Pakistan Army fires 11 serving officers including Generals for corruption.

[Amaa'n]

Unless you list their names and ranks who is to believe this ??

its all over the news, look it up man, whole story is there

 

[Stephen Cohen]

its all over the news, look it up man, whole story is there

Is it six or Twelve officers ?

Today's news says Six officers

http://www.dawn.com/news/1253497/gen-raheel-dismisses-6-army-officers-from-service-over-corruption

 

[Amaa'n]

Is it six or Twelve officers ?

Today's news says Six officers

http://www.dawn.com/news/1253497/gen-raheel-dismisses-6-army-officers-from-service-over-corruption

Six, as the dust settles down

Considering his brother went from a Suzuki FX to a 2 Crore Land Cruiser during the General's tour.. I really do want to know what he did behind closed doors.

investigation has to start from his brother not the other way around ------

 

[omega supremme]

ISLAMABAD: In one of the biggest corruption purges in the military, six army officers including two serving generals were sacked on Thursday.

The six officers who have been sent into retirement after a court of inquiry found them “at fault” included a three-star general (lieutenant general), a two-star general (major general), three brigadiers and a colonel.

The two generals are Lt Gen Obaidullah Khattak, inspector-general arms, and Maj Gen Ejaz Shahid, while others are Brigadier Asad Shahzada, Brigadier Saifullah, Brigadier Amir and Col Haider.

Death of two army engineers in an accident in 2014 provided lead to graft in Frontier Corps
Besides losing their jobs, the army officers would not get any of the retirement perks and privileges except for pension and medical treatment facility.

They have been asked to return the ill-gotten money.

There was no formal announcement from the army on the sackings and all information reached media through leaks. Military officials in their private conversations confirmed the action against corruption.

The army’s public affairs division and its director general, a prolific tweeter, were uncharacteristically quiet.

Earlier media reports said as many as 12 army officers, including some mid-ranking ones, have been sacked.

However, a senior military official termed this mere speculation.

The allegations against the officers related to abuse of authority and illegally collecting wealth. The accusations pertained to their tenure at the Frontier Corps in Balochistan.

Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif, who this week called for across-the-board accountability for preserving the solidarity, integrity and prosperity of the country, had since assuming leadership of the military in 2013, made stamping out corruption from his ranks the centerpiece of his command, though the media spotlight remained on the fight against terrorism.

Earlier he expedited inquiry into an old corruption scandal in the military-run National Logistics Cell (NLC) that ended last year with the dismissal of a major general and censure for a lieutenant general.

He had also given a go-ahead for a National Accountability Bureau inquiry into the Defence Housing Authority scam involving brothers of former army chief retired Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and some other army officers who have retired by now.

These actions are seen as unprecedented because in the past there were very few publicly known instances of action against corruption in army ranks — at least none known against serving generals. Nevertheless, there have been allegations of embezzlement and corruption in the army, which is the most well-resourced organisation in the country.

Lid on corruption in the Frontier Corps was blown in late 2014 following an accident in which two serving army engineers Lt Col Shakeel and Major Yasir lost their lives while testing a non-custom paid sports car for the son of the then IG FC Maj Gen Ejaz Shahid, according to multiple sources in the army.

Lt Col Shakeel had been tasked to fix the car that had been confiscated from Chaman.

Following the death of the two officers, an inquiry conducted by the FC headquarters ironically held them at fault and recommended that their posthumous compensation not be paid to their heirs. This action was resented by the families of the two officers, who complained to the army chief’s secretariat and an inquiry was initiated by the Military Intelligence. The probe then led to unearthing of corruption in the FC, the sources said, adding that Maj Gen Shahid was posted out after the start of the inquiry.

There had been allegations against the FC as back as 2006/07 that its officials connived with smugglers of oil, cars, luxury goods and other items earning a huge amount of money. But the allegations were never investigated (till the tragic accident occurred) due to insurgency in the province and the FC continued to enjoy a free hand in the Balochistan.

Political parties generally welcomed the move, but some suspected that it was meant to build pressure on the government to act against corrupt politicians and bureaucrats.

Describing it as a ‘bold action’, the Pakistan Ex-Servicemen Association (PESA) hailed the punishment announced for the officers.

PESA said there was an urgent need to examine the weaknesses and loopholes in the system that let these officers indulge in such criminal acts. The association also asked Prime Minister Sharif to explain how his children amassed wealth and invested in offshore companies.

PML-N parliamentarians cautiously welcomed the action. “Presently parliament, the army and the judiciary are on the same page over the issue of accountability,” said PML-N Senator retired Maj Gen Abdul Qayyum.

While lauding the act by the army chief, Minister of State for Petroleum Jam Kamal Khan said accountability of politicians was an ongoing process. “The politicians face accountability at the hands of the masses in elections,” he said.

Senator Saeed Ghani, parliamentary leader of the PPP in the Senate, said impression about the army being a ‘sacred cow’ had been addressed to a large extent. “This is a good act by the army chief, and it is good for the image of the army also in the eyes of ordinary citizens,” said Sen Ghani.

He also acknowledged that this act has placed some pressure on the parliamentarians, too, as there was a need for legal steps to control corruption in the country.

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf lawmaker Dr Arif Alvi said fighting corruption was welcomed by everyone. He said the civilian side should follow the army chief’s move and start accountability in its ranks.

Published in Dawn, April 22nd, 2016

http://www.dawn.com/news/1253660

 

[VCheng]

Well don't know that much detail, but i think jail time with severe punishments should be part of the deal.

But for an army officer, having spent 25-30 year service and then getting kicked out through court martial with your rank & major benefits taken away is itself a huge embarrassment. These guys will be remembered for the rest of their life for their deeds.

Anyway, still believe jail term should be a must.

Exactly why I said that merely announcing these dismissals is not enough, and may not mean mean much unless all the questions I posed are answered with release of information. Given past record, it is not likely, and unfortunately will eventually be shown to be no more than the proverbial slap on the wrist. This announcement, that many are over-hyping unnecessarily, will amount to no more than mere triviality in the overall scheme of things, unfortunately in a typically Pakistani fashion.

 

[Stephen Cohen]

Exactly why I said that merely announcing these dismissals is not enough, and may not mean mean much unless all the questions I posed are answered with release of information. Given past record, it is not likely, and unfortunately will eventually be shown to be no more than the proverbial slap on the wrist. This announcement, that many are over-hyping unnecessarily, will amount to no more than mere triviality in the overall scheme of things, unfortunately in a typically Pakistani fashion.

The case which led to their dismissal is very serious and would have led to more
serious punishment elsewhere

The timing looks like perfect to create pressure on Nawaz Sharif in the wake of
Panama leaks

It is a case of two birds with one stone

Army has improved its image while Nawaz Sharif is under more pressure

Nawaz will survive till November when COAS retires

 

[VCheng]

The case which led to their dismissal is very serious and would have led to more
serious punishment elsewhere

The timing looks like perfect to create pressure on Nawaz Sharif in the wake of
Panama leaks

It is a case of two birds with one stone

Army has improved its image while Nawaz Sharif is under more pressure

Nawaz will survive till November when COAS retires

Actually, the more such claims are examined, the more it sounds like a ploy with a few convenient patsies, that is all.

 

[All-Green]

Apparently, it is only SIX officers sanctioned, not 11, 12, or 13. The backtracking of the hype begins!

Backtracking by who?
Media shared the news based on their initial assessment, I did not see an ISPR release on the number when the news broke.

I would not really focus on 6 vs 11 vs 12 vs 13 aspect...the step is a welcoming sign in context of the ranks of dismissed officers being confirmed.
The list still includes the serving Lt General and Major General whose successive tenure in FC have been scrutinized for indiscipline/corruption.

Of course waiting to hear more from the official sources regarding details.

 

[Zaneesh852]

I don't know but why the title isn't being changed to reflect the true state i.e. Retired not fired

 

[VCheng]

Backtracking by who?
Media shared the news based on their initial assessment, I did not see an ISPR release on the number when the news broke.

I would not really focus on 6 vs 11 vs 12 vs 13 aspect...the step is a welcoming sign in context of the ranks of dismissed officers being confirmed.
The list still includes the serving Lt General and Major General whose successive tenure in FC have been scrutinized for indiscipline/corruption.

Of course waiting to hear more from the official sources regarding details.

Backtracking by the uber-over-hyper crowd, of the hype that they created, no one else, Sir. And unless more details are released, the magnitude of the crimes and the punishment, and their overall impact, as is being claimed by the same crowd, cannot be judged.

 

[ghazi52]

.....

 

[SBD-3]

It was an unregistered Jeep I had bought from a restoration works shop, full papers, all genuine. I went to the registration office and chose not to hire an agent, the officer asked me why I had not opted for an agent so I told him I'd much rather get this done myself, he asked for Rs. 5000 "express charges" stating that old vehicles often have issues, to which I declined and told him that there was no such issue with my vehicle.
Later he falsified a report stating that the number on the chasis had one letter stamped slightly lower than the rest and was therefore likely tampered, he showed it to me and told me that this is what he can do. I agreed to pay him the 5000 he had asked for but he said that now that the issue was on paper, it would now cost me Rs. 35000 to get it cleared. I told him to forward the report and I'll settle the matter with his superiors, he did, car was impounded and the superiors were hardly empathetic to my plight, they just said "you should have just paid the 5000, it would have saved you this hassle".
Eventually, I took the matter to court, where I once again had to pay the bailiff to get my case processed quickly, the matter was reexamined, the number was found to be legitimate and the car was ordered to be released but as a parting gift, the good folks at the Excise dept blacklisted my car which meant that I would have to get it registered outside of federal territory. I can't spare the time to get tokens added from elsewhere every year or put up with slow transfers from some other city in case I had to sell it so I sold the car at a loss just like that, brand spanking new condition.

Probably bought from Balochistan or FATA skipping import duty. 100000 khamkhaw ma nahi mangay hongay. Excise walahs don't impound vehicles for nothing. You piss em off, they make you pay.

 

[Icarus]

Probably bought from Balochistan or FATA skipping import duty. 100000 khamkhaw ma nahi mangay hongay. Excise walahs don't impound vehicles for nothing. You piss em off, they make you pay.

Nope, I bought it from Kharian, there's a shop called "4x4 Coche" that restores old FJ40s and Jeeps. So your probability scenario is skewed.

If by pissing them off, you mean not paying their petty bribes or paying their pimps that they call 'agents' then yes, I did everything along that line to piss them off and I have no regrets.

 

[SBD-3]

Nope, I bought it from Kharian, there's a shop called "4x4 Coche" that restores old FJ40s and Jeeps. So your probability scenario is skewed.

If by pissing them off, you mean not paying their petty bribes or paying their pimps that they call 'agents' then yes, I did everything along that line to piss them off and I have no regrets.

1- You don't do things that expose you others.
2-You don't pretend that you're not valunrable to them.
So if you know you're have a canister of Kerosene on your back, its not a good idea to tangle with the torch bearer.

Like I said before, your way of looking at bribe is that its driven by greed. Where it is mostly often not.I happened to come across a policeman guarding at our gates. Got a good hello hi while leaving and entering the gate with him. Once i had to wait to pick up one of my colleagues to drop em home. So I started chit chat with him. He asked me,"Sir guzara kysa chal raha hay" I replied the, "Bus Allah ka karam hay, izzat aur bharam qaim hay". He then asked me, "Sir how much do you earn?" I was in a fix so I told him the starting pay that i used to get when I joined my job. Then I said,"Aap logon ky to mazay hain uncle" He replied ,"Sir mughy 16 saal hogay hain kaam kartay huay aur meri tankha aaj bhee aap se kaam hay. Meray 3 bachay hain aur ghar bhee chalana hota hay to hamara guzara bus Allah ky asray par he hota hay".
Every now and then a policeman stops me and checks my papers (which i keep complete in my car) and then says Sir khanay ky liya kuch help kardain so I don't tangle myself with him because I know they deserve much more for what they do.
An example of your kind of greed is the one that faced during transferring my property in my name. The registrar demands 20K for transferring perfectly clean documents and an add on for each deficiency. So if you wana develop a tussle, you can say bye bye to your property transfer for indefinite period of time.
It's often surprising that I see people complaining policemen asking for a meager sum and accepting huge amount paid to people like registrar as an accepted norm. which is unfortunate to me.
That's why I say that the people I respect the most in this country are the low level army soliders who fight for us, who make ends meet with meager pay and then serve as our security guards after retirement.

 

[Icarus]

1- You don't do things that expose you others.
2-You don't pretend that you're not valunrable to them.
So if you know you're have a canister of Kerosene on your back, its not a good idea to tangle with the torch bearer.

Like I said before, your way of looking at bribe is that its driven by greed. Where it is mostly often not.I happened to come across a policeman guarding at our gates. Got a good hello hi while leaving and entering the gate with him. Once i had to wait to pick up one of my colleagues to drop em home. So I started chit chat with him. He asked me,"Sir guzara kysa chal raha hay" I replied the, "Bus Allah ka karam hay, izzat aur bharam qaim hay". He then asked me, "Sir how much do you earn?" I was in a fix so I told him the starting pay that i used to get when I joined my job. Then I said,"Aap logon ky to mazay hain uncle" He replied ,"Sir mughy 16 saal hogay hain kaam kartay huay aur meri tankha aaj bhee aap se kaam hay. Meray 3 bachay hain aur ghar bhee chalana hota hay to hamara guzara bus Allah ky asray par he hota hay".
Every now and then a policeman stops me and checks my papers (which i keep complete in my car) and then says Sir khanay ky liya kuch help kardain so I don't tangle myself with him because I know they deserve much more for what they do.
An example of your kind of greed is the one that faced during transferring my property in my name. The registrar demands 20K for transferring perfectly clean documents and an add on for each deficiency. So if you wana develop a tussle, you can say bye bye to your property transfer for indefinite period of time.
It's often surprising that I see people complaining policemen asking for a meager sum and accepting huge amount paid to people like registrar as an accepted norm. which is unfortunate to me.
That's why I say that the people I respect the most in this country are the low level army soliders who fight for us, who make ends meet with meager pay and then serve as our security guards after retirement.

I respect your argument and laud you for taking the time to note the misfortunes of the downtrodden in our country. Not many have the capacity or the will to open up to the pain of the society they live in, it is a trait that I respect greatly.

However, I do not accept the premise that since someone is economically downtrodden, it makes their bribe seeking justified by any means. There are a lot of people who are living in conditions worse off and making do with what they have without complain. You gave me the example of Police, I would like to highlight that the pay scales of the Police offer a newly recruited sepoy Rs. 35,000 as basic pay (they also make about the same on top) whereas in the army, the sepoy starts off from Rs 14,000 yet how is it that the man in the Army never asks for a bribe?

When I started off as a commissioned officer, I was paid less than the local constable, I would stand on the same traffic junction as him. He would be riding a Mehran and I would be riding a 125. I am not indifferent to the plight of Police and other civil servants, they deserve more for their service however that's not what drives them to corruption, what drives them is the desire to live beyond their means. They try to live larger than their pocket allows and fall prey to corruption because they find that their pay cannot sustain their lifestyle, this very affliction lead the Army officers suspended the day before into disgrace. They also felt that they deserved bigger cars and better rides than they could afford and they then sought them through unfair means.

Isn't this the same premise that Chotu and other dacoits also build? We steal from the poor because we are also poor. It makes no sense and by legitimizing this premise, we legitimatize their practice of preying off the poor through the use of force. It sets the cycle such that you can be poor and helpless or you can abuse your position and power to fight out of poverty by pushing the poor and weak into further poverty and this is all justified because you were also poor to begin with.

Coming back to why I commend you for noticing the plight of the poor, my family moved from Maharashtra to Pakistan after partition, my great grandfather was an ICS officer who chose to stay in India whereas my grandfather came to Pakistan (they were ethnically Punjabi but posted there). So he started off with nothing to his name, he spent his life making a home and my father then took up the mantle in furnishing it. As a child, I never quite had enough. My friends would buy stuff from the school canteen but I never had money to buy something for myself, they would host lavish birthday parties that I would avoid on the pretext of exams as I could not afford to buy them a gift, our car was old and dingy, it broke down alongside the road if you drove it for too long, I had to wait an entire year to buy a cricket bat because my parents needed to save up to buy it for me on my birthday. So as you can see, I did not have a lavish childhood and sometimes I felt angry about it but now I respect my father for distinguished service with utmost honesty, he never tried to live beyond his means and he taught me this skill as well.

So that is why I do not condone the Rs. 5000 that the clerks or smaller grade guys want for their work. Its this very exceptionalism that sows the seeds of greater corruption and the poor are then denied their right. By the grace of God, I can now easily afford to pay this bribe but what about the poor taxi driver standing in line behind me? What about the widow looking to have her late husband's last piece of land transferred? These people cannot pay the bribe, I would be doing them an injustice if I help that bastard develop a habit of living off other's hard earned money for his own comfort.
Which is why I believe that by denying them a bribe, I do the poor and destitute of this country a service. I can bear the expenses of court, I still have the dexterity to run from office to office looking for requisite officer, but I will not have some poor individual do the same. If I can run these corrupt bastards into a spot of trouble and make them think twice about demanding a bribe, I will continue to do so.