Strategic Playbook continues……….

The presence of radically inclined officers, such as Major General Sher Ali (Yahya Khan’s Minister of Information and National Affairs) and Lt. Generals Javed Nasir and Hamid Gul (to cite a few) besides General Zia-ul Haq, fuelled the spark of radicalism among the officers. These officers not only justified the use of religion to wage both direct and indirect war against India and subjugate ethnic, linguistic and religious minorities within the country, but also instilled the belief that the Army represented not only the armed force of a sovereign nation but also the defender of an ideology. The second role justified the Army’s dominance over civic life and a priority over other wings of the government in utilising resources. There are also signs of al Qaeda’s influence among the younger officers. At least half a dozen officers—lt. colonels and majors—were arrested in 2003 for their proximity to al Qaeda. The arrest of retired Major Haroon Rashid early 2009 revealed the complex network of alliances between the officers, Taliban-al Qaeda, crime and home-grown jihadi groups like the LeT.

The political role assumed by the Army in the 1950s brought it close to Islamist parties like JI and its ideology, particularly during the Zia years (which coincided with the Afghan jihad days). Several senior officers were members of JI and its student wing during their college days. These religious parties were used to prevent the rise of independent political parties like Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) which, the Army feared, would pose a threat to its supremacy. These political affiliations were exploited by the Army to gather recruits for the ‘Kashmir Jihad’ from JI-affiliated
colleges and universities in Punjab and Sindh. The mujahideen and
the Taliban came from madrasas run by JI and other Deobandi groups. The political affiliations, therefore, became an integral part of the Army’s policy instruments vis-à-vis Afghanistan and India, utilising the services of ‘jihadi’ groups like LeT and JeM.

To be continued………