General Musharraf's Principal Secretary
responds to SAT Story. This was published in "The News"
on September 24, 2002
"I am not
a King-Maker," says Top Aide, Tariq Aziz
Ansar
Abbasi
ISLAMABAD:
He served in the government service for over 30 years as a traditional
conformist. He was never fond of fame and always worked like an
ordinary bureaucrat. He neither let others to politicise him nor
he exploited his connections for his personal gains.
But
today Tariq Aziz, the principal secretary to the president Musharraf,
is blamed by both the media and some politicians as a highly politicised
bureaucrat.
He
is now projected as a kingmaker that he totally denies. “I
am not a kingmaker,” Aziz said while talking to The News,
adding, “The media’s outburst coupled with certain
politicians’ statements alleging that I am influencing the
forthcoming elections are simply baseless and unsubstantiated.”
He insisted that there was no King’s party.
He
said he was not doing anything wrong or anything that could be
interpreted as misconduct for a serving government servant. “We
have no politician minister in our cabinet so the president has
assigned me, being his principal secretary, to look after the
political affairs of the government,” he disclosed.
He
said he was meeting politicians belonging to all different political
parties as part of his assignment explaining that the purpose
of his interaction with these people was not to influence them
to join one party or the other or to vote for any particular party.
“I
have been meeting the senior politicians of PPP, PML(N), PML (Q),
JUI, Jamaat-e-Islami, Awami National Party, MQM and others as
part of my assignment,” he said, adding that even he did
not refuse to meet with politicians who had sought a meeting with
him.
He
informed that he even facilitated the early release of Chaudhry
Nisar Ali Khan without even having any acquaintance with this
close associate of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif. “I
even positively responded to Hamza Shahbaz’s calls when
he sought my help in the past,” Aziz said.
He
also brushed aside the impression that he had been selecting,
along with Chaudhries of Gujrat, the candidates for PML(Q) that
is generally dubbed as King’s party. “This is all
rubbish,” he said. Quoting his several meetings with Imran
Khan, the chairman of Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI), and referring
to one of president Musharraf’s public statement in which
he expressed his desire that Mr Khan should become the prime minister
of the country, Aziz said these actions were even interpreted
as pre-polls rigging but it was neither the case neither a consideration.
About
his meetings with the politicians, he said, “In all these
meeting we have been simply persuading the politicians to give
clean leadership to their parties and consequently to this country
instead of repeating the history of loot and plunder.”
He
disclosed that he had even been interacting with the MQM with
the same objective and to tell the party leadership that it should
not encourage violence rather help the government in bringing
peace and normalcy.
Politicians
like Amin Fahim, Asfandyar Khan Wali, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Hafiz
Hussain Ahmad, Imran Khan and several others, whom Aziz met, he
said, could tell as to what he had been saying.
Aziz,
generally known as friend of friends, is also a close friend of
President Musharraf. He got acquaintance with Musharraf when they
were studying in F.C College Lahore almost 40 years back. One
joined the army while the other landed in the income tax group
of the civilian bureaucracy but they never lost contact and on
every possible opportunity met with each other to play bridge,
the game that perhaps pulled them together and never let loose.
After
the military coup of October 12, 1999 in Islamabad General Pervez
immediately picked up his college days friend from low profile
Narcotic Control Division, where he was serving as additional
secretary incharge, and appointed him as his principal secretary.
After
October 12, 1999 he became the most powerful civilian bureaucrat
in the country but he remained in low profile. He did not seek
to be arrogant and kept himself busy in official files. However,
he never lost his contact with old friends even if they were
Chaudhry
Shujaat Hussain and Chaudhry Pervez Elahi or their archrival in
Gujrat Chaudhry Ahmad Mukar and Chaudhry Ahmad Saeed.
According
to sources close to Aziz, Chaudhries of Gujrat might be involved
in alleged corruption or have got bank loan written off but Aziz
always had a special place in his heart for them. He could not
simply scrap them out from his heart because Chaudhries had done
for him something that was not done so often.
These
sources said that perhaps Tariq Aziz could never put out of his
mind the second tenure of Benazir Bhutto when he was additional
secretary incharge of the environment division. At that time environment
ministry was the baby of the premier’s all-powerful spouse
Asif Ali Zardari. Once Zardari dictated Aziz on a matter, which
was considered by the later as violation of the law and rules.
Consequently Aziz was surrendered and made OSD.
Things
were said to be fine with him to this extent but he never thought
of “intelligence goons” scaling the boundary wall
of his official residence at the busy School Road of F-6/3, harassing
his family and hitting some of them with gun butt. It was horrendous
for him and for his family also. This was the time when Chaudhries
of Gujrat came to him for his comfort and consolation. The Chaudhries
got him and his whole family shifted to one of their many safe
houses till the time the Aziz family put together it’s shattered
confidence.
The
Oct 1999 military take over resulted into a deep split in the
PML(N) ranks and files and the Chaudhries of Gujrat were amongst
the first ones to distance them from troubled Nawaz Sharif. Later
these Chaudhries had also a greater role in the making of PML(Q).
But there is a perception that the military government in general
and Tarq Aziz in particular played their latent role in the creation
of this PML(Q).
Aziz
simply denies it. When asked whether he did not fear the same
fate for himself as had been experienced by the last two principal
secretaries, he said, “I am not doing anything illegal.”
Click
Here for Original SA Tribune Story
