General Asim Munir’s job as Pakistan’s new Army chief will also entail fighting General Qamar Jawed Bajwa’s ghost. No..no. Bajwa hasn’t died, but the powerful General’s political career has finally reached its expiration date. So, before we even breathe a small sigh of relief, it is important to take a view of what he has left his organisation and country with.
Indubitably, everything else that Bajwa has done will be washed over by the infamy he brought to the military. Not even former Pakistan President General Yahya Khan, who lost the war to India in 1971, was cursed this much. The former Army chief, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, became unpopular because of getting an extension of service from a civilian government in 2010, and for stories of his brothers’ corruption, who allegedly made money during his tenure. During my own stint in the country’s National Accountability Bureau (NAB), I saw files that implicated the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) under Kayani for corrupt practices, which ultimately resulted in a retired quartermaster General—under whom the land was procured—claiming his own life.
Bajwa’s many controversies
Bajwa’s reputation seems to be even more questionable compared to his predecessors. While reporter Ahmed Noorani exposed Bajwa and his family’s declared legal assets—which run into billions of Pakistani rupees—details of his undeclared wealth are not known. Senior Generals in Pakistan are not known for accountability, but this one was exceptional in extorting State resources for personal and familial gains. From getting his sister-in law Asma Bajwa the position of a highly paid human resource consultant for the national airline to helping his 70-year-old brother retain a cushy Pakistan International Airline (PIA) job in the UK, there is so much that Bajwa must answer for.
Bajwa, in fact, will be remembered for making the military top brass’ lack of accountability far more visible and talked about than before. Surely, supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan will be at the forefront, but Bajwa sceptics also include military men. Unlike ninth Army chief General Raheel Sharif, who had the reputation of punishing Army officers on corruption charges, this one will be remembered for being an egoist who did not forgive and forget. Despite that, this is what he implored the political class and civil society to do in his farewell speech. His message was for civil society and political party players to move on from remembering what Army did wrong.
However, he himself was most unforgiving. In 2021, for example, a Major General’s son was convicted of writing a letter to Bajwa criticising his extension. He was equally unkind and vicious toward a senior retired Lt. General Asad Durrani, who was banned for some time from travelling abroad for ‘being in contact with anti-State elements’. Though a frivolous charge against the former head of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), it indicated the extent to which Bajwa could go.
His treatment of non-military persons was even worse, made evident by his choice for the Director General of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media and PR wing of Pakistan Army. Bajwa picked Lt. General Asif Ghafoor, who was known for his crudeness and mishandling of many in the media. Ghafoor completed his tenure before being promoted. Lt General Hamid Hussain, a prominent military historian, emphasised that this was not the right step to take.
The DG ISPR was probably rewarded for doing his boss’s bidding, who will be remembered even more by civilians from smaller provinces for the callousness exhibited in treating them. Parliamentarian and leader of the Pushtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) Ali Wazir, is incarcerated since December 2020— despite getting bail from various courts—because Bajwa wouldn’t allow it.
The disappearance of Baloch people and the anxiety among youth from the province multiplied during his tenure because of how they were treated by the security establishment.