Editorial: Rescuing the Northern Areas

Some people think that the self-governance reforms package for the Northern Areas announced on Saturday is already too little too late. But given how many things are nowhere near solution in the country, the PPP government has taken the right step. The Northern Areas will be Gilgit-Baltistan from now on, with its own elected Assembly, albeit in parallel to an independent Council working under a centre-appointed governor.

The PMLN could have opposed it simply because the change will favour the PPP, but it hasn’t, which is a sign of maturity. In its earlier tenure in power, the PPP had allowed party politics in the region, which had immediately led to the dominance of the party there. But in democracy, some things done for short term political gain finally turn out to be good for everyone in the long run. The important thing for this increasingly disturbed border region is that it has got self-rule.

The PMLN has welcomed the big change of status. It is quite clear why it has done so. During its rule it had discovered that the Northern Areas were ruled entirely from the point of view of “national security” and there was little that the central government could do — despite the political parties’ activities there — because the locus of power in Gilgit was firmly in the hands of the army.

The Northern Areas’ nationalism has developed in opposition to the constitutional limbo in the region. It was accepted by the state as a part of Kashmir in international treaties. Azad Kashmir claimed it for that reason and challenged an early law of 1949 that had separated it “administratively”. The people of Gilgit-Baltistan claim they had liberated themselves from Kashmir at Partition and want the status of a separate province. Like Balochistan and the NWFP, this nationalism too is focusing on the possession of natural resources and water and energy assets. Because they were representationally suppressed, a fringe began to call for “Free Balawaristan”.

Representation and freedom of party politics will undo some more serious damage done by two military rulers. General Zia-ul Haq, fighting a relocated Iran-Saudi sectarian war, allowed Sunni lashkars into the region in 1988 to cut the Shia majority down to size. This was a useless bloodletting in an area where the people were generally peace-loving. The Ismaili ethos of tolerance and tranquility represented by Hunza prevailed even among the Twelver Shia.

The tragedy of Gilgit-Baltistan sprang from its designation as an area of “strategic importance”. It faces Ladakh across the border in Indian-administered Kashmir. For countless years, the Pakistan Army eyed Ladakh for a set-piece battle with India, and each army chief was presented with a scenario of victory. Then General Musharraf came along and thought he could pull it off. In the process, the people of Gilgit-Baltistan went into another phase of sectarian massacres.

General Musharraf did not care that some of the “non-state actors” he was using at Kargil were savagely anti-Shia. After the fiasco of Kargil, sectarianism has never stopped raising its ugly head in the region and will take the salve of democracy now to heal. Religious leaders were killed under General Musharraf. Textbooks prescribed by bureaucrats were rejected. People arose against choices made in Islamabad of fundamentalist commissioners at Gilgit. And the local military commanders applied the iron fist indiscriminately.

If there is extremism in Gilgit-Baltistan today it should not surprise us. But the process of election, good governance and sense of participation will gradually lead to acceptance. The Karakoram Highway has opened up the region economically; the construction of Basha Dam will bring wealth and prosperity. Above all, the opening up of this heretofore “strategic” area to the media will tell the people of Pakistan for the first time what has been going on there and what should be done to bind the old wounds.

The Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) has opposed the self-governance package because it hopes to liberate Jammu & Kashmir from both India and Pakistan and give it the status of a sovereign state. But anyone who has taken a close look at the people of Gilgit-Baltistan knows that their demand has been for a separate province within Pakistan, based on their belief that they are not Kashmiris. The JKLF can fight the next Gilgit-Baltistan election and see where it stands with the people. That is its right. *

NAJAM SETHI EDITORIAL

‘Billa’ causes predictable dissension

The PMLN Information Secretary, Ahsan Iqbal, has swallowed the bait and interpreted the “multi-directional” attacks made by ex-ISI and ex-IB officer Brigadier (Retd) Imtiaz Ahmad alias Billa and accused President Asif Ali Zardari of running a Dirty Tricks Special Cell in the Presidency to slander Nawaz Sharif and other PMLN leaders. But all is not what it seems to the PMLN.

What is the objective of this “slander unit”? To cut down Nawaz Sharif’s massive popularity, says Mr Iqbal. He added to the conspiracy one more unnamed element scared of “the impending two-thirds majority that the PMLN chief would get in the next parliamentary polls”. Other gains from this evil machination are: “distraction of public attention from the huge corruption in the rental power projects and demands for Musharraf’s trial on high treason charges and undoing of the 17th Amendment”. For good measure he has added to the uncanny Army-Zardari combine inside the Presidency a third party of conspirators: the PMLQ as the front for General Musharraf who wants to avoid being punished and may want to stage a comeback by maligning the PMLN. Mr Iqbal has also claimed that his party had “hundred times more” scandals of the PPP up its sleeve, “but it followed principled politics”.

But the fact is that Brigadier Billa has squirted his allegations around indiscriminately and his victims are an all-parties affair. The PMLN should have kept quiet as it did when Rehmat Shah Afridi was allowed his moment in the sun. The TV channels are trotting Billa around to sell their time, but the man will get nowhere in the end. Mr Iqbal should have listened to Prime Minister Gilani when he said Billa was out to discredit all politicians.

The unwitting distraction offered by Billa is from the “national consensus” on hanging Musharraf. But hanging Musharraf may not be the top priority all over the world. For instance, the Friends of Democratic Pakistan, who keep us economically alive, think that the demand to “hang Musharraf” is a distraction from the more urgent task of fighting terrorism. *

Reinventing history —Dr Hasan-Askari Rizvi

The current debate in the electronic and print media on the 1992 security operation, first in rural Sindh and the then in Karachi, is not a non-partisan, fact-based study. The debate is highly polemical and divisive, which could undermine interactions among the political partiesPolitical developments in Pakistan over the last couple of weeks show that there is a deliberate attempt to reinvent history regarding the 1992 security operation in Karachi, ISI funding to anti-PPP political leaders in 1990, and Pervez Musharraf’s trial for high treason. This is being done against the backdrop of the “minus one, two or all” formulas and the stories about dubious American presence in and around Islamabad.The key issue is why these stories are being re-told. Is the aim to search for the truth or are these narratives meant to demonstrate how the army/intelligence agencies can manipulate and buy off politicians?Perhaps some retired officers want their role as history-makers acknowledged, as none of them seems to regret the fact that they helped undermine democracy and caused distortions in politics and society. These stories may also aim to divide political leaders and parties by reminding them of their ‘free-for-all’ struggle for power during the 1990s civilian interlude between the Zia and Musharraf military governments.The past is relevant to the present and the future if history is examined in a dispassionate, comprehensive and non-partisan manner to understand historical processes in their proper contexts.Many political groups adopt the ‘pick and chose’ approach towards history to justify the on-going political expediency. Those wanting to dominate the present and the future often want to control the past in order to justify their current agendas.The current debate in the electronic and print media on the 1992 security operation, first in rural Sindh and the then in Karachi, is not a non-partisan, fact-based study. The debate is highly polemical and divisive, which could undermine interactions among the political parties whose role is crucial to the smooth functioning of the on-going political order.There is nothing new in the information on the ISI funding some anti-PPP political leaders prior to the 1990 general elections. Its details are on record at least since June 1996, when the then Director General ISI submitted an affidavit to the Supreme Court. This issue is being revived thirteen years later ostensibly to add to the current political controversies. Most political leaders denied accepting any money from the ISI when their names became public in 1996. They are not expected to change their position now. However, the revival of the issue engages the attention of political leaders of all kinds.The third issue dominating the current political discourse is the prosecution of General Pervez Musharraf for high treason under Article 6 of the constitution in light of the Supreme Court judgement of July 31, 2009. The PMLN is spearheading the campaign for the trial of Musharraf, although it is clear to its leadership that they are not going to succeed. The Jama’at-e Islami is also championing this cause. The Jamiat-e Ahle-e Hadees (another Islamic party) and Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehrik-e Insaf are also supporting a trial of Musharraf.This issue has polarised the political forces. The PMLN and the JI are using this issue to build pressure on the PPP-led government at the federal level. The PMLN and the MQM are engaging in polemical exchanges on the issue as well, because the MQM is opposed to the PMLN proposal for the trial of Musharraf.The ‘minus one, two or all’ formulas for removal of top people in the government have evoked interest in political quarters. Some would like to see Asif Ali Zardari removed from power, while others would prefer the entire PPP government to be removed. This is being coupled with a propaganda campaign about increased corruption in various government agencies; and some are going to the extent of accusing people in and around the presidency of involvement in shady financial deals.It would be interesting to track the source of these ‘minus’ proposals. If they were floated by some political circles opposed to President Zardari, there is not much to worry about; they can be described as part of the polemical debate between the government and some elements in the opposition. However, it becomes a serious matter if some elements in the ISI or the MI have directly floated the proposal or encouraged some political elements to do so. That could have serious implications for the future of the political system.On top of all this is the issue of expansion of the American embassy in Islamabad, including the presence of some American troops. A section of the media, along with Islamic political parties and circles, has described this as the setting up of an American military outpost that would be a challenge to Pakistan’s sovereignty. This debate, based less on facts and more on emotions, deflects attention away from Pakistan’s current acute problems and increases political pressure on the government.The simultaneous surfacing of these five issues does not appear to be accidental. It is a planned effort to divide and fragment political forces. The underlying idea is to divide them so sharply that they are no longer in a position to work together.The major political parties have shown much restraint in their interactions after the February 2008 elections. Despite their differences and complaints against each other, they have not resorted to free-for-all war against each other because they now recognise that unrestrained competition would uproot the democratic experiment, and all of them would lose to religious extremists and the military-bureaucratic elite.If the dynamics of the current effort to reinvent the conflicts of the 1990s is not fully appreciated by the political forces, they will fall into the trap of those who have no stake in the present system or want to weaken it to wrest the political initiative. It is interesting that the 1990 ISI funding and the 1992 episode are being reinvented though retired army/intelligence officers who could hardly be sympathetic to the present-day political leadership.The experience of the 1990s suggests that all minus-prime minister formulas were implemented with the blessings of the army chief, and prior to the removal, stories of corruption and mismanagement appeared in the press.If the minus one or all formula does not have the blessing of the army/intelligence agencies, there is nothing to worry about, because such formulas cannot be implemented without their support. If the formulas have the blessings of some elements in the army and its intelligence agencies, this reflects a shift in the orientation of the top brass from professionalism to cautious dabbling in politics. It would be unfortunate if some elements have started toying with such an idea because, under the present circumstances, the military will be confronted with a more complex situation, compromising its capacity to counter terrorism.

Dr Hasan-Askari Rizvi is a political and defence analyst!!

PML-N wants Musharraf, Kayani tried under Article 6

PML-N wants Musharraf, Kayani tried under Article 6

LAHORE: The PML-N wants the trial of former president Pervez Musharraf and all his abettors, including then ISI DG and present COAS Gen Ashfaq Kayani, under Article 6 of the constitution, a private TV channel reported. Talking to the channel, PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif’s spokesman Zaeem Qadri said the PML-N wanted the trial of Musharraf’s aides for abetting his unconstitutional actions. Asked if that meant trying Gen Kayani as well, Qadri said Kayani fell under the category of Musharraf’s aides as he had also seconded Musharraf’s actions in his capacity as the ISI chief. daily times monitor

"Smokers’ Corner: Democracy’s last stand"

During the tail-end of the first Benazir Bhutto government, a series of ads stormed the pages of the leading newspapers. These were professionally designed ‘anti-corruption’ ads pinpointing the areas where they claimed the Bhutto government was involved in practising fraud.
The ads were said to be released by ‘concerned citizens’, even though soon it became clear that it was the work of a bunch of businessmen, industrialists and Ziaul Haq loyalists in the ISI and the media. Even though there is evidence to prove this — starting with the confession of the former ISI chief, Hamid Gul, that his agency bankrolled the anti-PPP political alliance, the Islami Jamhoori Ithehad (IJI) in 1988 — there was also evidence to show that the first Benazir government was marred by corruption.
However, those bemoaning corruption at the time forgot to mention, rather purposefully, that corruption was very much part and parcel of the legacy left behind by the 11-year dictatorship. The Benazir regime’s main failing was not corruption alone; it was more its failure to put into practice policies that could have checked and neutralised the deep-seated culture of corruption it had inherited.
The press, due to the dictatorship’s many curbs, was left fighting dictatorship on a more macro, ideological level; the relative freedom that it got after Zia’s death made it go all micro now that it was able to name names. The press was right in doing so as the watchdog of society, but what was missed in the process was the fact that corruption scandals that suddenly erupted in newspapers and magazines were really not broken by objective reporters.
This was the beginning of a dangerous trend in which only those journalists who were said to have had dubious connections with intelligence agencies were able to get the best of most crackling stories—a practice that still holds true. Again, evidence is ripe, but it is also true that though much of the rancour was aimed at the two Benazir Bhutto governments, backed by the opposition led by Nawaz Sharif and the Jamat-i-Islami, it came back to bite Sharif himself during his second stint as prime minister.
By 1999 counter-democratic forces — politicised intelligence agencies and their lackeys in the industrialist/ business communities, political clergy and sections of the media — seemed to have decided that they had built the ground for democracy’s toppling, good enough to even send their once darling democrat, Nawaz Sharif, packing and bring back the normative fold of dictatorship.
A sudden eruption again in the media (mostly electronic) of various incidents of corruption (though not always incorrect), and a new set of buzzwords echoing in drawing-rooms, such as ‘minus-one formula,’ is reflective of the itch felt by counter-democracy forces. The electronic media has become explosively popular. However, it has yet to really come of age. It remains somewhat anarchic and thus continues to offer windows of opportunities to elements reflecting frustration among sections of society that refuse to tolerate even a year of populist democracy.
Funny thing is, for a year since the 2008 elections, these elements were cheering their former client, Nawaz Sharif, but since his reaction to the stinging he got in 1999 still seems to be fresh, suddenly he too has now come under the fold of the ‘eternally corrupt’ and ‘incompetent’ right, alongside President Zardari and Prime Minister Gilani. No matter how loud the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly shouts, there is no doubt that the Sharif brothers now believe that they too are on the same boat as Zardari and Gilani, and indeed the ANP and MQM.
What is being ignored by the cynics is that, perhaps for the first time ever, nearly all democratic parties in parliament are on the same page as far as their understanding of Pakistan’s recent political history is concerned. This is owing to their understanding that each one of them will be a loser when certain counter-democratic moves are set afoot by exploiting the differences and grudges among them.
This is a refreshing phenomenon. It can be the main spoiler for counter-democratic forces bouncing between non-parliamentary parties and individuals, even patronising certain media men in their desperate move to send democracy packing — because the system breeds corruption.
Rational observers must remind themselves that there will be corruption, scandals, some good things and disasters during a lifetime of a democratic set-up. Action in this respect should be reformist not Bonapartist. Criticism should not bear the tone of a demagogue advocating government’s toppling, but that of a conscientious reformist.
The final decision must be left with voters. Let them decide when the time comes who or what was good or bad. The public’s right to effect change must not be handed over to a loud group of journalists, intelligence agencies, politicians with little following, mullahs and businessmen.

Written by Nadeem F. Paracha (SOURCE: DAWN).

Reform package for NAs receives wide applause
	Saturday, 29 Aug, 2009 11:13 pm
GILGIT : People across Gilgit-Baltistan including public representatives, ulema, notables, political leaders and intellectuals have widely welcomed the new Gilgit Baltistan Empowerment and Self Governance Order, 2009. The high-powered Committee under the chairmanship of Minister for Kashmir and Northern Areas (KANA) prepared the reforms package to provide autonomy to the area. Syed Mehdi Shah President PPP Gilgit Baltistan, Haji Fida Muhammad Nashad Member NAs Assembly Raja Jalal Hussain, Chairman District council Skardu, Ahmad Ali Chairman Municipal Committee Skardu said the package would go a long way in development and empowerment of people of the area. Senior Parliamentarian of Gilgit-Baltistan Haji Fida Mohammad Nashad expressed satisfaction over the package, saying it was a landmark decision that would swiftly address the grievances of the public in this region. Talking to APP, Haji Fida Mohammad Nashad, who is also the parliamentary leader of PML-Q in Northern Areas Legislative Assembly, said it was a longstanding demand of the people of the area, which was fulfilled by the present government. While senior politician and President PPP District Gilgit, Mohammad Mosa congratulated the people of Gilgit-Baltistan and thanked the federal government for the historic decision. Talking to APP, he said the package was prepared after lengthy consultations with all stakeholders and it was fulfilling all requirements of the area. He said as a result of the package the area would enjoy autonomy and an independent judiciary and would protect fundamental rights of the people. He said it was only Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) takes care of the people of Gilgit-Baltistan because it took always revolutionary decisions in the history of the area. He said all the major improvements for Northern Areas were made during the period of PPP including the first Northern Areas Council Legal Framework Order 1974-75 by Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and further democratisation through Northern Areas Legal Framework Order 1994 by Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto. Addressing a big gathering of notables, workers of PPP here at Shaheed Chowk, former MNA Legislative Assembly and President Peoples Party Astore District, Muhammad Naseer Khan hailed the federal government for announcing the package for the Gilgit-Baltistan region. He said that the people of this region had been deprived since long of their due rights, but today’s announcement of the present government, had proved that it was a democratic government and sincere for the progress and prosperity of the people of this area. A member Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly, leader Muslim Leaque-Q, Dr Muzafar Railey and MNA Nasrullah Khan while talking to APP here said that the decision of the provincial like set up taken by PPP government, has won the hearts and minds of the people of this region. The President Muslim Leaque-N and former MNA Legislative Assembly, NAs Mahboob Ali Khan while talking about the decision said: “We expressed the hope that the announcement would prove helpful for the people of the area.” According to the order’s salient features, the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly will formulate its own Rules of Procedures, while legislation on various subjects pertinent to governance will be done by the Council and Assembly in their respective jurisdiction. The area would be given full rights as Azad Jammu and Kashmir, however it could not be given provincial status as per the Constitution. The Order has fifteen major parts, while the new name of Northern Areas of Pakistan shall be Gilgit-Baltistan as proposed under Article-2(f). There shall be a Governor of Gilgit-Baltistan as proposed under Article-20 and shall be appointed by the President of Pakistan. Till the election of the new legislative Assembly, Federal Minister for KANA will act as the Governor. The chief minister will be elected by the Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly, who will be assisted by six ministers. There shall be a provision of two advisors to the Chief Minister. The Legislative assembly will have directly elected 24 members, besides six women and three technocrats seats. The decision will empower the Gilgit-Baltistan Council and Assembly to make laws. The subject under which the Assembly shall now have power to make law has increased from 49 to 61 while the Council shall have 55 subjects. To empower the Council and the Assembly on financial matters, there shall be a Council Consolidated Fund under article 54, and Gilgit-Baltistan Consolidated Fund under article 55. Regarding annual budget, he said a detailed item-wise budget shall be presented before the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly as being practiced in Pakistan and shall be accordingly voted upon as suggested in Article 56. The Chief Judge of Supreme Appellate Court shall be appointed by the Chairman of the Council on the Advice of the Governor and other Judges shall be appointed by the Chairman on the Advice of Governor after seeking views of the Chief Judge. The Chief Judge and Judges of the Chief Court shall be appointed by the Chairman of the Council on the advice of the Governor on the same pattern as it is being practiced in AJK. The number of judges had been increased from three to five. The tenure of the present judges of the Supreme Judiciary has been protected in the draft. Another step forward to empower the people of the areas, is the establishment of Gilgit-Baltistan Public Service Commission and Gilgit-Baltistan Services under Article-80 and 81. Auditor General Gilgit-Baltistan will be appointed by the Governor on the advice of Council as the case in AJK. There shall be a Chief Election Commissioner under Article-82 as well as Auditor General besides emergency provisions under article-83 and 87 respectively.

Province-like admin structure approved for NAs. Thank you, PPP.

Long live democracy, long live PPP. Historical reforms for the Northern Areas of Pakistan approved by the PPP Government.

Province-like admin structure approved for NAs

ISLAMABAD: The province-like administration structure has been approved in federal cabinet with Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani in chair, Geo News reported Saturday.

Addressing a press conference flanked by Federal Information Minister Qamaruz Zaman Kaira, he said 15-member administrative council will see about the matters of Northern Areas; the council will choose the chief minister.

The PM said a committee has been constituted for the Northern Areas, adding all the stakeholders have been taken in confidence on Gilgit-Baltistan Empowerment Act.

Previously, it was Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) that worked for Northern Areas, the PM said.

The Northern Areas, renamed in cabinet meeting as Gilgit-Baltistan will have a Chief Minister and six ministers along with three technocrat seats and two women seats, he informed.

The cabinet of Gilgit-Baltistan will approve their budget; however, the federation will appoint the governor.

He said Auditor General and election Commissioner would be appointed in Gilgit-Baltistan.

Commenting on secrets unfolded by former military officers, he said these statements should lead us to question why these today’s speakers kept silent for that long period, adding, ‘We want to abolish 17th amendment and 58-2B.’

‘We want harmony in powers of President and Prime Minister..and all the national institutions including military are working in their deputed jurisdiction,’ he added.

Cabinet to approve NA reforms tommorow

I would like appreciate the gesture of Federal Government to finally approve this very important legislation and thank God, the Miniser for Kashmir and Northern Area is no more viceroy of Gilgit and Baltistan.

Cabinet to approve NAs reforms tomorrow

Friday, August 28, 2009 By our correspondent ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has approved proposals for political and administrative measures for the Northern Areas to give the special status with appointment of governor, chief minister and converting its Legislative Council into Assembly. The decision was taken at a meeting of the committee on Northern Areas Governance Order held under the chairmanship of the prime minister here on Thursday.Sources said a special meeting of the federal cabinet has been summoned on Saturday to give the final approval to the Northern Areas Governance Order. According to sources, under the proposed administrative measures for the Northern Areas, the president will appoint the governor on the advice of the prime minister while the Legislative Assembly will elect the Chief Minister. Sources said the Council of the Northern Areas would also be established and the prime minister would be its chairman.The legislative Assembly will consists of 36 members, 24 would be elected directly, while seven seats each reserved for the technocrats and women. Sources said the issue would be taken up in the special cabinet meeting and after getting its nod; the presidential ordinance will be issued to give a special status to Northern Areas.The meeting was attended by Federal Minister for Information & Broadcasting and KANA, Qamar Zaman Kaira; Federal Minister for Labour & Manpower, Syed Khurshid Ahmad Shah, Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Dr Zaheer-ud-Din Babar Awan; Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Nawabzada Malik Amad Khan; Minister of State for Law & Justice, Mohammad Afzal Sandhu; Minister of State for Finance and Economic Affairs, Hina Rabbani Khar and Secretaries Interior and KANA.

(The News)

PML-N shamelessly reludes direct rejection of taking money from ISI and avoid seeking apology from the nation.

PML-N not to step back from its ‘principled stand’ despite propaganda: Ahsan

LAHORE: Central Information Secretary of Pakistan Muslim Leagu-N Ahsan Iqbal on Friday said that his party will not step back from its principled stand regarding former president Pervez Musharraf’s trial and repeal of 17th amendment despite all the propaganda against the PML-N and Mian Nawaz Sharif.

Addressing a press conference, Ahsan Iqbal said PML-N would not hesitate to go for the extreme step of launching another long march to push for its demands.

“The propaganda was initiated against Muslim League on its demand for holding Musharraf accountable,” he maintained, adding “fifteen years old fictitious stories and dead characters in renewed shape are being presented again.”

To a question, Ahsan Iqbal eluded direct rejection of taking money from the ISI and avoided seeking apology from the nation, saying PML-N has already sought apology for its past mistakes through Charter of Democracy (CoD) in 2006.

Ahsan Iqbal said PML-N can come up with 100 times serious allegations which will be based on facts, but it is not doing so for stability of democracy in the country.

Brigader Imtiaz "get Nawaz" consipracy

A recent flurry of interviews to TV channels by ex-ISI operative and ex-IB chief Brigadier (Retd) Imtiaz Ahmad Billa — at his urging — has caused discomfort in a lot of quarters. Brig Billa’s “disclosures” are flying in all directions, indicating that the old spy has once again not employed his brains while strategising his public appearances after having languished in jail for eight years.

Brig Billa has turned out to be the proverbial loose cannon. In fact, if someone wants to give an example of how a not too well intellectually endowed person can shoot all over the place, he is the perfect reference. Known for his loyalty to the PMLN leader Mr Nawaz Sharif, he has criminally mistimed his “absolution” of the MQM from the Jinnahpur charge at a time when the PMLN was crossing swords with the MQM in parliament.

Clearing himself of the role he played in Operation Midnight Jackals against the PPP government, he has offended ex-army chief Aslam Beg and ex-ISI chief Hamid Gul too. Both had painstakingly removed from themselves the stigma of having toppled an elected government when the people are being told by Brig Billa that they had put him up to it. In a TV discussion he has admitted that he was “partly” wrong in hating the PPP government!

He thought the Jinnahpur “disclosure” would not go against “his leader” Mr Sharif, but it has done exactly that. Tuesday night, on a TV discussion, he actually had a spat with Khwaja Muhammad Asif of the PMLN and ended up threatening him with public disclosures about Mr Asif’s person.

In the course of the discussion that followed, Brig Billa ended up blackening the name of the ISI too. Tough verdicts were passed on ISI officers who were a permanent danger to democracy because their view of state security was an in-house concept that had nothing to do with the security of the people of Pakistan.

Brigadier (Retd) Imtiaz Ahmad Billa has caused a ‘get Nawaz’ conspiracy theory to raise its head. If this is not what he wanted — and we don’t know the truth — he has done exactly that because of his lack of intellectual gifts. God save us if there are more like him in the army. (Daily Times)

Ex-ISI officials come out with new versions on MQM operation

Daily Times Monitor

LAHORE: Former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) officer Major (r) Nadeem Dar claimed on Wednesday he had recovered maps of Jinnahpur from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) headquarters, a private TV channel reported. Meanwhile, former ISI director general Lt Gen Asad Durrani told another private channel then president Ghulam Ishaq Khan had ordered an end to the military operation against the MQM to deny political mileage to the Pakistan People’s Party.

Dar told the channel he had personally recovered the Jinnahpur maps from Nine-Zero during the 1992 military operation in Karachi. This contradicts claims by Brigadier (r) Imtiaz, who had claimed that he had informed then premier Nawaz Sharif there were no maps of Jinnahpur. Separately, Durrani told a channel the government was informed about every step of the military operation against the MQM. He claimed the MQM-Haqiqi had also supported the military in the operation. He alleged the 1992 military operation had been launched for ulterior motives and Jinnahpur had been used as a scapegoat. (Daily Times)

...

Fazl-e-Hussain article in Daily Nawaiwaqt on the 1992 Karachi Operation against MQM:

...

Editorial :Revisitng Mehrangate :hating the PPP

The national media is revisiting Mehrangate, involving bribes paid by the ISI under the then army chief, General Aslam Beg, in 1990 for the creation of the Islami Jamhoori Ittehad (IJI) to foreclose the possibility of the PPP again coming to power after its dismissal by President Ghulam Ishaq Khan.

What has triggered this new media interest in Mehrangate is the latest statement by the former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Justice (Retd) Saeeduzzaman Siddiqi that no one among the recipient politicians had denied receiving the bribe. The debate has also been given a fillip by revelations made by the ex-ISI officer and ex-IB chief, Imtiaz Ahmad, about how the army had interfered in, and damaged, the democratic process in Pakistan.

The whole affair started when the PPP’s General (Retd) Naseerullah Babar told the National Assembly in 1994 how the ISI had disbursed funds among politicians to manipulate the 1990 elections, form the IJI, and bring about the defeat of the PPP.

At the summit of power, President Ghulam Ishaq Khan was providing the legal cover. It is his name which was mentioned at the Supreme Court as the Chief Executive who ordered the disbursement.In 1996, Air Marshal Asghar Khan petitioned the Supreme Court against ex-army chief General Mirza Aslam Beg, ex-ISI chief Lt General Asad Durrani, and Younus Habib of Habib Bank and then Mehran Bank, concerning “the criminal distribution of the people’s money for political purposes”.

When the Supreme Court proceeded with the case General Asad Durrani submitted the famous affidavit containing names of the “recipients”.That list is now being brandished on TV channels. From the “best prime minister”, the “best leader of a religious party” to the “most popular political leader in the country”, everyone figures on it. In some cases the sums are so small that it seems ridiculous that our politicians can sell themselves so cheaply. Why should the generals stay put if the lure of “interference” is uncontested by any social and moral restraint? The generals already had power and made money; the politicians wanted power to make money.

Writing in Daily Times (January 22, 2006) columnist Ardeshir Cowasjee revealed a large number of disbursements made from Mehran Bank to General Aslam Beg and his organisation FRIENDS. This was actually a bank account sheet provided to the Court during its initial hearings by General Naseerullah Babar. It also included the fee General Beg had to pay to the lawyer who defended him in a case of contempt against the Supreme Court earlier.

Brigadier (Retd) Imtiaz Ahmad has confessed on a TV channel to having hated the PPP on the basis of his institution’s sense of “national security”. Ms Benazir Bhutto has already revealed in her memoirs how she was not allowed to rule under the Constitution and how General Beg had warned her away from Afghanistan and India policies handled by the army through the ISI. (Extrapolating from the de facto situation, Justice (Retd) Siddiqi was compelled to say on Wednesday that the ISI was a military organisation which should be separated from the civilian government.)

The Mehrangate case is still pending at the Supreme Court. The revelations are tonic for us today as we confront the task of understanding what Pakistan has become over the years. But the TV channels too must draw correct lessons from the information being regurgitated. Is the PPP still a “hated” party? Political accountability is an imperative that the PPP must submit to at all times, but “hatred” of the PPP is not a fair emotion on the basis of which to judge an elected government. Aslam Beg is still good for sound bytes if the PPP has to be pilloried for being an American or Indian “lackey”.

Quoted in Nawa-e-Waqt (August 24, 2009) Gen Aslam Beg said that America used Gen Musharraf against the Taliban, later it bought Baitullah Mehsud, Sufi Muhammad and Ajmal Kasab to fulfil its designs in the region. Is this a fair comment to publish? During a discussion on a TV channel about his handling of Pakistan’s nuclear programme, he defiantly advocated the policy of “outsourcing” the programme.With the passage of time, this mismatch between the thinking of our retired top brass and the survival of the state is becoming clear. We should be careful what lessons we draw from the Mehrangate scandal. *
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2009\08\28\story_28-8-2009_pg3_1

Judicial Revolution of Pakistan: Facts, Fantasy and Farce!

“It’s a victory of justice” these were the magical words that PML-N’s MP Miss Shumaila Rana uttered outside the LHC . Miss Rana was accused of credit card theft and was caught in act of crime by the CCTV whose footage was shown on national TV. I guess those words really define our society today, it is victory for someone but the question is , can it be called a victory for Justice?
Can present judiciary make unbiased decisions especially in the cases of those who supported the cause of old PCO judges [these honourable judges took oath under PCO issued by General Pervez Musharaf when he dismissed the right wing bonapartist regime of Mr Nawaz Sharif and legalized his martial law, gave him the power to rule the country in uniform and to amend the constitution at his will and after first restoration allowed him to contest the presidential election in uniform] like lawyers and political parties.Let us take the case of Justice Khalil-ur-Rehman Ramday his brother the former attorney general of Pakistan an sitting MPA of PML-N from Toba Tek Singh his son (Raza Farooq) was made attorney general of Punjab against the established criteria of competency and skill just for his and his family’s time tested affiliation with the Sharifs .
Can we expect the justice when uncle is a Judge with political views, [right wing] nephew Attorney general and father former attorney general and now a very important MP of party in power. To find out an answer thankfully we don’t have to search hard. Justice Ramaday had answered that in one of his many television interviews [ A practice which itself is deplorable in British judicial tradition from which our judicial system has evolved] he said, “I never gave a judgment against Asif Ali Zardari because my brother then the Attorney general was defending Nawaz Sharif government.” I have a problem with that Mr Ramaday because justice delayed is justice denied, isn’t? If you were so sure Mr Asif Ali Zardari has done something wrong you should have convicted him

under the law. When you were not giving decisions in cases of Mr Asif Ali Zardari to prove the twisted logic of your impartiality, you were in fact hindering his release and his bail. Mr Asif Ali Zardari spent 11 years in prison without being convicted setting a record in judicial persecution. It was not you impartiality your honour, ill beg to say that the truth is you never did that because it was not in the script that Saif-ur-Rehman had written. The plan was never to fight corruption , or to serve justice, rather it was to delay justice, to drag the cases for long time to keep Asif Ali Zaradari in jail during the prime of his married life to break the will of Ms Benazir Bhutto, to continue a media trial of Bhutto-Zardari family , to destroy their popularity hence finish the PPP.The cases were fake and weak and you never would wanted to give your judgment and your brother was buying time from your respected court for his brilliant colleague Mr Saifur Rehman to manhandle and torture Mr Zardari , so that he breaks, either divorce Ms Bhutto or accept the allegations of massive corruption. [Mr Asif Ali Zardari was tortured in custody without any intervention from the courts, in one instance his tongue was slit using a sharp object, his also suffered a permanent spine injury due to torture]
He was kept in prison for 11 year to break him so that either he divorces

BB or accept the allegation, but he stood firm, when the Sharif family ran away from the country like cowards , Mr Nizami of Nawa-e-waqat, one of the worse enemy of Bhuttos called Asif Ali Zardari Merd-e-Hur.you can’t deny that Sharifs are enjoying full support of judiciary in Punjab. Recently magistrates were appointed by Punjab government the appointment criteria was political support of PML-N, this was the clear violation of new judicial policy but no court acted. All the laws and morality comes into play only when PPP is involved, there is a lot of hue and cry against “jiyala judges” but when it comes to judges who are sympathizers of PML and JI not a single word is uttered.
The Pundits in Islamabad are already talking about regime change and “minus one” formula in Islamabad.Why Benazir and Asif Ali Zardari are not acceptable? The roots of it lies in the structure of Pakistani state, which have been called a “National Security State”.
The reason is BB was not part of national security state the idea which civil-military bureaucracy had carried forward since our first war with India in 1948. BB was termed as a threat to national security. Now let us determine theory of national security state.• India is our enemy number one.• America will give us funds, so that we remain a national security state because its in our interest and if we serve American interest its not problem as long India remains our enemy.
Now let analyze internal factors which protects national security state .
Military ,intelligence agencies , courts ,religious parties and right wing media they roughly form what left wing analyst use to call “establishment” whose meaning has been distorted by the channel mafia. I remember in recent television interview of Mr Majid Nizami [editor and own of Nawa-e-waqt group one of the leading media business houses of Pakistan which controls Urdu and English news papers and a television channel ]was saying we can never be friend with India and we should not waste our time we should fire our all nuclear weapons towards India . what worse can happen in the process we are already dying because India has stopped our water supply. A similar Media Pundit, Mr Javed Chaudhary always concludes his popular programme by saying “we can never be friends with India”.
Coming back to our original discussion why BB was a threat to a national security state .Reason number one she never considered India as enemy number one , her first state visit to India was first step towards normalization and thankfully Mr Rajiv Gandhi also rose to the occasion and acted very sensibly . This was a direct threat from BB to national security state because the whole Idea of national security state revolves around India (enemy ) .Agencies never accepted BB olive branch towards India . Her first government was dismissed , her role in normalization and her meeting with Mr Gandhi was part of the charge sheet along with the allegation of appointing great Urdu poetess Fehmida Riaz, the “Indian agent” in minister of culture. One of the first act of Mr Sharif’s government was to confiscate Miss Raiz’s passport and persecute her.
Now we are left with role of judiciary in protecting national security state. BB’s government was overthrown on charges of corruption and judiciary endorsed that decision but the decision was different for Mr Sharif whose government was one of the most corrupt and repressive.
The Chief Justice which restored Sharif’s government was Nasim Hassan Shah, one of the judges who hanged Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. He later confessed on tv , that his decision was flawed and motivated by anger.
His decision to restore Sharif’s government was hailed as a “judicial revolution” which destroyed the “doctrine of necessity” for ever. What happened after that is history
Forget about all this, General Hameed Gul on national television had said BB was a threat to national security so he created IJI and funded it till the end.
Now one IB chief Breg Imtiaz made stunning confessions on TV which proves that the establishment itself created ethnic tensions in Karachi by creating the stunt of “Jinnah Pur”. This led to brutal military operation, the ethnic hatred it created still is burning Karachi. This shows how far this state can go for its security objective, even if it means to kill its own people.
So now we come to present situation president is not going to dissolve assemblies , the government of Pakistan Peoples Party despite all the propaganda and ill faith about it which exist in the Urban chattering classes has shown remarkable progress. Some things must be mentioned which this government achieved
1) It sent Pervez Musharraf home
2) Faced with the worse global economic meltdown whose scale and effect was unmatched in human history , Peoples Party government didnt let the country collapse. Not a single bank or big corporation sank in Pakistan.
3) This government was able to defeat Right wing on war against Taliban, its strategy of signing Nizam-e-Adel exposed Taliban and its supporters and for the first time public opinion in Pakistan shifted in support of war against Taliban
4) After Mumbai attacks, its was soley due to presence of democratic PPP government that India showed restraint. A war was avoided.
5) Benazir Income Support programme, may be inefficient and riddled with errors but it has sowed the roots of a welfare state in Pakistan. After 30 years of Neo Liberalization PPP government once again put the concept of “responsibility of state towards the poor” back on agenda. It is a great achievement.
This government cannot be defeated by political means, a martial law is practically impossible, establishment’s hope are on Yousaf Reza Gilani to persuade him to become the next Farooq Legari. I hope he will not follow his footsteps esp looking at his political fate. If this card fails they have only one card left. Its the judiciaryOnly judiciary can protect our national security state and they are in a position to bring down this government. Judiciary’s recent decisions on Nawaz Sharif and Hafiz Saeed have reaffirmed their comittment to the ideology of “national security state”.
if pakistaan and india becomes friends then from where army and intelligence agencies will loose all their strength. One needs to read Dr Ayesha Siddiqa’s landmark book to understand the real character of Pakistan Army
Pakistan cannot afford to live in illusions, the judiciary must understand that it should not try to control the democratic regime. It has to show impartiality which unfortunately is not visible any more!

Xeno is a Lahore based student of Engineering, his interests includes politics and history and he is a supporter of Pakistan Peoples Party!