Misconceptions about Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA)

The Act, served the civil administrations in Jammu and Kashmir and the North East effectively in combating cross-border terrorism. However, it has in, recent times, become target of criticism. Demands for its withdrawal have been raised, specially from Jammu and Kashmir in the North and Manipur in the East. Are these demands justified? Or are they the product of some ignorance and confusion about the word “Power” which is part of its formal nomenclature?

In order to be impartial between sense and nonsense, it is necessary to understand that the Armed Forces Special Power Act, gives no police powers to Army. The Army cannot enforce its presence in any state for internal security purposes on its own without the civil government concerned declaring a particular area in its jurisdiction as ‘disturbed area’ and ‘requesting’ the Army to come to its aid.


The critics, however, have never lost any opportunity to indulge in Army bashing on issues of “high handedness” and “violation of human rights”. Of course such criticism is countered by others as “politically motivated” and “voice of the vested interests”. They point out that wherever the Indian Army has gone, it has taken the welfare of the local people as its first priority also, using “heart as a weapon” and Sadbhavna or goodwill as the spirit. They point out to the surrender of several militant groups in the North East and the popular Kashmir Premier League Chinar Cup project as outstanding examples.

Demands for repeal or amendment of AFSPA specially come from areas infested by separatism combined with militancy that seldom talk of senseless killing and continuous “violation of Human Rights” by terrorists and militants. If a bomb blast outside the Delhi High Court kills several innocent litigants and lawyers or innocent citizens lose their lives in Mumbai blast, no voice is heard condemning the known and unknown killers of violating human right to live. Why?


The antagonists of AFSPA are ever active and widely reported in the media. It would be fair to listen to the protagonists too.



Why AFSPA is necessary?


The proposed amendments to the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) will greatly reduce the effectiveness in counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations. If battalion, company and platoon commanders of units engaged, who have been fearlessly leading from the front in such operations, start becoming apprehensive about being legally proceeded against for killing terrorists mostly externally instigated supported, then we will lose the valuable cutting edge.


This, in a nutshell, is what said by a number of serving officers currently engaged in these operations and retired officers with long standing experience of the same.


Army authorities have to be taken into confidence and their nod was necessary for amending or withdrawing the AFSPA. If Government gives weightage only to political opinion it could invite problems for it because there are fears that in the absence of any legal protection the security forces may be forced to be on the defensive which could leave a free space for militants to operate. Has any government agency or committee suggested how to deal with the contentious issue?



The Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA)-1958 was enacted by the Parliament on 11 September, 1958 to provide necessary powers and legal support/protection to Armed Forces for operations against insurgents in a highly hostile environment and it has enabled them to effectively contain insurgency and establish stability in the region. AFSPA-1958 is currently applicable in Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Tirap and Changlang districts of Arunachal Pradesh.



Subsequently, Parliament enacted the Armed Forces (Jammu and Kashmir) Special Powers Act 1990, effective since 5 July 1990, initially to areas falling within 20 km of the Line of Control with Rajouri, Poonch, Anantnag, Baramulla, Budgam, Kupwara, Pulwama and Srinagar districts declared as disturbed. In August 2001, it was extended to Jammu, Kathua, Udhampur, Poonch, Rajouri and Doda, when these districts were declared disturbed. What is interesting to note that people of last 6 districts have not called for it's repeal. Unlike parts of Kashmir, population of these areas is predominantly pro-Indian and actively resists terrorists which try to sneak in across LOC.



The fighting capability of terrorists in J & K and the North East and has considerably improved over the years in terms of increasingly sophisticated weapons, high tech gear and finance.. Many groups even have women cadres also.



Troops and Central constabulary forces are operating in a hostile environment, in tough terrain and weather conditions, exposing themselves to grave dangers, maintaining a high degree of operational effectiveness while they are simultaneously, required to be extremely cautious in avoiding any collateral damage and loss of innocent life or property.

For sake of an example, lets talk about tactics of terrorists in Kashmir. One of their favourite modes of attack is to blend in civilian population and attack while taking cover behind human shields or from civilian houses. Kashmiris wear a long loose robe like garment called firan which covers whole body from neck to toes. What these terrorists do is to dress in same firan and hide a few grenades and gun inside the robe which effectively hides the bulge of weapons, allowing them to walk up to security check points and ambush unsuspecting security personnel. Another tactic is to attack convoys or soldiers on patrol from civilian houses, then try to run away.

Operating in such conditions often surrounded by hostile population demands that security forces do have special powers. They need to act fast without going through the hassle of obtaining proper paperwork. Wasting time on such frivolities will do nothing except provide terrorists with a heavens sent means of escape.



Successes in operations and any violation or perceived violation attract attention of overground anti national factions / elements with vested interests and also the media, which in a democracy, they should. After some of the current exposes which including Radia tapes, Cash for Votes, ISI's Fai among many others, one should always be sure of loyalty of people who are making noises about removal of this act. Many of the people supporting removal of this act have been proven guilty of associating with ISI's spy Fai and also taking money from dubious sources.


While most of the allegations made are false and fabricated, operating under such environment requires a protective law which is not overarching as it is perceived to be.



The essence of the important Sections of AFSPA is :

(a) Section 3 empowers the Central and State Governments to declare areas as disturbed.

(b) Section 4 gives the Army powers to search premises and make arrests without warrants, to use force even to the extent of causing death, destroy arms/ammunition dumps, fortifications/ shelters/hideouts and to stop, search and seize any vehicles.

(c) Section 6 stipulates that arrested persons and seized property is to be made over to the police with least possible delay.

(d) Section 7 offers protection of personnel acting in good faith in their official capacity. Prosecution is permitted only after sanction of the Central Govt.



The mere fact that the provisions of AFSPA have to be invoked with regard to a particular area ex facie establishes that the law and order situation there had degenerated to such an extent that the State Government with the aid of police power at its disposal was unable to maintain peace and tranquility.



A natural corollary to the above would be that if the Armed Forces, who are called upon to assist the State administration in restoring normalcy, have to succeed in their task, they enjoy at least the similar powers as the Police force if not wider ones.



However, close perusal of the various powers available to the police under the provisions of the CrPC vis-a-vis those available to Armed Forces under AFSPA would reveal that the police still enjoy more encompassing and wider powers relating toarrest, search, seizure, summoning of witnesses, preventive detention etc than the Armed Forces.Adequate checks and safeguards are built in the AFSPA to prevent the Armed Forces from assuming sweeping powers. Violations of its provisions are liable for legal action/prosecution. DO’s and DONTs issued by the Army, duly approved by the Supreme Court are binding on all ranks.



Then what is wrong with AFSPA? The word “Power”? Then why not rename the Act, the Armed Forces Special Services Act.The Act, served the civil administrations in Jammu and Kashmir and the North East effectively in combating cross-border terrorism. However, it has in, recent times, become target of criticism. Demands for its withdrawal have been raised, specially from Jammu and Kashmir in the North and Manipur in the East. Are these demands justified? Or are they the product of some ignorance and confusion about the word “Power” which is part of its formal nomenclature?



In order to be impartial between sense and nonsense, it is necessary to understand that the Armed Forces Special Power Act, gives no police powers to Army. The Army cannot enforce its presence in any state for internal security purposes on its own without the civil government concerned declaring a particular area in its jurisdiction as ‘disturbed area’ and ‘requesting’ the Army to come to its aid.



The critics, however, have never lost any opportunity to indulge in Army bashing on issues of “high handedness” and “violation of human rights”. Of course such criticism is countered by others as “politically motivated” and “voice of the vested interests”. They point out that wherever the Indian Army has gone, it has taken the welfare of the local people as its first priority also, using “heart as a weapon” and Sadbhavna or goodwill as the spirit. They point out to the surrender of several militant groups in the North East and the popular Kashmir Premier League Chinar Cup project as outstanding examples.



Demands for repeal or amendment of AFSPA specially come from areas infested by separatism combined with militancy that seldom talk of senseless killing and continuous “violation of Human Rights” by terrorists and militants. If a bomb blast outside the Delhi High Court kills several innocent litigants and lawyers or innocent citizens lose their lives in Mumbai blast, no voice is heard condemning the known and unknown killers of violating human right to live. Why?



The antagonists of AFSPA are ever active and widely reported in the media. It would be fair to listen to the protagonists too.




Why AFSPA is necessary?



The proposed amendments to the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) will greatly reduce the effectiveness in counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations. If battalion, company and platoon commanders of units engaged, who have been fearlessly leading from the front in such operations, start becoming apprehensive about being legally proceeded against for killing terrorists mostly externally instigated supported, then we will lose the valuable cutting edge.



This, in a nutshell, is what said by a number of serving officers currently engaged in these operations and retired officers with long standing experience of the same.




Army authorities have to be taken into confidence and their nod was necessary for amending or withdrawing the AFSPA. If Government gives weightage only to political opinion it could invite problems for it because there are fears that in the absence of any legal protection the security forces may be forced to be on the defensive which could leave a free space for militants to operate. Has any government agency or committee suggested how to deal with the contentious issue?


The Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA)-1958 was enacted by the Parliament on 11 September, 1958 to provide necessary powers and legal support/protection to Armed Forces for operations against insurgents in a highly hostile environment and it has enabled them to effectively contain insurgency and establish stability in the region. AFSPA-1958 is currently applicable in Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Tirap and Changlang districts of Arunachal Pradesh.





Subsequently, Parliament enacted the Armed Forces (Jammu and Kashmir) Special Powers Act 1990, effective since 5 July 1990, initially to areas falling within 20 km of the Line of Control with Rajouri, Poonch, Anantnag, Baramulla, Budgam, Kupwara, Pulwama and Srinagar districts declared as disturbed. In August 2001, it was extended to Jammu, Kathua, Udhampur, Poonch, Rajouri and Doda, when these districts were declared disturbed. What is interesting to note that people of last 6 districts have not called for it's repeal. Unlike parts of Kashmir, population of these areas is predominantly pro-Indian and actively resists terrorists which try to sneak in across LOC.





The fighting capability of terrorists in J & K and the North East and has considerably improved over the years in terms of increasingly sophisticated weapons, high tech gear and finance.. Many groups even have women cadres also.



Troops and Central constabulary forces are operating in a hostile environment, in tough terrain and weather conditions, exposing themselves to grave dangers, maintaining a high degree of operational effectiveness while they are simultaneously, required to be extremely cautious in avoiding any collateral damage and loss of innocent life or property.

For sake of an example, lets talk about tactics of terrorists in Kashmir. One of their favourite modes of attack is to blend in civilian population and attack while taking cover behind human shields or from civilian houses. Kashmiris wear a long loose robe like garment called firan which covers whole body from neck to toes. What these terrorists do is to dress in same firan and hide a few grenades and gun inside the robe which effectively hides the bulge of weapons, allowing them to walk up to security check points and ambush unsuspecting security personnel. Another tactic is to attack convoys or soldiers on patrol from civilian houses, then try to run away.

Operating in such conditions often surrounded by hostile population demands that security forces do have special powers. They need to act fast without going through the hassle of obtaining proper paperwork. Wasting time on such frivolities will do nothing except provide terrorists with a heavens sent means of escape.



Successes in operations and any violation or perceived violation attract attention of overground anti national factions / elements with vested interests and also the media, which in a democracy, they should. After some of the current exposes which including Radia tapes, Cash for Votes, ISI's Fai among many others, one should always be sure of loyalty of people who are making noises about removal of this act. Many of the people supporting removal of this act have been proven guilty of associating with ISI's spy Fai and also taking money from dubious sources.



While most of the allegations made are false and fabricated, operating under such environment requires a protective law which is not overarching as it is perceived to be.



The essence of the important Sections of AFSPA is :

(a) Section 3 empowers the Central and State Governments to declare areas as disturbed.

(b) Section 4 gives the Army powers to search premises and make arrests without warrants, to use force even to the extent of causing death, destroy arms/ammunition dumps, fortifications/ shelters/hideouts and to stop, search and seize any vehicles.

(c) Section 6 stipulates that arrested persons and seized property is to be made over to the police with least possible delay.

(d) Section 7 offers protection of personnel acting in good faith in their official capacity. Prosecution is permitted only after sanction of the Central Govt.




The mere fact that the provisions of AFSPA have to be invoked with regard to a particular area ex facie establishes that the law and order situation there had degenerated to such an extent that the State Government with the aid of police power at its disposal was unable to maintain peace and tranquility.



A natural corollary to the above would be that if the Armed Forces, who are called upon to assist the State administration in restoring normalcy, have to succeed in their task, they enjoy at least the similar powers as the Police force if not wider ones.





However, close perusal of the various powers available to the police under the provisions of the CrPC vis-a-vis those available to Armed Forces under AFSPA would reveal that the police still enjoy more encompassing and wider powers relating toarrest, search, seizure, summoning of witnesses, preventive detention etc than the Armed Forces.Adequate checks and safeguards are built in the AFSPA to prevent the Armed Forces from assuming sweeping powers. Violations of its provisions are liable for legal action/prosecution. DO’s and DONTs issued by the Army, duly approved by the Supreme Court are binding on all ranks.



Then what is wrong with AFSPA? The word “Power”? Then why not rename the Act, the Armed Forces Special Services Act.



Author: Robin, Guwahati

War Scenario Part XIV

Part XIII

10:00 Hours
28 Oct 2010
PM House
New Delhi, India

Everybody in the meeting room wore a grim expression. None of them had expected things to deteriorate so fast. Defence Minister was supposed to be on his way to Russia for a meeting with his Russian counterpart. News of the attempted coup had come in middle of the night and he had to postpone his trip. Air Force Chief had cut short his tour of some newly activated air fields in the north-east. He could have registered his presence using video-conferencing, but he preferred to be physically present. Right now, he was exchanging notes with the Army chief who was looking even more serious than usual.

Last men to enter the meeting room were PM and NSA chief Angad, both earnestly involved in a conversation. Everybody rose up to greet the PM who took up his usual seat and motioned NSA Chief to start his briefing immediately.

"Good morning, gentlemen. We are a bit short on time due to radically changing situations in our neighbourhood. I'll come straight to the point. Last night, there was an attempted coup in Pakistan.

Some serving Pakistani soldiers, believed to be loyal to General Asgar tried to kidnap or kill General Beg inside his residence. General Beg escaped unharmed, but hiswife and nearly 20 of his soldiers were killed. At the same time, his new second in command, General Khalid was kidnapped. His present whereabouts are unknown. Beg had promoted General Khalid in staff meeting last night to replace General Asgar.

Right after the news of this attack started to spread, there were reports of gun fights among Pakistani soldiers in various cantonments all over the country. 100s of Pakistani soldiers are believed to be dead or missing in the bloodshed."Pakistan has seen numerous coups, but this one is unprecedented in terms of players involved and the bloodshed that followed. This infighting inside Pakistani army is sure to affect their already weak civil society badly. Pakistani civilians were already reeling under bomb blasts and subsequent riots. This mutiny will have serious consequences not only for Pakistanis but even us. This meeting is called for discussing our plan of action regarding this issue."

DM was in an unusually bad mood, partly due to postponement of his trip and he was not hiding his displeasure, "Damn these idiots! Who is in control of their nuclear weapons now ? "

"In comparatively normal circumstances, General Beg . Whatever we know of Pakistani nuclear system, even if Asgar manages to get hold of a few bombs, he wouldn't be able to use them. Not even against us."

Angad replied"

How is that ?" DM asked eagerly.

"In return for their dollars, Americans had forced Pakis to consolidate their nukes in to a centralised system that can be monitored continuously and deactivated to prevent it's misuse in conditions just like this. Their man Beg, had all the launch codes and even if any rogue element manages to launch a missile against us, it wouldn't cause a nuclear explosion. " Angad explained.

"You mean to say, that right now all of their nukes are useless against us ?"

" Not exactly. Only the arsenal that they couldn't hide is under control. Rest of it might still be usable.""

That's not a comforting thought." HM observed dryly"

It certainly isn't" NSA chief agreed.

DM was on verge of hysteria, "The whole country is breaking down. Even the army that used to hold the place together is divided now. What stops any fanatic to take advantage of the chaos and take control of a few nukes! We have to take some action."

"And what might that be ? Do you have anything in mind ?" PM inquired

"Well, I can't think of anything right now" DM conceded. But surely military can think of something. What do you suggest gentlemen ?" he asked turning to the service chiefs sitting besides him for help.

Army chief began, "Right now, anything we do will potentially be seen as adding fuel to the fire. They , I mean some of them actually want us to get involved in the mess. This morning, Pakistanis started firing at our border posts in J&K breaking the cease fire agreement."

"Pakis have always been firing all year round to provide cover for their terrorists. What's different his time ?" HM interrupted.

"The scale of firing is unprecedented. Earlier Pakis shelled our positions either to provide diversion or covering fire to their terrorist infiltrating into India, but this time they are specifically targeting our soldiers and positions. This is not limited to a limited area. Our positions in Kargil, Siachen, Uri, Punch, Rajauri, practically whole of the north and north-west sector in J&K came under intense fire today. It's still going on in many places. According to the orders, our men showed restraint and refrained from responding in the same way. Our causalities were light for the scale of fire, but our luck wouldn't hold for long.

"We can't fall in to this trap. If we don't show restraint this whole thing will blow up in our faces." PM said in a worried voice.

General Zoravar Singh was expecting this, "I don't disagree sir, but consequences will be far more serious if we don't take any action. We lost 3 men in the firing today with 14 wounded. The toll is mounting even as we discuss the issue. Letting our soldiers die just like that is completely unacceptable. We have to show those Pakis that they can't take play nuke card every time to inflict damage on us. If we surrender to Pakis today, Chinese will surely try to take advantage, They have already taken control of a large part of PoK. what stops Chinese from indulging in similar mischief to further weaken and embarrass us ?"

"Yes. He is right. Pakis tried to play dirty in Kargil too, thinking that we wouldn't dare attack them since they had nukes. But after we did, they washed off their hands of the whole issue. Buggers even refused to acknowledge their own dead. What if we had not taken any action and allowed them to stay fearing a nuclear attack ?" DM added

"How do Chinese fit in to this picture ? Are they involved ? And who in Pakistan gave the orders to start the firing ?" PM asked.

" Well, Chinese involvement is what worrying us the most. As discussed in the last meeting,General Asgar is just their puppet. I'd be really surprised if we don't find any proof of their involvement in this coup. Apart from this, the area in northern J&K, where we came under fire is too close to places Chinese are present. We know for sure that Chinese have spread their tentacles much beyond the highways and tunnels they were building.

As for who is coordinating this firing, most of the evidence points to General Asgar. For starters, he was CO of the Pak Army HQ in Gilgit during Musharraf's time. Further, commanders currently serving there are believed to be loyal to him."

PM's already worried face assumed a horrified expression, "So if we retaliate to Paki firing, there is a real possibility of Chinese getting involved too ? This is too much for us."

DM lost all of his patience,"Chinese have no ground to take any offense. All of J&K, including POK is ours and these turds have no business being there in first place. And we are retaliating to unprovoked Paki firing on our positions. We have all the right to do anything we want to protect ourselves."

"What if all this is a Chinese conspiracy to pick up a fight ?"

HM spoke up."So what! We give them a fight. Why the hell are we spending so much money on defence when a 3rd rate terrorist sink hole can kill our soldiers at it's own pleasure ? "

DM's voice was getting too loud for ears of the soft-spoken PM and he winced in annoyance."So, what do you want ? An all out war ? "

"Of course not. But taking such provocations lying down is highly unsuitable for a country aspiring to be in UNSC. It's your pet dream after all, isn't it ?" DM shot back, much to the surprise of everybody present in the meeting.

HM cleared his throat and intervened, "Cool down Shivendra jee. It's not the time or place for this. There is always a peaceful way."

"Don't you think that I know this ? DM replied, in a milder tone. "But there has to be a limit. There is nothing stopping us from at least bombing the hell out of buggers who are shelling us."

Army chief took the cue, " Yes. Our hands are tied due to the ceasefire agreement. Now that they've themselves broken it, we have no obligation to play nice. At the very minimum, we should have the authority to destroy Paki positions which are firing on us."

"What about Chinese ?" HM askedDM answered the question before Army chief could, "What about them ? We are defending ourselves from Paki firing. If they object, they wouldn't have a leg to stand upon. "

PM took a deep breath and asked "Are you sure General, that firing back is the right thing to do ?"

Army Chief responded , "We do have the option to stay quite and take the blows, but for what ? We are losing soldiers even as we sit here. Some of the firing has affected civilian areas too. A journalist from a national TV channel was filming a documentary on our border posts in Uri, when it came under fire."

HM had not forgotten the pestering he had endured by the TV channel to grant permission for documentary. He rolled his eyes and interrupted, "Yes, that Varsha Butt from UNDE TV. Saw her showing off her wounds and posing like she is some kind of war heroine . It was a mistake allowing her to be there." Realising somewhat belatedly that he was interrupting the Army chief, he apologised and requested him to continue.

Army Chief acknowledged his apology with a curt nod and resumed, " Not responding will encourage Pakis as well as Chinese to cause even more trouble. It's effect on moral of armed forces as well as civilians is anybody's guess. We are not asking for permission for an all out attack on Pakistan. We just want the authority to defend ourselves against Paki firing."

"And you are sure that the things wouldn't spiral out of control ? What if they start firing in other places too "

" I can't give you 400% guarantee of anything apart from that my soldiers will not overstep their authority in any condition." General replied plainly. "As for rest of the international border apart from J&K is concerned, we can be reasonably sure that the Pakistani Rangers in the sector will not act in same way as their Army counterparts in J&K. We have no reason to believe that Rangers will dance to Asgar's tunes.In addition, they don't have the Chinese card to threaten us here. Pakistani forces are in no position for a offensive anywhere. Our forces are on a high alert anyway and can start mobilising within hours of receiving the orders."

"Will you require support from Air Force or Navy ? "

"We had discussed the issue among ourselves before the meeting. My men will surely need support from AF to transport men and materials. Navy can be used to impose a sea blockade, but that's not necessary now. We can handle the offensive part ourselves. Involving AF or Navy offensively will escalate matters. "

"That reminds me, what about their Air Force and Navy?" DM asked Angad.

"Although their Air Force is in control of some nuclear bombs, they just can't launch their aircraft carrying them without us or Americans knowing. Specially since only a few F16s are nuke capable and Americans have kept a tight leash on them .As for Navy, we don't think that they pose any serious threat to us. Mutiny in army has affected these 2 forces in the same way and operational readiness is severely degraded. Hell, I'd be surprised if they manage to fly even regular sorties. Even then we are taking no chances and we all of them under continuous surveillance. If they try doing anything funny, we'll be the first to know."

For first time since the meeting started, PM looked slightly at ease, "That's some comparatively better news. Very well General. You have my permission to fire back in if Pakistanis fire at you. But under no conditions, our men will cross the LoC. You can't imagine the pressure I'm currently in. People want me to just offer the other cheek. "

"I understand Sir. We'll try our best to keep things under check." A visibly relieved General Zoravar Singh replied.

"I suppose that's all there is to it ? Now, if you gentlemen will excuse me, I have a meeting scheduled with the American ambassador. Shivendra jee, do you have your statement on situation in Pakistan ready yet ? Let's discuss it in my office. PM rose up signaling end of the meeting.

War Scenario Part III

Previous Post (Part II)

12:15 Hours

26 Oct 2012

Secret army safe house

Karachi, Pakistan

Lt. Zia knocked nervously on the closed door and waited for permission to enter. He had strict instructions to leave the occupants of the room in complete privacy, but owing to urgency of situation he felt he had no other option other than to comply with what the caller on phone asked for. Door was unlocked by General Asgar who inquired in a level voice the nature of business. Lt. Zia just told him name of the caller and handed over the phone. General Asgar put the phone to his ear and ambled up to the sofa on which he was sitting earlier.
His ear was blasted by the frantic voice of Wasim Akhtar who seemed to be scared out of his wits.
“What the hell just happened General ? Bombing of Naqvi's rally !! I tell you General, we are all screwed.”

General Asgar asked mildly, “What are you talking about Wasim ? “

“PPP rally in National stadium was bombed ! Switch on the TV for god sake. Naqvi is seriously injured and his son blown to pieces. Where are you hiding General ? Why the hell you did this ? Didn't you think of the consequences ?” Wasim shrieked.

Voice of General Asgar suddenly took on a hard edge, “What makes you think that I'm behind this attack, Wasim ? It's a very serious allegation that you are making “

Surprised by the change in tone of General's voice Akhtar could only manage to stammer “But, but... what, err who could have done this ? “

“How am I supposed to know this ? Do I look like an oracle ? Keep watching TV for any updates”

“But everybody will accuse me only. PPP workers are already baying for our blood. What the hell am I supposed to do now ?“ Akhtar's whining voice made General Asgar wince. Maintaining his composure, he replied in a cool voice, “Whoever did this will soon take responsibility. Your name will not be dragged in to this. “

“But what about those crazy Sindhis ? They've already made up their minds that I'm behind this ! Their leaders have already started mobilising supporters to avenge this bombing. “

“I believe that your men are well trained and suitably armed to defend themselves against any such stupid attacks. You yourself are guarded well enough” General Asgar smiled to himself.

“But you are missing the consequences. Even though Mushtaq was not a candidate, elections can be postponed indefinitely due to his death. All the efforts that we had put in too discredit Naqvi and Gilani will be neutralised by the sympathy wave. “

“You don't need to worry about that either. You have my support and only you'll win these elections. When was the last time free and fair elections were held in Pakistan anyway? “ General Asgar laughed loudly at his own joke.

“Are you really sure about this General ? Remember our fortunes are tied to each other. If I go down you go down too”

“ I realise that very well Mian Wasim. Both of us will certainly get what we both need. Just relax and stop worrying about it. I want you to do one thing for your own sake. Organise a press conference as soon as possible and announce your shock and sorrow at this tremendous loss to nation. Just don't overdo the sympathy bit and go out publicly. Wait for someone to take responsibility for the attack. Do you understand me ?”

Wasim Akhtar replied like an obedient school boy to his teacher, “ Yes General. I understand perfectly well.”

General Asgar put down the phone and smiled at the only other occupant of the room, General Mao Hu of People Liberation Army, China. “ You might have guessed it by now, it was future PM of Pakistan asking his trusty general for advice in face of what he thinks is a colossal crisis”

General Hu replied, “Of course. It was only logical that he did. I assume that you were able to calm him down. Everything going according to plans ?”

“As always. Would you mind if I turn up the volume on TV ? I think that they are broadcasting what I've been waiting for.”

They both turned their attention to TV screen on which the news channel was playing voice recording of a man who claimed to be member of a new Paksitani Islamic organisation, Al Mujahideen committed to cleanse Muslim nations of corruption and immorality. He claimed full responsibility of the attack on PPP rally and blamed Naqvis of bringing shame to whole Islamic world by their corrupt ways and allegiance to kafir USA. Within minutes of broadcast of this recording, another channel played a recording made by Haqqani's eldest son who claimed that he had personally planned this attack to avenge the death of his father due to intelligence provided by Paki govt. Soon, all the channels were full of self-styled experts debating and analysing this new development and “who-really-dunnit” began in earnest.

General Asgar turned down the volume and remarked, “ These TV channels remind me of a circus that I once visited as a child. . Shall we resume discussing our plans ? “

War Scenario Part II

Previous Post (1st)

It was at this time when Mushtaq Naqvi was hurriedly called back from London to give a much needed boost to election campaign being led by his father. Mushtaq's publicity handlers were was wise enough to cultivate his image as a suave well educated secular Muslim who cared more about Pakistan than holding any position of power. It was particularly essential after pictures of him indulging in drinking and cavorting with women in London were published on Internet. That was waved away as inevitable discretion of youth and Mushtaq Naqvi in 2012 was a far cry from the drunk womaniser that he was alleged to be.

Sitting in his bulletproof SUV along with his father as it raced to the election rally spot, he listened intently as his father gave him last minute instructions on how to conduct himself on stage in front of thousands of supporters. As the convoy reached the rally spot, it was surrounded by thousands of eager supporters intent on catching a glimpse of their young fresh leader. Death of his mother in similar conditions was still fresh in the minds of security detail who had forbidden any member of Naqvi family to even peek outside the heavily tinted bulletproof windows of their vehicles. Their SUV stopped at the stairs of 12 feet high temporary stage and both father and son quickly alighted the stairs surrounded by dozens of well trained and heavily armed commandos.

PPP speaker Mahroof Raza who was already on stage greeted the father son duo warmly and escorted them to the chairs strategically placed so as to allow the crowd full glimpse of whoever was sitting there. After customary hand waving, sloganeering and introductory speech by Raza, Naqvi senior took control of the mike to address the rally. He wanted this rally to be the launchpad for his son's future political career and presented Mushtaq as the next great hope for Pakistan. After waxing eloquent for what seemed like an eternity he invited his son to make his first ever speech in Pakistan. Flanked by his body-guards, Mushtaq got up from the chair and started walking towards the dais.

His short journey was rudely interrupted by sounds of gun shots fired just 70-80 meters from the stage. Panic spread quickly among the massive crowd and the stadium was full of terrified people rushing towards the nearest exit. Saqlain and Mushtaq both were quickly surrounded by their body guards who started escorting them to their convoy. At this time, whole stadium shook with a massive explosion that blew up most of the stage and put the rest on fire.
Last thing that senior Naqvi saw before losing consciousness was the sight of his son's body being tossed up high up in air like a broken rag doll.

War Scenario

I've started writing a multi-front, multi-country war scenario . It's not too great. There will be some inaccuracies, sentences will be broken and language amateurish. 1st few posts are really awful but I hope things even out as I manage to get the hang of it. Here is the first post:

11:00 Hours

26 Oct 2012

National Stadium

Karachi, Pakistan

MMushtaq Naqvi, son of Pakistani President, Saqlain Naqvi was going to make his first public speech to mark his formal entry in to the troubled nation's political arena. His entry in to politics wassupposed to revive the sagging fortunes of his father and party PPP before national elections in 2013. PPP was in trouble from many fronts, most serious of them being their ongoing spat with powerful factions in Pakistani Army.

A popular saying among people interested in international affairs is, “ Every Country has Army, Pakistani Army has a country ”.

Naqvi was never a really popular President to begin with. He got the post for one reason only, his wife, former PM Samina Naqvi was assassinated while campaigning before elections in December 2007. One among countless conspiracy theories circulating in Pakistan suggested that the assassination was carried out on the orders of then in power military dictator and “President” General Inzamam. Most PPP supporters beleived in it and held deep resentment against Army. Adding to this mistrust was the fact that PPP was Sindhi dominated while Punjabis formed the bulk of Pakistani army. Most of the issues troubling Naqvi originated from this bitterness among two groups.
Major one was growing closeness of PML(N), a Punjabi dominated party led
by former PM Wasim Akhtar with powerful elements in army and it's shady intelligence agency ISI. Both resented PPP and it's hold on civilian government and had been working behind the scenes patiently to weaken what they saw as disproportionate influence of Sindhis in nation's political arena . PML(N) and army together had launched a vicious campaign against PPP by planting stories about ill-gotten wealth and debauchery of families of Zaradari and his PM Yaqub Raza in media and targeted killings of PPP cadre thinly disguised as terrorist attacks.

Brains behind this sustained campaign against Sindhi PPP was General Abdul Asgar. He was an ambitious and well-connected man who thought nothing of using people or ideologies for his personal gains. Right from the time he joined army, he had cultivated image of a pious muslim with hatred for anything western or what Pakistanis thought of as anti-Pakistan. But nobody, except him knew real General Asgar and his ambitions.
He quickly rose through ranks to command a senior post in Pakistani Strategic Missile Group (SMG). He was a casualty of Musharraf's half-hearted attempts of purging the military of radical Islamic elements after 9/11 and was transferred to a army unit in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir bordering China and India. After Musharraf's exit, he was promoted to rank of a General and given the command of army's garrison in Islamabad and then in Karachi.

Being a powerful army guy in Pakistan brings many benefits, money and political influence not being least of them and General Asgar was quick to make the most of it. Very soon, he was considered to be army chief in waiting as soon as General Beg stepped down. But Beg had other plans.

Even though he considered General Asgar favourably, he had no intention of giving up post of army chief anytime soon. During the last 18 months he had started to appease his paymasters in US with a fervour by providing vital intelligence against major anti-US militant groups in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Using his help, NATO forces had captured or killed a numerous most wanted terrorists in a short period. Although it increased his influence within US and correspondingly Pakistan, number of enemies among Islamist militants as well as sympathetic elements in defence forces and civilian population increased exponentially. Like General Prevez Musharraf before him, he too alleged numerous conspiracies and attempts of assassination directed against him to gain sympathy.

Using his influence amongst US officials he managed to get extension to his already prolonged tenure, the latest one being in April 2011 that extended his virtual rule on Pakistan by another 3 years. In this, he had no small help from US which was fully backing him up as their new "ally" in Pakistan .

It didn't go down with many people in Pakistan, least of all with General Asgar, who saw his chances of gaining absolute power in Pakistan rapidly diminishing. It was at this time, that general Asgar started looking for allies in political arena of Pakistan and he zeroed in on Wasim Akhtar. Akhtar, too despised Beg who was protege of his nemesis General Prevez Musharraf. Akhtar had never forgotten how Musharraf had launched Kargil misadventure, overthrown his civilian government and put him into exile, thereby striking a crippling blow on his political clout and career. Even though he had no trust in military, he was only too glad to forge a secret alliance with General Asgar who promised him chairs of PM and President in exchange for an indefinite tenure on post of army chief for himself.

Together, they had launched a vicious covert assault on PPP and the government it led. News stories were planted in local and international media exposing ill-gotten wealth, bribery and sex scandals of various ministers and army personnel loyal to Beg who were holding key positions in the regime. Many junior leaders and cadre of PPP and it's allies were assassinated in violent attacks which were conveniently blamed on Indian and Israeli intelligence agencies.

With just months to go into elections, effect of this onslaught on government and Beg's hold on it was tremendous. Nobody ever expected elections to be free and fair in Pakistan, but revelations of brazen corruption and immorality among ruling politicians and Beg faction of army caused the popularity of PPP and Beg plunge to an all time low. Adding to their woes were the ever increasing friction between cadre of PPP and Punjabi parties who clashed almost daily armed with automatic weapons and explosives. Punjabis having the support of General Asgar invariable had the upper hand in most of these battles. Combined with sectarian Shia-Sunni violence and frequent attacks by Talibani organisations, situation in Pakistan was truly dire

No appeasement, handle terrorists with an iron hand

For decades India has been facing the scourge of terrorism, but so far, it was limited to either North-East, J&K and Punjab. Though bomb blasts happened in Bombay , rest of India has been insulated from its effects. But the recent series of bomb blasts in Gujarat, UP, Maharashtra etc. has finally shaken up the establishment and ordinary people (a bit).

For a long time, every terror incident was blamed on ISI and its agents in India. But interestingly in this case, no govt. security agency has accused any foreign intelligence agency openly like they did in the past. This time terrorists belonging to SIMI (now Indian Mujahideen) are the prime suspects.

There are many voices among the "secular & liberal" sections claiming that these bombings are not acts of terror but response of disgruntled muslims against "atrocities and discrimination" against the community. Intellectuals in many newspapers and TV channels routinely talk for hours spreading this propaganda.
Two of the apprehended suspects found many supporters, most prominent being VC of the state-funded Islamic university where they studied. He claimed that he'll hire lawyers (paid by university/government funds of course) to defend them.
Similarly instead of showing any appreciation for personnel of security agency who already work with one hand tied behind their backs, liberals have been pointing fingers and accusing them of malpractices,fake encounters etc.
The thing that gets really annoying is when these anti-Indian terrorists (including Hurriyat in Kashmir) are being compared to freedom fighters of the Indian freedom struggle like Bhagat Singh, Gandhi, Subhash Chandra Bose and also with IRA of Ireland.

Its beyond any sane person's comprehension, how can a guy who kills innocent civilian in the name of waging war against "oppression" can be compared with stalwarts of Indian freedom struggle.
Only motive of these terrorists is to spread fear, hate and insecurity among people by mindless acts of violence. How can bombing of a crowded market place which kills dozens of innocent people be ever justified? No matter what the cause.
Talking about revolutionary freedom fighters who used gun as a tool for their cause, for example Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad, Rajguru , S.C. Bose etc, none of them ever killed any innocent. Their struggle was against imperial British empire. They never used terror tactics for intimidating authorities to give in to their demands. Their dream was of a nation free from oppression of a foreign colonial empire which treated them as cannon fodder and second class citizens.
What are these terrorists fighting for? Is it a form of protest against how Muslims are treated in India ? Even with examples like A.P.J.A. Kalam Azad, M.H.Ansari, Abdul Hamid, numerous sports persons, artists, etc. widely acclaimed and loved by all sections of society irrespective of their religion?

Some "intellectuals" had the balls to compare Kashmiri separatists with Gandhi. Its quite evident that they don't know anything about either. These Kashmiri militants of Hurriyat, Gilani, Lone, Shah are openly pro-Pakistani and rabidly anything related to India. Still its the Indian government which is paying their bills.

Gandhi and his followers forsake their comfortable lives to wage a peaceful non-violent struggle against the British. They abandoned their government jobs, state funded educational institutions, boycotted anything British. Only time they had British government "facilities" was when they were in jail. Can these Kashmiri separatists do the same? If they draw parallels from Indian freedom struggle, they should stop accepting money from India, abandon all govt. jobs, seats in state funded schools and colleges, properties in
rest of India and start peaceful protests for "Azaad Kashmir". While they're at it, why not ask for independence of Pak Occupied Kashmir too? How many ethnic kashmiris are left there anyways?
They ethnically cleansed whole region of everybody except muslims, still fancy themselves as non-violent freedom fighters.

Gilani recently had another surgery in Delhi paid for by Indian tax payer. This expense running into lakhs for a guy who just 3 months ago burnt Indian flag and called for Kashmir's merger with Pakistan.

This government refuses to increase salaries and pensions of security personnel who die everyday 1000s of kms away from their families, but has no qualms paying for every comfort and survival of the very people who are fighting against Indian state. Compare this to how their counterparts in Pakistan, China/Tibet, Chechenya, US , Israel are treated. Aerial bombings, shelling, commando raids, imprisonment and torture without any proof and much more. Glory to Indian democracy and secularism. :\

Then there are some people who are comparing terror groups like LeT, HUJI, HM etc with Irish Republican Army of Ireland. Some of former IRA members are now prominent politicians in power. The most important fact that the "intellectuals" conveniently fail to mention is that after years of fruitless violence, IRA realised that dialogue is the only way out. They lay down their arms, engaged British in talks and negotiated a solution that was acceptable to everyone.
Compared to IRA, these fanatic Islamic terrorists wage war only for on cause, their narrow minded version of Islam. and this war is not limited to one region only. Its spread all over the world.

Response of ordinary Muslims to these events has been very curious. We often hear this lines, "Islam is a peaceful religion, a person who kills cannot be a muslim". That can be believed while, but now its becoming only a cliche with no meaning. Most people now interpret this line as "A person is a muslim freedom fighter till he is fighting for Islam, but ceases to be so when he is caught/killed".

One day we hear some news reporting that a Muslim organisation condemned all acts of terrorism. Next day we see some Imam protesting against arrest of some suspects and almost threatening the whole country with dire consequences if they are not released. This brings nothing but confusion in the minds of people. Its common knowledge that Indian police isn't the best and there are many areas where they need improvement, but bullshit like this is totally uncalled for. If engaged in debate many Muslims get defensive and try to justify the actions of terrorists. If this is how educated Muslims think, its scary to even think about the condition of uneducated, poor ones.
Indians are living in absolute denial about the threat they are facing. Its time that we wake up and stop this policy of appeasement. People who kill innocent civilians are terrorists and deserved to be treated as such. There is a limit to which you care for human rights of a terrorist who has no respect for basic rights of others

EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT FROM PAK GENERAL PERVEZ MUSHARRAF'S AUTOBIOGRAPHY

Book Excerpt




"Pakistan and the United States of America have been allies ever since the Cold War; bestest friends even, and so it was no surprise when I was summoned to speak on the phone with a member of the Bush Administration shortly after the events of 9/11. I had just donned my military-issue pajamas, and was about to go to crawl under my bed, which is what I do when I get a vibe that someone is trying to kill me, be it terrorists, or the Taliban, or the Iranians, or the Indians, or my own bodyguards or whoever. Turns out it was U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage on the line, and he claimed to be bearing a message on behalf of his government. Normally, I look forward to such frank discussions with my good pals, because it usually means I'm getting a billion here or a billion there for bullets and whatnot. I am including the transcript of the super-friendly conversation, as recorded by my intelligence services:

MUSHARRAF: Deputy Secretary, allow me to express my condolences…

ARMITAGE: Yeah. Uh-huh. Whatever.

MUSHARRAF: It goes without saying that as always, Pakistan stands with her ally and –

ARMITAGE: You done? You done yapping, kebab breath? Tell you what, take a moment to clean your h-mo moustache of terrorist cock nectar and let me paint you a picture of the new world order, okey-doke?


MUSHARRAF: I'm... I'm sorry?


ARMITAGE: Look, I don't have time to talk Muslim. FA-LA-LA-LA-LA-LA! Happy now? Got your attention? We know, pal, we know what you did, and we're not happy. You're not dealing with President Hillbilly Facefuck, capiche? The Republicans are in charge and we are scared stupid. You people have FLOWN PLANES INTO BUILDINGS HERE AND YOU ARE GOING TO PAY!!!!

MUSHARRAF: I assure you that is not the case at all!

ARMITAGE: I have been authorized to put all Musliacs on notice there are now two types of you people in the world: dead ones, and cab drivers. Anyway, why can't you Paks be more like Indians? Smiling, contented little phone monkeys who give good tech support?

MUSHARRAF: As has been in the past, we are in America's corner, of course. However, though I am secular by disposition, this country is an Islamic state and is therefore complicated. There are many who feel a kinship with those extremists that see America as the sole source of all their problems. But surely...

ARMITAGE: Bottom line: if you don't do what I tell you to do, when I tell you to do it, America will bomb you back to the stone age. Which, by our calculations, was exactly forty years or so ago.

MUSHARRAF: I... I...

ARMITAGE: That's right. We will bomb you back to the stone ages, and then send in helicopters with napalm flamethrowers and set fire to whatever survives, and then we'll send in Navy SEALS with chainsaws to cut up whatever smoldering bodies continue to twitch. Then we'll airlift in millions of gallons of impure pig shit and shampoo the landscape with the stuff. And once that's done, we will hunt down every single Muslim in the United States and put them into camps and beat them retarded with the Holy Bible and bleach them Aryan.

MUSHARRAF: These remarks are very rude...

ARMITAGE: You don't GET IT, DO YOU MUSLIM?! You fucking people are actually fucking dangerous! Who the fuck knew? The GOP sure as fuck didn't and now we know that you people HATE JESUS CHRIST AND WANT TO MURDER PERFECTLY INNOCENT FINANCIAL BANKERS! Have you no shame? Couldn't you have taken out Brooklyn or something? Doesn't matter. We're not gonna have that, no sir. We're America. We're smarter, better, and more fucking noble and good and amazing than all of you faggot bastards! We're America!

Oh beautiful, for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain. For purple something majesty, across the fruity highway lanes! AMERICA, AMERICA, YOU'RE SO GODDAMN BEAUTIFUL... oh... ohgodoohgod...

MUSHARRAF: Deputy Secretary?

(Sounds of uncontrollable sobbing)

MUSHARRAF: Are you there?

ARMITAGE: USA! USA! USA!

MUSHARRAF: I think you're being very emotional, sir... This is partially understandable, considering the circumstances...

ARMITAGE: REMEMBER THE ALAMO! GRANDMA AND APPLE PIE! PLAY BALL! You miserable asswhores... all of you... Mommy... bomb you all, nuke you fuckers... doom... cock...doom...

MUSHARRAF: Have you been drinking?

ARMITAGE: We're going to invade Afghanistan...

MUSHARRAF: I figured as much. I'm not where I am today because I respect civil rights and peace. Do you want to talk, Deputy Secretary?

ARMITAGE: ...and Iraq…

MUSHARRAF: Oh, motherfuck me. Are you kidding? Do I have to start sleeping in my kevlar Fruit of the Looms again?

[Sound of gagging]

ARMITAGE: ...I think I just puked a little out of my nose...

MUSHARRAF: Are we done?

ARMITAGE: ...I have to call the Saudis... hate you all... you wipe your butts with your fingers and I have to... shake... your hands. No, no... the Presidential Emergency Keg is tapped... Oh god...

MUSHARRAF: We're all screwed, aren't we?

ARMITAGE: Pretty much.

MUSHARRAF: At least your checks don't bounce...

ARMITAGE: Do we bitch about those couple of ghetto nukes you got strapped to the back of all those attack yaks? Huh, do we? You owe us.

MUSHARRAF: Duly noted.

ARMITAGE: God Bless America.

And so began a new era in the alliance between Pakistan and the United States of America. An alliance that continues to this day, one forged of militant opportunism, fear, and paranoia. Three things a military dictator such as myself can respect. I remain proud of the mighty symbiosis between our countries. Mainly because I have little choice."



http://www.whitehouse.org/news/2006/092406.asp