 to 2004.

Chief Technical Officer of Transoxiana from 2007 May till todate.
TRANSOXIANA
TRANSOXIANA

Experience

CEO

Trans Frontier Consultants
Pakistan
Civil Engineering Consultants

Chief Technical Officer

Transoxiana
Pakistan
Consultants firm dealing with civil ,electrical,mechanical,chemical engineering and social,environmental, political,security studies and assessments.

Transoxiana worked with top international firms like SNC Lavalin Canada Fichtner Germany etc

Civil Engineering Arbitrator

Civil Engineering Arbitrator
Pakistan
National Highway Authority Versus Hakas Private Limited for Islamabad Murree Expressway Dispute

Sambu Construction Company versus National Highway Authority Pakistan

AM Construction Company Versus Taisei Corporation Japan

Various other civil engineering disputes

Advisor

Nazir and Company Private Limited
Pakistan,Saudi Arabia,Iraq,Libya,Senegal
Civil Engineering and Project Management Consultant

Advisor

Husnain Cotex Limited
Pakistan
Civil Engineering and Project Management Advisor

Director General

Punjab Highway Authority
Pakistan
Introduced concept of BOOT in building highways in Pakistan.

Conceived Lahore Ring Road project and Faisalabad Pindi Bhattian BOOT project of which the latter was unjustly taken over by Pakistans Federal Government from Punjab Government in 1999.

FIA was launched against Punjab Government by Federal Government because Federal Government wanted provincial governments BOOT projects to fail but I salute a highly honest FIA officer Inamullah Sehri who gave me a clean chit in his FIA inquiry.

Lahore Ring Road was to be constructed by private sector but the PPP Government sabotaged the project in 1996 and the project was finally given to National Logistic Cell without bidding by Musharraf regime and later by Punjab provincial government in 2008 at 35 % higher than engineer estimate without any bidding ?

Member Operations

National Highway Authority
Pakistan
Supervised all operations of the NHA.

Supervised construction of Lahore Islamabad Motorway

Was very disappointed with the ham handed and crude way that Lahore Islamabad Motorway was awarded to Daewoo even before last date of bid submission as advertised by GOP in Financial Times London

Partner

EPMC
Pakistan
Engineering Planning and Management Consultants

Advisor

Nazir and Company Private Limited
Pakistan,Saudi Arabia,Libya,Iraq,Senegal
Civil Engineering advisor for projects in Pakistan,Saudi Arabia,Libya,Iraq,Senegal.

Offered post of Military Advisor to Colonel Qaddafi which I declined to accept

Iraq operations came to an end when President Saddam Hussain without assigning any reason confiscated all our assets in August-December 1990.

Consultant on Highways

World Bank
Nigeria
Highway supervision of workd bank financed highways in Nigeria

Director General

National Highway Board
Pakistan
Construction of National Highways in Pakistan.

Successfully negotiated highway loans with various prime donors like World Bank etc.

Lahore Sahiwal Road

DI Khan Bridge

Khairabad Noswhera Peshawar Road

Peshawar Mardan Road

Introduced concept of BOOT Highways in Pakistan in 1982 which was unfortunately sabotaged by the Secretary General Ghulam Ishaq Khan who later became President of Pakistan.

Negotiated Fourth Highway Loan with World Bank in 1987

Brigadier General

Pakistan Army
Pakistan
Independent Field Engineer Company officer

Instructor Survey and Astronomy at Military College of Engineering

Adjutant 4 Engineer Battalion

US Army Engineer School Fort Belvoir 1964

Garrison Engineer Runway Pakistan Airforce Karachi

Command and Staff College-1968

Commanded Engineer Field Company in Neelam Valley

General Staff Officer Grade Two 16 Infantry Division Quetta-1969-October 1971.Planned and supervised the record movement of 16 Infantry Division from Quetta to East Bengal (now Bangladesh) in six days

Commanding Officer 6 Engineer Battalion October 1971 to March 1972.Laid the famous three layer minefield in Shakargarh bulge measuring 120 miles in one months record time

General Staff Officer Grade One Engineer in Chief Directorate General Headquarters

General Staff Officer Grade One (Plans) Military Operations Directorate-1973-1974

Armed Forces War Course-1974-75

Commanding Officer 105 Engineer Battalion -1975-1977

First officer in history of Pakistan Army to be promoted direct brigadier without intervening rank of colonel from the corps of engineers

Commander 4 Corps Engineers 1977 to 1979

As Chairman Inquiry commission Punjab I declared 91 PPP parliamentarians clean and only disqualified one turn coat who had joined illegitimate zia regime.

Also carried inquiry into LEFO.

Chaudri Zahur Elahi was also produced before me for disqualification but later he had some secret deal with martial regime and left scot free.

Attended and qualified Administrative Staff College 1978

Commander 491 Brigade Group from June 1979 to March 1981

Commander

491 Brigade Group
Jaglot Farm,Northern Areas Pakistan
Maintenance of Silk Road also known as Karakoram Highway from Havelian to Khunjerab Pass.

Construction of Skardu Road.

Defence of Chinese Border where a Northern Light Infantry under my command was deployed.

Wrote Bridge design book which is standard text book in Corps of Engineers Pakistan Army

Introduced arch bridge in Pakistan using Chinese design

Expert in explosives and controlled blasting

Skills & Expertise

Most endorsed for...
  • 17Logistics
  • 13Negotiation
  • 13Strategic Planning
  • 12Operations Management
  • 11Team Building
  • 10Contract Negotiation
  • 9Business Strategy
  • 9Project Management
  • 8Transportation
  • 8Project Planning
Khalid also knows about...
  • 8Change Management
  • 8Government
  • 8Management Consulting
  • 6Procurement
  • 6New Business Development
  • 6Business Planning
  • 6Business Development
  • 6Management
  • 5Supply Chain Management
  • 4Microsoft Office
  • 4Team Leadership
  • 4Analysis
  • 3Budgets
  • 3Customer Service
  • 3Coaching
  • See 25+ 

Education

Administrative Staff College, Lahore

Project Management

National Defence College

Armed Forces War Course
Bachelor of War and Defence Studies

Command and Staff College Quetta

Command and Staff College

US Army Engineer School Fort Belvoir,Virginia

Military Engineering Basic Course, Military Engineering

School of Infantry and Tactics Quetta

Officers Weapons Course, Junior Officer Leadership Course

Military College of Engineering Rislapur

Basic Officers Military Engineering Course, Military EngineeringexplosivesminesAlpha

Punjab Engineering College Lagore

Bachelor of Civil Engineering, Civil EngineeringAlpha
Now known as UET Lahore

Gordon College Pindi

Intermediate Degree

Dennys High School

Matriculation

Additional Info

  1. Advice for Contacting Khalid

    fortbelvoir1964@yahoo.com
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