Pakistan army’s mega corruption and Hyrbyair Marri’s recent interview

By Shahdad Baloch

Baloch leader Mr Hyrbyair Marri in his recent interview, with an Indian journalist, exposed Pakistani military involvement in mega corruption scandals. Mr Marri in his entire discussion threw light on Pakistani military corruption amid the hot debate going on in global social media about Bajwa leaks. Since its inception, the Pakistani army generals and lower cadre officers are unchecked regarding their corruption. Whenever allegations of corruption are raised on army institution it scapegoated a politician and remained at bay about military accountability.

Pakistani media, journalists, human rights activists never dare to speak of the army’s institutional colossal corruption. As Baloch leader Hyrbyair Marri said in his recent interview that the major corruption the army did and doing is the occupation of Balochistan.

He further added that like Asim Bajwa other big guns in the military paid millions for getting their transfer done in Balochistan. Especially for the post of the southern command, the generals pay a huge amount to the army chief. Despite the awareness they have had about Balochistan’s ongoing freedom struggle, they willingly get posted there to multiply their corruption in exponential rates. Due to the diversity of questions by the anchorperson Mr Marri just gave a glimpse of military corruption in Balochistan. Plundering resources of Balochistan like coal and other natural resources are discussed in detail by Baloch leader Mr Marri in his recent interview.

Besides, he explained that how the military’s corruption was exposed before the world when an accident happened in Quetta Balochistan where former IG frontier core (a paramilitary corps of Army) Major General Ejaz Shahid’s son’s expensive Ferrari car engulfed the lives of two army engineers. Mr Marri also discussed how in Balochistan borders the Pakistani army is deployed and taking fifteen to twenty thousand from each vehicle. As per locals of district Chaman where a protest erupted against paramilitary forces, around Ninety Crore in a month, the army is getting from Chaman – Afghanistan border. 

     The veracity of Hyrbyair Marri’s allegation on army corruption receives an endorsement when we further elaborate on the infrastructure of corruption built by the army.

Firstly, the budget that the Pakistani army receives is a single line budget where there is no breakup of the amount, for example, in the recent budget 2019-2020 it got 1.15 trillion Rupees but there is no breakup of that amount. Secondly, the army budget is never debated in either senate or parliament. It’s an extremely elite economy. It reflects how the economy is distributed by rendering the poor at the worst poverty line.

Moreover, it’s a product of an expansion of the security sector on one hand and a lack of transparency on the other hand. This expansion of security is not for security reasons but to multiply their corruption amount. For example, the army’s paramilitary force rangers that are deployed in Karachi never wants to go back to their barracks. The reason is that from only water tankers rangers get millions in a day. The endorsement of this is that Karachi City is supplied water from Hub Dam in Balochistan, according to the latest researches Karachi is out of water vulnerable zone because till 2022 hub dam is carrying enough water to supply free of cost water to Karachi. But with the heinous embezzlements and corruptions, entire Karachi is being supplied through tankers.

Furthermore, the military economy is designed so that it is a fraternity economy to serve military and retired military and certain members of the civilian community who are directly under the military i.e. politicians and squads like in Faizabad Darna where the military paid Rs.1000 to each person. Despite this military economy doesn’t fall in the accountability of civilians. The two popular methodologies where the Pakistani army is multiplying its economy is through direct corporate sectors. Which involves hundreds of small and medium enterprises ranging from bakeries, gas stations and also beauty parlors, also above the law they get Rs.100-500 on each car from their national highway toll plazas.

The other category is “subsidiary on military foundations “like “Fauji Foundation ” then “Army Welfare Trust “then “Shaheen Foundation “of the Air Force, “Bahria Foundation “of the navy, “Pakistan Ordinance Foundations.” Between these five foundations, they run hundreds of huge profits. For example, they manufacture 1/3 of Pakistan manufactures. 

The third sort of corruption of the Pakistan army is the abduction of Baloch people and asking for ransoms. The recovery of the mutilated body of Hafeezullah Muhammad Hassani abducted in 2016 by the Pakistan army and then the demand of a ransom of Rs.6.8 million by Major Naveed asked from his family shows Pakistan army is not only involved in enforced disappearance but they are also using enforced-disappearances to make money. In the case of Hafeezullah, despite paying the money he was killed. Doctors who examined Hafeezullah’s corpse said that he was killed nine years ago.  The authenticity of which is that the Pakistani army chief himself endorsed his major’s involvement and sentenced awarded him life sentence as per Pakistani media.

In my view, Major Naveed probably didn’t pay Army Chief Qamar Bajwa’s share that’s why he was punished. Also, we do not know whether his punishment is real or it’s just a paper trail to mislead people about the army’s involvement in huge embezzlements and corruption. Pakistan’s army has a track record of protecting its criminal staff. The rapist of Dr Shazia Khalid, captain Hammad, was declared innocent by dictator Musharraf and then Musharraf himself, a declared absconder by courts and a murderer was allowed to leave the country to enjoy his life abroad.

Likewise, in Gwadar army has a lion’s share in launching schemes the popular among which is the “Gwadar Anchorage project ” by the Pakistani navy. The army has illegally grabbed hundreds of acres of land in Balochistan particularly Gwadar.

Hence, what Mr Marri said in an exclusive interview is trustworthy that this army is suitable for nothing but catwalk. During the Kashmir war, the army used Pashtuns tribes to fight against India and the Punjabi generals then raise propaganda that they fought against India which is a white lie.

It’s high time for India to use the stick against the Pakistani army as Baloch leader Mr Hyrbyair Marri said, if India remains on the back foot then these goons will never let India prosper. India needs an ally in the region against Pakistan and China which is possible when India and its people overwhelmingly support the freedom of Balochistan.