From arms deals to real estate contracts, Munir’s Pakistan Army is deeply rooted in corruption and commission culture

New Delhi: The dominance of the army in Pakistan is not hidden from anyone. No other institution in Pakistan can challenge the army. The Pakistani Army takes advantage of this influence and swindles money in large amounts, as alleged by a few sources. The culture of commission is deeply ingrained in the Pakistan Army, and at the centre of this commission culture is a huge network of middlemen. This network is built by retired officers and contractors sitting behind the scenes.

No transparency

According to the Sunday Guardian report, purchases of ships, aircraft, submarines, missiles, guns, bullets and torpedoes of the Pakistan Army involve opaque pricing and preferred sellers. Along with weapons, similar rackets are flourishing in real estate as well. This has led to the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) becoming a symbol of military-driven profiteering.

Middlemen of Arms market

Middlemen are an open secret in Pakistan’s arms trade. The military claims to buy directly from foreign governments, but in reality, a group of middlemen manages the contracts. These middlemen develop relationships with high-ranking officials and then receive commissions in foreign accounts. The Agosta scandal in Karachi in the mid-1990s exposed this system. Even after this, this system has been expanding continuously.

Pakistan’s current Hangor-class submarine programme is so huge that there is a possibility of major fraud in it. For this, a deal of 4 to 5 billion dollars was signed with China in 2015. This is one of Pakistan’s largest naval projects. The terms of funding of this deal have never been disclosed to Parliament or the public, raising big questions about the entire project.

Military’s real estate empire

Analysts on corruption in the Pakistani military say the ramifications of defence deals extend beyond arms purchases to housing and land. The Pakistani military regime has become one of the country’s biggest property developers through entities such as the DHA and the navy’s Bahria Foundation (set up in 1982). These entities have grown into giant business arms.

The Bahria Foundation runs dredging, marine support, IT and educational subsidiaries. An investigation by Pakistan’s National Accountability Bureau found that DHA officials were under investigation for fraudulent housing projects worth millions of dollars. The DHA operates with a special legal status that protects it from government oversight. This allows profits to go into the pockets of a few people.

No accountability from military

Given the grip of the Pakistani military apparatus on the government, even if an investigation is started, it is not completed. Such files are labelled secret, and things are put on the back burner. It has been seen that ordinary military personnel are kept away from these deals, while the top military officials reap the benefits of these deals.

Due to this, the Pakistan Army is becoming rich, and the common Pakistani is becoming poor.

HIGHLIGHTS

• The Pakistan Army is deeply rooted in corruption and commission culture.
• No other institution in Pakistan can challenge the army.
• The Pakistani Army swindles money in large amounts, as alleged by a few sources.
• The culture of commission is deeply ingrained in the Pakistan Army.

According to the Sunday Guardian report, purchases of ships, aircraft, submarines, missiles, guns, bullets and torpedoes of the Pakistan Army involve opaque pricing and preferred sellers. Along with weapons, similar rackets are flourishing in real estate as well.