Daily Times

Being aware of his views about the Army, I think that none other than Pervaiz Rashid could be behind both Dawn Leaks and Nawaz Sharif’s recent anti-state statements. I know him and his views from our college days. In August 1969, when I enrolled in the first-year class at Gordon College Rawalpindi, Rashid was a third-year student there. Sheikh Rasheed also got admission in first year, the same year.

It was a time when the 1970 general elections had given birth to the most serious political crisis in our history. The main reason for this crisis was general Yahya Khan and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who refused to hand over power to Sheikh Mujib-ur-Rehman, who had won the overall simple majority to form government both at the centre as well as in Dhaka. Mujib-ur-Rehman had swept polls in East Pakistan. It was at that time that Pervaiz Rashid, an active supporter of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), was arrested by the martial law regime because of his involvement in anti-Army activities.

It is the collective responsibility of the nation and the state institutions to convey a resolute and unequivocal message to the black sheep among our politicians

After the fall of East Pakistan, Yahya handed over power to Bhutto in December 1971. Rashid, after his release from jail, again took admission in third year, and thus became my classmate. At that time, Sheikh Rasheed and I were holding the appointment of President and Secretary of the Students’ Union, respectively. Though both of us had similar views on political issues, we developed serious differences probably due to a personality clash.

Pervaiz Rashid, a founding member of PPP Rawalpindi, was tasked by his party to neutralise Sheikh Rasheed who was enjoying the support of Ch Zahoor Elahi. Exploiting my differences with Sheikh Rasheed, Pervaiz tactfully trapped me to launch an anti-Sheikh Rasheed campaign in college. Due to a common opponent, Pervaiz and I became closer. Though he failed to win my support for PPP, our friendship led me to know the views, beliefs and activities of the so-called leftists in Pakistan. I also got the chance to meet a number of PPP leaders.

Raja Muhammad Anwar, another leftist and pro-PPP student leader was appointed an advisor to Begum Nusrat Bhutto. Anwar is known for his involvement in hijacking a PIA plane along Murtaza Bhutto, during Gen Zia’s martial law. Reportedly, he is currently occupying an important government post due to Pervaiz Rashid’s influence in Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

Pervaiz was also appointed the personal secretary to the chief minister of now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. He served in this capacity until the removal of Bhutto’s government by Gen Zia. Pervaiz remained politically inactive during Zia’s rule from July 1977 to August 1988. He resurfaced in the mid-1990s as a close aide of Shahbaz Sharif. He was introduced to Shahbaz by Nazir Nagi, another founding member of PPP.

Before his appointment as personal secretary to the KP chief minister, he always boasted of being an ideological Marxist. Che Guevara and Meraj Muhammad Khan (who left PPP after resigning as a state minister due to ideological differences with Bhutto) were among Pervaiz’s ideals. I am not sure what compelled a diehard leftist to join PML-N, a party always known to be against the PPP and against Marxism.

Based on Rashid’s political and ideological background, it is not difficult to conclude that joined the PML-N to achieve his political agenda by creating a wedge between the Army and people of Pakistan. Despite his anti-Muslim League political background, he has been practically controlling the policies of PML-N since his induction in the party. Because of their trust in his loyalty and political acumen, the entire Sharif family accords more weight to his opinion than the views of senior and ideological members of PML-N.

Other than Dawn Leaks and Nawaz Sharif’s recent anti-state statements, I also have a feeling that the October 12, 1999, mishap that derailed the political and democratic process was the outcome of miscalculations from advisors like Pervaiz Rashid. His removal from his post as a minister even before the completion of JIT report and remarks of Ch Nisar Ali Khan that Pervaiz Rashid’s views about the Army are not different from those of the Indians validate my conclusions about his dubious character. If I say he is the Hussain Haqqani of PML-N, it won’t be wrong.

Nothing can be more damaging for a country than choking the active support of the nation to the army that is engaged in a war against terrorism. Pakistan is fighting for its survival. Our motherland is surrounded by hostile forces from all sides. And Rahid is busy making things hard for the country

Nothing can be more damaging for a country than choking the active support of the nation to the army that is engaged in a war against terrorism. Pakistan is fighting for its survival. Our motherland is surrounded by hostile forces from all sides.

After the disqualification of Nawaz by the Supreme Court, a systematic campaign has been launched by PML-N to malign the army. Besides politicising the charges of corruption against the Sharif family, weakening the state institutions appears to be the sole objective of this campaign.

It is virtually a war declared against Pakistan, waged with the support of its internal, regional and international enemies. It is a much more severe crime than violating the constitution.

It is the collective responsibility of the nation and the state institutions to convey a resolute and unequivocal message to the black sheep among the politicians that they will have to account for anti-state activities, launched in connivance with our declared enemies to undermine the state of Pakistan.

The writer is a retired officer

Published in Daily Times, June 28^th 2018.