When General Sir Douglas Gracey was the Commander in Chief of the Pakistan Army, he informed PA-1, Maj Gen Mohammad Akbar “rungroot” the senior most Pakistan Army officer, to be prepared to take over the Pakistan Army as its next Chief. Akbar turned down the prospective elevation. He informed Gracey that he didn’t think he was good enough to be the army chief, and thus, declined the promotion. It was then that Maj Gen Iftikhar Khan, Gen Akbar’s younger brother, was tapped as the next army chief to take over from Gracey. Iftikhar was considered to be an officer from the top drawer. The one criticism heard of him was that he was perhaps a little short tempered. This was another way of saying that he could not suffer fools. Most unfortunately for Pakistan, Iftikhar was killed in an air crash shortly after this, and thus the looming threat to the aplomb of the senior fools in the army was lifted. Maj Gen Ayub Khan was thus promoted General and took over the command of our army. Among his major contributions to the army were his own promotion to the rank of Field Marshal; the appointment of Gen Musa Khan, a gentleman, as C in C of our army. And then he promoted Yahya Khan as the next army chief after Musa. Yahya too was a gentleman, when sober. Apart from commanding our army our first three native Cs in C, also made significant contributions in wars fought by the country. All three were thus decorated with the coveted Hilal e Jurat. All this time, as could be imagined, numerous promotions were taking place in the lower echelons of the army as well. But the essential consideration driving many such promotions was that NCOs and JCOs who were considered the assets of a unit, should have their service extended by promotion, if possible. This consideration was distinctly at variance from motives driving some of the promotions at the very top rungs of the army heirarchy. An illustrative case of the former was that of Havildar Hidayatullah of 14 Punjab Regiment. He was a tall superbly built man, always spotlessly turned out. A natural leader and a quintessential team man, he was also a marksman, and could handle all weapons, machine guns downward, blindfolded. And he was a member of nearly every sports team of the unit. His war record in the recently concluded 1965 War was excellent. In short he was exactly the sort of soldier many aspired to be, and every officer respected. Thus he was precisely the type of asset that units strove to preserve for as long as possible. Thus one day Hidayat came under discussion in the tea room specifcally because he was due for retirement within the year. The aim of the discussion turned towards how a vacancy to the rank of Naib Subedar could be created before Hidayat retired so that he may be promoted. And when this issue was settled, a really intractable problem took its place i.e Hidayat could barely write his own name, and without clearing his “First” Map Reading and Roman Urdu there was no way he could be promoted. But the fact was that he had already been officiating as a platoon commander for more than a year, and it was acknowledged that he was doing this job better than all the others. Thus the logical conclusion was reached that though education was a good thing, it was not essential for commanding a platoon. So two things were unanimously decided i.e that a vacancy would be created for Hidayat’s promotion, and that he would be “made” to qualify for his “first-first” i.e his military qualification for promotion to the rank being considered. And if any corners needed cutting to get there, they would be cut, and if there were corners that needed going around, they would be duly gone around! I was the unit adjutant at the time. A couple of days later I had Hidayat report to me and I gave him his “education” schedule. He was clearly non-plussed and wanted to know what he needed this education for, as so far he had done pretty well without it. So I explained to him what the officers felt about him, and why they had unanimously decided that he deserved being promoted. And that for this he needed to clear his first-first. I expected him to light up on hearing this. But he gave a weak smile more expressive uncertainty than of joy. Then he gathered himself and gingerly asked if I would terribly mind should he take some time to think over whether or not he wanted to be promoted! I was left speechless. This was like a Brigadier being called to GHQ and offered the rank of Maj Gen, with the Brigadier asking for some time to reflect on the offer! A couple of weeks later, I saw Hidayat take post outside my office. I called him in. He threw me his smartest salute. cleared his throat, and told me without fanfare that he had very seriously consideredabout the offer made to him; was immensely grateful to all the officers who had thought him worthy of this offer; but that he was constrained not accept it.
“But why the hell not?” I blurted out.
“You see sir, “he said, “This offer was obviously made because I had earned the respect of all my officers?” He looked for affirmation.
“Of course it was, “I replied.
“Well sir, what will happen if I am an illiterate Naib Subedar and General saab’s inspection came around. Won’t everyone then be running about saying, ‘where is Hidayatullah? Hide him so that he does not come face to face with the general and embarrass the unit’. And when this happens what respect will I have left? So you see sir, I’d much rather go home as a Havildar with my respect intact, rather than retire as a Naib Subedar whom the unit needs to hide from time to time, because he was a potential source of embarrassment for it!” How could I, or anyone else for that matter, have faulted Hidayat unerring logic in refusing the promotion offered? So as he marched out, he did so with his respect further enhanced, and in the process confirming that he was worthy of what his officers thought of him. Now when I think back over all these years, the irony is not lost on me. Here we have two cases; one of a Maj Gen Akbar refusing to be elavated to Army Chief, and that of a “lowly” Havildar, turning down the chance of being promoted to Naib Subedar, and both refusing promotions to keep their dignity and self-respect intact ! So one is hard driven to ask, what has happened to us since those early years, to face what we are facing today? How did it come about that the next Army Chief is to be picked by thieves and renegades from the law, sitting in London? Is anyone in our high command feeling and living the humilation which the rank and file are feeling? In the last few months many crimes have been committed. But in the sheer weight of embarrassment and shame inflicted on the whole institution, surely none can match this one!