Of Good Order and
Military Discipline

Brig (Retd) Muhammad MEhboob Qadir makes an excellent tour-de-force of the life of an army officer from the time he enters the Military Academy as a Gentleman Cadet.

The famous Section 55 in Pakistan Army’s Manual of Pakistan Military Law (MPML) can easily be regarded as an outstanding example of the brilliance of that unknown genius who originally conceived it. It is simple and crisp but extraordinarily comprehensive in its application to majority of military offences. It reads ‘Any act, conduct, disorder or neglect to the prejudice of good order and of military discipline’. Imagine the universal sweep of this law over all and any military offences. This is why it is a favourite tool of all military law officers when framing charge sheets. The reason is perhaps amongst the entire thousands of pages of military law and rules this Section is the only one which captures a broad military notion and not a specific offence. The other more immediate cause of its respectability is that invariably each one of us may have felt the sting of this awesome piece of military jurisprudence at some stage of service. It is really the fascinating outreach of this masterly phrase that has inspired me to write a few episodes which I thought hovered just below the skyline rubbing upon the traditional notions of soldiering here and there.

Clouds of War
In the heady of wake of September 65 War we joined Pakistan Military Academy to the rousing tunes of military bands and scintillating melody of famous patrio-
tic songs. In any case, we have a strong military tradition in the family which spans Rajput Wars against Emperors of Delhi, service in Sikh Armies, overseas military expeditions under British flag and then in Pakistan Army after the partition. My elder brother had already joined the Army in 1964 and later was killed in action in 71 War in Pasroor Sector.
Merrily we walked into that eternal inferno called PMA for a thorough ‘restructuring’. And what a grand but unforgiving smelter it is. Its hardships, extremely tough training, leadership and character building, sense of worth and comradeship all go to make future leaders of Pakistan Army. Some of whom outshine others in battle, crises and life in peace time. PMA attempts to turn raw iron ore into gunmetal as it distills impurities during training, producing world class military leaders if the right opportunity for their employment could be created. It was in PMA that we built-up life-long friendships and carved out directions of our military future. Predominant traits shown during PMA shaped our careers later on. A few showed remarkable progress and a few others fell out along the way; the rest generally cruised along as predicted.
Late in 1968 we graduated from PMA and joined our units. My unit was in Lahore located next to the Airport on a busy road. It was a period of political ferment in the country, but of jolly good time in the cantonments. We were riding the crest of the wave of popular esteem earned through a combination of bravery in 65 War, institutional cover-up, effective propaganda and timidity of Indian High Command. Perhaps most wars are like that but for us its long-term effects were catastrophic as we had begun to believe in our own bluff and bluster also.
Major General Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi was our Divisional Commander. He was popularly called as ‘Tiger Niazi’ probably for his valour during World War 2 on Burma front or may be more for his pet word ‘tiger’ with which he addressed every other soldier. He had a peculiar style of command; a mixture of bare earthy humour, loud bravado and unabashed self-indulgence. One was always left with an uneasy feeling of ‘put up show’ after an encounter with him. However he was an accomplished conversationalist and had a flare of his own. Lahore Cantonment still retained the grandeur and romance of the old Colonial era. Clear and resounding bugle calls could still be heard across the Cantonment at reveille and retreat times everyday. Pakistan flag used to fly proudly over Jinnah House which was the Corps Commander’s residence like now.
There used to be great stress on punctuality and dress code and the training was long and very tough. We used to spend more than half of the year out of the unit lines in the field training exercises. Rest of the time we pedalled around on rented bicycles. In those times of economic austerity the existence of unit Canteen Contractor, Rehman Furnishers behind (now extinct) Globe Cinema, Janjua Military Tailors and for one odd officer with a motor cycle, PBS Petrol Pump near Yadgar Chowk were of critical importance. A Honda motor cycle of 150 cc class would cost less than two thousand rupees and a Vespa scooter a little more. Our meagre pay was barely enough to subsist, rest of the long month and the inevitable Mess bill we used to sail through with the generous monetary credit of our canteen contractors the pervasive warrior-merchant Khattaks of the Frontier. Under these trying financial circumstances if an officer could save some money he was considered a saint alright but not to be followed. To talk of money, bank balance and the sort was considered bad taste.
Janjua Tailors would stitch heavy and expensive service dresses for officers on easy instalments. At times would also be willing to stitch an odd suit on instalments. They were our standard keepers of the formal service wardrobe and supervisors of officer’s military fashion wear. They were so thoughtful as to never remind an officer for payment of a delayed instalment in public and rarely sent bills through the official channels. Always showed tremendous courtesy to officers regardless of the weight of rank and size of the monetary default. Rehman Furnishers and PBS Petrol Pump were another two institutions of the same calibre. As soon as a new officer reported to a unit in Lahore he could receive a list of furniture indicating its rent from Rehman Furnishers. This list included curtains, carpets, furniture anything and everything needed to set-up a decent room or a house. Small bookshelf in the list was in great demand as it was a very suitable shoe rack also. We would select required items, put down our name, number, unit and Mess address and deposit the list in their showroom office. Before the end of the next day selected furniture would have been placed in the room and a monthly rent bill would duly reach until the next posting.
For the next three years we withstood unit Second-in-Command’s (21C) gruellous monthly room inspections with the same hired furniture. He knew that the glory in the room was rented. The aim was not to be devious but to ensure that the young officers were living decently and that Rehman Furnishers would not have a cause to complain about misuse of their property. Bookshelf converted into shoe rack was an acceptable diversion under our local doctrine of necessity. Our names must have been made part of garrison’s commercial history in the musty old hire registers of Rehman Furnishers and Janjua Tailors.
Owner of the PBS Petrol Pump had devised an ingenious system of providing petrol on credit to officers. He would issue a book of blank coupons upon filling of a form. You could fill up your tank on credit after producing a duly endorsed credit coupon. At the end of the month a bill with used coupons would reach the unit for payment. You were obliged to pay in time to become eligible for the issue of credit petrol next month. Sorrowfully the age that these ancient courteous men represented has long since expired.
These were small, special but respectable measures to live honourably within the limited pay of an officer built around a code of gentlemanly conduct and mutual trust. Plots and land factors had not yet entered these simple budget calculations. None expected the officers to live lavishly. We had a social acceptance despite our pauperism. Curiosity and contradiction lay in the fact of our high living standard and low matching income. This un-addressed gap later produced an unhealthy divide and a class consciousness among officers with a few damaging effects upon their morale, discipline and professionalism.
Those were different times, people were gracious and mostly contented. It was rare that an officer was living flagrantly beyond his means. Unit was home, family, bank and honour court in one. So much so if the urgency of the moment demanded an old loyal Mess waiter would block your way to a possible misconduct. There was nothing dearer than the good name of the unit and it was everybody’s duty to keep it that way.
Unit 21C, Subedar Major, Canteen Contractor and Mess Abdaar (Barman) were an inevitable gang of four responsible for a close watch over unit officers’ personal, professional and financial conduct. Unit Mess waiters would invariably act as their pointsmen to identify a brewing situation. Although their watch-dog presence always loomed close yet it never stepped over the officer’s self-respect and his right to privacy; as their primary function was to prevent ‘unauthorized border crossing.’ In this elaborate network Commanding Officer always played a central but dignified role as the patriarch of the entire unit. Thoughtful, firm and irreproachable’ a model of conduct and always first in the eye of the storm.
For morning PT and evening games periods and at the beginning and end of the office hours there used to be numerous batches of officers riding bicycles on Lahore Cantonment roads. Great cycling comradeship developed in the process. Happily and carefully paddling each officer would ride-off to his unit as it approached, to reunite on the road later in the day. Our over-starched uniform trouser made a peculiar rattling sound while riding those bicycles as if stitched out of card board sheets. Our Canteen Contractor had removed bicycle carriers to prevent pillion riding. All officers’ bicycles in Lahore Cantonment were, in principle, the property of the respective unit Canteen Contractors. Thus a kind of economic parity prevailed.

Wet Bars and Abdaars
Air conditioners, fridges or freezers were rare and normally seen only in Mangla Dam’s American Colony. Most households spent their summers with the help of desert coolers or simple ceiling fans. In 1970 Shah of Iran were to visit Lahore. It was summer time and Army Chief had decided to host lunch for the royal guest in our Mess. Our Divisional Artillery Mess had just been constructed and was considered fit for the privilege. The only problem was that the dining hall and ante-room were too hot as there were no air conditioners. Therefore, for the comfort of Shah of Iran a number of desert coolers were procured through a special grant. Ours was perhaps the only Officers’ Mess in Lahore Cantonment which had this luxury and a single air conditioner in the Bar Room for a long time afterwards.
Most Messes and Officers Clubs used to have regular wet Bars where even in those carefree days only a few used to indulge themselves. A small peg was called ‘Chhotta’ and a large one ‘Patiala’. Many years later liquor was banned and with that certain familiar sights and social occasions also disappeared. Officially liquor, Abdaars and Bars do not exist any more. However, licence holding unit sweepers seem to have become well-known as a consequence. An Abdaar was required to serve on the Bar but not permitted traditionally to speak about it. As a measure of good grace he could consume an odd peg gratis and if he was sufficiently experienced he could decline to serve more drinks depending upon the officers’ state and the time of the night. On the weekends Card Rooms would fill up with players and heavy cigar smoke. Tables were booked in advance, playing buddies would gather early in the day and the card playing sessions would invariably last for two nights and a day, officers barely managing to trundle into unit PT ground in time on the first working day. It was a rule strictly followed and enforced that no matter when you sleep at night an officer is never late on parade in the morning. Dress code and table etiquette’s were religiously enforced in the Mess. Mess waiters were not called by name; ‘Koi Hay’ was the standard call for service. Mess radio or TV could only be switched off or on with the permission of the senior most officer present in the Ante Room. Loud guffaws and talk about politics, religion, women and others’ family affairs were strictly forbidden. You were expected to maintain a straight face even if you knew some juicy details.
Like any other garrison, Lahore too was a social mixture of self-conscious Pathan, easygoing Punjabi and slick Urdu speaking Karachiite officers. There was a sprinkling of live-wire East Pakistani officers but very few native Sindhi or Balochi officers and men. Sindhis appeared too earthbound to join the Army and Balochis were too unwilling to give up their personal freedom. Besides it was possible that a serious recruitment effort was still to be undertaken in these non-traditional recruitments provinces. None seemed to notice this difference as acutely as it was felt many years later more under political considerations. However, ethnic composition of the units was never a cause for worry because by and large a fair system of effort and reward prevailed.
East Pakistani officers were a special lot in many ways. They shared all the pleasures and pain in the unit like equal comrades in arms, yet there was a strange floating impression that they were different. Good in studies, generally very sharp and on a short fuse. This impression of disparateness led to a kind of mental reservation between us and our Bengali compatriots with no apparent and immediate ill-effects. Sometimes we felt that they would suddenly go quiet on seeing us approaching. By the time it was year 1971 they had become more and more reclusive. They used to look for separate places to sit and engage in heated but low toned discussions. We did not have an idea about their gradual restlessness or prickliness nor was it considered good manners to overhear others with an effort. Those who knew what was the matter kept quiet about it or may be nobody in a position of authority listened to them. A great storm was brewing up which eventually broke upon the likes of us suddenly and with great fury. I was posted to East Pakistan as young staff officer in an Infantry Brigade in Jessore and reported there on 17th November 1971. Only to be hit by the full force of this hurricane in the face.

The General
General Bahadar Sher enjoyed a considerable reputation in the Army. He had just been appointed Corps Commander Lahore and was for the moment staying in our Mess guest room. Before his arrival Mess received new crockery, furniture was repaired and polished afresh. Waiters got new uniforms, carpets and curtains were washed. The Mess was being readied for the Corps Commander. Tall and barrel chested (Late) General Bahadar Sher had a set daily routine. In the morning PT he would join some unit, sweat and then return to the Mess hall having washed and changed into uniform for his breakfast. His breakfast was like any other officer in fact a little simpler. He would sip his cup of tea, then drive off his jeep himself with its hood always pulled down. A dominating presence but never domineering or pretentious.
His orders were that if he visits a unit unannounced none was required to rush up to receive him. He would see what he wanted to with the help of the soldier or officer on the spot and then leave as he came. Aim was not to spring surprises but know things first hand and help. His help was always purposeful and total. A reconnaissance and support battalion got a whole fleet of brand new vehicles because of his intervention.
He lived alone in the guest room right opposite our rooms. His gate and a small lawn could be seen across the road over a small parking lot. Exactly at half past four in the evening his orderly would place the golf set in his personal Fiat car. He would emerge in Golf kit, drive off to Lahore Gymkhana and return after about two hours. Meantime, we would have changed for dinner after evening games and preparing to go to the Mess. Invariably the General would invite one of the young officers over for dinner and show exquisite courtesy. He dined in the Mess for a week or so but finding the young officers becoming inhibited decided to dine in the guest-room after duly apologizing. He was capable of causing a positive transformation of those under his command single handedly which he did. A new pulse began to beat across the Corps and quite a few frills were stripped off the training events and official functions.
It was the month of November 1971, my unit was concentrated behind BRB Canal. Infantry units had dug their forward trenches as we had prepared our artillery observation posts. We were carrying out intensive reconnaissance of our areas of responsibility. Although the enemy was well concealed but occasionally we could spot a jeep or a soldier here and there. By that time we had occupied our defences twice and then pulled out. Time had come for me to leave Lahore as I was posted to East Pakistan. My abiding regret is that I could not go to battle with my unit. I became a prisoner of war on 17 December 1971 in Khulna as part of the gigantic but futile attempt to save by force of arms what should have been preserved through vision, justice and political sagacity twenty years ago.

Lahore Revisited Twice
I was to come back to serve in Lahore twice again. Once as brigade major of the same divisional Artillery in 1982-84 where I was commissioned and next time as Colonel GS in the revered Corps Headquarters. Both were vastly different, professionally rewarding but momentous tenures. It was 1982 and Major General ‘George’ Rabbani, a Divisional Commander had just been sacked by late General Zia ul Haq presumably for asking a leading question about the shape of things to come after General Zia ul Haq was gone. Soft Spoken Major General Imran Ullah Khan had taken over the Division on promotion. He was very fond of Shikar with remarkable capacity to endure physical hardship. We developed a special but respectful rapport during Shikar trips which has outlasted the intervening period enabling me to always draw upon his gentle nature from time to time. One evening I got a frantic call from Subedar Major of a unit saying that the Divisional Commander was seen moving around in unit lines disguised and incognito which has caused a lot of commotion. He was advised to maintain his cool and the unit to act normal. After some time the General left. Next morning was our Shikar day. As we were driving towards the river I took one of those infrequent liberties with this noble general officer. I suggested that as our Commander he had the privilege to visit any unit under command at any time of the day or night in any manner that he preferred. But the danger in an incognito visit was that some over zealous soldier may not be in a proper frame of conduct. Thus not only the Divisional Commander but the whole unit would be embarrassed. He understood the reference, the episode ended there quite amicably.
Then came Late General Zia ul Haq’ Nizam-e-Salaat, the enforcement of prayers during office hours and Referendum in a succession. Nizam-e-Salaat never took-off as it was extremely hurriedly put in place. Most of the appointees drew severe public reaction due to their inflexibility, lack of home-work and thick headedness. There was a sort of ‘illfit’ feeling about prayers during the office hours, but with effort the Army over-came this reservation and then typically overdid it. Resultantly work in the Army offices practically stopped by one O’ Clock and hardly restarted till the next day under the convenient permission. A lot has been said about the Referendum. All those on parade on the day of Referendum were expected to cast their ballot whether for or against in confidentiality. In Lahore garrison we did not find any compulsion to cast all the ballots that too as yes. It should be understood that Pakistan Army is not trained and structured to pass democratic judgements over suitability or otherwise of the sitting Army Chief. Thus the Referendum caused a confusion in the soldier’s mind. This conceptual confusion resulted in disinterest as far as kaki voter was concerned. Therefore, for us personally the Referendum passed as a non-event.
Lieutenant General Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi ex-Commander Eastern Command Dhaka had decided to settle down in Lahore after retirement. Peculiarly, he constructed a fortress shaped house for himself to live in. There may be no particular explanation of this odd design but it reminded one of the ignominious collapse of Fortress Dacca in December 71 under his command. He would be seen strolling on Lahore Cantonment roads either with a bright Golden Pheasant feather in his cap or occasionally with a tall and starched ‘Shamla’ crowning his Mianwali turban. He was by then reduced to a mere fraction of his past swagger having fallen from grace. One could not help but pity the old soldier.
My final tenure of duty in Lahore began in 1991 where I arrived from GHQ on promotion. The Corps staff was a lively and responsive team which dribbled successfully through quite a few crises that erupted in the provincial capital. We managed to hit it out together most famously for next two years. Some of those events with greater recordable value are going to be narrated here in certain detail.

Cooperatives Scam
Taj Company with all its fame and holy claim to print Islamic literature and the Quran had just crashed sinking investors’ money because of fraud and mismanagement. Of all the Cooperatives embezzlements and Finance companies scams this one was the most damaging. Because while Cooperatives killed peoples’ trust in the country’s savings and investment sector. Taj Company scam once again and finally murdered their age old and already crumbling belief in trusted Islamic entrepreneurs and similar religious commercial undertakings. Nobody could believe that a Company printing authentic and correct to the dot Quran copies could succumb so low to a massive embezzlement of money entrusted to their care. Punjab Government had established Punjab Bank to secure a measure of banking autonomy. Some of the senior executives in this Bank were names that were well-known for their leading roles in defunct Cooperatives also. These robber barons were seen hovering around political leadership to the detriment of justice and confidence of dispossessed depositors. Some of these devious men tried to access the Corps Commander in different guises but were shunned. The city was buzzing with rumours of an unholy alliance between Punjab and Federal leadership and these unscrupulous men. A particular managing director of one such Cooperative in Lahore had publicly bought a test cricketer’s bat for a huge sum not for the love of the sport but as a vulgar display of his legendary wealth. He indulged in such unrestrained and frequent spending orgies directly from depositors’ money. In this whole sordid affairs the role of the State Bank and the Ministry of Finance had been thoroughly disappointing. Public trust was openly and blatantly breached without the fear of any law or punishment. Millions of depositors including serving and retired soldiers were deprived of their savings due to criminal collusion and heartless but wilful neglect. Our slumberous machinery of Justice hissed and groaned in dignified disapproval but without a meaningful reprieve. Many many years later it had to be NAB to come to the depositors rescue.

Dharampur Incident
Those familiar with Lahore Cantonment’s geography know that Dharampura is located immediately in the north, Gulberg to the west and Kot Lakhpat Road crossing to the South. It was late 91 or early 92 when one day an officer of Military Police rang up to inform that a violent mob has gathered in front of Dharampura Police Station, one or two people have been killed by the police and they were about to attack the police station. This was a potentially explosive situation with possible ugly effects on law and order that too practically inside the boundary of the Cantonment. I informed the Corps Chief of Staff, tasked the staff to keep a track of events and on an impulse decided to visit Dharampura Police Station myself. This particular wild impulse had exposed me to needless hazards earlier and would do so many times more in future too. The jeep took about 10 minutes to reach there. What unfolded was a scene of complete riot, chaos and a highly volatile mob preparing to assault the Police Station and its hapless staff. In anticipation of trouble all shops were closed and the size of the crowd was visibly swelling up. Clearly there was murder in the air and no time left to waste. Through the reluctantly parting mob I drove straight to the Police Station’s main door which was tightly bolted from inside. There was a clear sigh of relief amongst the policemen on seeing the reinforcements arrive. Nobody really knew that it was a lone military jeep and not a full relief force. Their telephone lines were already snapped.
To my surprise I found SSP Lahore and an SP amongst those besieged. This seemed commendable solidarity and an act of leadership on their part. Quickly we took stock of the situation. Briefly, a car was snatched in Shadman Colony, police mobile gave a chase. They were trying to escape along the canal bank but police intercepted them near Dharampur Canal bridge. It resulted in a shoot out in broad daylight and full view of locals. A hijacker and a bystander were killed. SSP Lahore and SP reached the spot to take control but were forced to take shelter in the Police Station. Apparently the mob’s anger was due to the death of a bystander which it was not sure whose bullet killed him. The situation needed to be immediately diffused. The police officers agreed to see the mob leaders. I was able to prevail upon the ring leaders outside to first discuss the matter with officers inside on my guarantee of safe conduct (no arrest). At the end of an hour-long meeting with an unlikely moderator like me tempers cooled, hands were shaken tea consumed and the matter resolved. Under the combined effect of ring leaders’ persuasion and a veiled threat of use of military force the mob began to disperse, soon peace prevailed. We parted as friend tested under duress. My impulsive induction into the scene notwithstanding.
Tariq Khosa was SSP Lahore. At that time of crisis and direct threat to his personal safety, I found him cool and self-composed. I was to come across this remarkable Police officer a number of times again and always found him level-headed. The next test came soon but this time we were facing each other across the fence under our institutional compulsions. The incident was familiar but quite bizarre and not of our making. We came into the picture for its resolution. It was fortunate that we knew each other’s purposefulness and pressure thresholds, therefore, we made no false moves.

Storming of Gulberg Police Station
It was evening time on the day before Eid when the phone bell rang. On the other end was an Intelligence officer breaking bad news as usual. According to him a group of 50 to 60 young officers armed with hockey sticks, tent poles and a possible one or two handguns had just left a Cavalry Ground Officers Mess to attack Liberty Gulberg Police Station. The reason as discussed in their meeting was that two young officers from a tank unit in Lahore were publicly beaten up in Liberty Market under the personal instructions and presence of Inspector Danyal incharge of Gulberg Police Station on the night before. The ‘invasion force’ had left around eight that evening and would be about to storm the Police Station by then. This was real trouble of the familiar pattern-Army versus Police about to be replayed. The difference was that this time I was to be in the jug directly.
Corps Commander, and other senior officers had gone to Gujranwala Cantonment to attend a function. COAS General Asif Nawaz was also there and was to visit Lahore next day. Quickly getting into uniform I rushed to the Corps Headquarters summoning both commanding officers of MP and Intelligence Battalions and my very capable GSO-I (Operations) to the office in the process. This ‘group’ was soon in action, we devised a plan to tackle the possible reaction and contain the damage. Intelligence Battalion was tasked to send their video camera-men in the guise of Press to film the proceedings and MP to throw a cordon around the Police Station area to prevent the conflict spreading out or outside interference. We estimated the raid to be over in 15-20 minutes that is before we could reach them yet Military Police were instructed to prevail upon the officers to desist from destruction if possible. The action was over in less than half an hour as anticipated. Regretfully the Police station was in shambles, the raiders gave a thorough drubbing to Inspector Danyal and carried him away with them. By then the Brigade Commander (now a Lieutenant General) and Commanding Officer of the aggrieved officers had already joined me in the office. I demanded of them to know where-abouts of Inspector Danyal and to see those two officers. Shortly the officers were brought in who disclosed that Inspector Danyal was off-loaded in one piece on a road-side in Cavalry Ground. I dispatched their Commanding Officer to take the Inspector to a civil hospital along with our own doctor in civvies, see that he was properly attended to and obtain medical report from that hospital. Which was duly done.
The two officers involved were asked to narrate the whole incident truthfully if they expected to be helped, which I believe they did. It was a tale of hot blood and indiscretion, over-stepping authority and reaction to a public disgrace. Standard ingredients of a familiar clash between Khaki and the Grey. At the end of the narration I could only say “If you had asked me I would not have permitted you, but well done’. My wild impulse and institutional compulsions were once again at work.
We were expecting the Police ‘counter-offensive’ to be launched any time. I also knew that with Tariq Khosa in command it was not going to be a rash one. Therefore, no general caution was issued nor any reaction force made ready. The real danger was the flamboyant DIG Lahore who could react unpredictably. But one he was not in town and the second Inspector Danyal was passionately despised by his own Police Force for different reasons. This fact we had learnt from first hand accounts of the officers and our video camera man on the spot. Sensibly, the young raiders did not rough up other policemen present in the Police Station. It was a surgical operation and the blow was delivered with speed and precision. Sure enough soon Military Police at the gate announced the arrival of SSP Lahore accompanied by two or three Police officers. This was it, the police offensive had begun. My task was to contest it to the point of stalemate in order to gain time and regain balance. In his opening move he demanded the custody of officers involved expressing his apprehension that Inspector Danyal might have been killed or seriously wounded after his forcible abduction. That police had the right to register a case and interrogate the accused. This was a powerful and concentrated attack which needed determination to withstand. They were made to sit and a cup of tea was promptly served. I replied by saying “as far Inspector Danyal is concerned he is alive and presently admitted in Gulab Devi Hospital. As regards officers, they are not handed over to Police for investigation of minor offences. Now lets discuss the situation from this point onwards”. In about two hours the Police offensive began to wane and finally it recoiled. SSP Lahore left by saying “justice should be done and a joint court of inquiry should be held”. I assured him solemnly it would be so. Once again we parted as friends. A joint court of inquiry was eventually constituted but Lahore Police failed to follow up the proceedings and it fizzled out.
It was during this animated exchange that the phone bell rang once again, the operator informed that the Army Chief wanted to talk. Meanwhile, we had kept our Corps Commander at Gujranwala apprised of the developing situation and our responses. There was a pin-drop silence in the room. I listened very attentively to the COAS. In his typically crisp but frank style he inquired, ‘Young man what is happening in Lahore?’
I gave a brief but precise description of the unfolding episode and added ‘The situation is under control and we will be able to handle it. Detailed report will be put up to you upon your arrival in Lahore tomorrow Sir’.
The COAS remarked ‘Good. See that the officers are not harassed’ and hung up.
This was an endorsement and approval of Corps responses and our line of action by the COAS. I have a suspicion that the audience in the room could over-hear what the COAS said. It had a salutary effect on the immediate proceedings. But more than that very soon COAS’s caring remarks were known all over the Army which endeared him to the officers and men that much more.
Late General Asif Nawaz possessed the gift of personal charisma and the knack of direct but dignified interaction with those under his command which is one of the traits of distinguished military leaders. Under his stern exterior and piercing gaze was a compassionate, trusting and uncomplicated Army Chief who commanded instant and willing obedience from his subordinates. His untimely death extinguished the rising hopes of a paradigm change in the Army culture, among other things.

Destruction of Babri Mosque and Its Aftermath
The needless destruction of Babri Mosque is considered a dark chapter in modern India’s history which lowered her standing amongst civilized countries quite a few notches. It naturally inflamed public emotions in Pakistan. Into this fire was poured oil most undesirably by our political leadership of the time. We rose only to demean ourselves through a politically drummed up green madness by destroying already aging Hindu temples, a few Christian churches and Sikh shrines. This act uncorked the demon of intolerance towards other religions which our ancestors had struggled so hard to bottle up. Ever-since then, it has resulted in increased loss of life and property of religious minorities, their harassment and resultant alienation from national mainstream. After this incident these minorities began to display an unprecedented belligerence mainly out of desperation and official apathy. In this sordid drama the Sharif’s of the time and some of their odious camp followers played a despicable major role. They gave a call for general strike without laying down its parameters. It was an obvious conclusion that angry mobs will threaten minority life, property and places of worship. No safeguards were taken at the state level which was a tacit signal of approval for the ugly mischief. Government of the day clearly and criminally colluded with mobsters and failed in its primary duty towards minorities. Any precautions or preventive measures that were taken at a few places were because of certain conscientious local civil servants.
Lahore was bristling with anger. In consultation with civil administration we had made a contingency plan to deal with a flare up. A small force we made ready to be employed if required. We knew the moving spirit behind this arrangement was SSP Lahore mostly at his own initiative. We prepared to support this rare police officer to do his duty to the fullest. In the Corps Headquarters we established a command post with city maps, telephone and wireless sets including a Police wireless set to listen-in to simultaneous coverage. As an additional measure our Intelligence and Field Security elements were also tasked to monitor major processions and provide early warning of a possible trouble. Police mobile wireless teams are usually the best and more accurate means of monitoring progress of such civil events. I had learnt this valuable lesson during my tenure of duty with Headquarters DMLA Hyderabad in 1981-82.
Morning of the strike day broke with an uneasy calm. Maulana and certain fire-brand religious leaders had just begun to deliver fiery speeches. Soon processions began to form-up at various places in Lahore city, Model Town, Gulberg, Shadman, Moghalpura, Badami Bagh and Dharampura. Their plan was to mainly converge on the Governor’s House via the Mall Road. There were numerous other smaller processions which were feeding major processions from side roads. As expected most of these processions quickly turned riotous. Traffic lights, neon signs and glass fronts of shops and building were smashed, disused tyres were put on fire. Police were stone-pelted and in some cases attacked and dispersed by the mob. Curiously no request came seeking Army’s help. Gradually, Lahore Police lost all control over the mobs, our wireless observers confirmed that by midday Lahore was at the complete mercy of the mob. Civil law and order machinery had totally been overwhelmed after fairly determined encounters.
By this time wireless reports began to depict another ominous development. That the burning fringes of the processions were appearing to converge on the Cantonment from the direction of Dharampura, The Mall Road and Kot Lakhpat Road junction. First two led directly to the Corps Commander’s House and the last one was a flanking approach into the heart of Lahore Cantonment. Our reaction forces were alerted for preventive action. These processions were not to be allowed to enter the garrison, therefore, cut-off points were indicated to respective force commanders. Wireless reports showed Dharampura procession having approached relatively closer and the Mall Road one still some distance away. We were not quite convinced if the mobs really intended to confront the Army, yet any untoward development had to be catered for. At this point in time my wild impulse resurfaced once again and I do not hesitate to admit that these surges of misplaced valour have always got me into thick soup and unwarranted trouble.
Having tied small knots here and there and tasked GSO-I (Operations) to man the Command Post, I decided to see for myself how much of a threat Dharampura procession was posing to Cantonment’s security and also what was really happening elsewhere in the city. Driving over the canal bridge and past the Dharampura Police Station I spotted the vanguard of the dreaded Dharampura procession. It was a poor copy of its morning glory. A few dozen sore footed exhausted men carrying some banners and placards were trudging along. This was a harmless crowd by now and apparently on its way to break-up. However, the shops were shut down and not a soul stirred on the roads. As I drove past this little crowd, shuttered shops deserted roads and silent alleys of Dharampura and Moghalpura on to Badami Bagh Data Durbar and Lower Mall a panorama of destruction, arson and wantonness unfolded. Lahore looked like a ghost city. Not a single policeman was in sight. Most of the street lights, traffic signals and neon signs had been smashed. Atmosphere was heavy with pungent smoke of burning tyres and collective madness of a frenzied people. Hundreds of thousands of bricks, shattered glass bottles and other objects littered the roads. I was not aware of what had transpired in other cities.
In my reckoning the Mall Road procession might have gone past the Governor’s House by then. Therefore, I turned onto the Mall Road from GPO and drove fast to take on this menace from the rear. But it had already dissipated just past the Wapda House wreaking havoc in its wake. I turned around to approach the Cantonment via Samanabad, Model Town and Kot Lakhpat Crossing route. There was large crowd gathered around Jain Mandir in Old Anarkali and were busy demolishing the temple. The conical dome of the ancient Hindu temple was already tilting on a crazy angle. As I approached the crowd and came to a halt a few people gathered around the military jeep. As I was dismounting in full uniform the crowd began to shout ‘Pakistan Army Zindabad’ when I cut them short very emphatically. The whole scene was outrageous. A place of minority worship though not in use anymore was being demolished along with our moral and constitutional responsibility. I refused to become part of this insanity as it was totally abhorrent for me to be so blind to reason and so short on tolerance. In a rage of indignation, I shot back at the ring leader in front of me, “You should be ashamed of yourself destroying this temple. The Holy Prophet never demolished any non-Muslim place of worship. He allowed them to worship freely and provided them total security. These people are in our care. It is cowardly to attack those who cannot defend themselves”. I did not realize I was shouting. This performance must have stunned them. An uneasy silence fell upon those immediately before me. Then the word spread and good sense began to prevail. The crowd began to melt. The temple remained tilted on that crazy angle for a long time afterwards. I drove off to take a look at the rest of the city. My ever alert GSO-I (Operations) was visibly relieved to see me arrive back in the Corps Headquarters. Pakistan’s equally uncivilized response to the destruction of Babri Mosque was highly degrading and can be squarely laid on the door of our imbecile political leadership of that time in tandem with certain self-seeking Maulanas.