Why the West Succeded and east failed
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An article by the brilliant ex civil servant and intellectual Mr Khalid Aziz.
I have the honour to be his friend.
We in Pakistan have a tradition of conspiring against talent and substance.
I asked my friend Major Imran Aslam to compare the west with the east in a single sentence as he had returned from higher studies in the UK .
This is how Imran Aslam summed it up below---
The West succeeded because they recognise the best in a man and groom him. In the third rate east , specially Islamic world , they identify the best in a man and then they destroy the best that a man has and make sure that the worst characters become presidents , prime ministers and army chiefs !
Agha.H.Amin
I have the honour to be his friend.
We in Pakistan have a tradition of conspiring against talent and substance.
I asked my friend Major Imran Aslam to compare the west with the east in a single sentence as he had returned from higher studies in the UK .
This is how Imran Aslam summed it up below---
The West succeeded because they recognise the best in a man and groom him. In the third rate east , specially Islamic world , they identify the best in a man and then they destroy the best that a man has and make sure that the worst characters become presidents , prime ministers and army chiefs !
Agha.H.Amin
Imagining a different future | ||
THE next phase that the wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan are entering is likely to usher in another deadly period of counter-terrorism operations and intense manoeuvring between the US, Russia, China and Iran. This will take place against the backdrop of a mounting economic and security crisis in Pakistan, which is bound to create further tension. Meanwhile, Afghanistan has to find a way out of its security dilemma. This underlines the need to provide that country with the resources needed to fund its security liabilities. The success of the policy to transfer security responsibilities to indigenous Afghan forces will depend largely on the external resources — some $6-8bn annually — made available to Afghanistan. Given the financial crisis prevailing in the West, it is questionable whether these funds will or can be made available. In this situation, the obvious solution for Afghanistan would be to reconcile with the Afghan Taliban, and this may also provide the boost needed by the Qataris to bring the Taliban in from the cold. The re-shaping of Central Asian foreign policies under Russian sponsorship is squeezing the US at a time when it needed support for the northern supply route to function smoothly as a replacement for the southern route, now frozen by Pakistan. It is thus clear that another strategic re-designing is occurring which will once again affect the destiny of the Pushtun. And therefore, it is essential that they make the right choices; otherwise, another phase of bloodletting awaits them. Why is it that the Pushtun react to challenges in a violent mode, rather than with sagacity? It would appear that the revenge aspect contained in Pushtunwali (the Pushtun code of social conduct) has a lot to do with it. Abdul Ghaffar Khan, amongst the most respected and astute Pushtun reformers, once commented that: "The Pathans were inclined to be violent and their violence was directed against their own kith and kin; against their closest relations. They were like smouldering embers, always ready to flare up and inflict harm and injury on their own brethren. One of their worst characteristics was their habit of revenge. They badly needed to change their anti-social customs, to check their violent outbursts and to practice good behaviour." In the 19th century, the British recognised this Pushtun penchant for violence and used it for protecting India against any threat from the northwest: Fata`s Pushtun were to be their first line of defence. To obtain the tribes` commitment to this design, the region and its population were to be kept under-developed so that migration would be discouraged: it would make no sense to have a strategic barrier that was unpopulated. Accordingly education, health, skill-development and other services, such as were promoted in the rest of India, were not extended to this region; no legal or political reforms were undertaken in the context of the Pushtuns of Fata and what is now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. To create a legal framework that would keep the tribesmen in ossification, the British devised the clever fiction that although the tribal territory was a part of India, it was not a part of British India. With this one master stroke, they abandoned the tribal areas and, in terms of political reform, even the erstwhile NWFP. As one researcher put it, "Unlike the other provinces of British India, where reforms were introduced, the NWFP was neglected and intentionally governed through `special ordinances`. The main aim of the colonial government in impeding the pace of reform was to discourage the local inhabitants from demanding an equal status for their province." The Pushtuns were thus placed in a strategic ditch constructed around the castle that was British India. The people learned to live under the shadow of the draconian Frontier Crimes Regulation, under which provisions such as Section 38 permitted the killing or punishing of the members of a proscribed tribe without any process of formal judicial review. Basic human rights were and are denied and the system of high courts does not have full jurisdiction in Fata and parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. This is the result of Pakistan`s insistence on maintaining the formerly colonial design by retaining Article 247 in the constitution. Is it surprising, then, that the region covered by this article is also the one where insurgency remains endemic? Those who have been abused will obviously abuse in return when the opportunity arises. Should we, then, be surprised at what is happening to Pakistan? Following US intervention in Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks, a new wave of slaughter became anchored in national and international military narratives. Pushtuns in Pakistan and Afghanistan have become playthings in the hand of soldiers. The time has now come for Pushtuns to wake up and stop allowing themselves to be mistreated. However, this will happen only if they re-create themselves and change the discourse of being touted as a `brave` and `honourable` people. They need to acquire, instead, a reputation for being wealthy and enterprising, a task that will require effort but can be done. The Pushtun can, as a people, focus their lives differently to create an order where young women don`t become widows and where towns flourish instead of resembling graveyards. This is possible if tribal elders play a role in this respect and the military machines leave the region as soon as possible. The presence of armed forces invites a violent response from the Pushtun; if we Pakistanis haven`t learnt this basic dynamic of the Pushtun, then we must pay the price for continuing insecurity. In brief, the Pushtun must stop being pawns in the politico-military operations in their region. The Pushtun need to embrace life and shun death — and this can only be achieved through peace. | ||
| Posted by Khalid Aziz 6th Dec 2012 The Pashtuns Agha.H.Amin Let the pictures speak as the first part of this summing up of a sad chapter of history !               When I started preparing for my first major bid in Afghanistan " Naghlu-Kabul" Electric transmission line I went for pre bid survey on Kabul Lataband Road.The locals all Pashtuns told us that they were paid 100 USD per tower for destroying a pylon in Soviet Afghan War ! Extremism is a very Pakistani export to all neighbouring countries. Off course the US was also a monster in this situation as were the Pakistanis who were the US vassals.In course of my 8 years in Afghanistan I discovered that major damage of Afghan war was in Pashtun belt as it was closer to Pakistan and it was easier to logistically support the characters destroying pylons. As I travelled north I discovered that the north was literally undamaged as it was farther away from Pakistan ! I leave it for experts in Pashtun history to judge whether Pashtun area was damaged in order to keep Pashtuns backward or it was a coincidence ! It would be wrong to brand a Pashtun as a born lunatic ! The greatest poets in the sub continent starting from Nawab Shefta Khan Bangash ,Josh Malihabadi Afridi Akhtar Sheerani and Ahmad Faraz were Pashtuns ! Indeed the most progressive Afghans and Pakistanis have been Pashtuns ! Without Aslam Watanjar the indomitable Paktiawal or without Said Gulabozai the Saur Revolution may have totally failed in Afghanistan ! My dear Zazi lady friend from Khost smoke the maximum joints and drank more vodka than any man that I met in Afghanistan and preferred being intimate with the curtains open ! It would be correct to term Pashtuns as victims of geography , of being divided in two states , being regarded as a political threat by non Pashtuns in both Pakistan and Afghanistan ! Being more adventurous and brave than any race in the region , thanks to geography , historical circumstances and I hate to say some racial factors ! The Pashtuns were thus regarded as cannon fodder by Iranians, Mughals,Turks ,Sikhs ,British and Pakistanis and a useful reason to remain in Afghyanistan by the USA ! When the German Kaiser wanted a revolt against British in India the only ones who cameto rise in revolt were thetribal Pashtuns ! A Pashtun tribe Afridi is the only tribe in history where the British Emperor awarded a Victoria Cross to one cousin and the German Kaiser the Iron Cross to the other cousin ! Both fighting in the same area ! The Mughals imported Iranians against Pashtuns and were ultimately betrayed by the Irianians when the Marathas and Nadir Shah attackedthe Mughals. The backbone of Nadir Shahs armys were the Abdali Pashtuns ! The best Mughal army soldiers apart from Uzbeks were Pashtuns ! Yet this race was regarded by fear and apprehension and throughout history used to fight proxy wars ! Just because it was though politically dangerous that they remained free and grew politically and economically ! There is no denying that a Pashtun is formidable in any role ,be it a leftist Khalqi or a Taliban ! This is so because he is brought up to be totally committed to an idea that he believes in ! This may be an anthropological or sociological explanation ! A Safi or a Zadran or a Kharoti is formidable reagrdless of the fact that he is Rahmatullah Safi with the ISI or a Watanjar who was a die hard leftist or a Gulabozai who was Afghanistans best Interior Minister and yet polled the highest number of votes from Khost in 2005 Elections. My friend a pro Pakistan Pashtun to the core heading an ISI sector confessed that even the best dogs used in dog fight are bred in Pashtun areas ! It may be ironically symbolic but true. My personal observations indicate that the Pashtuns were regarded as cannon fodder to be used in Kashmir and Afghanistan by the Pakistani establishment . Thus ironically while the most progressive section in Afghan socoety were Pashtun Khalqis without whom there would have been no leftist coup in Afghanistan ,the Pashtuns suffered the most in Afghan war and the non Pashtuns gained the most , politically and economically ! Demography is cruel ! It is devastating and Pakistans demography is changing ! Karachi is the largest Pashtun city in the world and we are at a watershed when Pashtuns may not be manipulated any longer the way they have been manipulated in the past ! As they say the wheel turns in history !
 -- What was wrong with Assessment of Officers and Military Training-Pakistan Army and What continues to be wrong till to date as research indicates War Performance had nothing to do with promotion to higher ranks in Pakistan ArmyClick on scanned pages pictures to enlarge Major Agha H Amin (Retired)   Complete article for page above on -- http://www.scribd.com/doc/27384291/Intangible-Forces-Behind-a-Military-Manoeuvre-an-Examination-of-the-Clausewitzian-Model-of-Military-Leadership Also see the military interviews conducted by this scribe with senior Pakistani officers to see role of sycophancy and unrealistic training and assessment in Pakistan Army specially interviews of Major Gen Tajammul and Brig Z.A Khan http://www.scribd.com/doc/23150027/Pakistan-Army-through-eyes-of-Pakistani-Generals Selection and Assessment of Commanders in Pakistan Army-Pakistan Army Journal-Citadel-Command and Staff College These articles published in military journals of Pakistan Army endeavour to subject the highly defective system of assessment of officers to criticism despite strict censorship. One must add that some discussion became possible in the army only after 1988 when General M.A Baig took over . In the Zia era , with intellectual honesty buried and hypocrisy and sycophancy being hallmark of the army for 12 long years (1976-88) this was impossible. After 1998 once Brigadier Riaz took over as DG ISPR the situation improved. Three editors of Pakistan Army Journal were outstanding , all in succession , i.e Colonel I.D Hassan (a chronic bachelor and very cereberal and well read) , Lieutenant Colonel Syed Ishfaq Naqvi (outstanding) and Lieutenant Colonel Syed Jawaid Ahmad (soft spoken but bold as far as publishing articles and extremely knowledgeable). In the command and staff college there was Lieutenant Colonel Ashraf Saleem (later lieutenant general) , Lieutenant Colonel Tariq Khan (now lieutenant general) and Lieutenant Colonel Ahsan Mahmood (now major general) , all three were well read and had a high intellectual calibre particularly Tariq Khan. After these three the pedants came and pedants and the conformists off course are in preponderance ! I would say the assessments that I made in faulty and fallacious assessment of military commanders continue ! If Tariq Khan ما شاء الله became a three star it was a triumph of destiny over a thoroughly rotten system !  ما شاء الله  ما شاء الله  ما شاء الله But then we must remember that Moses survived in Pharohs palace and finally overcame the Pharoah ! This unfortunate country Pakistan needs a Moses , a man who purges this rotten country ! If not , then I dont have the least doubt that Pakistan will be destroyed ! It will cease to exist as a country ! This is my conviction ! This country Pakistan has no soft solutions ! WHEN ORDERS SHOULD BE OBEYED AND WHEN DISOBEYED OR MODIFIED AS SEEN IN MILITARY HISTORY-MARCH 1991  On the first page a question is raised " if selection and assessment system in an army is realistic" . There was a big question mark in 1991 when I wrote this , it remained when I retired in December 1993 because the army then was run on whims and likes and dislikes and no one bothered how good an officer was in real command and intellectual ability ! I fear that the large gaps and question marks remain to date ? The very Kargil operation proves that an overambitious man with myopic strategic vision like Musharraf can rise to the highest ranks ,shamelessly abandons bodies of soldiers and then proclaim Kargil as his greatest success ! One could see an ambitious man in him in 1993 , who was obsessed with self projection ! I had asked Lieuenant Colonel Ashraf (then CO 46 Field and my platoon commander in PMA , also GSO 1 , 14 Division what he thought of Musharraf his brother gunner officer .Ashraf an outstandingly honest and straight man hailing from Kalar Saidan near Pindi stated " what can you make of a man who uses generator of his locating unit for his house "  http://www.scribd.com/doc/40295974/Resolution-Cardinal-Command-Virtue No one in kargil had the courage to point out that the operation was a wild gamble ! Brigadier Simon confided that that General Tauqir Zia was against it but then Tauqir Zia never gave his dissent ? PROBLEM WITH MILITARY TRAINING , MILITARY EXERCISES AND ASSESSMENT OF OFFICERS  http://www.scribd.com/doc/40295974/Resolution-Cardinal-Command-Virtue A real soldier in the peacteime environment of jee hazoori and yes man ship hardly has any chance of being promoted ! True in 1992 when I wrote this and true today ! Can Pakistan afford this ?  PROBABLY IN OUR SCENARIO A QUALITY TERMED AS LOYALTY , WHICH IN REALITY IS DOCILITY AND OVERCONFORMITY IS HIGHLY VALUED !AND LOYALTY OF A PERSONAL NATURE IS SHEER INTELLECTUAL DISHONESTY ! http://www.scribd.com/doc/40295974/Resolution-Cardinal-Command-Virtue  Complete article " Resolution-Cardinal Command Virtue" as published in the Pakistan Army Journal June 1992 may be downloaded from the following link--- WHY ASSESSMENT OF OFFICERS QUALITIES IS OF CARDINAL IMPORTANCE  http://www.scribd.com/doc/27384291/Intangible-Forces-Behind-a-Military-Manoeuvre-an-Examination-of-the-Clausewitzian-Model-of-Military-Leadership   http://www.scribd.com/doc/27384291/Intangible-Forces-Behind-a-Military-Manoeuvre-an-Examination-of-the-Clausewitzian-Model-of-Military-Leadership  http://www.scribd.com/doc/27386132/Plain-as-Well-as-Subtle-Aspects-of-Military-Decision-Making  http://www.scribd.com/doc/27386132/Plain-as-Well-as-Subtle-Aspects-of-Military-Decision-Making   http://www.scribd.com/doc/27386132/Plain-as-Well-as-Subtle-Aspects-of-Military-Decision-Making  http://www.scribd.com/doc/27386132/Plain-as-Well-as-Subtle-Aspects-of-Military-Decision-Making  http://www.scribd.com/doc/22460733/The-Armoured-Thrust-Article-Based-on-Experiences-as-an-Umpire-with-a-tank-regiment-in-December-1993  http://www.scribd.com/doc/22460733/The-Armoured-Thrust-Article-Based-on-Experiences-as-an-Umpire-with-a-tank-regiment-in-December-1993  For letters as sent to the staff college including the above one see the following link- For letters as published in various military journals see the following link--       THE ABOVE ARTICLES MAY BE DOWNLOADED IN COMPLETE FROM FOLLOWING LINKS:--- http://www.scribd.com/doc/27648037/Orders-and-Obedience http://www.scribd.com/doc/40295974/Resolution-Cardinal-Command-Virtue http://www.scribd.com/doc/27384291/Intangible-Forces-Behind-a-Military-Manoeuvre-an-Examination-of-the-Clausewitzian-Model-of-Military-Leadership http://www.scribd.com/doc/27386132/Plain-as-Well-as-Subtle-Aspects-of-Military-Decision-Making http://www.scribd.com/doc/40295974/Resolution-Cardinal-Command-Virtue  Historical Proof of the argument presented above Major Agha H Amin (Retired) Altaf Gauhar Ayub's close confidant inadvertently proves this fact once he quite uncharitably, and for reasons, other than dispassionate objective historical considerations, described Yahya as one " selected…in preference to some other generals, because Yahya, who had come to hit the bottle hard, had no time for politics and was considered a harmless and loyal person". Major General Abrar, who had proved himself as the finest military commander, at the divisional level, at least by sub continental standards, was sidelined and ultimately retired in the same rank! Lieutenant Colonel Nisar of 25 Cavalry who had saved Pakistan's territorial integrity from being seriously compromised at a strategic level at Gadgor on the 8th of September 1965 was sidelined. Lieutenant Colonel Nisar of 25 Cavalry who had saved Pakistan's territorial integrity from being seriously compromised at a strategic level at Gadgor on the 8th of September 1965 was sidelined. This may be gauged from the fact that at the time of outbreak of the 1971 War Nisar although promoted to brigadier rank, was only commanding the Armoured corps recruit training centre, a poor appointment for a man who had distinguished himself as a tank regiment commander in stopping the main Indian attack. A man whose unit's performance was described by the enemy opposing him as one "which was certainly creditable because it alone stood between the 1st Indian Armoured Division and its objective"23 was considered by the Pakistani General Headquarters pedantic officers as fit only to command a recruit training centre while one who was instrumental in failure of the main Pakistani intelligence failure as DMI was promoted to Major General rank and trusted later with the command of Pakistan's 1 Corps with disastorous results !   --> Related Video
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