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Pakistan Armed Forces - Origins of Arrogance & Civilian Disdain
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On the day Prime Minister Imran Khan was at the Kremlin in Moscow meeting with President Putin, little is known that senior representatives of the Pakistan Armed Forces were in Washington meeting with senior Pentagon officials.
While the Government of Pakistan was attempting to build a Eurasian alliance (with China and Russia) and strengthening its geopolitical position in an increasingly vocal "Global South" (Asia and Africa), the Pakistan Armed Forces were busy trying to undermine Pakistan's sovereignty and ouster PM Imran Khan.
It's quite clear now after recent events where the loyalties of our armed forces are, and they certainly are not with Pakistan, despite several ISPR music videos which pretend they do.
The announcement by the former COAS where he termed Russia's military operation as an "invasion" should clearly explain to you the mentality of our armed forces. They have always been a problem for Pakistan politically and for decades we pretended that it wasn’t.
In order to understand this problem, we need to discuss where this all originated from.
> Jinnah's Visit To Army Staff College
On 14 June 1948, Jinnah visited the Army Staff College in Quetta where he met with officers and made a public speech at the Officers Mess. To make a long story short, he was shocked by the mentality of the officers and expressed his alarm at their casual disdain for civilian leadership. There is no record of what discussions took place in private between the senior officers and Jinnah, but it does appear that Jinnah was put off by what they said.
Interestingly, the senior-most officer present, next below the British commandant, was none other than Lt. Col. Mohammad Yahya Khan. Two participants of that training course would later rise to the ranks of lieutenant general - they were none other than Major Sahibzada Yaqub Ali Khan and Major Abdul Majid.
Jinnah's view of the military wasn't hidden and upon making his public speech at the Officers Mess, he made his point clear:
“One thing more. I am persuaded to say this because during my talks with one or two very high-ranking officers I discovered that they did not know the implications of the oath taken by the troops of Pakistan...I want you to remember...that the executive authority flows from the head of the Government of Pakistan, who is the Governor General and, therefore, any command or order that may come to you cannot come without the sanction of the executive head. This is the legal position.”
Interestingly, Jinnah's visit is highlighted on the Army Staff College‘s official website, but makes no mention of the contents of his speech.
The military were well aware of Jinnah's stance and insistence of civilian democratic leadership in the newly independent Pakistan. On the very day of Pakistan's independence on 14 August 1947, Jinnah, who had just become Governor General, scolded one young army officer who claimed to have said:
“Instead of giving us the opportunity to serve our country in positions where our natural talents and native genius could be used to the greatest advantage, important posts are being entrusted, as had been done in the past, to foreigners. British officers have been appointed to head the three fighting services, and a number of other foreigners are in key senior appointments. This was not our understanding of how Pakistan should be run.”
Jinnah was not amused and replied back bluntly:
“Do not to forget that the armed forces are the servants of the people and you do not make national policy; it is we, the civilians, who decide these issues and it is your duty to carry out these tasks with which you are entrusted. I should like you to study the constitution, which is in force in Pakistan at present and understand its true constitutional and legal implications when you say that you will be faithful to the constitution of the Dominion.“
What both these incidents indicate is that some within the army had already developed extra-constitutional ambitions within less than a year of Pakistan's independence, even while the father of the nation was alive. How and why did that happen?
Although a universal disdain for civilian leadership is present in military brass around the world, the situation in Pakistan was a little different. Disdain was coupled with arrogance and a superficial superiority complex. To understand the origins of this, we need yet another history lesson.
Sources:
1.
https://www.dawn.com/news/844868/civil-military-relations
2.
https://www.nation.com.pk/22-Nov-2012/quaid-s-visit-to-staff-college-quetta
3.
http://www.jinnahofpakistan.com/2010/04/responsibilities-of-defence-force-14th.html
4.
https://www.aajenglish.tv/news/30305592
> Colonial Origins
Contrary to popular belief, the Pakistan Army was not formed in 1947, but rather 1920. How is that possible? The same reason why the Pakistan Railways was established in 1861 - we simply inherited it from our former colonial rulers. In the case of Pakistan Railways, we inherited it from the North Western State Railway.
But where did the Pakistan Army originate from? Here's a brief timeline:
>1857:
- British Raj established - "Presidency armies" formed throughout the colony.
> 1895:
- Presidency armies abolished.
- Replaced with 4 commands; the Punjab, Bengal, Bombay and Madras commands.
> 1908:
- Punjab Command and Bengal Command merged into Northern Army.
- Bombay Command and Madras Command merged into Southern Army.
> 1920:
- Northern Army and Southern Army abolished.
- Reverted back to four commands; this time as Northern, Eastern, Southern and Western commands.
> 1942:
- Northern and Western commands merged to form the North Western Army.
- This was done to better guard the frontier regions of North West Frontier and Baluchistan.
> 1945:
- North Western Army reverted to Northern Command.
> 1947:
- Northern Command renamed to Pakistan Army.
So the Pakistan Army was essentially inherited from the former colonial force present in what would become Pakistan. Similarly, the remaining commands (Western, Eastern and Southern), in what would become the Republic of India, were inherited by the Indian Army.
This is why Frank Messervy is considered the first General of the Pakistan Army. He was made General Officer Commander-in-Chief of the Northern Command in 1946. In 1947, when it was renamed to the Pakistan Army, he was granted the honourary rank of general until 1948.
> North Western Army Culture
The imperial culture of the British Indian Army was one of divide and control.
- British officers, who were always higher ranking, were kept separate from "native officers", who were normally lower ranking.
- Interaction between officers and civilians was discouraged, especially after 1857, where resentment and distrust against civilians had been further entrenched (especially against the Muslim population as highlighted in the Hunter Commission). The common people of British India were seen as its biggest enemy, and hence the military wanted to ensure that officers were separated as much as possible from the civilian population.
- British Indian Army, apart from hospitals, decided to build their own gated neighbourhoods, clubs, golf courses, resorts etc. These were very well maintained and among the best in the entire colony. As a result, the civilian population viewed officers living a luxurious lifestyle.
- Furthermore, the North Western Army had a particular daunting task as it had to regularly come in contact with rebelling Pashtun tribes, Baloch tribes and skirmishes in Punjab and Sindh. Of all the commands, the North Western Army was the most stretched and heavily utilized. You would well imagine what the average officer thought of civilians during this period.
> Pakistan Army Inheriting A Mess
Unfortunately in 1947, the Pakistan Army inherited this military culture and nothing was done to expunge the new Pakistan Army of its colonial arrogance and disdain for civilians. Even prior to independence, there was minimal interaction between the political leadership and the future leaders of the Pakistan Army.
After independence, the interaction remained cold and was not helped by the unwise administrative decision to keep civil and military leadership separated, with Karachi as the capital and Rawalpindi as the army headquarters.
Even the nearest provincial capital (Peshawar) was about 200 kilometers away. The farthest provincial capital, Dhaka, was light years away. This perhaps explains why the people of East Bengal hardly ever figured in the calculations of the GHQ, except as an irksome nuisance.
> Questions To Ask Yourself
Place yourself in 1857 and ask yourself these questions:
Why would a colonial power want to establish a military force in its colony? Would it be to protect the common people (the colonized) and serve them? Or would it be to protect the integrity of the colony (the colonizer)?
The answer is obviously the latter. The British formed military forces in all of its colonies to keep the common people (or “natives”) in line by any means necessary. The 1857 War of Independence obviously played a big role in having such a strong force, but it appears the Bolshevik revolution in Russia and subsequent expansion of the USSR also scared the British. Then World War 1 and subsequent rise of Nazi Germany and Colonial Japan leading to World War 2 did not help matters either - all were used as an excuse to maintain a large military force. Sound familiar?
So, if we inherited this colonial military, why today are all of you surprised at the history of military coups?
Why are you surprised by arrogance of military generals or gated communities like DHA or the fact English is still the official language of the military? Has ISPR ever heard of a language called Urdu?
In contrast, the Turkish Army to this day has maintained some of its Ottoman traditions going back over 900 years. Why couldn't the Pakistan Army similarly adopt changes in 1947 to rid itself of colonial disparagement and become a truly independent military force for the people?
We need to have a serious discussion on the role of the Pakistan Armed Forces in politics and where the loyalties of this military actually are.
70 years have past, yet GHQ still thinks it's 1945.
Now do you understand why no PAF jet ever intercepted drones in our airspace?
Now do you understand why the Abbottabad raid was allowed to happen?
Now do you understand who pushed for military coups in our country?
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