New Delhi: Pakistan’s powerful military has officially released the names of 26 retired officers who can appear as defence analysts in the media, a list which does not include some of the more rational and popular names.
The new list, issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the Pakistan Armed Forces’ media wing, includes old India baiters such as former intelligence officers and the officer credited with the creation of the Strategic Force’s Command, which looks after the country’s nuclear weapons.
The list also includes just one naval officer and is dominated by Army veterans. The lone naval officer on the list is Vice Admiral Ahmed Tasnim, who had commanded the Hangor, a submarine that sank the INS Khukri on 8 December 1971.
The prominent omissions include Brig Mahmood Shah (Retd), former ISI chief Lt Gen Muhammad Asad Durrani, Lt Gen Talat Masood (retd), Maj Amir (retd) and two former DGs of the ISPR — Maj Gen Athar Abbas (retd) and Maj Gen Rashid Qureshi (retd).
The notification issued Monday by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), the country’s electronic media regulator, however, notes that any other retired officer “desirous of appearing as defence analyst” can contact the ISPR to obtain a no-objection certificate.
ISPR, which has a reputation of being one of the main weapons of disinformation, had last month flagged the TV appearance of officers who it felt were not “fully conversant” with the present time.
PEMRA had then instructed all television channels to seek clearance from the ISPR before inviting retired military officers on news and current affairs programmes “to solicit their views on matters of national security”.
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Those on the list
Those cleared by the ISPR include Lt Gen. (R) Amjad Shoaib, who besides having experience in the 1965 and 1971 wars also worked as the general staff officer, military operations; director, military intelligence; director general, military doctrines; master general, ordnance, and as an adjutant general of the Pakistan Army.
Also on the list is Lt Gen. Asif Yasin Malik who served as the country’s secretary of defence between July 2012 and July 2014.
Malik retired from the Pakistan Army in December 2011 and his last assignment was commanding the 11 Corps, one of the largest corps ever, comprising of over 1,50,000 troops and one that spearheaded stabilising operations in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He has also served as a director general in Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and director general of joint intelligence and information.
The notification also mentions the name of Lt Gen. Ghulam Mustafa, who is credited with raising of the Strategic Forces Command. The official notification, however, refers to him as a major general.
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Cheap usual Indian propaganda!
Looks like one with cheap mentality thinks the entire world is cheap. No wonder.
If you have sneeze and fart in Pakistan you have to take permission from Army and ISI chief. They decide everything whether foreign policy or economic. This is the only army in the world which owns a country.
Most popular are Shahzad Chowdhry , Ijaz Awan , Amjad Shoaib , Moinuddin Haider , Shahid Latif. Rest of the out or in don’t count, after following them for last forty years in print or on tv.
Who cares, end of the day all of them lie, because they are trained to do that.