Story of an ISI Crow , Lt Gen (retd) Javed Ashraf Qazi

LAHORE: Lt Gen (retd) Javed Ashraf Qazi, the short-tempered former ISI chief, who misbehaved with journalists in Islamabad on Thursday by giving them a shut up call, had allegedly ordered the kidnapping and torture of Siddiqul Farooq, the PML-N spokesman, in October 2002, barely 24 hours after openly threatening to sort him out.

Siddiqul was the first one to have filed a reference with the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) against Lt Gen Qazi, accusing him of receiving kickbacks and commissions to the tune of Rs5 billion while leasing out precious railway lands for a golf course project in Lahore which caused a loss of over Rs25 billion to the national exchequer.

 Lt Gen (R) Javed Ashraf Qazi

The circumstances under which 150 acres of prime Canal Road land in Dharampura, Lahore was turned into a golf course, had generated a lot of suspicion and doubts, thus prompting Siddiqul Farooq to file a reference against the then Railway Minister of the Musharraf regime, Javed Ashraf Qazi, in the last week of October 2002. While appearing on a private television channel a day after the NAB reference was filed against him, Lt Gen Qazi refuted the allegations levelled by Siddiqul Farooq, adding that he was going to teach him a lesson.

The next day, on October 29, 2002, before the NAB could proceed to investigate the allegations, Siddiqul Farooq waskidnapped from Islamabad and was taught a lesson in typical ISI style. The PML-N spokesman was roughed up, beaten with belts, punched and kicked and eventually abandoned near a remote village almost 30 miles from Islamabad.

Speaking at a subsequent news conference in Islamabad, Siddiqul Farooq alleged that he was kidnapped and tortured by two majors and two captains of the ISI under instructions from Javed Ashraf Qazi against whom he had filed a reference. As international media interviewed Lt Gen Qazi and asked him about Siddiqul Farooq’s charges against him, the minister spoke like a typical mafia chief, accusing the PML-N leader of being “a liar, a dog and a Mr Nobody wandering on the streets.” Asked whether he ever thought of resigning over the corruption charges levelled against him by Siddiqul Farooq, Qazi said in an arrogant tone: “I am not a mad man to resign every time a dog barks at me. If we start resigning on petty allegations, nobody will be left in the cabinet.”

A day later, Lt Gen Qazi then again threatened to fix Siddiqul Farooq after the NAB completes an enquiry into the charges and exonerates him. “Then we will fix him,” he told international media. When reminded that the PML-N spokesman had lodged an FIR against him on charges of masterminding his abduction and torture, the then railways minister ridiculed the idea in a contemptuous manner, saying: “No one can lodge an FIR against me”. Although no action could be taken against the former ISI chief on Siddiqul Farooq’s FIR, the NAB eventually proceeded against him and two other retired generals for leasing out 150 acres of railway lands to build a golf course project in Lahore that reportedly caused a staggering loss of over Rs25 billion to the national exchequer.

While coming out of the NAB headquarters in Islamabad on Thursday after being questioned by investigators in the railway land allotment case, Lt Gen Qazi, true to his reputation, once again lost his temper and misbehaved with journalists. As he came out of the NAB headquarters, the former ISI chief was actually trying to avoid reporters and TV cameras who were posing thorny questions to him.

As one reporter dared to ask him as to why he was avoiding the media after having brought the railways to the verge of collapse (as per the observations of the Public Accounts Committee of the National Assembly), Javed Qazi lost his temper and shouted back “Shut up, idiot”. The furious general then pushed away the mike, boarded his car and left the scene.

A soldier’s contempt for a civilian is well-known in Pakistan where the military has ruled for half of its life. Therefore, retired khakis like Javed Ashraf Qazi simply can’t stand being questioned by the civilians, even for the misdeeds they had committed while in power. After a detailed inquiry into the railway land scam, a 20-member committee of the National Assembly had recommended to the government in 2010 that Lt Gen (R) Javed Ashraf Qazi, Lt Gen (R) Saeed Zafar and Lt Gen (R) Hamid Butt be tried on corruption charges and their properties be confiscated to recover a huge financial loss of Rs25 billion. The Supreme Court also took suo moto notice of the case and completed the hearing last year. However, it is yet to issue a judgment.

Report by Amir Mir