Pakistan Military Puch

The Pakistan Armed Forces say that they took over the power from the prime-minister Sharif in order to "end the mess" in the country

The government ruled by prime-minister Nawaz Sharif was dismissed in the evening of Tuesday the 12th of october 1999 by the military, which discharged it in order to "end the disorder in the country" as the Cmdr of the Armed Forces, general Pervez Musharraf, puts it
Cmdr Musharraf was dismissed from his function by the very prime-minister he took the power from just in the afternoon of that same day. In his television statement he didnt explained wednesday morning what is the purpose of the new government and what action does it intends to do.
Statements
General Musharraf states that Sharif's "selfish policies have shattered the basis of Pakistan itself". Also he acused Sharif's former government that it had destroyed the national economy and banckrofted the whole country since its entering into duty in february 1997. "The Armed Forces had to deal with urges from all the corners of politics which stated them to remediate this rapidly-declining situation [...] the government tried to interfere with the Armed Forces <- still the only viabil and reliable institution" says cmdr Musharraf. The former government has tried to de-establish the military and make it a political ground as well as to make certain internal tensions he continues.
According to military sources, the former prime-ninister's brother, Shahbaz Sharif who happens to be the prime-minister of the government of the Penjab province as well as other of his secretaries "have been put under the survailence of the army" in the official resident of the prime-minister in Islamabad, which was surrounded since the first hrs of tuesday evening by armed soldiers. The same sources also stated that the governments of the provinces Penjab, Sindh, Balushitan and North-West have been also dismissed, while the Parliament (composed of the National Gathering and the Senate) are still under their functions.
Operations
The military engaged forces surrounding the national television and the main official buildings in Islamabad, as well as in other strategic locations in the biggest cities throughout the country. The military has also took over the control of all the airports. Pakistan has shut-down all external and internal flights, stated military and civillian air administrations. A military source stated that "the aerial operations will be back to normal in the second part of wednesday".
The Pakistaneze Armed Forces have declared that the state puch was "very fast" and without incidents. An army spokesman declared to the APP press agency that the whole of the military has still remained loyal to general Musharraf.
General Pervez Musharraf
an elite soldier
General Pervez Musharraf has been named chief of the Pakistan Armed Forces in october 1998, after an exemplary career in the military.
Musharraf is 58 yrs old begun his career as an officer in the special forces.
The general also took part at the Indo-Pakistaneze war of 1965 during which he earned his reputation of a tough soldier and also a lot of decorations.
Pervez Musharraf - the citizen - is an mohadjir. Mohadjir means an urdophone muslim who left India after the 1947 division to establish himself in Pakistan. He did his military school in Quetta and also in the war school of the National Defense College. He also did some experteeze courses in UK. General Musharraf was named chief of staff of the ground armed forces by Nawaz Sharif, replacing general Jahangir Karamat, who was dismissed after he criticised the government's policy and asked for the creation of an national security council who would have gathered military and also civilian individuals and which would have been assigned to govern the country.
Except these functions, general Pervez Musharraf was also "chief of the Inter-arms Staff" <- a more more honorific function rather than practical or with a lot of work to do.
After the military puch, many countries of the world and especially India have exprimed their profound worry about this event. Let's not forget that Pakistan is still a nuclear-country, or as some say - a nuclear wannabe -, altough that my personal opinion (and the general opinion of the experts around the world) is that Pakistan already has nuclear devices, just that maybe they don't have the means of delivering them reliably. Yet.
As Pakistan and India are both nuclear countries which are fighting for the commonly held provence of Kashmir in the north-east of Pakistan and north- west of India, this event is particullary important. India has stated since the early hrs of wednesday that it wants to know the exact intentions of the newly formed government. Pakistan has not answered to those questions but an answer might be considered the removal of military forces around the Kashmir provence and near the border with India, thing which surprised me very well.
Unfortunately, due to the fact that they let democracy go for an military form of govern, even if just for a while, Pakistan was immediatley excluded from the Commonwealth thursday evening at an emergency session of the Commonwealth in London.
It seems to me that this crisis won't last long and that at least for now, everything is under control.

©1999 Sorin A Crâsmãrelu

october 1999