Pakistan Army ‘contracts out’ jihad factories
25 Jun, 2002 · 779
Atul Bharadwaj points out how the ‘military elite have converted Pakistan into a military haven for the Americans and terrorists to their wage war from Pakistani soil
In the wake of increased international pressure on
Pakistan
the ISI has reportedly changed its policy of direct involvement in running terrorist training camps in POK (Pakistan Occupied Kashmir). ISI has now adopted a ‘hands off’ strategy and has already started ‘contracting out' terrorist training, boarding and lodging arrangements to retired armed forces’ officers.
Pakistan
, the ‘resettlement problem’ poses a greater challenge as compared to other countries, because of the dominance of military in its polity. Ever since gaining independence, the growth of the military was deemed synonymous with the development of
Pakistan
. ‘War-making’ was considered an essential trait of nation building. This laid the foundation for the military-bureaucratic elite to appropriate the resources of the state and strengthen their own class interests resulting in a serious mismatch between the requirements of the state and the aspirations of civil society.
Pakistan
tops the list of countries, which have consistently been spending more than five percent of their GDP for national security. To meet its ever increasing defence expenditure and demands of the ‘good life’ by military personnel, the military establishment embarked on the process of fund generation by direct involvement in the markets. It created army welfare organizations like the Fauji Foundation, Army Welfare Trust (AWT), Shaheeen Foundation and Bahria Foundation, to contribute to pension funds and the welfare of retired army personnel. These foundations, apart from getting huge grants from the government, also enjoy tax exemptions and employ serving personnel from the services. According to Ayesha Siddiqua-Agha, a noted Pakistani academic, these organizations operate businesses ranging from running sugar mills to airlines. AWT is the largest group of companies in
Pakistan
with assets worth billions of dollars.
Pakistan
. Despite growing opposition the military has put the country’s ‘sovereignty on sale’ by misusing its jurisdictional power over the Pakistani territory.
Anguilla
, the
Bahamas
,
Bahrain
,
Bermuda
and Luxemburg have used their sovereignty to promote themselves as tax havens. These countries have distinguished themselves by enacting legislation that provides corporations and individuals with anonymity and shelter from their home governments. Similarly, the military elite have converted
Pakistan
into a military haven to attract both
America
as well as the terrorists to wage their war from Pakistani soil. Till now this policy of ‘commercialization of sovereignty’ paid rich dividends for
Pakistan
military. Despite growing protests by the people of
Pakistan
, who bear the burden of military extravagance, the Pakistan Army continues to command legitimacy in the international arena. The recent policy of out sourcing the job of running ‘jihad factories’ to the retired community, is a continuation of the army’s policy to use Pakistani state to further its own parochial interests.
Most of the armies across the world face the problem of resettlement of their personnel, who retire at a fairly young age. Therefore, the job of running clubs, canteens, transport services and golf courses is often contracted out to those retiring from the services. This arrangement is mutually beneficial as the services get trained and reliable people to carry out these sundry jobs, which are essential to maintain high standards in the cantonments. However, in times of dwindling employment opportunities, such measures can only provide limited relief.
In
In a country where the military enjoys total autonomy with zero accountability, it is no surprise that 70 percent of the budgetary resources are consumed by defence and debt servicing. Today, the interests of the Pakistani people are at variance with that of its military. The military’s sole aim is to preserve its preeminent position in
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