Crossed Swords launch attracts scholarly circles

LAHORE - There are cycles in relationship between civilians and army. There are also cycles in US-Pakistan relationship. But we never learn from history and tend to forget it. Writer Shuja Nawaz stated this while sharing his views at the launch of his latest book 'Crossed Swords: Pakistan, its Army, and the Wars Within' at Alhamra Hall on Monday. A number of diplomats, bureaucrats, academics, and journalists attended the function. Former finance and foreign minister Sartaj Aziz and journalist Ejaz Haider also shared their views about the book. Regional Sales Manager of OUP Tariq Haq read the speech of MD OUP Ameena Saiyid, who could not come. President Supreme Court Bar Association Aitzaz Ahsan, economist Salman Shah and I A Rehman were also present. At the end of function Aitzaz had to face the criticism of writer and journalist Afzal Tauseef who urged him to abandon the lawyers movement and take up national politics to save country. While speaking about the book, Nawaz explained that in order to understand Pakistan's position in the emerging regional and global order, it is important to understand the nature and role of the Pakistan Army and its leadership. He said that his book offers insight into the military mindset, its partnership with the civil bureaucracy, and its attitude towards the political fraternity. Nawaz said he had conducted more than 60 interviews of army men and other personalities to double-check the information. "There has been a shift in recent years in the army with regard to recruitment process. Now the shift is towards the cities. In 2005 there were more recruitment from Karachi than upcountry areas like Jhelum," he said. Nawaz said he had written over 1,000 pages of the book. "Ameena said it was too big and I should cut it as there would be problem of binding. Someone suggested it should have two volumes. Finally I cut it down from 21 chapters to 18 to about 700 pages. Now I think there should have been whole chapters about say ISI and some other subjects. I wrote the book to open the door for others to follow. They should pick the threads and explore," he was of the view. He regretted Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani's statement that army was guardian of internal (ideological) and external frontiers. "It is sad the civilian leaders are not clear about the role of army," he said. He suggested that structure of army needed to be changed so that chief of army staff may work like a chief operating officer and not command unlimited power. "There should be regional commanders," he said. After the sharing an interesting session of question and answers began. A retired brigadier who had served in GHQ and at NAB posed a question as to why the political leadership failed to show acumen and clear vision for running the country. "Army had no business in politics. That should be clear," Nawaz replied while refusing to comment about politicians. The writer also agreed with the retired officer that the army had restructured and the number of its personnel has now come down to 484,000. Earlier in their sharing Haider and Aziz said that Shuja Nawaz has used his considerable expertise to delve deep into the Pakistan Army and the result is a well-researched study of an institution that has been, and remains, the centre of gravity in Pakistan. They further added that the book comes at a critical time in Pakistan's history and is a must-read to understand the past and the ongoing events. "The book's presence is being felt greatly in the intellectual and scholarly circles all over the countryand it is being hailed as a definitive work on the Pakistan Army. Despite the advantage of being related to the top brass in the Pakistan Army, Shuja's scholarly objectivity and thirty years' painstaking research has kept his book safe from any hint of partisanship," Haq read the speech of Saiyid. Prior to the launch of book in the city it was successfully launched earlier in Karachi and lslamabad. This book provides an unprecedented analysis of and unique insights into the country's most important and powerful institution-its army-in the context of Pakistan's history and politics. Using information culled from many hitherto unpublished sources, including rare interviews and the Pakistan Army's own archives, the author lays bare the true facts about Pakistan's turbulent relationship with the United States, its wars with India, the Kargil conflict, his brother General Asif Nawaz's death, Ayub Khan's fall, and the break-up of the country. Shuja Nawaz was a newscaster and current affairs producer with Pakistan Television from 1967 to 1972. He covered the 1971 war with India on the Western front. He has worked as a journalist for The New York Times and the World Health Organization. He has written and spoken widely on military and politico-economic issues.