Former Pakistani Army Chief Beg to Launch Political Party

By M.M. Ali

"Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto holds the key to resolution of the continued crisis in Karachi," according to Pakistan's former army chief of staff, Gen. Mirza Aslam Beg, who is poised to enter Pakistani politics at the head of his own political party. In an exclusive interview with the Washington Report, General Beg expressed distress at the "near chaos" of the security situation in Pakistan's largest metropolis. He charged that Bhutto's government has lost touch with the people and is indulging in a "vendetta" against those who voted against her party in the last elections.

Of Karachi's 12 million residents, 70 percent are Urdu-speaking Mohajirs, immigrants who arrived from India after the creation of Pakistan in 1947, or their descendants. Their political party, the Mohajir Quami Movement (MQM), outnumbers the parties of the Sindhis, Punjabis, Pathans and Baluchis who, together, comprise the remaining 30 percent of Karachi's population.

General Beg became commander-in-chief of Pakistan's army, perhaps the most powerful position in the nation, following the death of Gen. Zia Ul Haq in a still-unexplained air crash in August 1988. In the two years he occupied the position before his retirement, Beg was accused by Bhutto's People's Party of conniving with then-President Ghulam Ishaq Khan of Pakistan to remove Benazir Bhutto from the prime ministership in August 1990 on charges of "corruption and incompetence."

Giving his version of the story, Beg explained: "Ishaq Khan sent me a long list of charges of corruption and mismanagement against the government of Bhutto. I called a meeting of my generals (corps commanders) and shared the information with them. The commanders agreed with President Ishaq Khan that the prime minister should be removed and an interim government be formed to hold new elections. So you see, I was not instrumental in Benazir's removal from office. It was the president's decision."

Beg, however, did not explain why the president found it necessary to seek the approval of the commander-in-chief in making a purely political decision. Nor did he explain why he allowed himself to be drawn into the political decision-making process.

Describing the post-Cold War situation where the United States has emerged as the sole superpower "at least for the time being," General Beg said that other countries have six options. One is to be treated on a par with the U.S., as is the case with Russia (the present phase being a mere transition) and China. The second option is to align totally with U.S. policies, with minor differences only on the handling of regional issues, as in the case of Europe. A third option is to pursue an independent economic policy but maintain a military liaison with the U.S., as does Japan. A fourth option is to associate with U.S. thinking as does Egypt. A fifth option is to identify with U.S. policies globally, but pursue an independent regional policy, as does Israel. A sixth option, which Beg recommends for Pakistan, is to find its own niche, identify its friends and enemies, build economic viability and preserve its independence.

The general called the defeat of the Soviet Union in Afghanistan a very significant development, but considered the liberation of the Central Asian republics from the Soviet grip even more important. Going down the list of Central Asian republics, he identified the natural resources of each and described the Muslim populations that finally are trying to become viable nations on their own.

General Beg wants Pakistan to develop closer links with Central Asia. "Just having diplomatic relations is not enough," he said. "Pakistan should promote trade ties, build interstate highways, open up air routes, start educational and cultural exchanges, and pave the way for the evolution of a meaningful region."

He added that "economic interdependence and reliance is the key" to such an evolution, and suggested a revival of the Regional Cooperation Development (RCD) arrangement that brought Iran, Turkey and Pakistan closer in the '70s. "Pakistan could become a catalyst in these joint programs and bring new realism to the whole area," he said.

General Beg also explained his disagreement with then-Pakistani Prime Minister Mian Nawaz Sharif, and the U.S., at the time of the Gulf war. "I had recommended to the prime minister that Pakistan should approach Iran, Turkey, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and other Muslim countries to ask jointly that Saddam Hussain vacate Kuwait," Beg said. At the same time he wanted the prime minister to "let the United States know there are ways other than the military option to resolve the issue." However, as it turned out, Nawaz Sharif disagreed with Beg.

The Nuclear Issue

General Beg said Pakistan's nuclear weapons research program is a direct result of India's nuclearization and its continued belligerency toward Pakistan. "We have had some very bitter experiences in the past when we depended on others for our security needs," Beg said. "We realize we cannot match the size of India's military or of its weapons stockpile.

"Smaller countries have to find other means to fend off their enemies," the general said. "The nuclear option is one way. Today, Pakistan is treated with a degree of respect because of its nuclear capability."

He added, "Very few people realize that with today's technology, the nuclear option is much more economical than the conventional weapons route. And, as everyone knows, it is a much more effective deterrent."

Setting the record straight, as he called it, Beg disclosed that it was Mian Nawaz Sharif and not Benazir Bhutto who had put a hold on the nuclear program three years ago. Commenting on U.S. frustrations concerning the nuclear non-proliferation question, Gen. Beg said: "Without saying it in so many words, India uses the Israeli case to refuse to sign the NPT and Pakistan uses the Indian example for its unwillingness to sign unilaterally. It is a vicious cycle."

He suggested that the "U.S. should push the NPT issue into the background and instead try to remove points of friction in the subcontinent and work on sustainable economic growth in the area. There is greater promise of peace and even prosperity in taking the latter path."

The Kashmir Question

According to General Beg, peaceful resolution of the Kashmir dispute is vital to regional peace and security because "it is a flash point that has the potential to trigger a major conflagration between India and Pakistan. It is not going to be like the previous wars that were fought between these two countries. There is now nuclear capability on both sides. A military conflict could spell disaster for the two countries."

Reviewing the history of the Kashmir issue, Beg said that India thought time was on its side and that the issue, or at least its intensity, would fade. "Far from it," he said. "Kashmir today is engulfed in a serious freedom struggle and the Kashmiris are laying down their lives every day."

Alluding to the charge that Kashmiri militants inside the Indian-held territory are sustained only by the assistance coming from his country, Pakistan's former army chief declared: "No amount of arms from anywhere can make any difference if the motivation and a burning desire for freedom is not there. If the Afghan mujahideen had not been ready to lay down their lives to free their country, all the assistance that came from the United States, Saudi Arabia and others would have gone to waste. It is the people themselves who make the difference."

General Beg called upon the United States, which enjoys leverage in both India and Pakistan, to play its part in finding "an equitable solution" to the Kashmir problem. Emphasizing the human rights aspect of the issue, he remarked: "No time is too early or too late."

Pakistan's Internal Scene

Gen. Mirza Aslam Beg, who has announced the establishment of his own political party called the Awami Qiadat Party (People's Leadership Party), says present leaders in Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif included, have lost touch with the masses. The history of the past seven years since the revival of democracy in Pakistan, he said, is a sad story of "self-aggrandizement, personal gains and total lack of direction."

"Bureaucracy," he said, "has taken a stranglehold on the affairs of the state while elected officials and politicians have been busy filling their pockets." Explaining his decision to enter the political arena, Beg says there is a need for a grass-roots movement and an "empowerment" of the common man who needs to feel that he matters.

"If this is not done soon, the country is bound to experience a revolution that few dare to imagine," Beg warns. Replying to the charge that he was involved in "Mehran Gate" (a scandal that still is being investigated involving unrepaid loans to politicians, including Nawaz Sharif, from the Mehran Bank, whose assets are now frozen), General Beg said: "I acknowledged receiving 1,400,000 rupees and also identified where it was dispatched. I personally did not receive a dime." The total amount that the Mehran Bank has lost, he said, is in the neighborhood of 34,000,000 rupees. He asked: "How come everyone remembers the 14 crores and no one thinks of the 340?"

Turmoil in Karachi

"Every politician, including former presidents Ayub Kahn and Zia Ul Haq, has played games with the Urdu-speaking Mohajirs [migrants]," Beg said. "They have been short-changed at every step." Commenting on the ongoing unrest and daily killings in Karachi, he remarked that the whole situation has "degenerated" into violent skirmishes between terrorist groups and a total breakdown of the machinery of law and order. "The government just does not exist there," he said.

He attributed the current problem to the decision to boycott the previous elections by Altaf Husain, who lives in exile in London but commands the complete loyalty of the rank and file of his MQM, the political party that controls Karachi. Beg described the "negotiations" that started between Bhutto's ruling People's Party and the MQM when violence became too pronounced in July and August as "an unproductive exercise" because the demands placed on the table by the two sides were no more than charge-sheets against each other.

It is in this context that Gen. Beg feels that "the key" to the establishment of peace in Karachi rests with Prime Minister Bhutto. "If she wants, she can initiate meaningful talks with Altaf and others and bring down the state machinery against the culprits without prejudice and maintain peace," he said. "General Waheed, the current commander-in-chief, is not interested in meddling in politics. He will not interfere unless given full authority to restore order, as I had told Benazir once before."

Responding to a question from the Washington Report about Pakistan's prospects for political stability, General Beg was optimistic for the short-run. "My reading," he said, "is that Prime Minister Bhutto will complete her full term and General Waheed, who is retiring at the end of this year, will not seek an extension of his tenure."

M.M. Ali is a professor at the University of the District of Columbia in Washington, DC.