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[-
IKRAM SEHGAL -] |
 The
Iraqi Cauldron |
The
Pentagon's senior civilian hierarchy has some armchair
warriors who have never heard a bullet fired in anger,
they were right about the war being over in a short
time, very wrong about "the war after the war".
As senior a person as battle-experienced US Army Chief
Gen Shinseki kept on insisting, even when he was vindictively
declared a "lame duck" by US Defence Secretary
Donald Rumsfeld more than a year before he was to retire,
that the invasion (and occupation thereof) of Iraq needed
"more boots on the ground". The senior military
hierarchy united against Rumsfeld as much as their predecessors
did against McNamara and his whiz-kids during Vietnam.
Frustrated with the inherent caution counselled and
keen to put into practice the new high-tech concept
of lightning IT warfare that could not be tried out
against the Taliban in Afghanistan. Rumsfeld found a
kindred spirit in Gen Tommy Franks, the overall US Commander
in the region. Rumsfeld and Franks had reason to feel
confident about a quick victory in contrast to the informed
military assessment that victory would take some time,
even against a dilapidated and obsolete Iraqi military
machine. However, they knew something that we didn't
even though it was certainly a matter of speculation,
critical decision-making personnel in Saddam Hussein's
military hierarchy had been bought off even before the
first shot was fired, many of them trusted blood relatives
of the dictator....more |
Inculcating
the 65 Spirit |
The
Armed Forces of Pakistan are many times bigger and far
better equipped than those that went to war in September
1965, the then senior military hierarchy never seriously
anticipated that any conflict would take place. Are
the "khakis" of today as much prepared for
war as their predecessors, do they have the same élan
and enthusiasm that infected not only the rank and file
but the whole population of Pakistan when Field Marshal
Ayub Khan called the country to arms on the morning
of 6th September? There is a qualitative difference
in the spirit that coursed through the veins of those
who were in uniform then and those who are in uniform
now. However, one is quite confident that if when push
comes to shove, the uniformed personnel will respond
as they did in 1965 but whether the whole nation will
stand united behind them as they did 38 years ago to
the day will depend upon Gen Pervez Musharraf and the
"democratic" road he chooses, whether he sustains
the parliamentary process he has himself put into effect
or he falls prey to the motivated who have enlisted
"intellectuals" to advise a "Presidential
System"? One may well ask what is the present system
in all but name?...more. |
A
Presidential System? |
Graduates
of the Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) have been Army
Chiefs since 1988, they have all been impressive in
their own individual right. The first PMA graduate to
become COAS, Gen Aslam Beg, could have walked into Presidential
office on Aug 17, 1988 but wisely chose to let democracy
have its say in Pakistan. Asif Nawaz Janjua would have
certainly left his imprint on the nation if his COAS
term had not been cut short because of his unfortunate
demise. Generally an unsung hero of democracy, Waheed
Kakar was a genuine soldier through and through, he
must be lauded for (1) putting democracy back on the
rails and not succumbing to temptation (2) disengaging
the Army from Karachi and (3) reining back the ISI from
its deep involvement in Afghanistan to a lesser inter-action,
thankfully. Jahangir Karamat could have easily taken
over the reins of government a number of times, he was
easily the most cerebral among the lot and we expected
a lot more than he eventually gave to the Army, unfortunately
he was not equipped to deal with court intrigues. His
removal (by resignation) gave the then PM Mian Nawaz
Sharif a wrong signal, a feeling of political omnipotence.
This ultimately brought him to grief on Oct 12, 1999
at the hands of his own appointee Pervez Musharraf when
Mian Sahib tried the same "power play" without
the finesse of his first civilian "coup"....more |
| International
Peace Day? |
The
UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (known
as UNMOGIP) issued a press release on Tuesday Sept 16,
2003 calling on "the parties involved in the Kashmir
issue to observe the "International Day of Peace"
on September 21 and appeals to them to initiate a ceasefire
and to do their best to prolong the duration of any
cessation of hostilities for as long as possible. The
conflict over Jammu and Kashmir has cost many lives,
caused much tragedy and could, sadly, continue to affect
the stability of the region for years to come. It is
the UNMOGIP's hope that the parties to the conflict
will embrace this opportunity to lay down their arms
and observe the "International Day of Peace",
unquote. Coincidentally a senior US diplomat was visiting
Srinagar when UNMOGIP issued this call, this combined
to infuriate the Indians. On the other hand it gave
heart to the freedom fighters within Kashmir that there
was renewed western interest. Even though there has
been far greater violence in Kashmir than in any other
area in the world in the recent past, till Kargil came
around in 1999 Kashmir was generally ignored by the
western media, a benign neglect that glossed over decades
of brutal Indian atrocities on the Kashmiri people.
Kargil was a watershed that force-fed Kashmir back into
international consciousness as well as media focus,
the dispute is now seen by western powers asa major
potential nuclear flashpoint....more
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