“The supreme quality for leadership is, unquestionably, Integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, no matter whether it is on a section gang, a football field, in an army, or in an office.” – General Dwight D. Eisenhower
The general public of Pakistan is familiar with a famous term called ‘Crore Commander’ since 1998, which was used as an adjective for typically rich, corrupt and arrogant Pakistani Corps Commanders. Two decades later the term although still valid, is only spoken within closed doors and by some courageous reporters in this Military state. The recent exposé of the undisclosed wealth and misuse of official position to acquire it, by Lt Gen (retd) Asim Saleem Bajwa, the Chairman of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Authority and the erstwhile Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM), has once again raised questions on the morals and integrity of the Pak Army. When the news broke out, Bajwa strongly rebutted, describing the accusations as “propaganda story” and as an attempt to malign his reputation. This defence was immediately followed by deleting data of companies owned by Bajwa’s sons, by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan, the body which regulates companies in Pakistan, and the news of a missing SEC official; And now, even with proof, Pak media finds itself shackled and unable to truthfully report the scandal. A local Pakistani media reporter stated under anonymity that an unofficial gag order has been passed against all media houses including online and print media, preventing them from discussing or publishing details of this scandal. Bajwa’s cronies from the Pak Army as well as from within the government have been given orders to attract, kidnap and discredit erring/defaulting media.
What is the scandal?
Recently, a twitter post alleged that as per the ‘declaration of assets and liabilities’ signed by Lt Gen Bajwa on 22 Jun 20, neither he nor his wife or children, had any Immovable property or Business Capital outside Pakistan. This form also declared that the only investments, in the form of ‘shares in family business’ were held by Bajwa’s wife, Farrukh Zeba and were worth Rs 3.1 million. However, an investigative journalist, Ahmed Noorani, was able to uncover proof of Asim’s wife being a shareholder in 85 companies including 82 foreign companies. It was also found that she had investments in real estate sector and owned commercial properties in the United States. It is further interesting to note that these investments exactly coincide with Lt Gen Asim Bajwa’s rise in Army ranks.
As per FactFocus.com, during Bajwa’s tenure in Pervez Musharraf’s staff, his family started 53 pizza franchises worth approximately $16mn and registered 02 companies in Pakistan, 19 in US and 4 in Canada. From 2012 onwards, either as the Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (DG-ISPR) or as the commander of the Southern Command, the Bajwa family’s investment exponentially increased. In the past 18yrs, Bajwa Family’s Group of companies has set up 175 franchises, out of which 133 are operational at present. The total investment made by the family for setting up these restaurant franchises is estimated to be $52.2 million and the net worth of operational franchises at present is $39.9 million. Apart from this, Asim Bajwa’s three sons also have direct and absolute ownership of companies in the sectors of mining, construction, marketing, real estate, beverages, fashion and cosmetic manufacturing and investments in Pakistan and three companies in the US.
Lt Gen Asim Bajwa’s accumulation of wealth is not a solitary case of corruption by the rich army of this poor nation. In Apr 2016, twelve Pakistani military officers, including a three-star
lieutenant general, one major-general, four brigadiers, a lieutenant colonel, an officer ranked major and several junior commission officers, were dismissed on the charges of corruption and smuggling. In 2018, corruption cases were reopened against four retired senior army officers: Lt Gen Javed Ashraf Qazi, Lt Gen Saeed-uz-Zafar, Maj Gen Hamid Hasan Butt and Brig Akhtar Ali Baig. However, the most high-profile case is that of General Pervez Musharraf. Few months into his retirement and after leaving Pakistan in 2009, reportedly, Musharraf purchased properties worth approximately Rs 400mn, in London and UAE. This huge investment which exceeded his pension did raise questions, and in spite of availability of all official documents with National Accountability Bureau, proper investigation against the ex-dictator could never be initiated. Infact, in January 2020, a special court also overruled all charges of murder and treason that he was convicted of in 2019.
In a nation where 1/3rd of the population is below poverty line and where the military is the biggest business conglomerate with a stake of more than $100bn in private businesses, such scandals further deepen the cracks within the already brittle society and economy. So, while the immediate concern of the PTI government should be reassessing all the individuals and companies involved with the $62bn CPEC project; it is also imperative to have deeper discussions on the forgotten ‘code of honour’ of the Army top brass – both serving and retired generals.
The challenge presented by the Bajwa scandal on Imran Khan’s PTI government will be a deciding factor on the future of the PM Khan’s political presence – will he be able to overcome the Army pressure and effectively conduct a judicial enquiry or will he succumb to military hegemony, like all his predecessors? While the world keeps an eye on the scandal, I am unceremoniously reminded of a quote by the French economist and author, Frédéric Bastiat –
“When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men in a society, over the course of time they create for themselves a legal system that authorizes it and a moral code that glorifies it.”
