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Taking stock of May 1
We cannot pretend to sleep peacefully at night since those whose job it is to guard us seem to be failing.
ayesha.siddiqa@tribune.com.pk
September 6, 1965 — senior army officers in Pakistan slept as Indian troops rolled towards the Lahore border. Fast-forward and we have senior Pakistani generals apparently asleep while American SEALs launch an operation in Abbottabad. This also happened when the US fired its Tomahawk missiles in the 1990s on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. This latest incident drives one lesson home: We cannot pretend to sleep peacefully at night since those whose job it is to guard us seem to be failing.
There are two concerns regarding what happened on May 1, both of which are not heartening. The first issue pertains to the ISPR’s claim that bin Laden’s presence was just a case of intelligence failure. This is extremely worrying, since Abu Farraj alLibbi was captured from Abbottabad in 2003 and Indonesian terrorist Umar Patek in early 2011. So how come the intelligence agencies lost sight of this garrison town? Surely any intelligence agency can make errors of judgement but then there is a process of the government auditing such military incompetence. In Pakistan’s case, there is little possibility of that. In fact, the military is engaged in creating a narrative which is biased in its favour. Three recent publications, Pakistan: Beyond the Crisis State, edited by Maleeha Lodhi, Javed Jabbar’s Pakistan — Unique origins; Unique destiny? and Anatol Lieven’s Pakistan: A Hard Country present the military as the only efficient institution of the state. Now we know that this is not the case.
The other concern is: What if this was not a case of failure but a result of the military’s overall bias for appeasing militant non-state actors? These concerns cannot be redressed through simple measures such as someone in the military resigning. This requires a serious audit of what happened. For those who will get jittery at the idea and imagine that this suggestion is some foreign conspiracy, the fact is that organisations only survive through accountability and transparency.
There is a need for questioning the manner in which intelligence agencies conduct their business, for instance. Although the army chief has ordered an inquiry, we know what usually is the outcome of such inquiries. A fair inquiry requires a neutral setting, which means that this is a time for another neutral report like the Hamoodur Rehman Commission report which should inquire into the matter and be bound to declare its results within a certain time frame, and do so publicly. Another necessary step is for the government to initiate another white paper on the working of the defence sector, with the objective of bringing about critical changes in the military. The last time any restructuring was done in the defence sector was during the 1970s when we saw the reaction of a fairly strong ministry of defence and the Joint Chiefs of Staffs Committee (JCSC). Unfortunately, the imposition of the third martial law by Ziaul Haq in 1977 nipped the institutional restructuring in the bud. The JCSC was created in 1976 but the Zia government turned it into a mere post office rather than a critical institution in the military hierarchy. The white paper on defence should be the work of practitioners and experts from the non-government sector.
Furthermore, the government should also think of instituting a performance audit of the military as is done by the American General Accounting Office or by the Canadian Audit department. It is important for the state to develop benchmarks against which to access the military’s performance. It is important to note that the military extracts huge amounts of national resources from the state in the form of the defence budget or perks and privileges for its personnel. We are told that the various housing schemes, grant of agriculture land and other businesses are to ensure quality of services by the armed forces. The May 1 incident raises doubts about the above claim.
It is the first time after 1972 that the civilian government has an opportunity to question the unlimited powers of the defence establishment. There is a need to partner with other political actors, especially the PML-N, which may be keen to reign in the armed forces, to create a mechanism for disciplining the institution. The fact is that if the political forces won’t do it now, they may never get another opportunity again.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 8th, 2011.
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Reader Comments (48)
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All these inquiries by the military and the GOP will come to naught. The US Government is in no hurry to punish the Pak Army/ISI for whatever they have done. Why? Because the USG has taken an unspoken decision that Pakistan is a temporary entity that will implode sonner or later. The easy way to keep control over “Strategic Assets” is to keep the Pak Army in de-facto power and keep them under the thumb of the US Military/CIA until the inevitable happens. And when it does, there will be swift action by Stealth Forces to remove those “Assets” or at least the sharp end of those “Assets.”
It is far cheaper and less messy to deal with the one center of power that is guaranteed to deliver in the short term than to get into the cesspit of Pakistani politics for the longer term.
So in coming days, Pasha (as we already know) will head to DC and there will be “high level” visits to Pak; military to military contacts; much hand wringing but ultimately it will be status quo ante. Pretend that the Abbotabad snatch and grab was a dry run for the real thing.Recommend
The Abbottabad debacle is far more serious than you have stated. Pakistan’s military – the biggest devourer of the national budget – has failed the 180 million people of the country who have been deprived of education, health and housing as the scarce resources were siphoned off for “defence” purposes. Yes, it is the right of the people to find out the truth, and heads should roll not at the subedar-major level but the ones wearing red-ribboned peak caps. A quick enquiry should be conducted by an independent commission and the findings – unlike those of the Hamood-ur-Rahman Commission – should be made public. Over the years the military has been involved in toppling civilian governments and playing a Machiavellian role in domestic politics. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto – who had his own flaws – was judicially murdered at the behest of the military. Musharraff has now run away from the country after reducing it to bankruptcy and is making foolish statements from abroad. Zardari, Nawaz Sharif, Yusuf Raza Gilani all make trips to Europe as if the distance there was shorter than the distance between the Military Academy in Kakul and the safe-house provided to Osama. Kayani and Shuja Pasha – two indispensable strategists serving on extension – are either not in control of the steering wheel OR in bed with the Taliban. And last but not least, the Foreign Secretary – brother of the Naval Chief – is shamlessly using the pulpit of his office to defend the failure of the military while the Defence Minister has chosen to be silent.Recommend
Great piece.
Other countries have an army. The Pakistan army has a country.
I commend the writer in exposing the highly corrupt nature of this institution.Recommend
In regards too: We are told that the various housing schemes, grant of agriculture land and other businesses are to ensure quality of services by the armed forces. Well to be fair, thats only for the officers. The jawaans dont really get plots in DHA’s now do they? Only the officer class, senior officer class even “deserve them” because the vast majority of the military, comprising of NCO’s sacrifices dont match up to those of the “5 o clock see you at the gold course” officer cadre.
And why do they need to be given plots and agri land to insure quality beyond their pay and pension? I though they all were real Pakistani’s, with patriotism “flowing through their blood”?Recommend
Flawed argument!!!
Why start with 1965? Indians marched in the wee hours as they wanted breakfast in Lahore! They somehow never got there. The nation can be proud of its 1965-Army and question it for May 1. We mustnt confuse the successes with the failures.Recommend
CiviLian government is losing a good opportunity to bring Army and ISI under it’s command.if it changes both the heads business with US will not be Affected much and re look at the entire policy is possible.Recommend
Excellent analysis of the scenario facing Pakistan. Pakistani Foreign Secretary has already declared Osama Bin Laden as history! He obviously thinks there is no need for any questioning or analysis of the situation. A pitiful situation for the country!Recommend
None of my coments have been approved. Are you only approving the jingoist ones?Recommend
1971- East Pakistan was surrendered.
1999- Kargil operation brought utter humiliation and shame to Pakistan.
However, the armed forces excel at rewarding themselves with zar and zameen, in urban and rural Pakistan and script the political actors to play the political games.
Maybe they should test fire a missile (of course capable of carrying a nuclear warhead) to divert public attention.Recommend
Bravo Ayesha!Recommend
Will military allow the politicians to intervene ? Are the politicians in pakistan daring enough to question the performance of military junta ?(If they do so, it is only lip service.) It is only possible when military decides to restructure itself and let politicians do everything necessary for restructuring and reshaping the military. The only way to discipline the army is to make them held answerable to the civilians .Efficient civilian control by the honest ,forthright and people having forward-looking approach can make the institution capable enough to safeguard the geographical boundaries of pakistan diligently.Recommend
Fully endorse Ayesha Siddiqa’s recipe for reigning in the mindset that forced Jinnah to remind our Armed Forces their oath of office at the Staff College Quetta and to effectively counter what Bhutto so insightfully described as coup-gemony in his If I am Assassinated.
Ever since the hanging of ZAB the principle of civilian supremacy has been gang-raped by the defence establishment, fake civil society and the maadar pidar azad media. It’s high time we woke up to the menace of Bonapartism lurking behind rampant religious militancy both scratching one another’s back that strengthens a narrative against parliamentary democracy, civil rights and secular polity almost sub-consciously.
I would very strongly urge all well meaning bloggers, analysts and intellectuals to trigger off a national discourse that thoroughly discusses the following fateful events in our history:
Objectives Resolution vis a vis Jinnah’s famous address of 11 August 1947.
The role of judiciary in endorsing the Four military coup de tat’s.
Operation Gibralter.
The Fall of Dhaka and the Hamoodur Rehman Commission Report.
The assassination of Liaquat AK and BB.
Operation Black Horse
Operation Midnight Jackals
The Ojhri Camp disaster
The Strategic Depth paradigm vis a vis Pakistan’s role in the breakup of USSR and the ongoing War on Terror.
Kargil
The Balochistan and FATA issuesRecommend
one thing to clear that Abu Faraj was arrested in Mardan not at Abbotabad……….100% agree with the writer guards need to keep their eyes on the walls of the house not on resources and take over places……..but sorry there is no one to only talk with Army in explanation manners.Recommend
Completely agree, our political leadership has to step up, or stop whining, no one is going to hand them things on a platter.Recommend
Pakistan’s Army being held to accountability? Stop dreaming, please. Far stronger political governments have floundered in seizing much easier chances of doing so in the wake of greater military debacles – e.g. 1971; 1999.Recommend
Simply amazed at the suggestion it is like insinuating something sane in the rotten heads.”No Exit”Recommend
ZA Bhutto missed the opportunity. Zardari needs to avail this very narrow but a golden opportunity and stand tall as one who stood up for democracy & liberty, not to underscore the fact that all his sins (of commission & ommission) shall stand absolved.
President should fire the ISI Chief, demand resignation from COAS, dismiss the PM and announce free and fair elections.
— he may or may not succeed but will go down in history. OR be a scoundrel and take the easier route and tie the know with the devil and patch up with ISI & Military and let the country rot.Recommend
Brilliant writer. I liked your article, which you published in Indian news paper a few days ago.
But, I feel extreme pity for people like you, because your intelligence, analysis are hardly ever used by your government. They might read you people, but never take any lessons. Too bad for Pakistan.Recommend
@Sam
Pakistan launched Operation Gibraltar in July-August 1965 which consisted of infiltrating 8000 commandos and civilians in Kashmir. On 1st September, 1965 our army launched Operation Grandslam in which 12th Division aimed at capturing Akhnur; the operation failed due to a ridiculous change of command. Fighter aircraft from both sides started engaging each other by 1st September. On 30th August, a report by DG ISI Brigadier Riaz identified the location of Indian 1st Armored Division but General Musa took no action. Arshad Hussain, our Ambassador in India, messaged through Turkish Ambassador in India about imminent Indian plans to attack Pakistan. On 4th September, the GHQ sent a warning to all formations of an Indian attack. Due to ambiguity and use of non-military language, the warning was ignored by 10th Division deployed at Lahore. In fact, the 10th division hosted a football match on 5th. And when Indian attack came on 6th, the boys were deep asleep. Lahore was saved by the resolve of few low level officers, PAF and clumsy delays by the Indians. But perhaps the decisive factor was the little BRB canal which proved to be an ‘insurmountable barrier’ for the Indians. Both armies were equally pathetic and their offensive operations miserably failed.
We started the war and expected that the operations would remain restricted to Kashmir, but the Indians widened the theater by attacking Lahore and Sialkot. We failed to achieve our objectives and therefore lost the war.Recommend
excellent article, The pakistani people should follow the foot prints of arab demonstrators by rising against the role of Pakistan army in state affairs and it is a good opourtunity for Political leadership and people to exploit the weakness and incompetency of intllegence agencies and army after the operation against Osama bin Laden but unfortunatly the security establishment is trying to confuse the people by activating its most reliabale ally pakistani media where so-called analyst like Zaid Hamid and pro security establishment experts are spreading conspiracy theories. I think this is time for the world democratic powers , political leadership and people of pakistan to decide to cut the wings of security establishment and decide that pakistan is a state where people and parliment decides as what is in the national interest of pakistan and its nighbours.it is time to decide whether pakistan is a theocratic state of MUMTAZ QADRI or Democratic state.untill and unless pakistani establishment is running the affairs of state the internal and external threats wouldl remain and increased.Recommend
If the civilian Govt. will do as asked here then who will make quiet the zayed Hamid, Munnwar hussain, gen Hamid Gul Imran khan and Punjab”s so-called nazarya e pakistan lovers, including PML N, that its against the state , pro american and India. The will surely come out of their holes with millions of allegations to prove that they are anti state. The anchors will get a golden chance to sell their programmes here. nothing can be done here as we are a confused and polarised nation with own t interests.Recommend
Nothing of sort you wrote in your article would happen. They will kill President and PM or takeover before even government planned to take action against generals. Establishments proxies in media have already started propaganda against government to shift blame from military Generals.Recommend
While the army slept in 1965 and May 1; the politicians slept in 1971. Consequently it led to Dhaka debacle. Pakistan’s erstwhile force multiplier was lost for ever. Where were the opinion makers, bureaucrats, writers, etc.then? Some intellectuals are on record saying, “We couldn’t understand what was going on” What an apology.Recommend
Nicely written we endorse it.Recommend
This is the power of President and the media was stood behind their president.
“President Barack Obama sacked his loose-lipped Afghanistan commander Wednesday, a seismic shift for the U.S. military order in wartime, and chose the familiar, admired — and tightly disciplined — Gen. David Petraeus to replace him. Petraeus, architect of the Iraq war turnaround, was once again to take hands-on leadership of a troubled war effort.”
Can the media could play its positive role towards the democratic government?
What had happened in the case to give ISI Chief under the civilian Government whereas in the whole world it is under the civilian? How many political parties and so called anchors backed this decision?Recommend
@Irshad Salim: Sir I think the media the politicians and so-called civil society today also sleeping; do they have any clue what is going on in Baluchistan today?Recommend
`hahah it must be eid for youRecommend
I believe in the shared culture and traditions of India and Pakistan and I have respect for the people there. I have a question-how long can Pakistan sustain this life with a trepidation of unrest? Why can’t the religious leaders (there being only one religion) take the lead in telling the simple people that peace after all is the goal of the world as a whole and we must not fall prey to big power’s tactical strategies?Recommend
very ambitious agenda ayesha,we still are looking for our first ever peaceful completion of a term of govt and change in govt by vote power which very basic and simple criterion for democracy leave alone auditing THEM.Recommend
The unfortunate part in our country is that there are some people/government departments that are above any accountability.
The core reason is that during several military interventions in the country, democratic institutions were weakened and thus democratic institutions and ordinary citizens were made accountable to military establishment.
I haven’t seen in the history of Pakistan that any military or military-related institutions have ever been made accountable by the civilian government.
The fact remain that “men at their best” were not performing their duties honestly and diligently, rather they were more inclined to be called superior comparing to civilian people. We need change their thinking that after the incident of May 01/02, 2011of Abbottabad, they are no more superior people then the civilians.
How can one expect from the single track people to do politics back and forth like the civilians who are in majority in Pakistan.
Unless the small group of people will not come out from the superiority complex, I don’t think that we can put things at the right track. We need to reinforce the democratic institutions so that such negligence should not be repeated time and again.
It is just the beginning of Obama-Osama episode after 05/01. Please wait and see how things will take place with the passage of the time. In fact time will speak itself.Recommend
I would’ve supported reining in the army but unfortunately our polity is so corrupt that we’ll opt for the military to keep a check on it than vice versa, any day. It is Pakistan’s misfortune that those at our helm of affairs are more concerned about personal riches than national enrichment. Even our common folk has sold itself to personal gains. No one wants to pay taxes or have respect for the rule of law. All those crying for a revolution do not understand one simple fact that empty rhetoric has never made any difference whatsoever. There seem to be no solution to myriad of problems confronting our country. This country shall continue to be run of de facto basis and then one day it will be plunged into an abyss of civil war. Pakistan will not disintegrate nor will it change, for the simple reason that we don’t have anyone of weight to bring about a change, either negative or positive. Its a very depressing situation but there seems to be no antidot.Recommend
@ Abdur Rahman
This military establishment is committed to robbing the 180 million people of Pakistan of their basic needs and spend it on expensive equipment that does not in any way make the generals less impotent. Shame! People of Pakistan should rise and free themselves from these hostage-takers. How can the military be talking about strategic depth issues in Afghanistan? It has also sabotaged any serious effort to solve problems with India as it did by giving a short-shrift to Vajpayee’s visit to Lahore and then launching the foolish Kargil adventure soon thereafter. Generals, Air Marshals and Admirals your days are numbered.Recommend
@Sam:
Because, Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army, Field Marshall Cariappa was ordered to stop forward movement.
Follow the link and take looks at the neutral assessments:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indo-PakistaniWarof_1965Recommend
Madam,
You speak of the Homodoor–ur-Rehman commission report as an example but that was never published.
We will never learn the truth.Recommend
Nice article – however I would observe that your military doesn’t report to your civilian govt – it just tolerates it. Further – whether by design or otherwise most of the complaints one reads about the military are not based on permitting terrorist to operate in Pakistan – it’s about their inability to stop American’s from violating perceived sovereignty – those types of argument are precisely what the military wants – gives them further justification for upgrading arms.Recommend
Nicely written we endorse it.Recommend
another Hamoodur Rehman Commission? you mean sweeping it under the rug?Recommend
u cant sleep because those at guard seemingly fail..had u been in jammu and Kashmir,Bosnia,Egypt,Congo i would have asked you what are the sleepless nights…but typically journalism: writing for the sake of writing…no understanding of the consequences…..
the generals slept in 65…?? …y didn’t they have the tea in gymkhana then??
civilian govt has an opportunity….. whatever impression u take from maleeha lodhi etc……your baseless propaganda appears as if these are two rival establishments seeking to surpass eachother….please be responsible while representing a crisis-ed nation on international level…come out of your luxury villas to take the original stock rather than piling up on what others have written and propagated..!!Recommend
BrilliantRecommend
@Shock Horror:
Agree. It is like a ostrich burying it’s head in sand, remember the trial on a TV show of AQ Khan by Mr President Musharraf.Recommend
In joint US-Pak intelligence operation; Pakistan picked some 20 Al-Qaida top elites; US after finding just one head Osama has gone mad, over-joyous for killing him and secretly swishing his body away only to dump it in the sea.
But for the hundreds of Conspiracy theories surrounding 9/11 attack and subsequent Bush hegemonic War against Terror that people call it a phoney war in which millions in Middle east, Afghanistan and Pakistan are killed;—- the only witness to all this; Osama Bin Laden has very conveniently been silenced.
Ironically; pictures showing Osama’s demise and burial are not being published but statement of his young wife Amal is circulated to prove that; Seal team 6 killed not a frail, ailing Osama but a potent terroristRecommend
@Nasrat Baloch: I agree with you 100 percent…Recommend
If both Gilani and Zardari are caught saying to US Authorities that do whatever it takes for drone attacks or any of your tasks for that matter; we will not block you. However we will dramatize in Parliament for few days and then forget about it…
Considering such ruling elite to which our Armed Forces report; what do we expect of them? Give go-ahead to Air Chief to strike back against choppers violating Pak Air Space? or direct Chief to do whatever it takes to destroy unwanted guests…?Recommend
@Capt Waqas
For last 11 years armed forces were not reporting to civilian leaders. How much shame they earned during Musharaf’s period? Who are are defending to pass blame on civilians? Certainly, shamelessness is a blessing!Recommend
ya now we going to separat the army from pol……..Recommend
@Waqas
Give go-ahead to Air Chief to strike back against choppers violating Pak Air Space? or direct Chief to do whatever it takes to destroy unwanted guests…?
Are you really trying to say that Generals of Pakistan Army act only when ordered to so by the ‘civilian government’.
That Field Marshal Ayub Khan assumed Presidentship of Pakistan as he was directed to do so.And his operation Gibraltar misadventure was also ordered by the ‘bloody civilians’.
Or Yahya created murder and mayhem in East Pakistan because he was forced to.
And Zia was following Bhutto’s orders when he hanged him.
And Nawaz first ordered Kargil and having failed there asked Musharraf to depose him and put him in jail before exile.
If the Generals can do all this without the approval of civil authority, why are they shying away from crushing the unwanted guests camping in North Waziristan. Incidentally, the guests were given a free run of Waziristan by ‘President’ Gen Musharraf.Recommend
Ms. Ayesha Sadiqa, Abu Faraj Al Libbi was captured from MARDAN on 2nd May, 2005 (more than 250 kms away from Abbottabad). Please correct, and update your article.Recommend
@ehabs: “Other countries have an army. The Pakistan army has a country.”
Great line.
Politicians are elected by people; generals are selected. So, the politicians can have power only if the public is behind them. Otherwise, they are powerless.
I am sure the civilian government leaders know what to do, but can they do it? Will the masses support them?
So, there is no point in blaming them as Pakistanis, in general, are not bothered about it. They have been brainwashed thoroughly by the mullahs and their conspiracy theorists. The change has to come from the bottom, form you all. From your history books. From digesting the facts regardless of how bitter they may taste.
As united India, we all did it once. I hate to say this, but the Bangladeshis did it too. The Egyptians have done it. Libyans are in the process. Why not the Pakistanis?
But if you keep waiting for some one to put a bell around the cat’s neck, that’s not going to happen as the system will destroy anyone who dares to do it.
One more thing. Has anyone compared the relationships between Bangladesh and India vs East Pakistan and India? It is very possible that after Pakistan goes through this ‘cleansing’ process, India and Pakistan will enjoy a similar (much better) relationship. Won’t that be wonderful!!!Recommend