By Agha Iqrar Haroon
Pakistan Army has taken three more retired officers into military custody for their actions prejudicial to military discipline. The arrest of three more retired officers is in connection with the Field General Court Martial (FGCM) proceedings of Lt General (retd) Faiz Hameed whose FGCM news was shared by ISPR on August 12.
On Thursday ISPR added that further investigations of certain retired officers and their accomplices for fomenting instability at the behest of and in collusion with vested political interests are continuing. Some sources claim that the figure may increase to 60 plus retired officers as the spectrum of investigation is expanding with new revealing information. As a responsible journalist, I would be limited to what information ISPR has already shared. Pakistan Army always says that it is proud of the across-the-board accountability process and that this process keeps it over and above civilian institutions where the word accountability is considered derogation or vendetta. Have you ever heard that any deputy commissioner or assistant commissioner is sacked and terminated from the post if found guilty of indiscipline? I still remember that in the 90s a police raid was conducted in a posh bungalow in Johar Town on the complaints of neighbors where a brothel house was operating. Interestingly one young Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) was ‘recovered’ from a room. I was a crime Reporter and I saw him at night in police custody at the time of the police raid and found him in his office the next morning with the hangover of last night. I also remember an incident of ’90s of ‘family life adventurism’ between one District Management Group (Now called as Pakistan Service Group) and a police officer for three days as an ‘experiment’. Both retired at last at higher posts of their cadres. Sharing these two weird incidents was just to tell that in civil services one can reach to highest posts without having basic decency, accountability, rule of law, and honesty. However, it is not possible in the Army where your conduct follows you even after your retirement.
Pakistan Army initiated the Court Martial proceedings against the former Director General Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lt General (retd) Faiz Hameed and took him into military custody to ascertain the correctness of complaints in the Top City Case made against Lt General (retd) Faiz Hameed in compliance with the orders of the Supreme Court of Pakistan. In addition, multiple instances of violation of the Pakistan Army Act post-retirement were also established. I remember a senior officer of the Foreign Service of Pakistan used to show important files to his former boss (the minister) and a civilian intelligence agency conducted a secret investigation but this gentleman got good postings ‘unhurt’ because no inquiry was conducted against him under official secret act while his former boss who was a politician kept supporting him for good foreign postings. In simple words, everything is possible in civil service that is impossible in military service.
Detaining General (R) Faiz Hameed and then starting court martial proceedings against him under the Army Act is not normal at all and this proves that accountability in the Pakistan Army goes beyond the date of retirement. There is a strict system. Some time ago DG ISPR in a press briefing clearly stated that there is an effective system of self-accountability in the army.
Many journalists were claiming that former prime Minister Imran Khan who is in jail must have contacts and support within the cadre of the military —retired or serving. Many journalists were raising fingers that the ‘Chakwal grid’ was behind the May 9 Mutiny and many journalists claimed that ‘a person who was in a very sensitive position in the past must have some data, content, audio or visual along with him that he is using to influence some embers of higher judiciary’. Things were in the air but responsible journalists were waiting for ‘official news’ because journalists knew that investigations were underway. Now yesterday’s ‘secret information’ is today’s credible and official information. Responding to the arrest of Lt Gen (Rtd) Faiz Hameed, former prime minister Khan categorically confirmed that the PTI founder who is serving the sentence of his former DG ISI Lt Gen (Rtd) Faiz Hameed was an asset that was wasted. Journalists like me had gut feelings that Lt Gen (Rtd) Faiz Hameed is (was) an asset of PTI and he allegedly planned a May 9 Mutiny to remove sitting Chief of Army Gen Asim Munir when he was out of the country. I believe that in the coming days, interesting information will be shared by official information channels about the involvement of a bunch of members of the higher judiciary who had directly or indirectly been involved in the May 9 Mutiny and were instructed by Faiz Hameed to give bails to culprits of May 9 Munity before February 2024 General Elections so they could reach the Parliament instead of jails where they should have been.
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The detention of General (R) Faiz Hameed and his court martial speaks the truth that a strict system of self-accountability is in place in the Pakistan Army, which has brought its former DGISI to justice and also arrested people related to him.
Is it, not time for My Lord (sometimes also called ‘Milord’ in Europe) the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan to expedite the process of applications against several members of the higher judiciary for having fake degrees, hiding dual nationality, corruption and abuse of their powers as a member of the judiciary?
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If we talk about accountability in the Judiciary, things are strange and anybody who raises questions against the conduct of judicial officers faces ‘contempt of court’ proceedings.
The information regarding the alleged fake degree of Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri and the evidence related to it are still a mystery to which no answer has come from the judiciary, especially the honorable judge, Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri. The is surprising that instead of giving a clear answer by Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri that his degree is not fake, the judiciary is considering information released by Karachi University as ‘Contempt’ of the court. If the allegations are not true, then Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri should come forward and answer with evidence and deny the allegations.
Disclaimer:
The views and opinions expressed in this article/Opinion/Comment are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the DND Thought Center and Dispatch News Desk (DND). Assumptions made within the analysis are not reflective of the position of the DND Thought Center and Dispatch News Desk News Agency.
