Gen Faiz Hameed’s arrest is a significant step by our high command towards adopting the Burma Model of governance for Pakistan. This model envisages rule by the generals till the trumpet has sounded to usher in Judgement Day.
On Sep 24, 2022, I discussed where I thought Pakistan may be headed with a good friend. Not certain if I had “reached” him, I followed up our talk with the following note to him:
“My dear—
I just want to share a thought with you:
–I have no doubt that the senior command is scared shitless in view of the consequences of the regime change they brought about in the country.
—Because of its organization and its discipline, though much frayed now, the army is still the greatest power in the land.
–When the choice therefore comes to saving their own necks or the country, the army will inevitably choose their necks. The same scenario obtained in the Bhutto–Zia stand-off, and we saw Zia prefer his own neck, and he went to the extent of hanging Bhutto.
–The greatest strength of a general lies in a very accurate assessment of his resources, and winning his objective, deploying these resources to the optimum level. To do this, even if the overall objective itself has to be tinkered with, this must be done. The only thing not to be compromised is the CORE of this objective.
–If Imran does not follow this rule, and if he loses this core of the objective, in trying to get his TOTAL objective, we WILL have the army hunkering down and the Burma model will follow, because they have lost all shame.
–The other scenario I see is that of IK being assassinated, and if that happens, we cannot hope to see any light for the next fifty years.
–So the most important two things for our future are:
a. Imran curtails his objective as dictated by his resources.
b. I.K should take every precaution for his security.
–Pakistan will never be as close to the point where it can make a turnaround, as it is now. NOTHING should be allowed which can take away this moment and its chances of success.
–This is what you need to impress upon I.K. And I repeat, the real general is that who makes a very accurate assessment of his own resources and that of the enemy’s, and tailors his objective accordingly, and WINS.”
Gen Faiz Hameed’s arrest is primarily a message to those generals who may come upon some hidden germs of generalship which may goad them into standing up again, and a signal that it would be best that they remain seated. So, it is another step that has been taken on the Burma road. We have been informed that Gen Faiz Hameed has been arrested for theft and for some “post-retirement political activities”. Both the reasons advanced for his arrest are mere spurious hogwash. The army has now been feeding us lies for months but has shown scarce improvement in the art of the lie, nor for that matter in anything which may be described as remotely positive.
Gen Faiz was a very capable officer, but his reputation for corruption was long standing and well earned. His dedication enriched him enormously while it also enriched Gen Ejaz Amjad, Bajwa’s father-in-law. This in turn empowered Faiz considerably. I have little doubt that Bajwa posted him out of ISI for fear that he might spill the regime change beans to Imran Khan.
But by the time Faiz got into theft, this had already ceased being a crime, particularly if the thief was of senior rank. So, the declaration of Asim Munir’s minions that the high command was suddenly miffed with Gen Faiz on account of theft, will take some believing. This charge can therefore be thrown out of the window.
But the charge of indulging in “post-retirement political activities” must be taken a trifle more seriously, if only because it is for serving generals to play politics, and it was not for retired ones to jump in and muddy the waters. So a more appropriate second charge against him should have read “muddying the waters of serving asses.”
The way I see it, his sins probably lie not in what he may have done. They lie in what he may be refusing to do. I think he is refusing to perjure himself by way of manufacturing evidence to give credibility to the army’s May 9 false flag disgrace. The army would want to make this lie both credible and respectable, so that on this basis it can lock up Imran Khan and throw away the key. That sworn assent to the May 9 lie should have moved in to displace the oath of office of the generals as a mark of loyalty to the state, should tell you how far the army has fallen.
The second peeve the high command probably has with Faiz Hameed must be his refusal to part with the tons of evidence he must have saved against the high and mighty of the land. This may include some video footage of generals with their trousers down. Though they are quite happy to pull off the pants of those they abduct, they are very touchy about their own bare bottoms showing.
This arrest is yet another manifestation of the determination of the high command to rule on till they have left Rangoon far behind. They seem to have chosen a path which will encounter much bloodshed before we can rid ourselves of them.
Our only hope for reprieve lies in their monumental incompetence. This they have repeatedly displayed. To begin with, Asim Munir swore to end smuggling and bring about an end to corruption. We saw an increase in both. He then promised an unending stream of economic miracles, but never has our economy sunk lower. Then he ordered the May 9 fiasco. They had all the time they needed to prepare this, and without any outside interference, when they put May 9 into operation, they could only come out with a sorry display of sordid lies, which even someone with half a head could immediately spot. Even with the Faiz Hameed case, incompetence is the first thing that stands out. The first charge they have chosen to throw at Faiz Hameed is that of corruption. They have let it be known to their touts in their social media brigade that this was to be the beginning of accountability in earnest. It must be their hope that this move against theft would send out a new message which would restore their credibility and standing among the people. But in doing so, they forgot that few in history have served the cause of corruption as well as they have done. It was they who handed over Pakistan to the Zardaris and the Sharifs, thieves of international standing. And then they put them back again after an election so disgracefully rigged, as only they could have managed. And now they expect to take back Faiz Hameed’s stolen wealth with which to balance out Pakistan’s losses inflicted directly by themselves?
What could be a better example of unadulterated incompetence and insensitivity than this attempt to whitewash their sale of Pakistan to the likes of the Zardaris and the Sharifs! And what may we say about the misfortune of Pakistanis who are being violated in the name of governance, while relying on the incompetence of the ruling thugs for emancipation from the claws of their misrule!
Email: saeedakhtarmalik85@gmail.com