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By Javed Hafeez, former ambassador of Pakistan.
To my understanding, this course enhances civil-military understanding as both sides benefit from each other. The participation of Allied Officers brings an international ambiance and a realization that in our globalized world no nation can remain exclusive.
Having returned from my posting in Saudi Arabia in 1992, I volunteered to be sent to the National Defence College (now known as National Defence University) and my request was granted. Back then, Foreign Service officers were exempted from domestic training courses because of their peculiar service conditions.
These officers are posted around the globe and it is, at times, difficult to pull them out for a few months. National Defence University (NDU) was not very popular in the Foreign Ministry either as officers did not want to stay out of the mainstream for good ten months. I, however, looked at this differently. Having performed similar duties for over twenty years, I was yearning for change. And NDU, with its different environment, offered variety and intellectual stimulation. There one had to come up with practical solutions to complex national issues on a regular basis.
NDU was in Ayub Hall, Rawalpindi then and we used to call it University of Lalkurti jokingly. Those living in Islamabad would take a coaster from the Naval Headquarters in the morning and return in the afternoon. Those coaster-rides are still etched in my memory because of a regular flow of jokes and laughter. That was our last chance to act like college boys while all of us were in our late forties! And we made ample use of that chance. Another good thing about this course was that assessment was on the basis of classroom discussions and the quality of questions asked by the participants. There was no written test to grade the participants.
A written road map of all course activities was handed over to the participants in the beginning which, I thought, was pretty impressive. All the lectures to follow and their dates were given. To the best of my knowledge, no other educational institution in Pakistan is so well organized as to publish its full yearly schedule in advance. What was even more impressive was the fact that the schedule was actually followed. Dress code, discipline and punctuality were underlined by a senior Directing Staff (DS) on the very first day. We, the civilians, thought of landing in a straight jacketed environment for a long period of ten months. However, by the time we completed the course, it looked like a happy episode that ended too soon and a great learning experience.
Initial activities included a getting-to-know-each-other dinner and a joint lecture by our Commandant Lt Gen R. D. Bhatti. I still remember the lecture revolved around various geo-political theories. Mackinder and his theories were repeatedly mentioned. One learnt that according to him domination of the Heartland was a pre-requisite to dominate the world. Interesting, concepts like Inner and Outer Crescents were discussed. Realizing that the lecture could be somewhat boring for the civilians, the Commandant had laced it with jokes, mostly about golf. While Mackinder still remains a big name in geo-political thought, some of his ideas have become diluted because of wide application of technology in the area of defence. In the age of cruise missiles, the Heartland is no more impregnable.
The National Defence Course had an interesting mix of officers from diverse backgrounds. There were twelve army officers of Brigadier rank, two Air Commodores of PAF, two Commodores of Pakistan Navy, eight civilians of grade twenty and nine allied officers from various countries. The countries represented included the USA, UK, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Iran, Malaysia, Bangladesh and Australia. Iran sent two officers, one from the Air Force and the other from the Passdaran. This reflected the importance that Iran attached to its neighbour and our training courses. The civilian officers also had various backgrounds like Finance, Foreign Affairs and District Administration, etc. This variety of backgrounds made our classroom discussions quite interesting and fruitful.
In the very first week, a syndicate of four officers was formed and assigned the task of defining national goals and objectives. I was part of this syndicate and we worked hard before presenting our ideas to the course participants. Our presentation, over the next three days, was rather impressive but the end result was not quite delightful. We had not been able to conclude our discussion in time. We were also told that some syndicate members were too individualistic and that the much needed team spirit was missing. Our syndicate received good grilling from the DS. Time management and team work are essential principles of any successful organization.
Tea Break was a good time to meet some of the War Course participants. This lot had a number of outstanding colonels. One of those colonels later became the Army Chief. In the military institutions work and sports go hand in hand. Sports also create an urge to excel, enhance physical fitness and provide an environment of bonhomie which is the hallmark of good soldiering. Two wings of our college played a cricket match and the agile colonels were too good for the aging brigadiers! In the round of golf, Brigadier Ghafoor Raja, a keen golfer, brought some respect to our performance.
Domestic tours took us to the four provincial capitals, Skardu, Muzzafarabad and Gwadar. We got a chance to meet all Governors and Chief Ministers. Our very first internal tour was to Skardu where we travelled in a C-130. We stayed at the picturesque Shangrilla and to our good luck, got stuck there due to inclement weather. We utilized this time trekking in the nearby hills and watching some picturesque lakes. Trip to the Northern Areas was followed by journey by bus to Muzzafarabad. Sardar Abdul Qayyum Khan, the President of AJK received us in his office and spoke about the Kashmir issue in great detail in English, because of the Allied Officers. For his modest formal education, late Sardar Sahib was very articulate and quite convincing in a foreign language. He was a great freedom fighter, an outstanding leader and a good spokesman of the Kashmir cause.
In Quetta, the Governor spoke in Urdu and I was asked to interpret in English. He was rather candid and, among other things, said that some ministers in his province had accumulated lots of wealth after assumption of office. I translated his talk without mincing a word and that was appreciated. In Karachi, we were taken aboard a naval ship by helicopters. A military plane took us to Gwadar for a day long trip. Local administration gave us detailed briefing about development plans. Gwadar Port was on the anvil but work had not yet started, in right earnest. In Peshawar, trip to Torkham border and visit of the fabled Khyber Rifles Mess were memorable events. Lunch at the mess was followed by a lively display of famous Khattak Dance. During our trip to Lahore, the Chief Secretary organized a memorable evening of music and songs at Alhamra Arts Council.
Apart from affording an opportunity to see our own country, this course also enabled us to listen to and meet some outstanding persons. The speakers were told in advance that they would be free to speak out their minds without any fear. Some speakers, I vividly remember, were quite candid in expressing their views. Mr. Altaf Gohar, I still remember, said that defining the national interest should not be the sole prerogative of military establishment. Mr. Javed Jabbar impressed us so much as a speaker that the course participants recommended he be invited once again. He was probably the only speaker to get the distinction of delivering talks twice to the same participants. Dr. Maleeha Lodhi was very candid and convincing in her views about Pak-U.S. relations.
Research paper was an essential part of the course and each participant was assigned one topic. I was told to analyse the evolving situation in Indian Punjab and predict the way it was heading. Popular opinion in Pakistan back then was that the independence movement in Indian Punjab had wide popular support and would gain momentum with the passage of time. My research clearly indicated that Khalistan movement would whittle down, sooner than later. In fact, while I was writing my paper in 1992, this movement already appeared somewhat weak and confused. I discussed the matter with Rear Admiral Wasi Haider, our Chief Instructor. He told me to remain very objective and shun all wishful thinking. His guidance enabled me to reach the right conclusions.
Foreign Study Tour was one of the last activities of this course. I went to Turkey, Hungary and UK. Turkey has historically been very friendly to Pakistan and that feeling has been strengthened with the passage of time. In Turkey, every Pakistani is called Kardesh, or brother. We stayed in lavish military messes, called Urdu Evi, in Istanbul and Ankara. The Hungarian Ambassador in Islamabad had called our group for dinner before our departure. Hungary and its capital Budapest were equally beautiful. I still remember the graceful and elaborate parliament building in Budapest. In London, our visit to the Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS) and our discussions there were very useful. We were given a detailed briefing at the British Foreign Office as well.
Each NDU is supposed to come up with one or two solid and doable proposals to enhance national security. One proposal discussed by our course was introduction of compulsory military training for Pakistani youth, in order to reduce defence expenditure. This proposal was opposed by some participants saying that in a country of feudal environment, low literacy rate, ethnic and sectarian fault lines, such a proposal could be counterproductive. This view was quite persuasive and the proposal was dropped. Horrendous destruction witnessed by Syria in recent years proves validity of this view. Syrian youth has received obligatory military training for decades.
When General Asif Nawaz died suddenly, we all went for the funeral prayers. I myself saw numerous jawans crying during the prayers. This strong bond between the commander and his men is an essential ingredient of military life. As our Commandant was senior to the next Chief, in the hallowed military tradition, he opted for retirement. He was replaced by Lt Gen Assad Durrani who took great interest in our deliberations. He would come to our class room regularly and listen attentively to various ideas. The General had to leave the college when yet another political turmoil ensued in 1993. He later became Pakistan’s Ambassador to Germany and Saudi Arabia. He is still an active speaker and writer and our bond of friendship and mutual respect continues to this day.
Each NDU course participant presents a National Strategy Paper at the end of the course. This task used to be assigned to four participants jointly. However, because of the peculiar political environment in 1993, our Commandant, General Iftikhar Ali Khan decided that one course participant should present a paper on behalf of all. This task was given to Mirza Hamid Hasan, who later became a Federal Secretary. The main argument in his paper was that growing national debt was as potent a threat to national security as possibility of external aggression. It is a pity that successive governments, particularly since 2008, have opted to ignore this stark reality.
As the course ended, our military colleagues started keenly awaiting their next assignments and possible promotions.
Two Brigadiers, one Air Commodore and one Commodore were promoted to become two star generals. Four out of eight civilian participants were promoted in later years to the highest grade. Two of us became Additional Secretaries. Throughout the course, our military colleagues were very keen to perform well. This was understandable as it was their last chance for promotion. The civilians, on the other hand, were quite relaxed. My own conclusion was that a relaxed (but not too casual) attitude actually enhances course performance. Regular reading of relevant material is very useful but book worms do not necessarily excel. Good briefing skills and low golf handicap are as important as precision at the firing range.
The writer is a former ambassador of Pakistan.
Email: ambassadorjaved@gmail.com
www.hilal.gov.pk
To my understanding, this course enhances civil-military understanding as both sides benefit from each other. The participation of Allied Officers brings an international ambiance and a realization that in our globalized world no nation can remain exclusive.
Having returned from my posting in Saudi Arabia in 1992, I volunteered to be sent to the National Defence College (now known as National Defence University) and my request was granted. Back then, Foreign Service officers were exempted from domestic training courses because of their peculiar service conditions.
These officers are posted around the globe and it is, at times, difficult to pull them out for a few months. National Defence University (NDU) was not very popular in the Foreign Ministry either as officers did not want to stay out of the mainstream for good ten months. I, however, looked at this differently. Having performed similar duties for over twenty years, I was yearning for change. And NDU, with its different environment, offered variety and intellectual stimulation. There one had to come up with practical solutions to complex national issues on a regular basis.
NDU was in Ayub Hall, Rawalpindi then and we used to call it University of Lalkurti jokingly. Those living in Islamabad would take a coaster from the Naval Headquarters in the morning and return in the afternoon. Those coaster-rides are still etched in my memory because of a regular flow of jokes and laughter. That was our last chance to act like college boys while all of us were in our late forties! And we made ample use of that chance. Another good thing about this course was that assessment was on the basis of classroom discussions and the quality of questions asked by the participants. There was no written test to grade the participants.
A written road map of all course activities was handed over to the participants in the beginning which, I thought, was pretty impressive. All the lectures to follow and their dates were given. To the best of my knowledge, no other educational institution in Pakistan is so well organized as to publish its full yearly schedule in advance. What was even more impressive was the fact that the schedule was actually followed. Dress code, discipline and punctuality were underlined by a senior Directing Staff (DS) on the very first day. We, the civilians, thought of landing in a straight jacketed environment for a long period of ten months. However, by the time we completed the course, it looked like a happy episode that ended too soon and a great learning experience.
Initial activities included a getting-to-know-each-other dinner and a joint lecture by our Commandant Lt Gen R. D. Bhatti. I still remember the lecture revolved around various geo-political theories. Mackinder and his theories were repeatedly mentioned. One learnt that according to him domination of the Heartland was a pre-requisite to dominate the world. Interesting, concepts like Inner and Outer Crescents were discussed. Realizing that the lecture could be somewhat boring for the civilians, the Commandant had laced it with jokes, mostly about golf. While Mackinder still remains a big name in geo-political thought, some of his ideas have become diluted because of wide application of technology in the area of defence. In the age of cruise missiles, the Heartland is no more impregnable.
The National Defence Course had an interesting mix of officers from diverse backgrounds. There were twelve army officers of Brigadier rank, two Air Commodores of PAF, two Commodores of Pakistan Navy, eight civilians of grade twenty and nine allied officers from various countries. The countries represented included the USA, UK, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Iran, Malaysia, Bangladesh and Australia. Iran sent two officers, one from the Air Force and the other from the Passdaran. This reflected the importance that Iran attached to its neighbour and our training courses. The civilian officers also had various backgrounds like Finance, Foreign Affairs and District Administration, etc. This variety of backgrounds made our classroom discussions quite interesting and fruitful.
In the very first week, a syndicate of four officers was formed and assigned the task of defining national goals and objectives. I was part of this syndicate and we worked hard before presenting our ideas to the course participants. Our presentation, over the next three days, was rather impressive but the end result was not quite delightful. We had not been able to conclude our discussion in time. We were also told that some syndicate members were too individualistic and that the much needed team spirit was missing. Our syndicate received good grilling from the DS. Time management and team work are essential principles of any successful organization.
Tea Break was a good time to meet some of the War Course participants. This lot had a number of outstanding colonels. One of those colonels later became the Army Chief. In the military institutions work and sports go hand in hand. Sports also create an urge to excel, enhance physical fitness and provide an environment of bonhomie which is the hallmark of good soldiering. Two wings of our college played a cricket match and the agile colonels were too good for the aging brigadiers! In the round of golf, Brigadier Ghafoor Raja, a keen golfer, brought some respect to our performance.
Domestic tours took us to the four provincial capitals, Skardu, Muzzafarabad and Gwadar. We got a chance to meet all Governors and Chief Ministers. Our very first internal tour was to Skardu where we travelled in a C-130. We stayed at the picturesque Shangrilla and to our good luck, got stuck there due to inclement weather. We utilized this time trekking in the nearby hills and watching some picturesque lakes. Trip to the Northern Areas was followed by journey by bus to Muzzafarabad. Sardar Abdul Qayyum Khan, the President of AJK received us in his office and spoke about the Kashmir issue in great detail in English, because of the Allied Officers. For his modest formal education, late Sardar Sahib was very articulate and quite convincing in a foreign language. He was a great freedom fighter, an outstanding leader and a good spokesman of the Kashmir cause.
In Quetta, the Governor spoke in Urdu and I was asked to interpret in English. He was rather candid and, among other things, said that some ministers in his province had accumulated lots of wealth after assumption of office. I translated his talk without mincing a word and that was appreciated. In Karachi, we were taken aboard a naval ship by helicopters. A military plane took us to Gwadar for a day long trip. Local administration gave us detailed briefing about development plans. Gwadar Port was on the anvil but work had not yet started, in right earnest. In Peshawar, trip to Torkham border and visit of the fabled Khyber Rifles Mess were memorable events. Lunch at the mess was followed by a lively display of famous Khattak Dance. During our trip to Lahore, the Chief Secretary organized a memorable evening of music and songs at Alhamra Arts Council.
Apart from affording an opportunity to see our own country, this course also enabled us to listen to and meet some outstanding persons. The speakers were told in advance that they would be free to speak out their minds without any fear. Some speakers, I vividly remember, were quite candid in expressing their views. Mr. Altaf Gohar, I still remember, said that defining the national interest should not be the sole prerogative of military establishment. Mr. Javed Jabbar impressed us so much as a speaker that the course participants recommended he be invited once again. He was probably the only speaker to get the distinction of delivering talks twice to the same participants. Dr. Maleeha Lodhi was very candid and convincing in her views about Pak-U.S. relations.
Research paper was an essential part of the course and each participant was assigned one topic. I was told to analyse the evolving situation in Indian Punjab and predict the way it was heading. Popular opinion in Pakistan back then was that the independence movement in Indian Punjab had wide popular support and would gain momentum with the passage of time. My research clearly indicated that Khalistan movement would whittle down, sooner than later. In fact, while I was writing my paper in 1992, this movement already appeared somewhat weak and confused. I discussed the matter with Rear Admiral Wasi Haider, our Chief Instructor. He told me to remain very objective and shun all wishful thinking. His guidance enabled me to reach the right conclusions.
Foreign Study Tour was one of the last activities of this course. I went to Turkey, Hungary and UK. Turkey has historically been very friendly to Pakistan and that feeling has been strengthened with the passage of time. In Turkey, every Pakistani is called Kardesh, or brother. We stayed in lavish military messes, called Urdu Evi, in Istanbul and Ankara. The Hungarian Ambassador in Islamabad had called our group for dinner before our departure. Hungary and its capital Budapest were equally beautiful. I still remember the graceful and elaborate parliament building in Budapest. In London, our visit to the Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS) and our discussions there were very useful. We were given a detailed briefing at the British Foreign Office as well.
Each NDU is supposed to come up with one or two solid and doable proposals to enhance national security. One proposal discussed by our course was introduction of compulsory military training for Pakistani youth, in order to reduce defence expenditure. This proposal was opposed by some participants saying that in a country of feudal environment, low literacy rate, ethnic and sectarian fault lines, such a proposal could be counterproductive. This view was quite persuasive and the proposal was dropped. Horrendous destruction witnessed by Syria in recent years proves validity of this view. Syrian youth has received obligatory military training for decades.
When General Asif Nawaz died suddenly, we all went for the funeral prayers. I myself saw numerous jawans crying during the prayers. This strong bond between the commander and his men is an essential ingredient of military life. As our Commandant was senior to the next Chief, in the hallowed military tradition, he opted for retirement. He was replaced by Lt Gen Assad Durrani who took great interest in our deliberations. He would come to our class room regularly and listen attentively to various ideas. The General had to leave the college when yet another political turmoil ensued in 1993. He later became Pakistan’s Ambassador to Germany and Saudi Arabia. He is still an active speaker and writer and our bond of friendship and mutual respect continues to this day.
Each NDU course participant presents a National Strategy Paper at the end of the course. This task used to be assigned to four participants jointly. However, because of the peculiar political environment in 1993, our Commandant, General Iftikhar Ali Khan decided that one course participant should present a paper on behalf of all. This task was given to Mirza Hamid Hasan, who later became a Federal Secretary. The main argument in his paper was that growing national debt was as potent a threat to national security as possibility of external aggression. It is a pity that successive governments, particularly since 2008, have opted to ignore this stark reality.
As the course ended, our military colleagues started keenly awaiting their next assignments and possible promotions.
Two Brigadiers, one Air Commodore and one Commodore were promoted to become two star generals. Four out of eight civilian participants were promoted in later years to the highest grade. Two of us became Additional Secretaries. Throughout the course, our military colleagues were very keen to perform well. This was understandable as it was their last chance for promotion. The civilians, on the other hand, were quite relaxed. My own conclusion was that a relaxed (but not too casual) attitude actually enhances course performance. Regular reading of relevant material is very useful but book worms do not necessarily excel. Good briefing skills and low golf handicap are as important as precision at the firing range.
The writer is a former ambassador of Pakistan.
Email: ambassadorjaved@gmail.com
My National Defence University Days
Having returned from my posting in Saudi Arabia in 1992, I volunteered to be sent to the National Defence College (now known as National Defence University) and my request was granted. Back then, Foreign Service officers were exempted from domestic training courses because of their peculiar...
