Kitnay aadmi thay? Char!
By
Waseem Altaf

(April 30th is martyrs day being celebrated by the Pak army all over Pakistan)

One of the most memorable dialogues of the 1975 blockbuster Sholay was “kitnay aadmi thay?” and in reply the bandit ashamedly says “do aadmi thay sardar”. This response infuriates Gabbar Singh the gang leader, and in a fit of rage, he shoots down the three cowardly dacoits.
The outlaws of “Sholay” faced two; the lead pair Veeru and Jai, while the fantastic four who conducted the Ramboesque operation on the night of 22nd May 2011 at Mahran Air Base were facing elements of 25th mechanized infantry division, navy commandos (SSGN), navy marines, Zarrar battalion of the SSG, rangers, elite force and the police, both deployed and in reserve.

The ground forces also enjoyed support of choppers from above. However those four guys whose average age was 20 mocked a brigade plus strength of the sixth largest army of the world for a good 16 hours. The planning, determination, execution and the level of motivation was simply superb. Two of them fought till death while the other two blew themselves up. None tried to flee and none surrendered. However before being liquidated they had transformed two P-3C Orion surveillance aircraft into pulp. The two machines cost rupee six billion while 10 personnel of the security forces were eliminated. Damage to any other installations was kept a secret. This was at the tactical level.

At the strategic level they created a massive trust deficit among the people of this country; creating doubts if the defense establishment could provide them security. Second, the international community also became skeptical of our capability to safeguard the nuclear assets more than ever before, while the armed forces’ morale nosedived. The nature of operation by the attackers also pointed to fissures within the security establishment, as some inside knowledge was required to carry out such an operation. The intelligence failure too, was complete and comprehensive.

The then spokesman for the Navy, Commodore Irfan-ul-Haq said that since they came at night hence they could not be effectively countered. Earlier on, the then Air Chief complained that during Abbotabad operation the US choppers entered our airspace at night hence could not be engaged. Well, our armed forces should have issued a communiqué to all our possible adversaries that all enemy incursions should take place during daytime so that they could be effectively intercepted. Meantime, Noman Bashir, the then Naval Chief who appeared in a commando gear “after” the operation said that it was not a security breach.
Sir! It was a 41 gun salute to your highness, your great leadership and your superb security arrangements. Please concentrate on the BMW you purchased worth Rs 80 million, the income from several marriage halls you rented out in the vicinity of Mehran, Anchorage Housing Scheme Islamabad, Navy Housing Scheme at Karsaz Karachi, as well as the commercial income from Bahria Foundation, plus procurement for the navy worth billions.
While purchasing Agosta class submarines your ancestor Admiral (retd) Mansur-ul-Haq left an indelible mark on the “integrity” of the defenders of the sea. You also excessively praised the professionalism of the attackers at your press conference; it was better you had sent your naval commandos to Waziristan to be trained by these professionals.

At a critical time, i.e. on the morning of May 24th , 2011, Ahmad Mukhtar, the Defense Minister left for the USA on a private visit. While at Lahore airport, when enquired about the Mahran debacle, he said “Bas ker Dain.” (Stop it now).

The Prime Minister summoned the DCC meeting on 25th of May which was held without the Foreign Minister as there was none and the Defense Minister who was away. The then Prime Minister got an opportunity to show his designer suit and Italian shoes to the participants, which he was so very fond of. However, it was a good photo session which came out with the ridiculous decision that all means would be employed by the security agencies to curb terrorism, “as if they were not authorized previously to use all means”.
While this reflected on the pathetic state of our leadership, the shameless anchorpersons and their cahoots were endlessly pointing the finger towards India and the USA, a clever but ineffective maneuver whereby attempts were made to shift the focus from the real issue of our security establishment’s performance to “who is behind it.”

Talat Hussain, Shahid Masood and Maria Sultan were engaged for damage control, whereas some channels continued to air patriotic songs. The “great” Imran Khan was holding “dharnas” (sit in) in Karachi; so distant a place. Khan Saab never thought of a “dharna” in front of the GHQ where all the critical decisions were made regarding allowing or disallowing drone attacks.
The fact, however, remains that to face four young guys with four Kalashnikovs, a couple of grenades and two RPG’s, is a difficult proposition for the defenders of our “ideological frontiers”, no matter how well equipped they are; yet it feels immensely pleasurable when you encounter unarmed civilians especially during military rule. That feeling of total control and unbridled power is so euphoric. The experience of that “high” was intoxicating during the military action in former East Pakistan from 25th March till December 16, 1971.The situation turned bitter when Bengalis also took up arms. The same happened in Sindh from August till Dec. 1983.The operation in Baluchistan is ongoing.

Let’s see what happened in Quetta.

The bone chilling incident took place on 17th May, 2011 at Kharotabad, Quetta, where five Chechans, father and son, mother and two daughters with valid passports with an Iranian visa were initially declared as armed terrorists on a particular mission and then gunned down by FC personnel from a close range. The entire nation saw the footage on almost all TV channels where trigger happy Lt. Colonel Faisal Shahzad and his men, with a sadistic smile on their faces were indiscriminately firing on three unarmed women, lying on ground with hands and feet tied. “Perhaps this is what they have done with all those who went missing in Baluchistan”.
On May 22, 2011, the Kharotabad residents handed over a video to media, taken with a mobile camera, wherein security personnel were seen pocketing a chain and other valuable articles from the dead bodies. Now it is proven beyond doubt that all of them were innocent civilians. One lady with seven month pregnancy was shot twelve times. And none appeared as witness before the inquiry tribunal for fear of FC. Dr. Baqir Shah who conducted the autopsy on the five foreigners was gunned down later.

Such a gruesome incident could have triggered a firestorm in the civilized world, but for that you have to be part of the civilized world. Things went on as usual in the holy land. The culprits were roaming freely and never faced prosecution. Meanwhile, dead bodies of missing persons continue to be found in various parts of Baluchistan. It appears that culture and civilization in this country are now things of the past.

Is time not running out for our soldiers to understand that the adrenaline rush they experience while torturing and brutalizing innocent civilians is transitory and renders an organized force completely ineffective when faced with a professional adversary? The greatest strength an army enjoys is the trust and support of the nation, and professionalism which is lost when absolute power is exercised with total impunity over the unarmed civilian population.

We perhaps still have a chance to survive. Isolated from the rest of the world, we are in no position to fight on so many fronts. The decision makers which constitute the military as well as the political leadership “must” , without any further loss of time change their mindset, and the national security doctrine; from a national security state to a welfare state. The military must stop meddling in politics and contain its business ventures, focus on its professional role and stop dreaming of taking over Kabul, as for 67 years it milked us in the name of security. Please stop this, for that is the only way out. Any failure or delay in policy shift ‘now’ would prove disastrous for the state.

The writer is a social media blogger. He posts his articles here Waseem Altaf