Zaid hamid, indepth analysis

 By Farhat Taj...

What are we first of all: Muslim or Pakistani? Is our ultimate commitment with Pakistani citizenship or a global Muslim brotherhood? What kind of Pakistan should we aim at: a progressive multi-ethnic social democracy or some kind of medieval caliphate?
FATA continues to be
used and abused as a strategic space by the security establishment of Pakistan in violent pursuit of strategic depth in Afghanistan. In short, strategic depth means Pakistan must have a pro-Pakistan government in Afghanistan by any and all means. People of FATA have suffered more than people in any other part of Pakistan due to this policy. They dread and hate ‘strategic depth’.

Some people of FATA drew my attention towards Zaid Hamid, who, they said, is a new charm offensive of the military establishment to popularise the notion of strategic depth among the youth from affluent families in the big cities of Pakistan. He is frequently given air time by the electronic media, also an evidence that the media, especially the Urdu media, is not free and has to toe the establishment’s line in security matters. Show biz celebrities have joined him. Those who oppose the strategic depth, especially the Pakhtun, who are the biggest casualty of it, are never given so much media attention.
The main concern of the people of FATA vis-a-vis Zaid Hamid is his use of a particularly narrow interpretation of Islam that proposes a belligerent agenda for the Pakistan Army and drawing on controversial Islamic literature. Thus the authenticity of the hadiths — sayings of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) — on Ghazwa-e-Hind that he often refers to in terms of the ultimate defeat of the Indians at the hands of the Pakistan Army is highly questionable.
Zaid Hamid claims in his speeches to young people that God determines the destiny of Pakistan. Pakistan will become a grand Caliphate. Pakistan army will cut India down to the size of Sri Lanka. Pakistan will lead the entire Muslim world and its army will be deployed in Palestine, Kashmir, Chechnya and Afghanistan. The corrupt judicial system, consisting of the lawyers and the Supreme Court of Pakistan, will be replaced by an Islamic judicial system that would ensure — Taliban style — speedy and cheap justice. He claims that the current elected set up in Pakistan is implanted by the CIA and prophesies that the current rulers in Pakistan will have their dead bodies hanging on poles in Islamabad, an indirect appreciation of what the Taliban did in Afghanistan with the dead body of Dr Najibullah, the then Afghan president. He openly threatens the nationalists, especially the Pakhtun and Baloch nationalists, for their aspirations. The Taliban government in Afghanistan, he declares, was Pakistan-friendly and condemns its removal by the US in the post-9/11 attack on the country. He glorifies the biggest mass murderer of the Pakhtun — General Zia, the former dictator of Pakistan.
Judging by the obscurantist message that he communicates, Zaid Hamid does not seem to be a new invention of the establishment. He is an addition to the long list of people who have been handpicked to promote an anti-people agenda in the name of religion and hate of India, like the people from the Jamaat-e-Islami. What seems to be new is his apparent ‘tolerance’ of the ‘un-Islamic’ lifestyle of the urban youth and in this context there are some interesting discussions about Zaid Hamid on some blogs and mailing lists. One blogger writes that Zaid Hamid is using a new strategy to communicate the same old conspiracy theories to young people. The strategy is that unlike classical Islamic scholars, joining Zaid Hamid’s group does not necessarily require the youth to shed their sophisticated lifestyle and adjust to hijab, a ban on music and gender segregation. The only thing they have to do is to glorify the Pakistan Army, including its pursuit of strategic depth, and hate Jews, Americans and Indians.
A writer on one of the mailing lists argues that Zaid Hamid is a Pied Piper for our youth from the prosperous sections of Punjab who have no dreams to be proud of. Zaid Hamid sells the dreams of conquering the world, though they are nonsense, yet still work for the youth who are now caught up in an identity crisis, continues the writer. The writer understands that the fault lies with the leftist intellectuals who have lost direction by joining NGOs and leaving the anti-imperialist struggle open for people like Zaid Hamid or Imran Khan.
Zaid Hamid, in his show, sets a dangerous agenda for the youth of Pakistan; the very same youth who are living a comfortable life in poverty-stricken Pakistan. They lack any ambitions in life to give it some purpose. This lack of goals is rooted in the identity crisis being faced by the Pakistani youth. The crisis is expressed in questions like these: what are we first of all: Muslim or Pakistani? Is our ultimate commitment with Pakistani citizenship or a global Muslim brotherhood? What kind of Pakistan should we aim at: a progressive multi-ethnic social democracy or some kind of medieval caliphate?
Secondly, one has to strive very hard for ideals. If the ideal is the former (multi-ethnic social democratic Pakistan), the youth from affluent families will have to share their riches with the poor, downtrodden fellow citizens. This is very hard for this class of people, otherwise I would at least have seen them working for bringing normalcy in the shattered lives of the people of FATA, who have been living in deplorable conditions in refugee camps for over two years now. In the latter case (caliphate) they can placate their conscience by attaching themselves with the higher ideal without having to give up something from their comfortable lives. The only thing they have to do is to support the belligerent agenda of the military establishment and their poor fellow Pakistanis can go to hell. Zaid Hamid’s campaign is like opium for the young that makes them run away from reality, i.e. Pakistan is a class-based multi-ethnic society that cannot be held together with mere Islamic rhetoric and military ambitions.
What is even more dangerous is the fact that Zaid Hamid is glorifying the same Taliban that the people of FATA hold responsible for their massacre at the behest of the military establishment of Pakistan. Case in point, Jalaluddin Haqqani who occupies North Waziristan. I would invite the young fans of Zaid Hamid to take a tour of FATA, or at least FATA IDP camps in various parts of the NWFP, to observe firsthand what the Taliban and the military did to these people. I would remind the youth that people all over FATA hold the generals of the Pakistan Army more than the Taliban responsible for the death and destruction in their area. They view the Taliban — all Taliban, good, bad, Afghan or Pakistani — as a creation of the intelligence agencies of our country. How much more do the people of FATA need to sacrifice for strategic depth in Afghanistan? The never-ending human sufferings in the area could transform into widespread anti-state sentiments. The youth around Zaid Hamid must know that the current pursuit of strategic depth may turn into — as rightly described in this paper’s editorial ‘Strategic death’? (Daily Times, February 3, 2010) –’strategic death’ for Pakistan rather than securing a friendly Afghanistan.
The writer is a research fellow at the Centre for Interdisciplinary Gender Research, University of Oslo, and a member of Aryana Institute for Regional Research and Advocacy.

Zaid hamid relations with ninja Agenies

Khawer khan


Cross-posted from Let Us Build Pakistan.


Zaid Hamid’s meteoric rise and recent fall has been analyzed by a number of commentators. One aspect of his story that has been missing is Zaid Hamid’s connections to the Pakistani intelligence community. In any case, at this point it seems that the intelligence community has withdrawn its support from Zaid Hamid.


So how did it all start?


Zaid Hamid arrived on the scene as a “security analyst”, commenting on international security issues. He launched a low budget show called “Brasstacks”, named after his own security consulting business, at the fag-end of the Musharraf era.


Well placed sources close to key figures in Pakistani civilian intelligence claim that Intelligence Bearu officers were, at one point, bragging about their success with the Zaid Hamid project. There is considerable confusion regarding the actual reporting structure of IB. While officially it answers to the Prime Minister many allege that the military remains a powerful influence.


In any case IB wasn’t the only parent in the intelligence world for Zaid Hamid. Even before he got his own show, Hamid appeared on PTV with as an analysit on Ahmed Qureshi’s show. Qureshi, himself a product of Musharraf’s demise, has long thought to be linked to the ISI.


The intelligence world does not work like many people think. “Journalists” and other assets of the intelligence community are usually not on a “payroll”. Although this certainly does happen at times, what is more common is that a journalist falls under the influence of intelligence agencies that often feed the journalist with information that helps his or her career grow. While Zaid Hamid is not a journalist, he is a media personality. So it stands to reason that his links to the agencies are of a similar nature.


Nor do Pakistan’s three intelligence agencies (IB, ISI, MI) always work in unison. They are often at odds with each other and can behave like three passive aggressive housewives of a poor man.


It is in this context that Zaid Hamid was adopted, apparently collectively by IB and ISI, and promoted as a mouthpiece. While what he said was shocking to many thinking people, many have observed that what he said was usually in consonance with official state doctrine as expressed in education policy.


In an article on extremism, but not specifically Zaid Hamid, Pervez Hoodhboy quotes the National Bureau of Curriculum and Textbooks Federal Ministry of Education.


Social Studies: At the completion of Class-V, the child should be able to:


* “Acknowledge and identify forces that may be working against Pakistan.”[pg154]


* “Demonstrate by actions a belief in the fear of Allah.” [pg154]


* “Make speeches on Jihad and Shahadat (martyrdom)” [pg154]


* “Understand Hindu-Muslim differences and the resultant need for Pakistan.” [pg154]


* “India’s evil designs against Pakistan.” [pg154]


* “Be safe from rumor mongers who spread false news” [pg158]


* “Collect pictures of policemen, soldiers, and National Guards” [pg158]


* “Demonstrate respect for the leaders of Pakistan” [pg153]


If the last of these can be understood to mean the military leadership, Zaid Hamid has been hitting the nail on the head in terms of reinforcing state sponsored ideology. As always, the function of ‘state ideology’ is to promote an understanding of the world that aligns with the interests of the ruling elite. If we take a step back and actually look at what Zaid Hamid had been promoting in terms of geo-politics we see clear links with these interests. But that requires another piece, lets get back to the point…


In recent weeks we have seen the security establishment in Pakistan reposition its self in response to changes in Afghanistan. Several key leaders of the ‘Afghan Taliban’ have been arrested in Pakistan. There has been speculation that these arrests were to ensure that Pakistan has a seat at the table when U.S. Imperialism plays its final hand in Afghanistan. The anticipation is that the U.S. is stuck in an unwindable war and will be forced to take a backseat role soon, allowing “reconciable” elements of the Taliban a share in power. Apparently the Pakistani establishment has decided that it had better mediate on behalf of the Afghan Taliban. This requires that the leadership of the Taliban be in Pakistani possession. This new calculus is in sharp contradiction with Zaid Hamid’s position that the Afghan Taliban must be supported openly.


This fact coupled with the recent revelations that Zaid Hamid had misled his followers about his views on Muhammed Yousef Ali have made Hamid less of an asset and more a liability for his erstwhile masters. The intelligence world seems to have dumped Hamid.


So what indications do we have these these lovers have broken up?


A number of right-wing groups, also supported by the state, have risen up in opposition to Zaid Hamid due to his views on Mohammad Yousef Ali. If Zaid Hamid continued to enjoy the backing of the intelligence apparatus, the issue would have been handled differently. After all, Hamid’s links to Yousef were well known from the start.


More recently even ISI mouthpiece Ahmed Qureshi has been distancing himself from Hamid. On a recent note on his facebook page Qureshi writes:


“Several young Pakistanis have emailed me a link to this article and asked me if I support Mr. Zaid Hamid’s position in the current controversy over a convicted blasphemer, Yusuf Kazzab.


My answer is: No, I don’t.


This article was written in 2008 and has nothing to do with Mr. Hamid’s current positions and projects. It was a response to criticism by defeatist elements in the Pakistani media who were upset at the increase in the number of PakNationalist writers promoting a new assertive strain in Pakistan’s foreign policy and advocating a stronger stance on Pakistan’s legitimate security and strategic interests in the region.


So the context of this article is Pakistan’s policy issues. As for the current controversy, I regret to inform you that I disagree with Mr. Hamid’s position of not coming clean on the issue of the convicted blasphemer. As such, I do not support his current work and public statements relevant to this question. Mr. Hamid’s current position has resulted in an unfortunate and unnecessary confusion among young Pakistanis.


A distinction must be made between promoting Pakistani interest, which is commendable coming from anyone including Mr. Hamid, and between his personal religious views which are his own business, especially the refusal to accept Supreme Court’s verdict on a convicted blasphemer. Whatever his position, this issue has nothing to do with the pro-Pakistan movement that young Pakistanis are spearheading across Pakistan. Please keep the two separate.


This clarification is important in order not to confuse the context of my article written in 2008 – which touches on a general debate between defeatist and pro-Pakistan camps within the Pakistani media – and the current controversy.


As for TAKMEEL project, I have nothing to do with it. It’s a great idea and I know many of its organizers and supporters. They are well-intentioned and patriotic Pakistanis. But I am afraid the project has been detracted by kooky ideas and zombie theories. Any effort that turns divisive and fails to unite is more harmful than useful. Let’s hope for the best.


This comment answers several points that I have received in tens of emails and privates messages and calls over the past few days.


Don’t let unnecessary controversies and divisions stand in the way of shaping a new, storng and prosperous Pakistan in this century.”


This is a significant development since Qureshi went a step beyond distancing himself from Hamid due to the Yousef Ali controversy, and has gone so far to to refers to Hamid’s views “ kooky ideas and zombie theories.”


Zaid Hamid might still have some currency for the intelligence community, but recent signs show a clear distance between Hamid and the three wives of the poor man.


At long last, we may be closer to a time when we no longer have to say the words “intelligence” and “Zaid Hamid” in the same sentence. They never quite seemed to belong together.

Zaid hamid defends his fake prophet

                                                           

One eye master Sir Zaid hamid

Who is Zaid Zaman Hamid? Brasstacks or Yousuf Kazzab Prophecy

In the past few weeks there has been a buzz spreading around Pakistan’s digital world talking about the recent fame surrounding the TV show personality Zaid Hamid who conducts a show on TV One called Brasstacks.  It should be mentioned that brasstacks is reportedly a paid-for show which has started airing barely a few months back and has developed a very strong following amongst the masses.  Admittedly Zaid Hamid is quite eloquent in his show and is well versed in his explaining his innumerable concepts of ranging from economic terrorism by the Zionists to other such issues which are poised at him even Islamic issues
I too have been guilty of occasionally catching a glimpse of his show and did even carry his five part series on Economic Terrorism.  All seemed well until a close associate contacted me via facebook sharing his concerns about Zaid Zaman Hamid and revealed his suspicious association with Yousuf Ali, a self proclaimed prophet from Lahore in the 1990’s.  Zaid Zaman was purportedly the right hand man of Yousuf Ali and was fondly referred to as his Hazrat Ali.  Zaid Zaman was instrumental in spreading the message of prophecy far across Pakistan, to develop a large cult like following in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad mostly due to Zaid Zaman’s excellent communication skills.
Yousuf Ali had been preaching his divine revelation to his followers for quite many years when finally a handful defected and braved to testify against him in the Lahore High Court which ultimately gave Yousuf Ali, a death sentence on charges of Blasphemy.  Yousuf Ali was then confined to Kot Lakhpath jail and in 2001 was shot dead by a fellow prisoner.  Throughout the legal proceedings one witness after another testified to the fact that Zaid Zaman was a key figure in the promotion of Yousuf Ali’s Kazzab movement.  I have been told that there even does exists an analog video of Zaid Zaman standing beside Yousuf Ali while he addressed his followers in Lahore.  Somehow the fact that Zaid Zaman was a key figure in this movement is generally a foregone conclusion, as there are one too many eye witnesses and more importantly numerous had testified the fact which may even be present in the records of Lahore High Court, including Zaid Zaman’s testimony to the honorable judge, all records are securely preserved in the archives of Tahaffuz-e-Khatm-e-Nabuwwat in Karachi.
The Zaid Zaman Hamid storm actually started with the email from Naufil Shahrukh, a close friend whom I have known since 1990, the email at first in the form of a private message on Facebook but soon propagated online and published on Dictatorship Watch, verbatim
If you guys remember the Pakistan false prophet, Yousuf Ali, who was arrested and sentenced to death by the Lahore High Court and then murdered in Kot Lakhpat jail by a fellow prisoner – this guy Zaid Hamid was known as Zaid Zaman at that time and was the Khalifah of that Kazzab. Zaid is still leading that cult which belongs to the Firqah Batinyah of Sufism and they have a different aqeedah altogether which they only profess within their inner core. Many of my personal friends fell prey to his charisma in the 1990s, some of them reverted back to Hidayah and were instrumental in filing a case against Yusuf Ali which ultimately lead to his death sentence and the cult members dispersed for a few years.
The time line of events that he narrates in his letter are erringly accurate and when Naufil mentioned to me later pointing out the common friends who fell prey to this cult one does weigh in a sigh of relief to have been spared of the poison.  The most logical reason as to why our neighborhood was penetrated to such an extent can be attributed to the fact that Zaid Hamid hailed from our locality.  Off the friends who willingly embraced Yousuf Ali’s prophecy was Ryzwan Tayyab who very soon featured himself as a militant leader of the movement and after the collapse of this movement has retreated into a cocoon of severe depression irreparably damaging his family around him.  Ryzwan was also involved in actually issuing death threats to the few journalists who were critically investigating Yousuf Ali back in those days.
The resurfacing of Zaid Hamid after 15 years of hibernation is interesting, he catapults himself in 2006 as a security threat analyst frequently publishing PDF based Pakistan threat reports for a subscription fee of Rs. 25,000 but within a span of a two years mustered up enough finances to launch a self sponsored TV show which started transmission in the early months of 2008, suspiciously timed around the fall of the Pervaiz Musharraf’s regime.  The sudden shot to fame on TV is being compared to the launch of Dr. Shahid Masood’s End of Time series, which too was based on an eloquent anchor with one too many theories to present.
Off the numerous people stepping forth to expose Zaid Hamid the must read narration is of a two year email correspondence between Zaid Hamid and Abidullah Jan.  It gives an insight onto Zaid Zaman when he first started sharing his BrassTacks Security reports, slowly moving into becoming a much sought after personality.  What was interesting to read was when in the early months of 2007 Zaid Zaman approached Abidullah Jan struggling to stay afloat and requested Abid to help promote his security reports to a wider audience “I am in need of some clients to stay afloat as I am being squeezed by the government’s men for being too open and ruthless”. Zaid Hamid a few months later, after the 3rd Nov Martial Law appeared on a couple of pro-Musharraf TV shows on PTV with Ahmed Qureshi.  Then suddenly out of the blue he is able to muster up enough finances to launch a self sponsored show on TV One.  Watching a person flutter from being financially strapped and haunted by ‘government’s men’ to appearing on a pro-Musharraf show, then having catapulting into his own show seems all too suspiciously the work of some ‘hidden hands
Yousuf Ali Kazzab
If coincidence was anything to go by, I also noted that around this time emerged Zaid Hamid’s articles on a very staunch pro-Musharraf proponent Ahmed Quraishi who continues to wage an online battle with the Anti-Musharraf sect.  When today I inquisitively launched a witch hunt for Zaid Hamid on the website I was surprised to see that quite a few of Zaid Hamid’s editorials were missing for example the January 29th articleas indicated by the Google Cache] and this is not the only article missing of the series, I wonder why the sudden cover up after September 5th by Ahmed Quraishi. which should have led to the page has been removed from the website sometime after September 5th 2008 [
The only acknowledgment of any link with Yousuf Ali came from an email shared with me privately where Zaid Hamid Alhamdolillah, i have nothing to do with Yousuf or his beliefs or any other people like him.
Lest I be charged of taking this message out of context I share with you the entire section of the email so people may understand his response fully
In the last 30 years of my life, In search of truth and to study this world and its ideologies, Allah took me to many places and I met many people. I have traveled with Iranian revolution, have faught in Afghan Jihad, have gone out with Tablighi Jmaat, spent time with Jamaat Islami, have met hundreds of people including Dr. Israr, Ahmad deedat, Yusuf Islam, Anne Marrie schimmel  and so on and so forth. Have also been with sufi groups in Pakistan, Turkey, Madina and Cyprus. I have also seen the western society, its civilization from a close range. Whatever I speak and do today, is the result of these experiences in life but with the mercy of Allah, He protected his humble slaves and keeps them in His infinite mercy and guidance. He showed me the world and people, but kept me away from their harm and made me benefit from any khair they had.
I also met and studied many objectionable people who were controversial but in the end Allah kept me away from them. It was all learning experiences. Alhamdolillah, i have nothing to do with Yusuf or his beliefs or any other people like him
Though he puts forth a convincing argument but it seems yet again that he refuses to acknowledge his association with Yousuf Ali to categorically say that he has “nothing to do with Yousuf or his beliefs” is this admittance of his association or denial of the fact?
Proponents of Zaid Hamid continue to plead his innocence even today as Pakistan First blog, which has been previously labeled to have a strong pro-Musharraf tilt, shared an article by Asif Shiraz who writes Zaid Hamid: As I knew him
I first met Zaid hamid at the youthful age of 17, when the emotions were high, and the search for truth pristine and innocent. A friend had told me about Zaid Hamid, and I was anxious to meet him: I was not disappointed. Our first meeting was a blast. I enjoyed Zaid sahib’s charismatic talk on many different issues, especially his passion about Islam and his knowledge on a diverse set of subjects. Although it’s been many years now, I still remember highlights of that conversation: Quotations from Iqbal, recollection of glorious events from the lives of the Sahaba, and discussion of the relevance of having truth faith “Yaqin”. Not once on that day, nor ever afterwards in these fifteen years, have I ever heard anything from Zaid Hamid which is incongruent to ideas present in mainstream religious teachings of Ahl-e-Sunnah wal-jamaat. No mention of any “cult ideology”, and no reference to anyone claiming “prophethood” whatsoever. He is a firm believer in Khatme-e-Nabuwat and the finality of Prophet Muhammad(sm). In fact, Zaid Hamid is the only person whom I have met, who lives in a rented home, but still spends a handsome chunk of his earnings every year to pay a visit to the blessed cities of Hijaz-e-Muqaddas. It is nothing other than Zaid Hamid’s love and devotion to the Prophet(sm) that he has visited Masjid-e-Nabwi more than 10 times. After the first initial meeting, I have been in touch with Zaid Hamid off and on for many years, until I moved to Chaklala Scheme III becoming his neighbor and an even closer friend.
Asif Shiraz does admit in his article that he is now a neighbor of Zaid Hamid but surprisingly fails to disclose that he is an employee of BrassTacks as proclaimed by him in this Facebook message (Screen capture) whilst a little investigation also sheds some light that Mr. Asif Shiraz incidentally happens to be the Administrative domain contact for Zaid Hamid’s website Brasstacks.biz (screen capture)
It is sadly Asif Shiraz’s attempt to stand up for his boss only goes to discredit Zaid Zaman. To analyze Zaid Hamid’s Brasstacks TV show one should read the two articles published in The News by Fasi Zaka September 18th The Pakistan Report and on 25th September published a follow up titled Hate Speech – II
My concern here remains is that Zaid Zaman is appearing on public TV and continues to eloquently preach his  philosophy to the public at large, had if this individual remained as private entity, then we would have had no right to question his beliefs, but once he dons the public forum, then I feel it is the right of the people to know the facts.  Generally as a free society we cannot stop him from sharing his opinion with the public at large but it is our right to question his logic and any underlying issues that may tarnish his analysis as he chooses to present to the public, and in the same pretext its important to then question his association with the self proclaimed prophet  a notion strictly prohibited in the religion of Islam.
The mystery surrounding this controversy seemingly gets worse with every passing day, could it be a mere propaganda, could it be his attempt to cover up his past, or does he simply choose ignore and hopefully forget, but more importantly does he still believe in the prophecy, so many questions, all shall remain a mystery until he alone chooses to address the propaganda and clarify his position.

BBC report on yousuf ali Kazzab and his sentence

A court in the Pakistan city of Lahore has sentenced to death a Muslim spiritual leader on charges of blasphemy.
Sixty-year-old Mohammed Yusuf Ali was found guilty under the controversial blasphemy law for misguiding Muslims by presenting himself as a prophet of Islam.
He has a right to appeal in the High Court.
Mohammed Yusuf Ali has been at the centre of a religious controversy in Pakistan for the last few years.
A former army officer, Mr Ali was a cult figure for his followers, who thought he had unique spiritual powers.


General Musharraf:

General Musharraf was forced to back down
But many Islamic groups described him as an imposter who they said was working against the teachings of Islam. He was arrested about three years ago after a private complaint.
'Irrefutable evidence'
During the trial that lasted for more than a year, Mr Ali consistently denied the charges.
The judge however declared in his verdict that there was irrefutable evidence that he had tried to present himself as a prophet of Islam and under the country's blasphemy law, sentenced him to death.
He is perhaps the first Muslim in the country to have been given the death sentence under the blasphemy law, which human rights groups say has often been misused against the religious minorities.
Earlier this year, the military ruler, General Pervez Musharraf, changed the legal procedure to discourage the misuse of the blasphemy law.
But following pressure from the Islamic group, he soon took back the decision

Zaid hamid vs islamic university, what did he do after he ran away

What Zaid Hamid Did After Running Away From Islamic University

Dr. Israr exposes Sir Zaid hamid

Dr. Israr Exposing Zaid Hamid (Inside Story)

Pakistan Fascist Army


War against Democracy
The Fascist Army
Pakistan: A dream gone sour by fascist army


Nations take great pride in their armed forces. Nations cherish them and protected by them. In contrast, people of Pakistan have only suffered hardships and traumas at the hands of its own armed forces. The dream of an independent Pakistan has gone sour because of all the military generals who are acting no less than like a mafia or gang at national level. Imagine a mafia “legally” consuming more than 80% of the national resources and armed to the teeth with all kinds of weapons. The country suffered a great loss in 1971 when its own Army surrendered in shame after committing one of the worst human right crimes in history and perpetrating the holocaust of three million people who were the citizens of Pakistan. That was just the beginning.
In the last six decades Pakistan Army has transformed into an organized crime syndicate and a business mafia that occupies the country it proclaims to defend. This criminal organization is the biggest stake holder and stock holder in every big business of Pakistan by virtue of the power it has.
Pakistan military has the biggest share in Pakistan’s stock exchange. It operates commercial bank, airline, steel, cement, telecom, petroleum and energy, education, sports, health care and even chains of grocery shops and bakeries.
In short, the military’s monopoly is present in every sector of Pakistan economy. To the contrary, its performance at the professional level is zero. Instead of defending Pakistan, it has undermined the very foundations of this country. Particularly, under General Musharraf, it has bankrupted Pakistan of its ideological grounds for existence. Instead of defending its physical borders, the army that is being ranked as the seventh biggest army in the world has only brought embarrassment to the nation in the battle fields of Kargil and Dhaka. On top of that, since 2001, it has started acting like occupation force in many parts of the country. Bombing homes, mosques and schools has become a routine.

Although the military permanently remained very active behind the political scene, the criminal Generals of Pakistan betrayed the nation four times by breaking their oath and constitution and overthrowing civilian governments.
They over threw elected government and captured the power to fulfill their evil desires and to protect the interests of their imperialist masters. The Pakistani Army has played an evil role in mainstream politics throughout the history with the objective to manipulate everything to their advantage.
Even though Pakistan is a republic, the military Generals have ruled the country more than public representatives. It is because of these Generals that a people’s government could not take root in Pakistan.

The Generals of Pakistan consider themselves above every law and they take pride in disobeying orders from civilian government. It has been their practice since 1947. General Douglas Gracey, the first commander-in-chief of Pakistan Army started this tradition by disobeying orders from founder and Governor General of Pakistan, Mr. Jinnah during the first Kashmir War. Instead, Gracey sought instructions by telephone from his superior, Field Marshal Sir Claude Auchinleck, in New Delhi. Since then it has been a rule in Pakistan Army to break their oath and to take orders from outside. From Gracey to Musharraf, every last one of them used power to sabotage political process that could lead to self-rule and stability of the country. They have been serving their outsider masters instead of defending the physical and ideological borders of Pakistan.
Pakistan came into being in August 1947 but partition plan of India had been announced in June 1947. British divided national resources between two newly formed states. British army had been divided and according to this division six armored, eight artillery and eight infantry regiments formed Pakistan’s army. Division of armed forces was according to demographic division of states and 4000 officers and 15,000 soldiers, 2332 Air Force personnel and 74 air crafts were given to Pakistan that was approximately 36% of total resources. General Douglas Gracey was acting Commander-in-Chief of Pakistan Army and Field Marshal Sir Claude Auchinleck, was still Commander-in-Chief of the armies of both India and Pakistan.

Soon after the independence, US started investing in Pakistan Army to prepare an agent in South Asia to thwart Soviet ambitions and use Pakistan like a South Asian Israel. US backed every criminal act of Army Generals to crush people’s rule in the country. Since the inception, this army has been serving as a tool in Washington’s strategic planning for the region. The US granted $400 million to establish and strengthen Pakistan’s armed forces initially. The US needed a terrorist arm in the region to play its strategic game against the Soviet Union. For this purpose, Washington backed successive dictatorships in Pakistan, and also throw them out of power when they outlived their utility.
Indo-Pakistan War of 1947
The first war between India and Pakistan began in October 1947 and ended in December 1948. At that time, both Pakistan and India were trying diplomatic process for the merger of Jammu and Kashmir. To sabotage diplomatic process, Pakistan Army played a cowardice game. Pakistan Army prepared armed tribesmen to infiltrate into Kashmir and upraise anarchy. This act of cowardice led to signing an instrument of accession with India in October 1947. Pakistan Army then joined infiltrators and a war broke out.
Initially Pakistani Army fought with armed forces of Kashmir and they gained significant successes. Maharajah of Kashmir thus requested Indian government for help and Indian government deployed its forces in November 1947. So far Pakistani forces had been facing resistance only from Kashmiri forces. That enabled them to enter far into Kashmir. After the deployment of India forces, Pakistan Army and Army-backed tribesman faced fierce resistance. Though Indian Army was facing serious logistic problems, it thwarted the advancement of Pakistan Army.
Indian Army suffered setbacks due to logistic problems and also that it was not prepared for a war just two months after partition, especially for a high altitude combat. Whereas Pakistan Army had planned and conducted this operation with the help of tribesman of NWFP, who were able to face extreme weather and mountain range. Still Indian army had been successful in regaining most of the area. In 1948, United Nation entered into conflict and broke a ceasefire in January 1949.
The cease- fire agreement formalized the military status quo, leaving about 30 percent of Kashmir under Pakistani control. Apparently it was a major success but in reality, it brought such a disaster to the Kashmir cause that it can still be witnessed. Pakistan lost 70 percent of the Kashmir territory in the process. This created reluctance and hatred among Kashmiris for Pakistan and Pro-Indian Kashmiri political parties gained significant strength in Kashmir.
First Coup
Pakistan’s first democratic elections were scheduled in 1958. But a democratic government and a strong parliament was not in the interest of US foreign policy. General Mohammed Ayub Khan, the commander-in-chief, took over the government in a coup and cancelled the elections that were a threat for military’s blind power. Ayub Khan imposed Martial Law in the country and seized constitution. Under Ayub Khan rule, Pakistan became a US garrison state in South Asia. During this period, US granted $630 million directly and $670 million indirectly to purchase military equipment. US also paid salary of General Ayub Khan.
General Ayub Khan, with the support of US, made every effort to thwart peoples’ self-rule in the country. He used every dictatorial method to shut voices against his brutal attacks on democratic process. In this period, Ms. Fatima Jinnah, sister of the Founder of Pakistan, who was at that time most respected woman in Pakistan, raised voice against military dictatorship and criminal acts of the Generals. Ayub Khan and his companions played their dirty games to defame this respected lady.
War of 1965
During Ayub period, Pakistan army planned an operation against India after a green signal from Washington. Operation Giberaltar was planned to infiltrate and start rebellion in Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistani soldiers trained guerillas for infiltrating into Kashmir and starting an insurgency among local Kashmiris. This plan failed as locals did not respond as expected by the puppet military of Pakistan. Infiltrators were soon exposed and it resulted in a counterattack by Indian forces.
After the shameful failure of Operation Giberaltar, the coward army planned another Operation, called Grand Slam, to cover-up its embarrassment. The plan was to capture Akhnur, a north-eastern town of Jammu that was a key region for communication between Kashmir and the rest of India. This however resulted in more problems for Pakistan as India countered by crossing the international border further south in Punjab. As a result, a large scale war started between the two neighbors. The war lasted five weeks, resulting in thousands of casualties on both sides and ended in a United Nations (UN) mandated ceasefire. The war remained largely inconclusive despite Pakistan suffering relatively more losses.
Though the war was indecisive, Pakistan suffered much heavier material and personnel casualties compared to India. Many war historians believe that had the war continued, with growing losses and decreasing supplies, Pakistan would have been eventually defeated. The Pakistani Army’s failures was apparent right from the beginning as Pakistan Army had expectations that local Kashmiri will support insurgency started by Pakistani soldiers. But the people of Kashmir, for whatever reason, did not revolt against Indian government. On the contrary they provided Indian army with information about Pakistani intruders.
Under the influence of controlled propaganda, many Pakistanis rated the performance of military positively and September 6 is celebrated as ‘Defence Day’ in Pakistan in commemoration of the successful defense of Sailkot against the Indian army. However facts are not always based upon emotions. This war left a lot to desire as Pakistan lost more ground than gained and more importantly Pakistan army did not achieve what was planned. War also imposed a huge burden on Pakistan’s economy. It took a sever decline after witnessing some progress earlier.
The war also created a tense state of affairs between the two neighbors and both countries increased their defense budgets. Pakistan’s spending on defense reached its height as Pakistan was spending 70% of its budget on defense needs in 1973. This extra burden brought negative impact on Pakistan’s social and economic progress.
Another negative consequence of the war was the growing resentment against the Pakistani government in East Pakistan. Bengali leaders accused the government for not providing adequate security for East Pakistan during the war even though large sums of money were taken from the east to finance the war.
Yehya Khan
After the war, Genral Ayub Khan handed over the power to General Yehya Khan violating the constitution instead of holding general elections. General Yehya Khan was a butcher in his nature and because of his incompetence Pakistan faced the greatest loss in its history.
After the 1965 war, a strong resistance against military dictatorship and exploitation of Bengalis had started and Yehya Khan used his dictatorial method to solve political problems. Under the orders of Yehya Khan, Pakistan army acted in fascist ways against it won people and committed worst crimes in East Pakistan.
To control the voices of protestors, the fascist army performed genocide on its own land. With American Support and military aid, Pakistan Army butchered three million Bengalis and raped Bengali women in 1971 only because Bengali leaders were asking for provincial autonomy and an end to exploitation of the people of East Pakistan.
That is the Army way to handle political problems. That is the policy of every dictator to slaughter everyone who dares to speak against dictatorship. Every dictatorship in the world practices the same policy. But Pakistan Army is unique in this matter that Pakistani soldiers killed their own people. They did not spare anyone. They massacred innocent unarmed citizens in colleges, schools, roads and even in mosques.
Atrocities by Pakistani soldiers in East Pakistan shocked the world and conscientious people from around the world condemned crimes of Pakistan Army. Genocide in East Pakistan and human rights crimes led to another war with India in 1971. As a consequence of this war and atrocities of Pakistani soldiers, Pakistan had to loose a large part of its territory which became an independent state, called Bangladesh today.
War of 1971
To control the protests against exploitation and dictatorship in East Pakistan, in March 1971, Pakistani Army started a planned genocide in East Pakistan called ‘Operation Searchlight’ to curb Bengali nationalist movement. This operation ended in December 1971 and resulted in deaths of three million Bengali people. Indian Government at this time expressed full support for the people of East Pakistan. America was providing full support and military aid to fascist Pakistani soldiers. Indian government launched a successful diplomatic campaign against Pakistani military’s crime on a grand scale.
To cover their embarrassment in international forums, Pakistan’s military rulers launched an offensive air strikes on north-western Indian border. However, the Indians had anticipated such a move and the raid was not successful. The Indian Air Force launched a counter-attack and quickly achieved air superiority. Pakistan Army counter-attacked India in the West in an attempt to capture territory which might have been used to bargain for territory they expected to lose in the east. The land battle in the West was crucial for any hope of preserving a united Pakistan. The Indian Army quickly responded to the Pakistan Army’s movements in the west and made some initial gains, including capturing around 5,500 sq miles of Pakistan territory.
At sea, the Indian Navy proved its superiority by the success of Operation Trident, the name given to the attack on Karachi’s port. It also resulted in the destruction of 2 destroyers and one minesweeper, and was followed by the successful Operation Python. In every field, Pakistan Army faced heavy losses. The war ended in a crushing defeat for Pakistan military in just a fortnight. Pakistan’s general Niazi, who was titled as ‘Tiger Niazi’ for killing innocent un-armed civilians appealed for a cease-fire and surrendered in extremely shameful manner. As a result, East Pakistan became Bangladesh. Pakistan lost a half of its navy, a quarter of it Air-Force and a third of its army. India captured 93000 Pakistani soldiers as prisoners of war. India wanted to put them on trials for their war crimes in East Pakistan but eventually released them as a gesture of reconciliation.
After this shameful defeat, General Yehya Khan resigned and handed over power to Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, an elected leader and thus democracy started being restored eventually. It was against the Interest of foreign policy of US, who had spent a huge amount in Pakistan Army. Bhutto’s policies were leaning towards Soviet Union while US has established a fascist terrorist arm in the form of Pakistan Army. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto remained in power from 1971 to 1977.
Zia-ul-Haq
In July 1977 the military, led by General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, staged a coup. Zia removed Bhutto from power, held him in detention and later persecuted and hanged him. Zia pledged that new elections would be held in 90 days. He kept postponing the elections and eventually took all power in his hand. He ruled the country for 11 years that is the longest period in Pakistan’s history till date. General Zia imposed Martial Law in 1977 and assumed the post of president in 1978. He secured his position by a rigged referendum in 1984 and in 1985 he eased Martial Law and announced non-partisan election. Zia handpicked a dummy Prime Minister to show the world that he is restoring democracy. Muhammad Khan Junejo who could not breath without the General’s permission was sacked in 1988.
Zia’s period is not only longest but darkest too as during this time, historical places were turned into prisons for those who raised voice against military dictatorship and it became a routine to arrest, punish and persecute intellectuals who dared to speak. This period was full of brutality, suppression and fear. A number of intellectuals fled from Pakistan and many were sent to specially set up torture cells. He imposed his policies in the name of Islamization to get support from religious schools. This Islamization was directly imported from Washington and was based on violence for serving American interest in the name of Islam and Jihad in Afghanistan. Results of his Islamization are clearer after nine years.
General Zia was an actual employee of US. After holding the power, he started a proxy war on the orders from his US masters against Soviet Union. He proved himself as the most reliable instrument for his imperialist masters. In his period, Pakistan was flooded with military aids from US. Zia was performing as a middleman between US and tribesman of Afghanistan who were fighting against Soviet Union. General Zia did everything to serve his Washington-based masters from training of Afghan fighters to sending Pakistanis to Afghan war. In his period, religious schools became training camps for militants. Whole country was flooded with arms and ammunitions and it resulted in a continuous state of violence in the country that is present to date.
Zia’s rule witnessed heightened tensions with neighboring states. He was instrumental in providing military assistance to Mujahideen fighting in Afghanistan against Soviet Occupation and then later diverting them to the Kashmir cause in the late 1980s. During his time as President, Zia was also accused several times by Indian premier Indira Gandhi (and later Rajiv Gandhi) of training Sikh insurgents and sending them to destabilize India.
Under the orders from Washington, Zia provided logistic support to Afghan Mujahedeen and opened Pakistani borders for Afghanistan. A great number of refugees fled into Pakistan and the country faced a huge burden on its economy. Zia’s era is also remembered as the golden age for drug trafficking. This period was also golden for criminals as all sorts of arms and ammunition became easily available throughout the country.

Zia’s greed for more and more power led him to introduce theocratic laws without the broader context and without fulfilling other basic requirements for implementing those lasws. It was a show to win support in the name of Islam. He imposed total censorship on media and he introduced a controversial Hudood Ordinance to win support from religious fundamentalist groups. Human rights Organizations have been criticising the implementation of this law and they accuse that this law has been being abused to suppress half of the population of Pakistan. This infamous ordinance was introduced to control adultery but in itself this ordinance protected rapists. Under this ordinance many rape-victims were arrested and sent to prison because they could not produce witness to meet the standard of this ordinance. Zia also banned women from participating in sports activities.
With continuous support of the US, General Zia became the most powerful and cruel ruler of the country. He declared Pakistani constitution as a ‘rag of paper’. The person who polluted the soil of Pakistan with drugs, arms and corruption died in an air crash in 1988. Officially his death remains a mystery as no one dares to point a finger towards the actual mastermind behind the plot.
General Zia also militarized the bureaucracy systematically. By the order of his government, 5% of all new posts in the higher civil service were to be filled by army officers who, consequently, occupied important civilian positions. Successive democratically elected governments did not rescind this order due to the power wielded by Pakistan Army. Under Pakistan’s current military government, militarizing the bureaucracy is again pursued.

Fragile Democracy
After the death of General Zia-ul-Haq, Ghulam Ishaq Khan became caretaker president of Pakistan and he held elections in the country to restore democracy. Benazir Bhutto, daughter of Zufiqar Ali Bhuto, former Prime Minister who was persecuted by Zia-ul-Haq won with heavy majority and her victory proved how much hatred Zia-ul-Haq had earned. Military supported president Ghulam Ishaq Khan dissolved National Assembly just after twenty months and forced new elections. In fact fascist military Generals could not tolerate the popularity of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto who was still alive in the hearts of people of Pakistan even after an 11 years long period of suppression.
In upcoming elections of 1990, Nawaz Shareef became Prime Minister. Elections of 1990 were fully controlled by Military and Nawaz Shareef was actually a hand-picked Prime Minister. But Nawaz Shareef soon demanded for restoration for real democracy that could never be tolerated by Generals. Nawaz Shareef’s started standing against Army mafia. However, Ghulam Ishaq Khan was still president of Pakistan and was acting as a front-man of the military Generals. He removed Nawaz and dissolved National Assembly.
In the 1993 elections, the Generals did not have any dummy to appoint and Benazir Bhutto won with a heavy majority again. This time Benazir came in office with more power and she removed Ghulam Ishaq Khan from office. In 1996 she was removed from office again on the charges of corruption and bad governance. This time again Nawaz Shareef who had become a national level leader by now won with such a huge majority and popularity that the Generals felt threatened. Nawaz Shareef had now understood politics of the fascist Generals and he wanted to control their games.
Nawaz Shareef had been doing his best to restore democracy in the country and in his second tenure he secured extreme popularity in the country. He was the second leader in Pakistan who became so popular in a short period after Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. Nawaz Shareef proved himself a sensible leader and he did not give any chance to US to support Pakistan Military to destabilize democracy.
Kargil War
In 1999, Generals played another nasty game to weaken democracy in the country. At this time Nawaz Shareef was working for the peace with Indian Government which could jeopardize the status quo which the military wanted to maintain. The Generals found it a golden opportunity and launched a plan to infiltrate Kashmir. They started an operation in Kargil with the help of some fundamentalist militant organizations. The situation was embarrassing for Nawaz Shareef. He came under pressure from the whole world especially from the USA. In furious state, Nawaz Shareef used his constitutional power and dismissed General Parvez Musharraf who was the mastermind behind Kargil operation.
Kargil war started after military operation code named Operation Badar in 1999. In the beginning Pakistan Army supported intruders and provided logistic support. As a result, they captured Indian Positions at a time when Indian forces had left positions due to cold weather. Due to extreme weather, it was a common practice in both militaries to leave such positions in winter and re-occupy them in spring. Pakistani paramilitary forces took control of Indian positions but Indian forces responded and forced them back to the line of control.
Pakistan Military tried to capture Kargil posts with the help of intruders but Indian forces responded with mobilization of 20,000 troops to the line of control. Indian troops soon secured most of their territories and India also launched a diplomatic campaigned on international level that had been successful and this rogue misadventure by a fascist Army brought embarrassment to the nation. International Media titled Pakistan Army as ‘The Rogue Army’ for its coward act. Pakistan has been criticized for the criminal activities of its Military and “international community” forced Pakistan to withdraw its troops from Kargil.
Pakistan faced the loss of approximately 4000 troops and extreme damage to the morale of Military. As a result of this fascist act of violating the Line of Control by Pakistan Army, Pakistan faced the possibility of isolation and Pakistan’s economy tumbled. Image of Pakistan shattered in international community. The ongoing peace process with India stopped. Prime Minister who was under pressure from international community tried to constitute a committee to investigate. Nawaz Shareef wanted to bring Parvez Musharaf under charge for such irresponsible action.
Tension between Prime Minister and Army chief arose on the issue of investigation. the Army chief, according to the traditions of Generals, started acting arrogantly. Army Chief, who was responsible for the loss, was afraid of investigations and under such fears he started ignoring constitutional orders from Prime Minister. He challenged the writ of democratic government and as a result, Nawaz Shareef issued the orders of dismissal of Army Chief to maintain the writ of parliament.
General Pervez Musharraf
As it had been the policy of Fascist Generals to never perform their constitutional duty and accept orders from Federal Government, General Musharraf refused to accept orders and captured the capital in a military coup in 1999. Generals once again murdered the democracy. General Musharraf arrested the elected Prime Minister and later exiled him. Musharraf charged Nawaz Shareef with accusations of corruption and bad governance.
Such charges of corruptions and bad governance always had been a lame excuse for military coups. Politicians all over the world are charged with such accusations but they do not solve such problems with military coups. It is only Pakistan’s fascist army that uses its power to destabilize democracy and over-throw civilian government. It is evident that generals of Pakistan are more corrupt than politicians. Their only problem is that they cannot let democracy be strengthened.
General Parvez Musharraf hijacked power and illegally held the office of president. of Pakistan. He followed the footsteps of his predecessor General Zia-ul-Haq and used every dictatorial method to sabotage democratic process in the country. He used every brutal tactic to control voices of protest. He crossed every limit in serving his US master in order to remain in power. He is the first dictator of Pakistan who follows every command from Washington keeping aside national integrity.
General Parvez Musharraf started Military operation in his own land to control protests against his dictatorship and repeated the story of East Pakistan. Pakistan Army started brutal operations in Waziristan and Balochistan to control the people who are demanding their basic rights. General Musharraf recently killed a nationalist leader from Balochistan, Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti who had been a strong voice against Military dictatorship and the due rights of his people. Conditions in Balochistan are being worsened and the exploited people are feeling insecure and frightened.
Under the Musharraf rule, the whole country has become a cantonment. Military is dominating the life in Pakistan. Fascist Army has captured every civil institution including schools, universities, factories, hospitals, public offices and public utility services. Pakistan Army has grabbed a large area of state owned land and it is being allotted to Military officers. They are looting all resources of the nation. Musharraf government is also selling profitable national assets at throw-away prices and getting huge kickbacks. Such corruption cases have been exposed before the Supreme Court but Musharraf is misusing his power and using every dictatorial method to control protests against his corruptions.
People of Pakistan are under a continuous state of fear under Musharraf rule. People are afraid to speak as they have seen how Military rulers killed Nawab Bugti for raising voice against dictatorship. Even international media is silent because Musharraf is being supported by his Washington based masters. Price for the fascist acts of Generals is being paid by common Pakistanis who are suffering poverty and humility.
General Mushararf, following the footsteps of his predecessor generals, forced censorship on media. Government banned websites and newspaper in Balochistan who were reporting the atrocities of Pakistan Army in Balochistan. At some occasions, the government also blocked a reputable news resource ‘South Asia tribune’ that published the reports of corruption of Generals. They have also blocked some other websites that publish reports on military operation in Balochistan.
Many journalists and activists were kidnapped by agencies and a large number of citizens have disappeared in the past few years. Reporters Sans Frontiers, International Organization of journalists ranked Pakistan as No. 12 in world’s most restricted press in 2006 because of Musharraf’s continuous attacks on the freedom of press.
More recently Pakistan Army raided a religious school in NWFP, killing more than 83 students, accusing them of terrorism. Most of these students were under 14 years of age and no evidence of any weapon or suspicious activity was found. Government also banned journalist to enter in the premises of bombed school. This act of Mushararf is extra-judicial murder and human rights organizations condemned Musharraf regime for such operation without investigation.
International Fund for Peace declared Pakistan a failed state in 2006 because of the policies of General Musharraf. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have condemned the criminal policies of the fascist General. Transparency International ranked his government as most corrupt in the history of Pakistan. But he is not willing to leave the office, ignoring protests going on in the country, condemnation worldwide and worsening situations of homeland security, national economy and human rights.
Land of Pakistan has been suffering the rule of these ambitious and opportunist military Generals denying people their right to self-determination and dancing at the tunes from Washington and London. It is the responsibility of conscientious people from around the world to raise voice against this cruel dictatorship and show support and solidarity with the people of Pakistan who had been a victim of cruelty of its Fascist Army sine 1952.
May allah protect us from evil creatures like zaid hamid and kiyani....