Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) demanded of the government on Sunday removal of all military officials who are serving on civil posts. The demand was made by PML-N information secretary Ahsan Iqbal at a news conference here.
He said the government was militarizing all civilian institutions by appointing military officials on all major civil posts, and expressed fear that it would lead the country towards a possible disaster.
Calling for reversal of the policy, Ahsan Iqbal said Pakistan was unfortunate where the number of serving and retired generals working on civilian posts was all-time high. He said that more than 600 retired or military personnel were appointed on top civilian slots, which was developing strong anti-military sentiments among the civilians.
Ahsan said the policy may serve General Musharraf well in short term but its long term consequences for both civil and military institutions would be disastrous.
He went on to say that in neighbouring countries military persons after their retirement joined think tanks to serve their country which he regretted was not the practice in Pakistan.
The information secretary said it was high time when military leadership while realising its limits should let the constitutional, democratic and civilian institutions flourish.
He lamented that the country's highest office was occupied by a serving General on indefinite extension.
The Prime Minister's Secretariat, civil service training institutions, the Federal Public Service Commission and the Ministry of Interior have more military persons than ever.
He said that in the Prime Minister's Secretariat, Major General Farooq Ahmad, former Federal Relief Commissioner, was serving as Chairman of Prime Minister's Inspection Commission.
The Earthquake Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Authority (ERRA) had a serving Lt. General Nadeem Ahmad as Vice Chairman.
The ex-ERRA Chairman, Lieutenant General Muhammad Zubair has been given a task relating to mega dams in the Planning Commission. The Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) also has an all time high number of retired generals.
The chairman is Lt. General (Retd) Shahid Hameed who has recently replaced Lt. General (Retd) Jamshed Gulzar.
The other FPSC members include Lt. General (Retd) Abdul Ahad Najmi and Rear Admiral (Retd) Nishat Rafi.
The country's foreign missions abroad continue to attract senior military officers against the quota of non-career diplomats. A record number of Generals were posted as country's Ambassadors, the PML-N leader criticised.
Those still serving include, Lieutenant General Iftikhar Hussain Shah (Ankara), Lieutenant General Khateer Hasan Khan (Ambassador designate to Thailand), Major General Syed Haider Jawad (Brunei), Maj. General Ali Baz Khan (Ambassador designate to Jakarta), Major General Talat Munir (Kuala Lumpur), Major General Tajul Haq (Kiev), former chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Shahid Karimullah (Riyadh), Air Vice Marshal Iqbal Haider (Tripoli) and former Chief of the Army Staff, General Jehangir Karamat (Washington).
Ahsan said the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), which should have been headed by a serving or retired judge of the Supreme Court, according to a decision of the apex court, was headed by a retired General, Lieutenant General Shahid Aziz.
Director General NAM Rawalpindi is Admiral Pervez Asghar. Its Lahore, Karachi and Quetta region offices are headed by three Maj. Generals while Peshawar region is being led by Air Vice Marshal Tahir Rafiq Butt.
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