By Burhanuddin Hasan

A retired brigadier who was an unknown IB chief in 1992 suddenly appeared on the television and started spilling the beans about top secret information on the Jinnahpur scandal, formation of a political party named IJI by ISI, doling out of slush money to important political leaders to help overthrow Benazir’s government and pave the way for Mian Nawaz Sharif to win the election from IJI platform and the funds provided by ISI.

Brigadier (retd) Imtiaz became an overnight sensation and a star of prime time TV talk shows. He disclosed that the IJI plot was hatched by ISI under the guidance of the retired Army Chief Mirza Aslam Beg who secured an amount of Rs 15 crore from Mehran Bank managed by a known corrupt banker Younus Habib to create a slush fund to bribe influential politicians. He also disclosed the names of these politicians.

President Ghulam Ishaq Khan, who was annoyed by Benazir for various reasons, was also instrumental in the creation of IJI and Nawaz Sharif’s victory in the 1990 election.

It may be recalled that the second round of musical chairs, began when Mian Nawaz Sharif, the then Chief Minister of Punjab emerged victorious in the general elections held in November 1990. He had won a majority of the seats in the National Assembly to form a strong government and was hopefully expected to complete his five year term in office, but providence willed otherwise.

President Ishaq Khan addressed the joint sitting of the Parliament in December 1991. Sitting on the opposition benches Ms Bhutto, who had been badly mauled by the president only three months ago, was fuming with anger and poised to attack. As soon as the president stood up to speak, she and her party members launched a venomous attack against the president thumping the desks and shouting slogans, “Go Baba Go.” The president who had never before been subjected to such insults and humiliation in full view of the diplomatic corps and the national and international media, and in fact the entire nation, as his speech was being telecasted live on the national network, withstood the onslaught with courage for some time, but then he cracked up and started fumbling. Though all the microphones except the president’s were switched off the insulting slogans by the opposition were quite audible to the viewers. Nevertheless, he continued reading his speech till the finish.

Once again the slogan “Go Baba Go” was heard nine years later on March 11, 1999. In protest Ms Benazir made a parallel speech throughout President Rafiq Ahmed Tarar’s address to the joint sitting of Parliament while her party members continued shouting and hurling insults at the president. PTV showed this outrage live not only in Pakistan but in more than 37 countries around the world. Nobody could make out what the president or the leader of the opposition was saying, but everybody could see democracy being disgraced in the most disgusting theatrical demonstration by front rank political leaders. Ghulam Ishaq Khan was lucky to have escaped humiliation only after half an hour, but poor Rafiq Tarar had to suffer throughout his long rambling speech.

Then Prime Minister Mian Nawaz Sharif had described the behaviour of the Leader of the Opposition as “undemocratic and immoral.” But only a few years after when he was in opposition, he and his followers did almost the same thing to humiliate ex-President Farooq Ahmad Khan Leghari with the added attraction of displaying banners and placards with anti-Leghari slogans all over the floor of the National Assembly.

So much for the democratic behaviour of Pakistan’s political leaders! Soon after the disclosure of Jinnahpur scandal, MQM chief Altaf Hussain in a tear jerking speech from London held Nawaz Sharif responsible for the military operation against Mohajirs in 1992 in which 15,000 innocent people were killed. He, however, did not mention the judicial killings of Mohajirs in 1993 and the Pakka Qila operation in Hyderabad to dislodge their families.

Nawaz Sharif’s spokesman, however, denied that anti-Mohajir operation was ordered by the prime minister. Having made a lame and rather damaging excuse that the operation was launched by the Army Chief Late General Asif Nawaz without the knowledge of the prime minister. Some observers believe that to open the Pandora’s Box against Nawaz Sharif was specifically designed to damage the popularity that he had gained after his successful long march in order to restore CJ Iftikhar Chaudhry and other judges of the apex court which were deposed by former President Musharraf. Sharif’s spokesman indirectly blamed that the government circles were behind the revelations made by Brig (retd) Imtiaz. They gave a 12 hour ultimatum to the concerned quarters to prove Brig (retd) Imtiaz’s charges but better sense prevailed and Mian Nawaz Sharif ignored the allegations. Sharif also promised unconditional support to the government provided it agreed to scrap the 17th Amendment and try General (retd) Musharraf for breaching the constitution.

In short, there is no doubt that most of our politicians and some military personnel are responsible for bringing Pakistan to the abyss where it stands today.

One also hopes that media would use its freedom judiciously in projecting the damaging revelations made by doubtful characters, off and on.

(The writer is former news director, PTV. E-mail: burhanhasan@hotmail.com)

{Source: The Nation}

The fact that Nawaz Sharif was once the establishment’s blue-eyed boy and that the creation of the IJI was the ISI’s work are well known and undeniable, but the general perception is that today he is being targeted to save Musharraf’s skin.

It is premature to say who is behind this ‘get Nawaz’ campaign to deter him from seeking Musharraf’s trial under Article 6 of the Constitution. Though the immediate suspect for many is the invisible, military-led establishment, there are indications of involvement of some key government players in this blame-game.

Brigadier (retd) Imtiaz, whose recent statements have created ripples and upset the PML-N and its chief, however, denied that he has been playing into the hands of the establishment or the government. He insists that he just had the urge to share with the nation past secrets, irrespective of who benefits and who is damaged politically because of his revelations.

Talking to this correspondent, Brig Imtiaz said that he is not part of any plan to save Musharraf from trial. “Instead, I am a strong advocate of holding Musharraf accountable for his crimes against Pakistan,” the former ISI spy of ‘midnight jackals’ fame and ex-director general of the Intelligence Bureau said.

Regarding the ‘midnight jackal’ operation, which was meant to manoeuvre a no-confidence against the Benazir Bhutto government, he said that he was once called by the then Army chief General Aslam Beg, who desired in-house change of the government arguing that the Army was facing problems from the government vis-a-vis the country’s nuclear programme and the Afghan policy.

But the PML-N leader and party’s spokesman Pervez Rashid is confident that Brigadier Imtiaz is playing someone’s dirty game. Rashid said that Brig Imtiaz’s interviews and MQM Altaf Hussain’s statements are part of the strategy to malign Nawaz Sharif and prevent him from pursuing Musharraf’s trial.

He said that there are many elements who fear that if Musharraf is tried for his unconstitutional actions, then they too would face the music for their part in the misdoings. So they have launched this anti-Nawaz campaign. He, however, expressed the resolve of his party to continue pressing for upholding the rule of law for which Musharraf’s trial is necesary.

Imtiaz claims that he still has liking for Nawaz Sharif but it is not possible for him to withhold the truth anymore. He denied that he had approached different television channels for interview. He also denied that he has recently met Rehman Malik, the interior minister.

But Dr Shahid Masood of Geo’s ‘Meray Mutabik’ told this correspondent that the Brigadier approached him for an appearance in his programme. Pervez Rashid endorsed Dr Shahid Masood’s view and said that Brigadier Imtiaz contacted different television channels, which in his view is a clear indication of a well thought out strategy to malign the PML-N top leader.

Meanwhile, a London-based source confided to this correspondent that a key Pakistani diplomat from Washington recently visited London to meet Musharraf. It is believed that certain players in the government are in close liaison with the ousted dictator and want to defeat the bid to try Musharraf on high treason charges.

The source said that a British national of Pakistani origin, who runs spices business in London, is financing pro-Musharraf campaign and is even organising Musharraf’s meetings with different media persons to oppose the demand for his trial. Recently he organised Musharraf’s meeting with some pro-Musharraf media anchorpersons at the residence of a Pakistani dentist there.

{Source: The News}