Daily Times

The Pakistan Ex-Servicemen’s Association has existed for many years. Yet, most retired servicemen, including this author, never participated or took much interest in its activities, until a few months ago when it issued a rather forceful statement calling for the release of Lt Gen Hameed Gul from his illegal detention in jail. The organisation is headed by Lt Gen Faiz Ali Chishti, who was prominent in the corridors of power during the Zia-ul Haq era.
It was with some effort that some senior colleagues managed to persuade Gen Chishti to host a meeting on January 22, 2008, to consider the prevailing political situation and decide whether this association should express its views on it. Gen Chishti needed reassurance that the meeting would be well attended and these senior colleagues ensured that the scheduled meeting was well publicised, and indeed it was well attended.
The press erroneously focused on the general officers attending, which made it possible for President Musharraf to rebut the call for him to step down with derisive comments to the effect that most of these officers had served under him and he had sacked them; both contentions being untrue.
In fact, there were icons like Asghar Khan present, whose only blemish is that he turned into an honourable but failed politician; and Noor Khan, whose reputation is totally untarnished and whose entire life is a success story after having led the PAF to a decisive victory in 1965 and having remained chairman of the cricket, hockey and squash boards, and the PIA, among other achievements. Both these officers were commissioned pre-partition, at a time when Musharraf probably could not even have tied his own shoelaces.
There were also lesser-known chiefs of the PAF and PN with a very clean record, including Admiral Fasih Bokhari who, being senior to Musharraf, chose to resign when Musharraf, already the COAS, was concurrently appointed the CJCSC by Nawaz Sharif in October 1999. Ex-army chiefs were prominent in their absence. The gathering included officers far senior to Musharraf and people like Hameed Gul, whom Musharraf had served under.
The attendants also included other officers of lesser ranks who also cherished their reputation, as well as a cross section of the retired rank and file, almost entirely from the army.
By focusing solely on the retired generals as the participants, the media made it possible not only for Musharraf to parry the attack but also for others to (justifiably) question the antecedents of some of the senior army officers present, since the chair person, Gen Chishti was a beneficiary of a previous military rule.
There were others who had served under Musharraf, or were beneficiaries after retirement, including this author, who was elevated to the president of the Islamabad Policy Research Institute, replacing Gen Refaqat, though he did not survive too long as a beneficiary. However, Musharraf would be accurate in contending that this author resigned only to pre-empt being sacked.
Had the media reported it as a call from retired ex servicemen of all rank and file, the impact of the meeting and its outcome could have been far more powerful.
For even someone like this author, who was aware of the fact that the opposition to Musharraf was increasing within the rank and file of the army, the degree of vehemence, even venom, of their opposition was a revelation. One retired non-commissioned officer (a Naik) got so carried away by his vehemence to express his opposition that he descended to the unintentional use of foul language. So much for Musharraf’s claims to popularity among ex-servicemen!
The meeting was conducted in a democratic manner in which all ranks could participate, without adverting to seniority.
There were a few recently retired officers, including a general officer, who were of the opinion that, being ex-servicemen, we should refrain from what might be political statements, and confine ourselves to expressing our concerns to the new COAS. However, having heard him, the rest of the crowd booed all other potential Musharraf apologists to silence, denying them the opportunity to defend Musharraf.
While hoping that any future statements from this forum will emphasise that the statement comes from all ranks and not only from retired generals with a questionable past — even those may be taken at face value, since they may have learnt from past errors — personally, I was immensely pleased with the outcome.
It is my opinion that this meeting was a milestone. On the one hand, it was the first time that ex-servicemen of all ranks had collectively and, virtually unanimously, expressed their dissatisfaction with a military regime or one that drew its original strength from the military (as it has now become). Reiterating that the country is fortunate to have in Gen Kayani another democratic chief, this development is likely to caution any future military interventions. It will certainly be resounding in the residences of all serving military personnel.
On the other hand, this meeting not only demonstrated the ex-servicemen’s common cause with civil society — echoing all their demands from the restoration of the pre-November 3 status to the immediate departure of Musharraf — but also categorically stated that the members were prepared to follow this up with civil disobedience in the event that Musharraf failed to step down and/or if elections were rigged.
Considering the presence of some of the participants, the scepticism and reservations of the media were to be expected. But I, for one, am proud to have been a part of this development.

The author is a retired brigadier. He is also former vice president and founder of the Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI)