There is need to establish truth commission headed by senior judge with members from civil society, a retired general.
KARACHI: This is with reference to a report in your newspaper of January 31 titled ‘Musharraf hits back at Shahid Aziz’. It is true that the Kargil operation was an ill-planned and badly executed operation that resulted in hundreds of our soldiers losing their lives. The exact number of dead and wounded was never disclosed but it should fall in the range of 4,000-5,000.
It seems that the culture in the military is more for people enhancing their careers and seeking promotions by not contesting and challenging the decisions of superiors. I say this because Lt Gen (retd) Shahid Aziz served as a most obedient servant under General (retd) Pervez Musharraf. When in uniform, officers only speak when allowed by the army chief, otherwise, they are a party to whatever he says and does. Meetings of the military top brass and discussions mean nothing to the army chief because after hearing all that his subordinates have to say, he gives his decision and no one can dare to disagree, and anyone who differs has the option to seek early retirement.
I am not here to defend General (retd) Musharraf but before commenting on army matters, senior officers should have pity on the institution that they have worked for. It is absolutely right that everything is not disclosed to all the corps commanders; only relevant people are taken into confidence. Our three-star generals should know that by disclosing such state secrets they have harmed Pakistan more than the Kargil fiasco. How can the then, prime minister Nawaz Sharif, deny that he was not informed, especially since Mushahid Hussain was mostly present at the briefings on Kargil that were given every day to the media.
This was a very costly war that saw death and destruction, therefore, there is a need to establish a truth commission headed by a senior judge with members from civil society and one senior non-controversial retired general. Most of the characters of Kargil war are alive and must be brought to justice to prevent similar misadventures from taking place in the future.
Lt Col (retd) Mukhtar Ahmed Butt
Published in The Express Tribune, February 3rd, 2013.
