“As if things are heading towards a collision course General Kayani the Army Chief postponed his tour of UK and General Wyen (name deliberately mis-spelled) the CJCSC deferred his planned visit to Canada. However the fact remains that these people visit foreign lands at least once a month to have fun, shopping and some sight-seeing.
However, with zero credibility the security establishment this time around has miserably failed to mobilize the masses. The common man is fed up with the shenanigans, the noise and fury and the hollow slogans emanating from those who denied that Pakistan army did not intrude into Kargil, Ajmal Kasab was a Pakistani, and Osama was in Pakistan. “
On Raymond Davis
Raymond Davis, who got away with double murder. His family, who now have their loved one back. The CIA, whose operative is now back in business. The US State Department which had a big stake in the whole issue. Pakistan’s Foreign Office which was in a fix being unable to tow a particular line on the issue of immunity. Lahore police.The higher and lower courts. The Federal and Provincial Governments. The families of Faizan and Faheem who got 20 crore rupees plus two visas each. Senator John Kerry whose efforts bore fruit. The ISI whose chief got a one year extension and probably immunity from appearing in an American court. The GHQ which would now be getting US military assistance plus lots of bucks without any further delay.<——-Waseem Altaf’s aside on Pakistan Army
His Viewpoint is full of Anti-Army Venom-who is paying him to write anti-armed forces trash?
Breach
‘Critical’ areas ‘breached’ by Mr. Haqqani and his ‘boss’: inquiry into the Abbotabad incident, the indication that a primarily civilian ‘National Security Team’ would be constituted, and finally, the affirmation of the closure of directorate ‘S’ of the ISI
Presently, every endemic problem this country is facing can be traced to the military’s complete dominance over policy formulation in all critical areas, having a direct bearing on this country and its inhabitants.
From terrorism to insurgency to obscurantism to militancy to a flawed foreign policy to missing persons to an inflated defense budget at the cost of all other productive sectors are areas having roots in the ‘National Security Doctrine’ constructed, defined, protected and promoted by the military.
Any attempt by any civilian government to ‘breach’ the ‘National Security Doctrine’ is viewed by the military as a hostile act against the national interest (read military’s interest) and is countered by actions ranging from soft warnings to a full- fledged military coup.
The ‘threat perception’ by the military is independent of the performance of the government and its past conduct as regards the military; and may lead to the inevitable viz derailment of the political process.
After the completion of the Hamood-ur-Rahman Commission Report in 1974, Bhutto not only set aside all its recommendations against the Generals, he also ordered the destruction of the entire Report; only to be toppled and hanged a few years later.
Benazir accepted all the terms dictated by the army in 1988; only to be deposed two years later.
In 1999 Nawaz Sharif brokered a deal involving the Americans to rescue the Pak army units trapped in Kargil; only to be dethroned and incarcerated eight months later.
The present government has accepted every demand made by the army; from enhancing the salary package (grant of special allowance equal to double the basic salary) to overlooking the GHQ, Mahran and Abbotabad debacles only to be embroiled in the ‘Memogate’.
As amply proven by history, pleasure of the generals never guarantees stability and security. Hence the mindset that capitulating to the military would ensure the continuation of the constitutional term has never been a viable option in the past.
As we trace the roots of military dominance, we find that Pakistan inherited a ragtag crowd of corrupt political elite whose internal rifts and continuous infighting resulted in the military’s increased role in policy making and finally imposition of martial law with the army coming to the forefront.
As the army directly ruled Pakistan for 33 long years, prolonged military rule in Pakistan strengthened the men in uniform to such an extent that any democratically elected government which came into power found it almost impossible to ignore the sensibilities of the generals. Hence they continued to influence policy formulation in all key areas.
There are red areas which no civilian is allowed to cross over. However, if trespassed, would always lead to loss of seat of power in Islamabad.
Following are the key areas where the army would continue to exercise its complete monopoly:-
The military’s primary interest revolves around the protection and advancement of its professional and corporate interests, based on the self-defined ‘National Security Doctrine’. As long as any civilian government ensures that these critical areas would not be infringed upon, it continues to survive. The army immediately comes into action and the 111 Brigade, based in Rawalpindi is mobilized the moment any ‘threat’ real or imagined is perceived by the generals.
Presently the army controls the nuclear policy and the nuclear assets. The President who happens to be the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces cannot have any access to sensitive info. The policy towards India is another vital area where army has almost complete hegemony { Mr.Altaf is deeply disturbed, about army keeping an eye on India policy. Mr.altaf will not go to the battle field to fight India, Pak Army will}, as no government can improve relations with India unilaterally. Currently the Afghan policy and Pakistan’s relations with the USA and its NATO allies are also being governed by guidelines dictated by the Pakistan army.
The military is also keenly interested in procurement of equipment with foreign policy implications and does not want any civilian government to have a say in this process.
Ministry of Defense is completely taken over by the Military. (Secretary Defense defied his Minister and the PM, but could not be replaced). The Secretary Defense is a retired general and looks after the interests of the military. No civilian authority can have a say in the promotions, transfers and other professional matters of the military (Remember what happened when Nawaz Sharif replaced Musharraf).
The military decides on the amount it wants as defense budget and no civilian authority is authorized any oversight of the releases, let alone any reduction in defense spending.
The military officers, as a result of perks and privileges which the service guarantees and preoccupation with lucrative positions have accumulated huge assets which they want to secure and hence do not want any accountability on any forum(NAB can nab the Prime Minister but not a serving Captain).
As the army does not allow the civilian leadership to bring about a change in its foreign policy, lately it has completely taken over the Foreign Office. (The CJCSC and DGI both participated in the conference of Pakistan’s envoys held on 12-13 Dec, 2011 in Islamabad).This shows the military’s involvement in a purely civilian domain.
Dr. Abdul Hafeez Sheikh, the Finance Minister is a nominee of the Pakistan army and ensures that whatever amount is demanded by the military is handed over without any loss of time.
The primary reasons for the military’s ‘annoyance’ with the present government are certain ‘critical’ areas ‘breached’ by Mr. Haqqani and his ‘boss’.
First of all, assuring the Americans of an independent inquiry into the Abbotabad incident and how OBL managed to live in a garrison town for six long years.
And further assurance that anybody found guilty of involvement in the incident would be taken to task regardless of the fact whether he is a civilian or belonging to the military.
Secondly, the guarantee that all terrorists operating within Pakistan would be either captured or killed.
Thirdly, the indication that a primarily civilian ‘National Security Team’ would be constituted to ensure that a framework is in place guaranteeing the safety of the nuclear assets.
Finally, the affirmation of the closure of directorate ‘S’ of the ISI which deals with the ‘management’ of ISI’s proxies and undercover agents operating inside Afghanistan, and lastly the institution of an independent inquiry into the Mumbai incident, are two other killer proposals which have distressed our military.
The reason why the military has not toppled the democratic dispensation so far is lack of collaboration from the opposition parties (primarily PML(N)), Superior Judiciary’s refusal to validate the military action after the coup d’état and strained relations with the US.
However any such extra-constitutional act in the name of ‘National Security’ cannot be ruled out as and when the military decides that the time has come to ‘move in’.
At present, the military is drawing 5 billion dollars, annually, from the national kitty, with expenditures having no parliamentary oversight. A large part of the job assigned to the army has also been outsourced to the lashkars in the tribal areas. Similarlyjihadi groups have been thoroughly trained and funded out of non-auditable funds to act not only against India but also Afghanistan and Western forces within Afghanistan.
Meanwhile the mammoth corporate army flourishes over a dying political economy.
Another anti-Army Column
Outsource defense of Pakistan -by Waseem Altaf
It is now proven beyond doubt, after Sunday’s incident at PNS Mehran that after years of meddling into matters which do not relate to them, our so called valiant armed forces have been rendered, completely neutralized to take on any threat emanating not from a professional army but a bunch of novice yet highly motivated extremists.
On October 10th 2009,four terrorists attacked GHQ,the nerve center of Pak army and killed several including two high value targets,a brigadier and a Lt.Colonel.On 5th June 1993,on a peace mission in Somalia,24 Pakistani soldiers were killed and 44 injured at the hands of Somalian National Alliance,a ragtag militia,many of its members do not actually know how to hold a gun.On August 23rd 2010,three captured militants overpowered their guards in Peshawar and then engaged in a 10-hour gun battle.
A couple of years back it also happened that some blindfolded and handcuffed Taliban prisoners who were being brought in an army vehicle in FATA,overpowered their armed captors,snatched their guns and killed many of them before escaping from the scene.
Remember I am not referring to our military’s performance against the professional Indian army in 47-48,65,71,85,and 99,which is a history of infamy.Here we are talking about a couple of extremists who have destroyed two PC-3 Orion surveillance aircraft and badly damaged several others of various types by the use of RPG’s.
While I write this around 12 engineers including Chinese are being held hostage in a 3-story building at the naval air base.
The spokesman for the navy has said that it was not security breach,as they entered into the base area because it was night time.What an explanation,the terrorists should have tried to enter during daytime and see what our security guards do?
It is reported that the naval commandos,marines,army and the rangers have launched a joint operation and soon it would be over.It is 6.30 AM.Eight hours have lapsed and there is no end in sight.
I think it is high time we earnestly consider outsourcing defense to a professional army.The defense forces of Iran,Bangadesh or Sri Lanka can be considered for the job.
Meanwhile our own workforce,some 5.50,000 can be sent to the surplus pool,or their skills can be utilized in making bakery items, corn flakes,bangles and artificial jewellery, ladies nightwear and undergarments for both men and women.
Rogue in the service of rogues: Waseem Altaf
During the first tenure of Mian Mohammad Nawaz Sharif, he was the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly. An ordinary advocate from Rawalpindi, his rise in politics coincided with the enhancement of his wealth. A miscreant by nature, he was out of politics for several years, when he suddenly resurfaced.
This was 1992 when he as Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly took offense to a road accident and insulted a retired Lt.Colonel who complained to General Asif Nawaz, the then COAS, who sent military policewhich arrested his men and thoroughly smashed his land cruiser. He was declared persona non grata and his entry in cantonment limits was banned. Later PM Nawaz Sharif intervened on his behalf and assured the General that he would apologize and requested the COAS to grant him a meeting.
The following day he reached GHQ at the appointed time and was made to wait for hours on a damaged chair, outside the office of the Army Chief. Finally he was called in. Asif Nawaz had his baton in his hand and was putting on his cap indicating that he was about to leave. Holding up his baton he said “if you misbehave with an army officer again ye danda…………..”(some crisp vernaculars followed)
However he was spared of:
a) Swats with an army belt on his bare bottom.
b) Boot licking of NCO’s and other ranks.
c) Head shave and whitewash.
Since he was deeply indebted to the army for not subjecting him to the above and wanted to return the favor, on the front page of JANG of 9th May 2011 in a huge advertisement, the veteran rogue enlightens the people ofPakistan by declaring the following:
“Are we not intentionally or unintentionally following the agenda of the enemies of Pakistan by ridiculing the Army and the ISI?”
Ostensibly imbued with altruistic feelings a veteran rogue has come to the rescue of veteran rogues!!!
The psychological operations are effectively employed by the GHQ generally targeting their own people. The Abbotabad debacle is a case in point. No less a person than the Army Chief himself held meetings with media persons and advised them to toe a particular line. Having army’s complete monopoly over patriotism and national security the media persons were asked in the name of patriotism and national honor to eulogize and glorify the so called accomplishments of the military. Presently a large number of columnists are focusing on the failure and incompetence of the civilian government, whereas the fact remains that all matters relevant to defense and foreign policy and to a great extent even finance, are now the sole jurisdiction of the army. Presently a number of journalists and editors give preference to the statements coming from the army over those emanating from the Information Ministry. The operational wing of the army i.e. the ISPR, apart from ISI, is now quite a sophisticated machine having established different wings like one dealing with private TV channels, another with FM stations and yet another with print media. So on and so forth. The media is also given a clear policy line. Like they are not supposed to highlight the missing persons in Baluchistan and no coverage of mutilated bodies found in Baluchistan is allowed.
Ahmad Qureshi is a young, smart and educated journalist who runs a network of lies directly from the GHQ. On the other end of the spectrum is Mohammad Saleh Zaafir, aged and crude with questionable qualifications, yet a diehard spokesman for the ISI and the military.
Talat Hussain, once a respected media person has also been completely exposed. He is the one who in his program denied that Ajmal Qasab and his associates had anything to do with Pakistan and everything what happened in Mumbai was staged by the Indian establishment. Similarly a few days back in his program on “Dawn TV”, he was trying to create doubts about the US operation in Abbotabad by raising silly questions, like the compound in Abbotabad had a shabby look and could not belong to the billionaire Osama. Talat Hussain has recently purchased a house in street 73 I-8/3,Islamabad , estimated to be above 6 crore rupees. So far sources are not known.
Columnists like Hassan Nisar are all out to divert everybody’s attention towards the Indian threat and the military exercises being held in Rajasthan desert. All his guns face the civilian leadership whereas any word on the actual monopolists of our defense and security is a no-fly zone for him and his likes. Abbas Ather has taken a weird stance by denying whatever happened on 9/11 and 1/5 at Abbotabad.
South Asian Strategic Stability Institute (SASSI) is an Islamabad- and London-based think tank rumored to be sponsored by the security establishment. Its Director General Maria Sultan is readily available to defend the military’s goof ups and its interests on electronic as well as print media whenever the need arises which does arise so very frequently.
The ISI regularly gives directions to the media moguls and editors as to which news is to be downplayed and which is to be twisted and highlighted. Look how the media was manipulated when the army did not like the disbursement of funds under the Kerry Lugar Bill. The ISPR violating all norms of the constitution issued a policy statement, and a number of media persons came forward to criticize the American government. All what the Americans wanted was the placement of an audit system over the military assistance they were offering.
The fake Wikileak story highlighting factionalism in Indian army and accusing India of sponsoring militant groups is yet another example of how our short sighted intelligence operatives tried to fabricate and flash nonsense through the Jang group. The story was leaked to the media by one Mohsin Beg who had his own dubious news agency by the name of Online.
Who funds such news agencies is an open secret. The newspapers of the Jang group and Express Tribune prominently splashed the story but the very next day carried apologies on their front pages.
Not only the security establishment but also the government of the day manipulates media by allocating newsprint quotas, official advertisements and disbursement of miscellaneous funds. Media persons are also bribed through official foreign tours, official pilgrimages, employments at PTV and other state owned corporations at hefty pay packages and allotment of official residences and other such incentives.
In 1990, to rid the nation of the PPP Government involved in bribery the General turned intellectual turned politician Mirza Aslam Beg directed the General turned TV analyst turned visionary Asad Durrani of the ISI to dole out Rs. 140 million of the taxpayers’ money to various individuals as bribe. The payments were made through Lt. Col Mir Akbar Ali Khan of HQ 313 Survey, Rawalpindi.
Mr. Altaf Hassan Qureshi, of Urdu digest fame, the great journalist cum sage, who wrote the serial mashraqi Pakistan say mohabbat ka zamzam beh raha hai at a time when full fledged insurgency was sweeping through Mashraqi Pakistan. The man with a red & white appearance and a proponent of Islamic renaissance received Rs. 0.5 million.
Two great champions of Islam with prominent beards, Mohammad Salahuddin of Takbeer and Mustafa Sadiq of daily Wafaq, received Rs. 0.3 and Rs. 3.3 million each. In vernacular terminology, all the maal-e haram was received as maal-e-halal.
The yaum-e-shuhada ceremony held at GHQ has been consistently aired on various TV channels to reinvigorate those special feelings of the ordinary people towards the special khakis, with Fareeha Pervez dedicating everything she has got to the shaheeds in general and ghazis in particular. On 9th May 2011, a quarter page advertisement in color appeared on the front page of daily “Jang” on behalf of veteran politician Haji Mohammad Nawaz Khokhar, currently running a Qabza group in Rawalpindi, and Islamabad. The ad read that all those ridiculing the army and the ISI were following the agenda of the enemies of Pakistan. The ad contained basic mistakes but had cost millions.
On 11th May 2011 a rally was organized in front of the parliament in Islamabad in support of the army and the ISI in which some children from government schools and a few workers of Capital Development Authority(CDA) carried placards and raised slogans in favor of the army and the ISI. The rally began at a time when Mian Nawaz Sharif was about to announce his party’s stand on the Abbotabad incident and ended when Nawaz Sharif ended his press conference. Interestingly the children did not know why they were brought to the venue and the leader of the rally a labor leader of CDA Ch.Yaseen said that he himself arranged the rally. Some of the slogans written on the placards were” We love ISI” “Pak army zindabad” and “ISI zindabad”
Chaudhary Yaseen, Haji Khusra and children of a model school chanting slogans in support of ISI would definitely raise the morale of our premier intelligence outfit.
Who paid for the costly ad and who arranged the rally is not difficult to understand.
In conclusion, the chains of repression referred to by Zamir Niazi are no more there yet the invisible ones targeting human weaknesses, stronger and more addictive have come all the way to enslave a large part of our media.
It also appears that today, armor and infantry, artillery and air defense, radars and aircraft are no more relevant as the external threat appears irrelevant to our security establishment.
Media management and manipulation, TV channels and FM stations ceremonies and rallies, eavesdropping equipment, lobbying and campaigning, psyops and propaganda comprise the new hardware and software quite relevant to our valiant armed forces for countering an internal as well as the external threat.
Analyzing Fathe mubeen
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It all started in March 1965 with Pakistani troop incursion into Runn of Kutch, a barren territory in the Indian state of Gujrat. In September 2009, Major General Mahmud Ali Durrani in a TV interview supported the Indian position that Pakistan started the “intrusions” into Indian Territory in March-April 1965
Buzdil Dushman, raat ki tareeqi, achanak hamla, Dushman kay napak azayem , Kufr aur Islam ki jang, Seesa pilai deewar BRB, Jallo, Pathankot, Halwara, Khemkaran, Chawinda, Dwarka, Tankon ki Jang, seenon pay bum, Sabz kapron walay, Sabre, Hunter, M.M Alam Major Aziz Bhatti, Malika-e-tarannum, Ghazi, Shaheed, Shikast-e-fash, Fathe mubeen is the key terminology through which the misadventure is summarized in our official jargon.
The high powered expressions and imagery is woven into self- satisfying fables and hollow jihadi rhetoric which is presumed to inspire us after 46 years and make us believe that it was a war initiated by India which we won and India lost.
For many years September 6, the defense of Pakistan day was a public holiday celebrated with great fervor, with exhibitions of military hardware and live exercises at various race course grounds’. Although this has been discontinued for some years now, public functions are still held, with special flag hoisting in some cities, change of guards, laying floral wreaths on the graves of those who died in the war and special programs on radio and TV with newspapers publishing special supplements filled with army sponsored ads and specially tailored articles engineered by the ISPR.
While it is pleasurable for many, listening to stories of great adventure, songs of Madam Nur Jehan, and ex-post facto narratives what actually happened in 1965 remains quite shrouded in mystery, barring a couple of memoirs and some independent studies which give us an insight as to what actually transpired.
No inquiry commission could ever be constituted to probe the causes and conduct of war. While fantastic jihadi rhetoric galore, let’s see what actually happened:-
Our official narrative begins with 6th of September when Indian army under the cover of darkness, crossed the international border and invaded our territory catching us completely offguard. However what happened prior to it is generally considered insignificant. However what remains significant is that we had a part-time Supreme Commander of the Armored Forces while Musa Khan, the Commander-in-Chief was a loyalist and an incompetent soldier. With this quality of leadership we went into a full scale war with a formidable foe.
It all started in March 1965 with Pakistani troop incursion into Runn of Kutch, a barren territory in the Indian state of Gujrat. In September 2009, Major General Mahmud Ali Durrani in a TV interview supported the Indian position that Pakistan started the “intrusions” into Indian Territory in March-April 1965.Emboldened by a “weak “Indian response and some minor gains in the Runn of Kuch, it was presumed that similar incursions would also work in Indian Kashmir where majority of the population would rise in revolt against the Indian forces leading to a capture of the disputed territory. Hence “Operation Gibraltar” was launched on 5thAugust when around 30,000 Pakistan army regulars disguised as Kashmiri locals infiltrated the Indian side of Kashmir. As war broke out between regular armies, Indian forces captured Haji Pir Pass, eight kilometers inside Pakistan territory. On 1stSeptember 1965 Pakistan launched “Operation Grand Slam” named after Goldfinger the James Bond movie, to capture Akhnoor a vital town inside Kashmir. However it was not a Hollywood thriller and the move failed along with “Operation Grand Slam” It is also said that right in the middle of the battle Ayub Khan withdrew command from General Akhtar Hussain Malik and gave it over to General Yahya Khan who took 30 hours to take charge which gave ample time to the Indians to regroup and consolidate their positions, hence effectively opposing an offensive led by General Yahya Khan. It is also interesting to note that the same Kashmiri populace on which our decision makers were banking for indigenous support provided the Indian security forces with vital intelligence leading to the capture and complete liquidation of the infiltrators.
As Indian forces were stressed inside Kashmir, it was imperative for India to open up a new front along the Punjab border, further south to relieve the pressure on its troops in Kashmir, a fact which Pakistan’s military leadership failed to recognize. As generally propagated that Indian attack was a total surprise, the facts speak otherwise.
On 4th September 1965, Pakistan High commissioner in New Delhi Mian Arshad Hussain sent a cipher message to Foreign Office that India was planning to launch an attack on Pakistan, yet the message was suppressed by Bhutto and Aziz Ahmad and was not submitted to the President as required under the rules.
At 4 o’clock in the morning on 6th September Ayub was informed about the Indian advance towards Lahore by an Air Force officer. General Musa Khan,the Commander-in-chief had no knowledge of the Indian offensive.
On 6th September onwards the ISPR began sending highly exaggerated and false stories to radio Pakistan. Simultaneously large bands of tribesmen from the NWFP were invited by GHQ to proceed towards Lahore border to provide support to the men on the front. The tribesmen looted whatever shops came their way along the route but the administration conveniently ignored it. These men were later repatriated as they could only fight in hilly terrain.
Early morning on the 6th of September India’s XI corps launched a three pronged attack on Lahore. To contain the enemy advance all eight bridges on the BRBD canal were blown up. Pakistan’s 11 Div however did make headway in the east by capturing Khemkaran, a village inside Indian Territory. On the night of 7th and 8th September 1965, Indian 1st corps launched attack on Sialkot on two axes. However Pakistan’s heavy artillery halted the advance. Tank battles ensued but ineffective use of armor on both sides ultimately resulted in a stalemate.
In a meeting of secretaries and GHQ representatives held on 10th September a decision was taken to examine Pakistan’s political objectives in the war and to prepare a paper; a task which should have been done prior to initiating operation Gibraltar.
In the same meeting discussion was also held as to which countries should be contacted for procurement of ammunition, spare parts, petroleum and aircraft; another task which should have been done before starting the war.
On the evening of 11th September Ayub was told by Secretary Defense that Iran and Turkey had refused to supply armor piercing ammunition. It was also found that GHQ was importing the wrong kind of ordnance i.e. highly explosive (HE), that was of no use.
The air and naval forces of both the countries did not play a strategically significant role in the 17 day war.
Pakistan’s offensive by 1st Armored Div launched on 11th September on Khemkaran proved to be a total disaster when tanks got mired in fields inundated by the Indians. The GOC had no idea that he was using old survey maps. Hence the 1st Armored Div failed to capitalize on the advances made by 11 Div, it also lost 100 tanks when the bulk of its strength was withdrawn. That was the collapse of Pakistan’s entire military strategy. The war was thus over for Pakistan.
The war ended in a stalemate, with Pakistan failing to achieve its objectives either through operation Gibraltar or Grand Slam. In the central sectors of Lahore and Sialkot, it was a military standstill. The Indian army suffered 3,000 battlefield deaths, while Pakistan suffered 3,800. The Indian army was in possession of 710 square miles of Pakistan territory while the Pakistan army held 210 square miles of Indian land. The areas occupied by India were mainly in the fertile Sialkot, Lahore and Kashmir sectors, while Pakistani land gain was primarily desert area with some territory in Chhamb sector near Kashmir in the north.
An independent study conducted by the Federal Research Division of the United States considers the war as militarily inconclusive; each side held prisoners and some territory belonging to the other. Losses were relatively heavy—on the Pakistani side, twenty aircraft, 200 tanks, and 3,800 troops. Pakistan’s army had been able to withstand Indian pressure, but a continuation of the fighting would only have led to further losses and ultimate defeat for Pakistan.
Pakistan initiated the war but gained nothing at the end despite heavy losses in men and material. It also lost its objective of occupying Kashmir. It was also proven beyond doubt that Pakistan could neither break the formidable Indian defenses nor it could carry out a lightening offensive against the Indian armed forces, plus it could not engage in a conflict for long. One of the most far reaching consequences of the war was the wide-scale economic slowdown in Pakistan. The cost of the 1965 war put an end to the impressive period of economic growth Pakistan had experienced during early 1960s. Between 1964 and 1966, Pakistan’s defense spending rose from 4.82% to 9.86% of GDP, putting tremendous strain on Pakistan’s economy. By 1970–71, defense spending comprised a whopping 55.66% of government expenditure. Another negative consequence of the war was the growing resentment against the Pakistani government in East Pakistan, particularly for West Pakistan’s obsession with Kashmir. Bengali leaders accused the Federal Government of not providing adequate security for East Pakistan during the conflict, even though large sums of money were taken from the east to finance the war for Kashmir.
We could have learned from our bluffs and blunders but the first thing we did was unpardonably criminal:-
General K. M. Arif in Khaki Shadows writes that:-
“in the immediate aftermath of the 1965 War “Pakistan suffered a loss of a different kind…Soon after the War the GHQ ordered all the formations and units of the Pakistan Army to destroy their respective war diaries and submit completed reports to this effect by a given date. This was an irreparable national loss, an intellectual suicide.”
Like every year this year also the main event to commemorate the 1965 war took place at GHQ auditorium where some glamorous artists and charged compares were specially brought from Lahore and Karachi to amuse our officer corps sitting stiff- necked, with blunt faces, occasionally appreciative and clapping when some ridiculous war story was narrated by the guests. The officers’ wives would wipe tears in their eyes as the camera zoomed in while the compares, through jihadi rhetoric try to create an atmosphere of gloom for their countrymen and then doom for the enemy.
The military officers and some select top ranking civilians together witnessed the make belief audio-visual displays of fantastic stories, songs and narratives which were later shown on PTV and all other channels repeatedly to remind us the great sacrifices of our saviors, the great adventures of 1965 war and the heroes who played their part in saving us.
The grim reality remains that countries win wars yet pay a heavy price, we lost all and paid a heavy price, countries win wars and learn lessons we lost wars and learnt nothing.
by Waseem Altaf
Pakistan lost half its navy, a quarter of its air force and a third of its army. Pakistan suffered most, with 8,000 killed and 25,000 wounded while India lost 3,000 lives and 12,000 wounded.14000 square kilometers of land was captured by the Indian army on the Western front
In most of our narratives, the Eastern Theatre during the 1971 Indo-Pak war remains the focus of our attention. This is primarily due to the magnitude and complexity of war in the East and the far-reaching consequences it had on the geo-political developments in the region. However, little has been written and known on our side as to the conduct of war on the Western front.
Apart from political factors, the Pak Army generally puts the blame of its defeat in East Pakistan to large scale Indian involvement and the role Mukti Bahini played as a guerilla force supporting the invading Indian army. However, it would be enlightening as to how it performed in the Western Theatre of operations where Pakistan army existed as an integrated military force with no threat of any sabotage or clandestine acts of hostility by an invisible enemy. ….
