NAB has evidence of the involvement of at least 20 retried senior military officials including three former chiefs of army staff, two naval chiefs and an air force chief in the purchase of tanks, submarines, naval mine hunters, Mirage fighters and army jeeps
On March 5, 2012 India blacklisted six armament firms for ten years for their alleged involvement in a 2009 weapons bribery scandal. In 1986, an arms scandal involving the Swedish firm Bofors led to the downfall of the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. On March 9, 2008 the Indian Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested arms dealer Suresh Nanda, son of an ex naval chief, and his son Sanjeev Nanda on charges of receiving kickbacks in the controversial Barak missile deal.
We have different stories here. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has evidence of the involvement of at least 20 retried senior military officials including three former chiefs of army staff, two naval chiefs and an air force chief in the purchase of tanks, submarines, naval mine hunters, Mirage fighters and army jeeps. However, NAB is not prepared to even serve them with a questionnaire, let alone file a reference against them. As for serving army officers, NAB is barred from investigating corruption cases that relate to them.
In 1994 Admiral Mansur-ul-Haq of Pakistan Navy was involved in the Agosta class submarine scandal as Chief of the Naval Staff. The project cost 826 million Euros to the national exchequer. Out of these 50 million Euros were paid as commission to various individuals in the Pakistan establishment. It is further said that Haq’s predecessor Admiral Saeed Khan was also a party in the selection of the vessel. Haq was also alleged to have been involved in a deal made through Pakistan National Shipping Corporation which caused a loss of $3 million to the national treasury. Despite cases against him, no serious effort was made to investigate and indict the accused. Haq presently lives in the United States and is a billionaire.
Commodore Shahid, the former director of Naval Intelligence was convicted by a Field General Court Martial (FGCM) to seven years of rigorous imprisonment for his alleged role in the submarine corruption case. Commodore Shahid spent 12 weeks of this imprisonment at his posh residence in Islamabad. Only three months after the conviction, the present Chairman NAB Admiral Fasih Bukhari (retd) pardoned him. It is also noteworthy that before his pardon, the Navy never allowed the authorities to shift the convicted commodore from his house to a prison. It is said that he was just a pawn in a much larger game.
In the Mirage purchase deal, ex-Vice Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Arshad Choudhry had voiced his concern about rising corruption in the PAF. He even met with the then President Farooq Leghari and offered to prove kickbacks and commission in deals ranging from land deals in Karachi to Mirage purchases to the Mirage rebuild factory in Kamra. Arshad Choudhary was earlier dismissed from PAF.
Amid charges of kickbacks worth US$20 million, distributed between the PAF command and the DG, DP, Rear Admiral Saeed Akhter left his job under unexplained circumstances and left for Europe where he settled permanently.
In August 1988, General Ziaul Haq witnessed the final trial run of American made Abraham tanks at the Army's tank trial site at Khairpur Tamewali near Bahawalpur while allegations of kickbacks, from senior army circles, were also rife. On the same day when he visited the trial site, Gen Ziaul Haq's plane, also carrying the top military brass crashed mysteriously not far from Khairpur Tamewali.
While Gen Zia had favored the US built M1 Abrams for a whopping US$700 million purchase, his successor Gen Mirza Aslam Beg opted for the US $1 billion Al-Khalid manufacturing plant to build 2000 main battle tanks with Chinese cooperation. While Gen Beg's US$1 billion Al-Khalid plan was still operational, his successor Gen Asif Nawaz went full swing to conclude a US$ 450 million purchase for 320 T-72 tanks from Poland. Before the deal could be finalized, General Asif Nawaz died mysteriously.
General Asif Nawaz’ successor Gen Abdul Wahid Kakar's team of experts rejected the deal out rightly, citing the reasons that could form the basis for a NAB investigation. Gen Abdul Wahid Kakar then targeted the Al-Khalid program.
In 1996, General Jehangir Karamat, successor to General Waheed, however, focused on the purchase of Russian tanks from Ukraine. He struck a US$550 million deal with Ukraine, which at that time did not even have a diplomatic presence in Pakistan for 320 T- 80 UD tanks. General Asif Nawaz had finalized plans to buy the same 320 tanks for $ 450 million. The deal finally cost US $ 650 million to the nation. A course mate of General Jahangir Karamat, Colonel (retd) Mahmood had played a key role in bringing the GHQ and the Ukrainian government close to a deal.
It is rumored that during his last meeting with Gen Jehangir Karamat, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif indicated to the former COAS the outcome of his probe against the Ukrainian tank deal in case he refused to resign. Jahangir Karamat chose to resign rather than face the inquiry.
Although Pakistan builds Al-Khalid tanks, allegations of kickbacks in the Al-Khalid project had surfaced several times in the past. A number of former army chiefs had strong reservations about this expansive project that caused huge delays in the completion of the project.
In 1995 army purchased 3700 Land Rover Jeeps carrying a price tag of about 180 crore rupees. If only we could investigate the price Bangladesh army paid for the same vehicle around the same time period that the GHQ finalized this deal the names of several brave soldiers would emerge who made millions out of this deal.
The main supplier of this vehicle to the army was a close relative of the then Lieutenant General, who was the main decision-maker in the purchase.
The above and countless other stories of corruption in the defense establishment of this country can be narrated. However, we have yet to recall a retired let alone serving general, caught, indicted and sent behind the bars for his involvement in a shady arms deal.
How many billions of our hard earned money went into the coffers of generals during the last 65 years of our existence is anybody’s guess.
| Waseem Altaf is a social activist. |
