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Mirza Aslam Beg
Mirza Aslam Beg | |
|---|---|
.jpg) General Beg in 1991 | |
| 3rd Chief of Army Staff | |
| In office 17 August 1988 – 16 August 1991 | |
| Preceded by | Zia-ul-Haq |
| Succeeded by | Asif Nawaz Janjua |
| Vice Chief of Army Staff | |
| In office 29 March 1987 – 17 August 1988 | |
| Preceded by | Khalid Mahmud Arif |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 15 February 1928 Azamgarh district, United Provinces of British India |
| Alma mater | Shibli National College, Azamgarh (B.A.) Pakistan Military Academy National Defence College, Islamabad (MSc) |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service |  Pakistan Army |
| Years of service | 1949–1991 |
| Rank | General |
| Unit | Baloch Regiment |
| Commands |
|
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | See list |
Mirza Aslam Beg[a] (born 15 February 1928), also known as M. A. Beg, is a retired Pakistani four-star rank general who served as the third Chief of Army Staff of the Pakistan Army from 1988 until his retirement in 1991. His appointment as chief of army staff came when his predecessor, President General Zia-ul-Haq, died in an air crash on 17 August 1988.
Beg's tenure witnessed Benazir Bhutto being elected Prime Minister in November 1988, and the restoration of democracy and the civilian control of the military in the country. Beg financed the Islamic Democracy Alliance (IDA), the conservative and right-wing opposition alliance against left-wing PPP, and rigged the general elections in 1990 in favor of Nawaz Sharif.[2] As a result, Nawaz Sharif became Prime Minister in 1990, but fell out with Beg when the latter recommended support for Iraq during the Gulf War.[3] Beg was denied an extension from President Ghulam Ishaq Khan soon after in 1991, and replaced by General Asif Nawaz as chief of army staff.[4] Apart from his military career, Beg briefly tenured as professor of security studies at the National Defence University (NDU) and regularly writes columns in The Nation.[5]
Post-retirement, Beg has been mired in controversies. In 2012, Ijaz-ul-Haq, the son of General Zia-ul-Haq accused Beg of being responsible in the airplane crash that killed President Zia.[6][7]
In 1996, Asghar Khan filed a human rights petition alleging that former Pakistan Army Chief General Beg and Pakistani ISI Chief Asad Durrani, under President Ghulam Ishaq Khan, established an election cell to manipulate the 1990 Pakistani general election in favor of Nawaz Sharif by purchasing politicians' loyalties. Nearly 16 years later, Durrani finally admitted his role in a 2012 affidavit to the Supreme Court of Pakistan and stated that he had been ordered by Beg to disburse money to rivals of Benazir Bhutto's party.[8][9] The ISI disbursed Rs140 million for this purpose using funds from the foreign exchange reserves of Pakistan, through Mehranbank CEO Younus Habib. In 2012, Habib stated that the money had been arranged at the behest of Ghulam Ishaq Khan and General Beg, in his affidavit to the Supreme Court of Pakistan.[10] Despite these revelations, no significant legal consequences have followed and Beg had continued to defy court orders.[11][12][13]
- ^ Battle of Jalalabad - Operation Jalalabad - Pak-Afg war, 1989, 13 October 2021, retrieved 6 July 2023
- ^ Editorial (1 February 2008). "What the generals must apologise for". Daily Times. Archived from the original on 6 February 2012. Retrieved 26 March 2013.
- ^ "U.S. Library of Congress: Pakistan and the Middle East". Archived from the original on 15 October 2012. Retrieved 14 April 2013.
- ^ Ahmad Faruqui. "The army today" Archived 3 December 2009 at the Wayback Machine Dawn, 12 October 2009
- ^ The Nation. "The columns of Mirza Aslam Beg". The Nation. Archived from the original on 20 March 2013. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
- ^ "Gen Beg responsible for Bahawalpur crash: Ijaz". Dunya News. 25 October 2012.
- ^ "ONLINE - International News Network". Archived from the original on 2 January 2014. Retrieved 28 October 2012.
- ^ "Former ISI chief says army money used to influence 1990 Pakistan election". The Guardian. 9 March 2012.
- ^ "Asghar Khan case: SC passed conclusive judgment in October 2012". The News International. 2 January 2019.
- ^ "Money arranged at behest of Ghulam Ishaq, Aslam Beg: Habib". Dawn. 9 March 2012.
- ^ Gishkori, Zahid (9 May 2018). "FIA claims Javed Hashmi received Rs27m in his personal account". The News International.
- ^ "Khaled Ahmed, 'Closing in on Aslam Beg'". The Friday Times. Archived from the original on 30 October 2013. Retrieved 14 April 2013.
- ^ "Givers and takers of money both responsible: Chief Justice –". The News International. 10 March 2012. Archived from the original on 28 April 2012. Retrieved 14 April 2013.
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