Role of ex-DG MI raises eyebrows

[niazikhan2]

ISLAMABAD: The UN report on the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto revealed that it was the ex-MI chief Maj-Gen Nadeem Ijaz, who ordered the then Rawalpindi City CPO Saud Aziz, to hose down the scene of Benazir Bhutto’s assassination at Liaquat Bagh.

Maj-Gen Nadeem, currently serving as Log Area Commander in Gujranwala after his transfer from the MI some time back, is a relative of Pervez Musharraf. He, however, was a known crony of the former dictator and his ‘key adviser’ on all national issues.

Defence analysts have raised a serious question as to the working of the DG MI, who always takes orders from his boss — chief of the Army staff. It is not known whether Nadeem as the DG MI took orders of hosing down the scene of Benazir’s assassination from his boss, or acted on the advice of the gutless ‘civilian’ president Musharraf; or acted on his own at the spur of the moment, which seems highly unlikely in this case.

Nadeem can be entangled in criminal proceedings if President Zardari shows interest in carrying out “criminal investigations” following the UN report on Benazir’s assassination. His (Nadeem) only escape is to say that he never ordered hosing down the scene of the crime and Saud Aziz had lied through his teeth.

In another scenario, it can be said that Saud Aziz had spoken a downright lie to the UN Commission in a bid to save his skin. That probability could not be ruled out, said an analyst.

Normally, it is said, the DG MI does not take such decisions on his own; nor does he take orders from any person other than his military boss. “But this is Pakistan, where anything can happen and it is also possible that the then DG MI Maj-Gen Nadeem took orders from civilian president Musharraf without involving his military boss, Army chief General Kayani,” a senior official said, adding: “And if he took orders from Musharraf, it shows sheer weakness of the working of the then DG MI and in such a scenario he (Maj-Gen Nadeem) should have been court-martialled straightaway by the chief of Army staff.”

Given the known working and style of the former president, it is no secret that Musharraf always gave huge importance to the advice, opinions and views expressed by his DG MI. Several colleagues of Nadeem, who know him from ages, confided to The News that it was a popular whispering amongst the higher cadre of military echelon that “Nadeem was bringing Musharraf down by his poor advice, which was always based on sycophancy.”

Musharraf often took decisions based on Nadeem’s poor advice. Nadeem was superseded as 2-star general last year and stands no chance to be promoted as 3-star General. Some close aides of the former president believe that Musharraf took the decision of filing a reference against Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry on Nadeem’s advice, which cost him the Presidency. Nadeem also filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court against the chief justice.

The close aides of the former president also claim that Musharraf imposed emergency, a kind of mini-martial law, on November 3, 2008, on the advice of his DG MI Maj-Gen Nadeem. This too backfired like the earlier decision against the chief justice.

Many say that by accepting half-cooked advice, opinions and views of his DG MI, Musharraf proved that he lacked the ability to make sound judgment. And, in fact, Musharraf was not known for taking decision after proper evaluation of any issue.

It is also a known fact that Musharraf’s chief of staff Lt-Gen Hamid Javed tried to persuade Musharraf not to take action against the chief justice. Musharraf, however, accepted Nadeem’s advice and removed the chief justice.

Not too many people know that Lt-Gen Hamid Javed requested to be relieved as the chief of staff to the president after this decision and he was virtually relieved of his responsibilities in the coming months. This is what Lt-Gen Hamid Javed told The News about the cause of his decision to leave the Presidency, though Musharraf arranged a grand farewell for Hamid Javed, a gentleman and a good soul.

General Musharraf doffed his uniform on November 28, 2007 and handed over the command of the Army to General Kayani. Benazir’s assassination took place on December 27, 2007 at the Liaquat Bagh, Rawalpindi.