Large autonomous organisations like PIA, Shipping Corporation, WAPDA, Steel Mills etc., have most of the time been headed by either in-service or retired officers. And very rarely have the top jobs in national sports organisations gone to civilians. But with the exception of a few all these generals and air marshals and admirals have only succeeded in lining their pockets and rendering poorer the organisations they had headed.


SAT REPORT
Published: May 11-17, 2003

ISLAMABAD: Details of how the Pakistani Generals grabbed lands have been documented by several institutions. The latest report issued by the Asia Defence News International (ADNI) paints a very grim picture.

It says: Pakistan has been ruled by the Army for about half of the period of its existence. During this period of its dictatorial rule it has authorised some unbelievable perks and privileges for its armed forces. A civilian government, as and when formed, could hardly change or challenge these perks. Once Prime Minister Mohammad Khan Junejo attempted to cut defence expenditure and tried to put generals and admirals in small Suzuki cars in place of more luxurious Toyotas, General Zia promptly sacked him.

Besides handsome pay packet, army officers in Pakistan are given many colonial privileges. The biggest perk is land. Soldiers and sailors are rewarded with land for distinguished service. In any other Army a Major General on promotion to the rank of Lieutenant General gets higher pay scale, some additional brass on his shoulders and an extra star on his star plate but in the Pakistan Army a Major General on promotion to the rank of Lieutenant General gets fifty acres of land.

No wonder when Musharraf disclosed his personal wealth after taking office he listed nine pieces of real estate and three houses as part of his assets. His daughter resides in one of his houses in Karachi’s Defence colony and his parents live in a house in Islamabad. He also owns other pieces of real state in Karachi, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Lahore, Gwadar near Arabian Sea and fifty acres of land at Bhawalpur in Punjab.

The allotment of prime pieces of land to serving military generals at throwaway prices has generated much public demand for bringing serving military officials into the accountability net and for the first time fingers are pointing at President General Pervez Musharraf accusing him of allocating prime land worth rupees two crore for himself.

According to the Amir of the Jamaat Islami, Qazi Hussain Ahmad, the Chief of Army Staff, General Pervez Musharraf, was allotted the most expensive piece of land measuring 8 marlas worth of rupees two crore. The chief executive has been blessed with this precious plot on the concessional rate of just one lakh rupees, Qazi alleged, adding that he has personally seen the allotment letters.

If Qazi Hussain Ahmad is to be believed, Lt Gen Syed Mohammad Amjad has recently been allotted an expensive piece of land measuring two kanals in Lahore Cantt, at a throwaway price. The General was heading the all-powerful National Accountability Bureau (NAB) when the alleged allotment latter was issued to him on August 31 last year The plot was worth 90 lakhs and General Amjad has already sold one kanal for 45 lakhs, alleged a confident Qazi to prove his claim.

According to Qazi, "General Amjad’s successor, Lt Gen Khalid Maqbool, has also been allotted a two-kanal plot in Lahore Cantt, situated next to that of his predecessor."

As per Jamaat Amir’s claim the Military Land and Cantonment Headquarters, Lahore, allotted a 2-kanal plot (No.2-A) to Lt.Gen. Mohammad Amjad on 31-8-2000 through allotment letter No.11-1484RD-Ihr-88, under survey No.92/2-A.The plot, situated on Sarwa Road, Lahore Cantt, was leased out to the worthy General for 99 years, against an annual lease fee of 50 rupees only.

When Qazi first leveled these allegations, there were vociferous denials from various important government officials. However, the same government officials later admitted that the plots had been allotted in accordance with existing rules.

An Army spokesman conceded that General Amjad and other soldiers who fulfil the merit and service oriented criteria are eligible for some benefits on payment of the cost of the land. "Lieutenant General Syed Muhammad Amjad has also been assessed by the same criteria." As for General Musharraf, the spokesman said: "The Chiefs of the three forces have to pay charges per square foot of the construction costs of the house they are given at retirement".

There are authentic reports that former Ehtesab Bureau Chief, Saifur Rehman Khan, had been collecting documents on the property and assets of some top ranking officers of the armed forces. According to informed sources, two retired army brigadiers, serving the Sharif administration, had been working on a plan to determine the real assets of the military top brass. The task was to make the military command more vulnerable to accountability. Former Chief of Army Staff General (retd), Mirza Aslam Beg, was allotted a plot by the General headquarters (GHQ) at Rawalpindi’s Race Course Colony. Beg later had the plot exchanged for a piece of land of his choice.

The following is an example of how the top bosses of Pakistan’s most powerful intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), feather their nests: Lt Gen (retd) Hameed Gul, its former head, was allotted a two kanal plot in Quetta Cantonment for just 45,000 rupees, as well as another plot measuring one-and-a-half kanals for just 25,000 rupees. General Gul was allotted yet another two kanal plot in the Lahore Cantt cooperative housing Society for 35,000 rupees. As if these three plots were not enough, the General, who now heads a political party, was also allotted a plot measuring 1,000 yards in Defence Housing Society, for 75,000 rupees.

After retirement, lifetime employment is ensured in one of the country's many military-related business conglomerates like Fauji Foundation and the Army Welfare Trust the interests of which include banking,real estate, airlines, insurance and construction companies. The commercial enterprises owned by the defence services contribute as much as nearly 3 per cent to the national economy annually. Where in the world does a national Army own such huge commercial interests? All these enterprises flourished and are being run profitably not by competing on a level playing field but with economic odds heavily stacked in their favour.

Large autonomous organisations like PIA, Shipping Corporation, WAPDA, Steel Mills etc., have most of the time been headed by either in-service or retired officers. And very rarely have the top jobs in national sports organisations gone to civilians. But with the exception of a few all these generals and air marshals and admirals have only succeeded in lining their pockets and rendering poorer the organisations they had headed.

Despite the stated intention of the martial law authorities that the land reforms were intended to bring about a just and equitable redistribution of land among the poor landless tenants, the first signs of self-aggrandisement had begun. A large part of the resumed land was soon handed over to military and civil officials at throwaway prices. The halcyon days for the new military-bureaucratic elite had arrived.

South Asia Tribune has reported that Army Generals appeared totally out of control during the civilian government and their expenses jumped from Rs. 1 billion a year until 1993 to over Rs. 6.3 billion in 1994-95, to an astounding Rs. 43 billion in 1997-98 and another Rs. 12 billion in 1998-99 -- a rich Army in a nation surviving on foreign largesse. — Asia Defence News International (ADNI).