By Baseer Naveed
senior researcher, South Asia, Asian Human Rights Commission, Hong Kong

The first ever victory of the Pakistan Army on July 12, 2007, will be remembered as a landmark in the history of the country's armed forces. Since the creation of Pakistan 60 years ago on more than ten occasions, when the Pakistani army has taken action against its own citizens it has had to either surrender or abandon the action.

The military action against a mosque (Lal Masjid) in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, was completed after 9 days of continuous attacks against the mosque and the adjacent seminary, Jamia Hafsa, where more than 1200 students were trapped. This is according to the statement of the military spokesman (there is no question of using the term "˜spokesperson' as it is gender bias). The Pakistan Army can be pleased that they managed to take the Lal Masjid Mosque, despite the fact that their action costs the live of more than 100 persons, including eleven military personnel. What they are not quite so eager to crow about is that the majority of the inhabitants were teenagers and young; not more than 20 to 21 years or age.

According to the evidence collected by reliable witnesses only a few of the 200 people present in the mosque and seminary resisted the attack with live ammunition. These people, who were older and supposedly more mature than the younger ones used them for their so-called, sacred motives.

It was a victory of the army over the people that they (the army) allowed to operate in whatever way suited them. For up to six months prior to the military action the managements of the seminaries and mosques were free to adopt any and all methods to implement Islamic codes of ethics (Shariah) through their students, by force where necessary. They were even allowed to kidnap police officials and Chinese workers, and government was then forced to negotiate for the release of the victims. The Lal Masjid Mosque was just one kilometer away from the headquarters of the country's strongest intelligence agency, the ISI; it is within walking distance from the residence of the Prime Minister and federal secretariats. The question then arises as to how they were allowed to stock pile arms and ammunitions inside the mosque.

In political circles it is being said that this was no more than a drama, staged by the army to make fundamentalism, once again, an issue in mainstream politics in order to gain some popularity from outside the country. And in doing so the government certainly succeeded in getting a pat on the back from George Bush and others.

A very strong argument is presented by the legal community that it was a demonstration by the army against the lawyers' movement. An indication perhaps that the Army is waiting for the time to be right before it take decisive action. General Musharraf once said in 2006 to the political leaders of Balochistan, a southern province where the army has been carrying out operations since 2001, that "one cannot imagine how and from where we (the army) will hit, so be aware of it". A few days later the army bombarded a hide out where the popular leader, Sardar Akber Bugti, was residing and killed him along with his friends. The lawyers believe that action can be expected in the near future as within a week or so, the Supreme Court is going to deliver it decision in case of the presidential reference against the Chief Justice.

The Pakistan Army and its leadership must be happy over its victory against teenagers and young Muslim fundamentalists, despite the fact that it took 9 days to accomplish. The Army named the operation "˜Sun Rise' and used armoured cars, heavy guns and hundreds of army personnel, referring to the opposition as the "˜enemy'.

The armed forces of Pakistan are five times larger than any other country of its size. It is common knowledge that 29 percent of the country's annual budget is spent on defense expenditures, whereas pensions and other perks of the officers are paid from civilian expenditures in the annual budget. However, despite its huge numbers and expenditure, the army has a bad record of losing; in particular in the confrontation with India. Historically, the armed forces do not have the capacity of surviving more than 17 days during a conflict.

On the domestic front the armed forces have carried out 11 military operations, using their full might in different provinces and have never achieved the success that they did at the Lal Masjid Mosque. Amongst these 11 operations one was a "friendly military operation" in Karachi in 1994, in which several young people were killed. But even then it could not be called a success because the results for which operation was started were not achieved. In many of these operations the aim of the exercise was the killing of certain people and nothing more than that.

During the wars with India, Pakistan can be blamed for creating a war mongering atmosphere among its citizens. The national mindset created justification for the military government's autocratic rule and military supremacy over civilians. Such actions have provided a strong foundation for undemocratic governance. In 1948, just months after the creation of the country, Pakistan armed forces moved inside the India through Kashmir, along with some militant groups, trumpeting that it was an indigenous fight for the liberation of Kashmir. But as the casualties of the army grew in numbers and no plausible result was coming out of the intervention, Pakistan had to agree to some formula for a ceasefire.

This adventure of the armed forces was ignored by the politicians of Pakistan as it was the premature action of a premature army and country as well. But the big issue, Kashmir, was inserted in country's politics for ever, mainly to justify undemocratic setups. 

In 1965, during the military government of Field Marshal Ayub Khan, Pakistan again tried the same tactics of 1948, to liberate Kashmir. However, this adventure escalated into war. Again, after 17 days, Pakistan had to compromise and call for a ceasefire through the help of the international community. On this occasion the army not only sustained heavy casualties but also lost their country some land.

With the elections of 1970 which gave a thumping majority to the Bengali people of the defunct East Pakistan, the new military dictator provoked India again, but this time from East Pakistan borders, just to avoid handing over the governance of Pakistan to the Bengali people. A war has started and again, within 17 days, Pakistani forces had to surrender to India along with whole of East Pakistan. Pakistan was dismembered by the action of its own arm forces. Over 90,000 military personnel were made POWs by India.

In the third week of June, 1999, Pakistan armed forces decided to penetrate into Indian Kashmir through the Kargil area. The army men were sent inside the area and were termed as the Mujahideen (holy warrior) of Kashmir. On the 17th day it had to be stopped by the request of the Prime Minister to Bill Clinton, the then President of the United States of America. The Prime Minister of Pakistan was forced to go to the USA by General Musharraf, the Chief of Army Staff (still COAS) on a chartered plane. Then, unilaterally, Pakistan had to withdraw its troops from Kargil, again after suffering heavy losses.

Military operations within the country with mass killing and rape

Again returning to the domestic front; the 11 military operations in different provinces of country revealed records of large numbers of rapes, killings, and humiliation of the local populations. The first military operation was started in 1958 during the rule of a military governor general, Iskander Mirza in the southern province of Balochistan. It was stopped for a while but after some time another operation was started against the Balochi people during the military dictatorship of Field Marshal Ayub Khan. It continued for several years during which time the Pakistan Air Force was used to bombard the local people.

The local leaders were hanged after coming to an agreement with the army that if they surrendered they will not be tried. However, the Pakistan Army used its colonial training and hanged them along with their family members. During this military operation thousands of Balochi people were killed, arrested and women were raped by the Army which then claimed itself the army of Islam.

After the general elections of 1970, when the Bengali people won the elections with a majority, the army under the leadership of General Yaha Khan, the military ruler, decided not to hand over the power to East Pakistani people, the Bengalis. The elected leadership was termed as "˜anti Pakistan' and a military operation was started in March 1971. During this military action, according to foreign media, 250,000 women were raped and killed by the army. 600,000 people were killed. The religious parties of those days claimed that the Pakistan army was serving the cause of Islam and they formed militant organizations to help the military hierarchy in arresting the "˜anti Islamic forces'. More than 1000 writers, journalists and academics were killed by firing squad; most intellectuals were brought by the religious groups before their masters as enemies of Pakistan.

In 1973 a military operation was conducted in Southern province of Pakistan. This time it was under the government of a civilian prime minister on the instructions and guidance of Chief of Army Staff (COAS). First the elected government of that province was over thrown and then action was taken. General Tikka Khan was COAS at that time who had also taken an active role in a military operation in East Pakistan. His nickname was the "˜Butcher' General. He used the tactics he had learned in the earlier operation and killed thousands of people. Once again there was an appalling number of recorded rapes by army personnel.

During another marshal law regime, that of General Zia ul Haq from 1980 to 1984 there were several military actions in Province of Sindh. Two of them were exceptionally brutal. One was in 1981during an army operation, when the army was allowed to crush the Sindhi people without any reason other than the previous Prime Minister, Zulfiqa Ali Bhutto, who was judicially hanged, was from Sindh province.

During this operation two buses carrying students were going on an excursion tour of Moen Jo Daro, a 5000 years old civilisation. When the students reached a railway crossing army personnel attacked the buses with automatic weapons and killed several students. The second one was in 1983, during a Movement for Restoration of Democracy (MRD) against General Zia's Marshal law when the people of Sindh had virtually taken over the control of communications. The army bombarded villages and killed many people. Afterwards they announced that "we will not allow humiliation for second time as it was done in East Pakistan". The village of Sekhat, on the National Highway, was almost destroyed.

The regime of General Musharraf has relied almost entirely on military operations. In the operation in Balochistan province more than 4000 people have disappeared after arrest. The people of Balochistan are kept in military torture camps all around the country. The political leadership, including student organisations are termed as Anti Pakistan. Army officers were found to have taken part in rape cases and in at least in one famous case, that of the rape of a lady doctor, President General Musharraf saved the perpetrator. In so many areas of the province, the Air Force was used to bombard the people. But remarkably, even then, the Musharraf government was not succeeded in the construction of military cantonments which was the very reason his government started the military operation.

Since 2001 and onward, the military started operation against peasants in different parts of the Punjab, particularly in Khanewal, Okara, Sahiwal and other districts. Army officers killed many people and committed various crimes against local the famers who were cultivating their own land, according to the provincial government of Punjab. Peasantry resistance had compelled army officers to leave behind their uniforms and boots, which are still on exhibitions in those areas.

Since the "war against terrorism" the northern areas of Pakistan, bordering Afghanistan, hundreds of villages have come under military operations in which thousands of children and women have been killed. Even then the Army still did not meet with success and instead lost more than 2000 soldiers.
After winning the 'battle' at Lal Masjid the army will breathe a sigh of relief that it has at least taken revenge of on the people of East Pakistan, the Bengali people who had humiliated them and exposed them as a mercenary army.

According to several defense analysts, Pakistan armed forces are not trained by their colonial masters to fight wars but are trained for internal strife. However, after the analysis of several military operations in every province of the country it is proved that it have good training in killings, torturing, bombardments, rape and land grabbing