Stolen Stripes and Broken Medals: Autobiography of a Senior Naval Officer

© 2008 Dr. Muhammad Anwar. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

First published by AuthorHouse 10/18/2006

Last published by AuthorHouse 1/7/2013

ISBN: 978-1-4259-0020-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4670-1056-6 (e)

Printed in the United States of America

Bloomington, Indiana

CONTENTS

PROLOGUE

1

MY EARLY LIFE

2

EARLY YEARS IN THE PAKISTAN NAVY

3

MY PROFILE AS A JUNIOR OFFICER

4

MID CAREER APPOINTMENTS

5

MY SOJOURN AS A DIPLOMAT

6

SEA COMMANDS

7

HIGHER COMMAND AND STAFF ACCOMPLISHMENTS

8

HIGH LEVEL CONSPIRACY

Epilogue

About the Author

To my mother who inspired me to be humane

To my father who taught me fidelity

To my wife who stood by my life

To my children for their conviction

PROLOGUE

I was born and raised in Pakistan, and after graduating from the Pakistan Naval Academy I was commissioned in the operations branch of the Pakistan Navy on 4th December 1971. My illustrious naval career spanned three decades and included the command of two ships, command of an establishment and appointments to positions at the Naval Headquarters such as Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Operations) and Director of Naval Operations. My final position was in command of the frontline Destroyer Squadron of the Pakistan Fleet. After these successful years of service including a star rank and an impeccable record of service, my military career for the Pakistan Navy was cut short by a high level conspiracy. Stolen Stripes and Broken Medals succinctly and truly mirrors my military service from my early years to the pinnacle of my career including complete account of the chain of events that led to my illegal retirement from the service. The title of this book reflects as to how my hard earned stripes were stolen and my medals broken by no one other than the top brass of the Pakistan Navy since I had refused to tell a lie to protect the personal interests of the Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Abdul Aziz Mirza, his deputy Vice Admiral Mahmood Ali, and several other naval leaders responsible for the strategic losses Pakistan Navy had suffered between August and October 1999.

Like any successful and upright officer, I had my share of discomfort and problems right from my cadet time and throughout my life in the Pakistan Navy. The magnitude and the style of the attacks by my opponents kept on changing as I advanced in my career. A series of ruthless and serious assaults were mounted against me as soon as Pakistan Navy Ship (PNS) SAIF became operational under my command in April 1992. PNS SAIF was my first sea command and a significant landmark in my career. The ship was lying dead alongside a naval berth when I assumed her command in September 1991 after returning from my successful tenure as Pakistan’s Defence Attache in Sri Lanka. Those attacks were directed with a view to fail me professionally at sea, but with the grace of God and my professional acumen I was able to save myself from some very serious situations which were meticulously planned by the jealous lobby. Having failed in their professional assaults, my enemies changed their tack towards my personal life but failed to spot or create any dent. However, they never stopped their intrigues and plotting against us.

My selection in June 1993 to lead the six-ship acquisition programme from the Royal Navy created a fresh wave of jealousies. Nevertheless, I had the distinction of commissioning the lead ship PNS TARIQ at Plymouth on 28th July 1993 and setting the standards for the remaining five ships to follow. Finally PNS TARIQ was inducted into the Pakistan Fleet by the Prime Minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto at a splendid ceremony held on 20th November 1993 at PN Dockyard Karachi, and that was yet another feather in my cap and a day to cherish. From that time onwards I was targeted one way or the other and every time my opponents failed, the intensity of their enmity increased. Finally, a time came when a choice was to be made between myself and the top brass responsible for the murder of thirty seven highly trained naval aviators including one officer from the surface fleet besides the loss of one each, Breguet Atlantique and P3C Orion aircraft within a short span of time in the year 1999. Those aircraft had the capability to look deep into the sea and across the ocean, besides carrying the state of the art weapons and sensors for the multipurpose engagements. I was the prime witness in the second incident i.e. the ditching of the P3C Orion aircraft into the North Arabian Sea with twenty one highly trained officers and men onboard belonging to the P3C and Breguet Atlantique Squadrons, including one young officer from 18th Destroyer Squadron (D- 18) whose commander, Commodore Muhammad Asad Qureshi hated his guts and probably wanted to get rid of him.

In this book, I have very briefly sketched out my outstanding naval career which was full of adventures, challenges and achievements, and of course the due recognitions. In all humility I have tried not to be loud and not to commit self praise yet it was unavoidable because I could not twist or change what was on record and what I had achieved through sheer hard work and dedication to the service. I am proud of my commitment to the service as well as the achievements despite a long phase of enmity that trailed behind me until I had finally left the service at the time when I could have effectively contributed in institutionalising the service at a higher level. Towards that end, I had already taken the first few steps in my capacity as the Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Operations) and subsequently during my last job as Commander 25th Destroyer Squadron (D-25). It is pertinent to mention here that the D-25 is the senior most naval officer who fights Pakistan’s war at sea when chips are down, and I was selected for that job in the backdrop of the Kargil conflict superseding a number of senior commodores which was yet another honour indeed trust imposed in me for which I was only grateful to God Almighty. On my part, I am totally satisfied and have no regrets because I have done no wrong in my entire career while my achievements are discernible. I served the Pakistan Navy with total dedication and commitment and left a positive mark wherever I worked. I led my subordinates with personal example and have been sincere and fair to all, moved their spirits and morale and provided them the opportunities to excel in their career. Such a commitment to the service was made possible because of the whole-hearted support of my wife who had never failed me on the home front. The same goes for my children who like their mother always stood by me through thick and thin despite having badly suffered because of the sad turn of events at the flood tide of my career and at the crucial stages of their studies.

I have taken the bold step of publishing my autobiography, that primarily focuses on my military career and also highlighting some sensitive issues, having reasons to believe that I am doing a service to the nation by exposing the enemies within our ranks and expecting some positive outcome from those on the helm of the armed forces and the country. Without prejudice and with the national interest at heart, I have exposed the enemies within our ranks indeed setting the stage against the culture of hiding the truth from the nation that has endangered the integrity of Pakistan. Notwithstanding the negative reaction from the enemies within our ranks who have been exposed through this publication, my rationale, for writing my memoirs and unfolding the sensitive issues behind the high level conspiracy that made a crutch to hurriedly remove me from the scene, is based on the following considerations:

• The real causes of the loss of the P3C Orion and the Breguet Atlantique aircraft were already well in the knowledge of the enemies within and outside. The ones who should have known at the first place have cleverly been kept blind i.e. the nation and the families of the martyrs who laid down their lives in the service of their homeland only because of the treachery of the enemies within our ranks. The facts were deliberately hidden to save few senior officers of the Pakistan Navy including the Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Abdul Aziz Mirza and in particular the Vice Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral Mahmood Ali who was also holding the portfolio of the Deputy Chief of Naval Staff (Operations), and several other senior officers holding the key positions in the Naval Aviation Base PNS MEHRAN, at the Headquarters Pakistan Fleet and above all at the Naval Headquarters.

• General Pervez Musharraf in his capacity as the Chief Executive of Pakistan, who had approved my release from the service, may not have been entirely aware of the real causes behind the strategic national losses or he might have been misinformed about the whole issue as well as the blame attributed to me which was based on a fabricated story. In view of my follow up actions, however, I have no doubts that the illegal action against me was taken with the connivance of General Pervez Musharraf who happened to be the course-mate and a close friend of Admiral Abdul Aziz Mirza; the latter I believe had also exploited my concern indeed questioning the wisdom of the Kargil imbroglio during the first high level meeting held in the General Headquarters in mid-1999.

• After I had handed over my destroyer squadron command, I and my family were virtually under house arrest because our residence was being kept under surveillance by the naval intelligence personnel and our telephones were being tapped. Being from the armed forces, neither anyone could openly support my case nor could I have at that time laid bare the real issues that led to my hurried removal from the scene through coercive and mysterious actions and without adhering to the legal action. Under the circumstances, I had reached the dead end and I finally left my homeland and came to the United Kingdom (UK) for the security of my family who were also being targeted by my enemies. Nevertheless, we were continuously tracked and troubled in the United Kingdom until the time Admiral Mirza retired from the service. However, I anxiously waited that the subsequent regimes in the Pakistan Navy might reconsider my case for sake of the institution since the real causes of my illegal retirement were well within the knowledge of all the senior officers but nothing positive happened. Having been disappointed with the subsequent regimes, I decided to publish my autobiography to unfold the conspiracy and the real issues leading to my illegal retirement from the service with a view to set the stage against the firmly imbedded culture of hiding facts from the nation despite having lost half of the country in December 1971.

• It had also become unbearable because of the perception created about my character in the absence of any evidence, and everything being left to every one’s imagination. It obviously had the shattering effect especially because of my absence from the scene and being of no consequence to anyone in the service where there was no dearth of sycophants and toady individuals at all levels. Under those compelling circumstances, I published my autobiography in October 2006 and laid bare the truth behind my hurried and illegal retirement and exposing the enemies within our ranks including those occupying the key positions in the service that was burdened with the defence of our sea frontiers against the formidable adversary. I revisited my autobiography in early 2008 and replaced the script after incorporating the minor corrections and some important additions; this was made possible because of the ‘print on demand’ facility offered by the publisher. All what I have written in my memoirs is true to the best of my knowledge and belief and can be taken as my affidavit in any court of law. All events are either based on my personal experience, observations and my honest assessment and have been mentioned without fear and favour for sake of posterity and for the guidance of those who with my kind of humble background wish to achieve success through conviction and commitment to the national interests and professionalism.

I wish to underline that the Pakistan Navy is the guardian of the sea frontiers of Pakistan and has played a significant role in the past in deterring aggression despite resource constraints and the size and strength of our adversary. By and large the Pakistan Navy has been led by very competent leaders in the past like Admiral Hasan Hafeez Ahmed, Admiral Iftikhar Ahmed Sirohey and many others. Unluckily, Admiral Mansur-ul-Haque and Admiral Abdul Aziz Mirza, who came through the back door diplomacy, ruined what had been achieved by their predecessors and destroyed the institution. It is unfortunate that Admiral Abdul Aziz Mirza was selected as the Chief of Naval Staff when he had not done any of the higher field commands and higher staff jobs other than holding the post of the Naval Secretary at the Naval Headquarters. Besides the professional incompetence, he could not even walk straight with one shorter leg, and yet he was chosen to lead one of the defence services of Pakistan. Lame he was both professionally and physically and by the time he retired, the Pakistan Navy had also become a lame institution and yet he was selected to be the Pakistan’s Ambassador in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia); only because he was the course-mate and a close friend of General Pervez Musharraf.

In the end, I would like to reiterate that notwithstanding the time lapse and serious obstacles, I am committed to vindicate my honour not only for my own sake and for my family who have directly suffered but also for the sake of our successors in the armed forces especially those in the Pakistan Navy who might otherwise be frightened or confused when facing the corrupt and selfish leadership. I earnestly pray to God Almighty to grant me the strength and courage to face this last challenge of my life with grace, dignity and success. I am confident that this brief account of my military career will provide the readers especially the people of Pakistan an inside look at the events that take place behind few self-centred top-ranking military officials’ closed doors. This true life account also brings to light the often malevolent dealings of those powerful people in pursuit of their self-interest while totally forgetting about the justice and fair-play careless about their sacred constitutional duty and moral responsibility.

1

MY EARLY LIFE

I was born in Pakistan on 12th June 1948 in a small village called Bura Jungle in District Jhelum. My village was located on the grand trunk road, having easy access to the nearby towns and the cities including the capital city Islamabad. We enjoyed the inherent benefits of the village as well as the city life. My father’s name was Fazal Karim and my mother was known as Fatima, and they belonged to a middle class family but on the poorer side. My mother was much younger than my father and she was my father’s second wife; his first wife had died young leaving behind two daughters. From our mother we were three brothers and three sisters. We had simple and loving parents who gave us a comfortable and decent upbringing despite the financial hardships. My father had served in the Second World War in the engineers’ corps of the British Indian Army, and my mother was a housewife and a devoted and kind parent. When I was born, my father had already retired and was self-employed and earning his livelihood by using his skills he had acquired while he was in the British Indian Army. He also had some agriculture land and thus we were self-sufficient in food grains. I could say with pride and confidence that our parents gave us a better life than many of those whose parents were rich and big land lords in our village. My parents provided equal opportunities to all of us for education, and my father was very pleased with me in particular because I was keen on studies and always brought good results. I did go to college but took my own decision to leave after the first semester to relieve my aged father of the worry of supporting me. We had a very happy and healthy family. My older sisters got married while my father was still alive and my older brother got married after my father’s death. Later, I got married on 23rd August 1974, while my sister got married on the following day; we badly missed our loving father on those happy moments. My youngest brother Abbas got married much later when our mother had also died and those moments were very painful without our parents because they had always loved us so much when they were alive. Parents to us were more special because we had not seen our grand parents except our granny (my mother‘s mother). May God bless them a place in heaven.

I completed my primary education in a nearby Primary School Chak Akka and always topped my class, from class one onwards. One important event which led me to believe at that early stage in life was that one should never depend on others unless there was no choice. There was one late arrival in our school, Mahboob Ahmed who was a good student and a very good natured person and soon he became my good friend. In those days after fifth class final examination, there used to be an open competitive examination at the district level for the award of scholarship. Our teachers had great hopes that I would get through that examination and I had worked hard as well. In the meantime Mahboob also got ready for the competition and both the names were forwarded to the District Education Authority for the said examination. Mahboob’s father kindly took the responsibility of taking both of us to the examination centre in Jhelum. However, on the day of the examination he took his own son straight to the examination centre in Jhelum while I kept waiting at home for them to pick me up, as planned. As it got very late, my brother decided to accompany me and we rushed to the examination centre. We had to wait for the public transport and got so late that when we arrived there, half the time was over. It took another couple of minutes when I was permitted to sit for the examination after the chief examiner was convinced with my statement. Unfortunately, I could complete only half of the question paper during the available time though the paper was very easy from my point of view. After the examination was over, I met with my friend Mahboob and his father who simply said that he forgot about me. I thanked him and came back home with my brother without any regrets. Mahboob also could not qualify for the scholarship and later we went different ways and never met again. From my school, I passed first division first and then got my admission in a nearby Middle School Chak Abdul Khaliq. That school had a good reputation and it was not very easy to get admission there. The easiest thing for me was to have got admission in High School Dina where I would have continued until my secondary school certificate level. Nevertheless I took the right decision and found that institution highly organised with good lot of teachers. I studied three classes there and I passed out in the first division in the eighth class external examination and received the scholarship and relieved my parents from the burden of my school fees for the next two years.

Now, there was another choice to make, between three schools i.e. High Schools Dina, Maira and Rohtas. I personally wanted to go to High School Rohtas which had the great reputation in the whole district. Luckily, I got an offer for admission from Maira as well as from Rohtas with free boarding facilities. My dream had come true and I got my admission in High School Rohtas where I was given a single room accommodation in the hostel, and I used to come home every weekend. I had to walk all the way home for good about five hours through the hilly terrain and at times through the water obstacles since in those days there was no direct route available for the public transport to and from Rohtas. The school was situated inside the historical fort built by the former ruler of India, Sher Shah Suri. I found that school highly organised with dedicated lot of teachers. I passed my secondary school certificate examination in the first division and finally packed my bags for home after two years. I profoundly thanked all the faculty members and the supporting staff who had thoroughly cared for us. All my class mates were very friendly and cultured and we used to help each other in every possible ways. I used to live in the hostel and most of my class mates hailed from Rohtas and their parents used to treat me like their own children.

Here, I am reminded of my loving mother and father. Many a time it so happened that the day I used to get late on Saturdays in reaching home, my father always used to meet me on the way. Every time he used to promise that he would not bother next time but he could never wait to see me after a week long absence, while my mother anxiously used to be waiting at home. All parents I believe feel the same way but I could not resist remembering my parents who gave us the best possible life, full of affection and love, and I am proud of them. After having spent some time at home with my parents, brothers and sisters, I got my admission in the Engineering College Rasool (District Gujarat) to follow my civil engineering curriculum. My father wanted me to become a civil engineer and so I got my next goal. I did very well in the first semester and attained all A’s but unfortunately had to struggle on the financial side. Without bringing further hardships to my father, I made a decision on my own to quit my studies and look for some job where I could also continue with my studies privately. While reflecting on my days spent in three different schools and the first semester in the engineering college, I feel very fortunate to have enjoyed the respect and confidence, not only of my teachers but also of my fellow students. I always tried to help my fellow students especially in their studies, and in return I received their respect and comradeship. I do regret having to leave my college studies especially when I was doing extremely well, but that was how my destiny was all about; full of trials and turbulence.

I did try to find a job in the private sector near my home town but failed because of the lack of experience. One day I was by chance passing in front of the Armed Forces Recruitment Centre Jhelum and saw a couple of boys of my age standing there. So I just walked into the premises and found out as to what was happening there. I approached the reception and asked the duty clerk, whether there was any chance for me to get some job? The duty clerk at the reception asked me about my qualifications and took me straight to the Recruiting Officer. The Recruiting Officer right away asked me a couple of simple questions and had a look at my secondary school certificate which was in my possession. I had earned the first division with science subjects, and he happily suggested if I would like to join the Pakistan Navy because the qualification was befitting for the job and they also had vacancies with them. The moment I said yes, I was undergoing my medical examination in the next room. The Medical Officer declared me fit and I was asked to sign a couple of papers including a consent form which I was asked to submit the next day after obtaining my father’s signatures. That was a difficult task because my father wanted me to continue with my further studies at any cost. After hard convincing my father gave his consent as well as his blessings but had tears in his eyes. The next day I handed in those papers back to the centre clerk, who gave me my train tickets for Karachi and asked me to join PNS BAHADUR on 23rd August 1966 for my basic naval training.

I had only one day before I could get my train for Karachi. That was how I left my parents and my home with a heavy heart on the morning of 21st August 1966, and that day onwards I never got to live at my parent’s home for more than a couple of days because most of the time I had lived in Karachi and abroad. That was a sad part and I always missed my parents who ultimately left us one after the other. My father died in 1967 when I was in Karachi doing my basic training, and could not even attend his funeral. But I do remember the last time when I met my father just one month before he died. I had gone to attend the Pakistan Day parade as part of the PN Contingent. After the Parade we had a couple of days’ break which I had spent at home with my parents and rest of the family at my village. On the day when I was leaving for Islamabad for my onward journey to Karachi, my father came up to the bus stop which was a couple of yards away from our home. Every time a bus was seen approaching my father warmly held me in his arms, while none of the buses was stopping because of being full to capacity. It might have been twenty times that my father must have embraced me when finally one bus stopped and I left waving my father not knowing that I was seeing him for the last time. I could never forget those moments; may his soul rests in peace. My mother died in 1984, and just before she died she was living with us in Karachi. Unfortunately one day she developed pain in her abdomen and which was later diagnosed as liver cancer. We did whatever was possible, we had one of the best surgeons, doctors and treatment available but she could not undergo surgical operation because of her old age and other medical conditions. Finally, she had to be taken to our home town and there she died and left us for ever. That was when I really felt alone because the two persons whom I loved the most had finally passed away leaving me with an unending pain.

Fortunately enough I was then married and had most caring and loving wife Salma, who had also taken good care of my mother especially during the days when my mother was suffering from that deadly and painful disease. I still remember Commander Mian Muhammad Akbar who used to live nearby; he always used to wish if his mother was alive and they would have treated her the way my mother was being gracefully and lovingly treated. My wife used to take great care of her that was why my mother happily spent most of her time with us. My wife braved through all that despite the fact she had to look after three very young children; our two little daughters Shehla (6 years) and Asma (4 years), and my son Adeel (one year). Only a couple months after the death of my mother, my youngest son Ebad was born in Greenwich when I was doing my staff course in the UK. My mother was very happy that God had blessed me with a wonderful wife and lovely children. That was even more special for all of us because my older brother did not have any children. I was lucky enough to have been happily married to the girl of my mother’s choice and whom I had loved whole heartedly. My wife’s family was no stranger to us; my father-in-law was the first cousin of my mother. He was a well established and respected person, and was running his own dental clinic since 1946 in the heart of Jhelum city. My wife had just completed her higher secondary school when we got married, and she did her graduation from Karachi University. My mother never imposed her decision on me for my marriage although I would have never said no to her in any case. It so happened that one day I came home for a few days just to see my mother and she asked me if I could accompany her to the uncle’s place and see his daughter, but in no uncertain terms she asked me to say yes only if I