sonicboom
FULL MEMBER
- Joined
- Mar 13, 2009
- Messages
- 704
- Reaction score
- 2
Controlling Pakistan's military
Asia Times
Mar 9, 2010
By Syed Saleem Shahzad
A Pashtu-speaking retired Pakistani general and a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, Ehsan ul-Haq, was the eyes and ears of his then-chief of army staff, Musharraf, before the October 12, 1999, military coup that brought Musharraf to power.
After the coup, Haq was promoted to Corps Commander Peshawar and soon after was made chief of Pakistan's premier intelligence agency - the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Musharraf was convinced of his loyalty.
However, when it became a question of appointing Haq vice chief of army staff and making him a full general, Musharraf saw in him an over-ambitious officer. He promoted him to be a four-star general and gave him the largely ceremonial position of chairman of the Joint Chiefs of the Staff Committee.
This marked Haq's parting of the ways with Musharraf and his close military officers, including Kiani, who was then the director general of the ISI. Haq nevertheless developed good ties with American officials. Kiani, being Musharraf's spy master, warned that Haq was maneuvering against Musharraf and was trying to win favors in Washington.
Haq eventually ended up at a Washington think-tank, but continued to promote himself in Pakistan, using two of his closest friends - Saiful Islam, a son of Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, and Prince Ahmad, the chief of the armed forces of Bahrain.
As a rule in Pakistan, foreign companies with investment in Pakistan appoint a non-Pakistani as chairman, with the managing director being Pakistani. However, due to Saiful Adil's influence, Haq was appointed chairman of Pak-Libya Holding Company, which has large investments in Pakistan. This consolidated Haq's clout in Pakistan. Although he is disliked by the incumbent military leadership, Washington used Haq in setting up back-channel dialogue between Pakistan and India.
Haq using his friendship with Prince Ahmad to convince the Saudi rulers that he (Haq) should be the point man for consultations on the South Asian "war on terror" theater. King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia therefore recently summoned Haq to Riyadh for an audience.
The next step, security sources tell Asia Times Online, will be a strong push by Washington to get Haq appointed as national security advisor to President Asif Ali Zardari in an attempt to get the military establishment fully under control. Although the military gets on very well with its counterpart in the US, there are clearly still those lingering doubts that Pakistan's generals will always put their own interests first.
Military headquarters in Rawalpindi are apparently ready to fiercely oppose any such oversight moves.
Syed Saleem Shahzad is Asia Times Online's Pakistan Bureau Chief. He can be reached at saleem_shahzad2002@yahoo.com
For complete article please see:
Asia Times Online :: South Asia news, business and economy from India and Pakistan
Asia Times
Mar 9, 2010
By Syed Saleem Shahzad
A Pashtu-speaking retired Pakistani general and a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, Ehsan ul-Haq, was the eyes and ears of his then-chief of army staff, Musharraf, before the October 12, 1999, military coup that brought Musharraf to power.
After the coup, Haq was promoted to Corps Commander Peshawar and soon after was made chief of Pakistan's premier intelligence agency - the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Musharraf was convinced of his loyalty.
However, when it became a question of appointing Haq vice chief of army staff and making him a full general, Musharraf saw in him an over-ambitious officer. He promoted him to be a four-star general and gave him the largely ceremonial position of chairman of the Joint Chiefs of the Staff Committee.
This marked Haq's parting of the ways with Musharraf and his close military officers, including Kiani, who was then the director general of the ISI. Haq nevertheless developed good ties with American officials. Kiani, being Musharraf's spy master, warned that Haq was maneuvering against Musharraf and was trying to win favors in Washington.
Haq eventually ended up at a Washington think-tank, but continued to promote himself in Pakistan, using two of his closest friends - Saiful Islam, a son of Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, and Prince Ahmad, the chief of the armed forces of Bahrain.
As a rule in Pakistan, foreign companies with investment in Pakistan appoint a non-Pakistani as chairman, with the managing director being Pakistani. However, due to Saiful Adil's influence, Haq was appointed chairman of Pak-Libya Holding Company, which has large investments in Pakistan. This consolidated Haq's clout in Pakistan. Although he is disliked by the incumbent military leadership, Washington used Haq in setting up back-channel dialogue between Pakistan and India.
Haq using his friendship with Prince Ahmad to convince the Saudi rulers that he (Haq) should be the point man for consultations on the South Asian "war on terror" theater. King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia therefore recently summoned Haq to Riyadh for an audience.
The next step, security sources tell Asia Times Online, will be a strong push by Washington to get Haq appointed as national security advisor to President Asif Ali Zardari in an attempt to get the military establishment fully under control. Although the military gets on very well with its counterpart in the US, there are clearly still those lingering doubts that Pakistan's generals will always put their own interests first.
Military headquarters in Rawalpindi are apparently ready to fiercely oppose any such oversight moves.
Syed Saleem Shahzad is Asia Times Online's Pakistan Bureau Chief. He can be reached at saleem_shahzad2002@yahoo.com
For complete article please see:
Asia Times Online :: South Asia news, business and economy from India and Pakistan
