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| India-Pakistan |
| Â A brigadier without brigade has a history of thrashing |
| 2010-02-11 |
| The basher-brigadier of the National University of Modern Languages (NUML), who assaulted his professor colleague late Thursday, has a long list of such incidents on his credit as his resume is sprinkled with expertise in thrashing both the teachers and students in previous years. Brig (R) Obaidullah Ranjha, the NUML's registrar known as 'tiger brigadier' by university's top administration for his reckless style, is also wanted by police in an FIR registered against him in August 2009 under PPC section 420. Moreover, this man of muscles is simultaneously serving as registrar of the university and managing director of a housing society whose chief executive sacked him a month ago, again on the same grounds: the misconduct with the clients. The NUML is full of the types and Brig (R) Ranjha stands prominent among them for notorious reasons. He's Richard Armitage of the NUML's rector, commented a university professor equating him with the ex-US President Bush's Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia who reportedly threatened Gen (R) Pervez Musharraf for bombing Pakistan "back to the stone age," for cowing him into submission in post 9/11 scenario. Brig (R) Ranjha has shot to notoriety after publicly beating Prof Tahir Malik of NUML's International Relations Department. Malik is not his first victim as Ranjha made one of the IR students Naseer Abbasi a horrible example in the eyes of his colleagues as he thrashed him in the summer last year merely for wrongly parking the motorbike. "He beat me badly," Abbasi told The News saying that he didn't raise his hands in sheer respect of a teacher because Ranjha had taught him one course. "But I told him, Abbasi said, "I've spared you because you were my teacher. But what you have done is very unfair and unbecoming." By not taking revenge, Abbasi said: "I defeated him on the moral grounds but he doesn't know what is called morality." As now Abbasi's teacher, Tahir Malik, has become Brig (R) Ranjha's victim, this student of the 4th semester said he could forgive excesses with him but not what had been done with his teacher. "He must be sacked," he demanded. As far the registration of FIR is concerned, the beaten professor couldn't pursue the rector in lodging report with the police, nevertheless an FIR registered against him in Aabpara Police Station with no action had so far been taken against him. The FIR number 239, the copy of which is available with The News, has mentioned Brig (R) Ranjha as co-accused in a case of forgery and cheating. The case has been registered against him and others under PPC 420, 468 and 471. The FIR was registered on August 20, 2009 five months after Brig (R) Ranjha was inducted as the NUML's registrar, yet no action had been taken against him by the NUMLs rector. The key accused in the FIR, a real estate businessman Raja Asif, and the investigation officer of the case, both confirmed Brig (R) Ranjha's nomination in this police report. Brig (R) Ranjha didn't respond to this question when contacted for comments. Another aspect of Brig (R) Ranjha's personality has come in the limelight. He is simultaneously serving as managing director of a housing society (Green City) and the registrar of the university. The society's website shows him as managing director. However, the chief executive of the company and key accused in the above stated FIR, Raja Asif, told The News that he had misled people by impersonating himself as the chief executive. Asked why he was allowed to use this title, Raja said the website was constructed through the agency of Brig (R) Ranjha, he, therefore, managed to grant himself this title. According to him, Ranjha was one of the directors of the society, not MD. He said his name would be removed from the website in a day or two. Another senior executive of the housing society told The News that Ranjha had recently been sacked from the management for his misbehavior with the clients and misappropriation in funds, a fact confirmed by Raja Asif. As Brig (R) Ranjha was contacted for version as to how he could hold the portfolio of MD of a housing society and serve as a registrar, he said he had resigned from the society's management shortly before joining the NUML in February 2009. However, Raja Asif confirmed that Ranjha had been discharging his duties in the society until he was sacked a month ago and that the fact could be ascertained from Security Exchange Commission of Pakistan's record where he was registered as director of the society. When Brig (R) Ranjha was confronted with the Green City administration's viewpoint about his role and activities, he said: "They're just talking rubbish." |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #5 A Pakistani General is guaranteed to become a millionaire. Documented in the book Military Inc by Ayesha Siddiqa Pakistan's generals, Ayesha Siddiqa shows, control empires that would put to shame those of many despots worldwide. On average, senior commanders of the Pakistan armed forces retire with legally acquired assets of between $2.5 and 6.9 million, depending on their rank. President Pervez Musharraf alone, she states, has eight properties, including a 2,000-square yard (1 sq yard = 0.836 sq metre) plot in Karachi, a 1,200-sq yard plot in Rawalpindi, a 12,000-sq yard plot in Gwadar, a 900-sq yard plot in Peshawar and a farmhouse in Islamabad. According to Ayesha Siddiqa's research, this private wealth is a spin-off of a private military empire: five conglomerates, which are estimated to control one-third of all heavy manufacturing and run almost 100 subsidiaries with interests in everything from cement to cereal production. These enterprises have helped create massive networks of employment and patronage, which sustain the armed forces' control of civil society. While the armed forces claim that their operations are self-sustaining, just nine of the 96 major armed forces-owned businesses file public, audited accounts - and they have often received massive bailouts from the state, not to mention extensive subsidies. Approximately 12 per cent of the Pakistani state's total landholding of 93.67 million acres (1 acre = 0.405 hectares) is controlled by the armed forces. While other institutions such as the railways, Ayesha Siddiqa notes, also have significant lands, the armed forces are unique in having the power to put public holdings to private use. Thus, of the armed forces' 11.58 million acres, 6.8 million acres of rural land is held directly by individuals, retired and serving. Another 35,000 acres have been handed over to subsidiaries controlled by the armed forces, such as the Army Welfare Trust, the Fauji Foundation and the Bahria Foundation. |
| Posted by: john frum 2010-02-11 14:08 |
| #4 Thank you. |
| Posted by: Pstanley 2010-02-11 11:11 |
| #3 What you just read was that the Brigadier (retd) is a thug who's in the habit of beating up anybody who doesn't agree with him. He's in a sinecure job in an academic institution and he's beaten one of his students to a pulp. Since he got away with that, he's since beaten a professor to a pulp. Criminal justice in Pakistain follows a civil model, rather than a criminal model. Rather than having "The State vs. Mahmoud" somebody has to file a First Information Report (FIR) or the government doesn't take official notice of the battery or even of murder. If Mr. Brigadier (retd) should happen to beat the snot out of whoever files the FIR and cause him to withdraw it then case dies. Pakistain is a military oligarchy dressed in the trappings of a democracy. If you want to take care of your family you lay out the rupees to get your boyz into military academy and you marry your daughters into military families that have a shortage of first cousins. Unless the government starts a war with India the boyz' life expectancy will be good. Promotion runs by academy year group. And when they retire there are land grants (making them landed gentry) and employment -- sinecures for those without especially powerful connections, safe election seats for those with them. |
| Posted by: Fred 2010-02-11 10:27 |
| #2 Compare wid PAKISTANI DEFENCE FORUM > CANADA TRIES TO RAISE TROOPS MORALE AFTER ARREST OF COMMANDER FOR MURDER. Uh, uh, EAY!? Gut nuthin. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2010-02-11 01:18 |
| #1 What did I just read? |
| Posted by: Pstanley 2010-02-11 01:18 |