Manju Gupta
Pakistan: A Mullah-Military Enterprise Unlimited, PC Joshi, Kalpaz Publications, Pp 375, Rs 950.00
HERE is a very informative book on Pakistan and its leaders who conspired as soon as their country came into existence to follow a one-point programme – “take Kashmir by hook or crook and continue hatred against India and Hindus.”
The author describes very vividly how Pakistan sent Kabailis to attack Kashmir in October 1947 as soon as Pakistan was formed and occupied large chunks of land which is now known as Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
The author goes on to describe how the country’s first Prime Minister, Liaqat Ali Khan was murdered and General M Ayub Khan became the Chief Commander of the Pakistani Army. It was General Ayub who ordered formation of a covert action division of ISI in 1950, after creating ISI itself, to investigate and assist Indian insurgents from India’s northeast, i.e. Nagaland and Mizoram.
The author describes General AM Yahya Khan’s rule which ended on 20 December, 1971 subsequent upon the surrender of Pakistani Army in East Pakistan on breaking apart of that country. He imposed marital laws he disapproved of Awami League leader Mujibur Rehman of East Pakistan and imprisoned him. This led to retaliation by Awami League and the Indo-Pakistani war as a result of which, East Pakistan separated from West Pakistan and came to be known as Bangladesh.
Referring to Zulifiqar Ali Bhutto’s era, the author says that as a feudal lord, he exploited mass movements of students in 1968 and paid lip service to peasants and workers though harbouring a soft corner for feudal lords. He enlarged the scope and role of ISI and formed an internal security wing in 1975 after legalising ISI’s involvement in domestic surveillance and collection of intelligence against his political opponents. He declared himself Martial Law Administrator when the morale of the Pakistani Army was at an all-time low due to its defeat in the 1971 Indo-Pak war and “was prepared to carry on a thousand-year war against India.”
General Zia-ul-Haq was Pakistan’s third military ruler who called himself “a soldier of Islam” on taking over from ZA Bhutto. He said at a press conference in Lahore that his country can be “kept together by Armed Forces and not by politicians.” Every decision taken by the so-called civil government was vetted or okayed for implementation by the Army. Philosopher-and-political commentator, Noam Chomsky had said, “I am afraid to say Pakistan is the paradigm example of a failed state and has been for a long time.” Zia ordered re-writing of school textbooks to depict Islam’s supremacy and that Hindus and Muslims could not co-exist ever.
(Kalpaz Publications, C-30, Satyawati Nagar, Delhi-110 052; kalpaz@hotmailcom)
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