Yeh Khamoshi Kahan Tak / یہ خاموشی کہاں تک

by Shahid Aziz

"This book is not about Kargil, and not about the military takeover. Certainly the focus is not General Musharraf or even the Army. It is a book about human experience of life; the story of a weak man stumbling through his life; pushed by his fears and dragged by his desires; torn apart by love, transcending with time.
It is a book for the youth of this nation, to learn from the mistakes I have made, to see how life twists and moulds each one of us. In this endeavour I have laid my life bare, and exposed myself to all forms of criticism. I did not expect any less. And this is the least price I must pay for the suffering that some of my mistakes have caused to this nation."
Autobiography of Lt. Gen. (retd) Shahid Aziz, a central character of the 1999 coup by Pakistan Army against the democratically elected government.

Genres: History, Pakistan, Politics, Biography

463 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[W · Rating 3 out of 5]

(The title literally means,how long will the silence continue).

Lt. General Shahid Aziz was once a close associate of General Musharraf.He played a part in the events that led to the ouster of prime minister Nawaz Sharif in the 1999 coup.Later,he worked in key positions.But after he retired,he wrote this book which is very critical of General Musharraf.

This book is a mixed bag.The first portion deals with the author's military career,it had me totally engrossed.He won the Sword of Honour at the PMA.He fought in the 1971 war in West Pakistan,and his younger brother,a lieutenant,was killed in action after cease fire had been declared !

His description of battle during the 1971 war is vivid and very exciting,and had me on the edge of my seat.That is the best part of the book,about actual soldiering.

Also,his criticism of the Kargil war and his role in the 1999 coup which brought General Musharraf to power is worth reading.Then came 9/11 and the US threats and ultimatums to bomb Pakistan to the stone age,which left General Musharraf with little choice but to join the US as it began its military campaign in Afghanistan.

But here,too,the author gets very critical of the policies of his former boss.He doesn't spare the US,where he had received military training in mid career.

Then he gets into a discussion about "free masons" and their role in the world.He advocates a religious solution for all of Pakistan's problems.At this point,the book becomes all about his personal,very preachy views.

He was also part of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and details his frustration while working there,as corruption cases could not be brought to their conclusion because of outside pressures.Today's NAB is much more aggressive compared to his day,enjoying a lot of powers as the cases against Nawaz Sharif and Asif Zardari indicate.

I liked the portion of the book dealing with military matters,I'd rather skip the rest.

The book is published only in Urdu.

[Tariq Mahmood · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a revolutionary book which has been written by an army officer with a lot of candid views of his career spread around forty years in the army and as the head of National Accountability Bureau after his retirement. The author is also related to President Musharraf as Musharraf's son is married to Shahid Aziz's brother's daughter. The first thing to strike me was the choice of language adopted to write his autobiography, which is Urdu rather than the 99.9% other retired generals and civil servants who have chosen English as their medium. The general has also laced his book around the revolutionary poetry of Faiz Ahmed Faiz which I suspect was one the the major reasons why Urdu has chosen.
This book gripped me right from the start, as the real strength is the author's descriptions of his own life events, starting from his college days right down to his resignation as the head of NAB, were really well presented and absorbing. I was impressed by the author's justifications for a majority of his decisions with the context well defined. I also found none of the customary egoistical self glorification demonstrated by many generals and high ranked civil servant autobiographies which is very pleasing indeed, but unfortunately the general looses the plot completely in blaming the Free Masons and 'elders of Zion' as the main architects of the current world order. If Israel was a master stroke of the Free Masons and Zionists than how did Pakistan come into being General sahib?

I am indebted to the general for restoring my pride into the great Pakistan army with his mention of a great number of unsung heroes and their wonderful tales of truth and bravery. Indeed the Pakistan army has a great deal to feel proud of, and the pivotal role played by the junior officers and soldiers on a daily basis has to be highlighted, which this book has managed to portray very favourably.

The book can do with some serious editing as it is very repetitive with the romantic general long and hyperbolic paragraphs talking about a failed system over and over again. The real material in the book is the depiction of army's culture, steeped in obsequiousness, and suaveness to a great degree. I also did not agree with good general's suggestion for the formation of an elite group of Pakistan elders in order correct the failed system, (akin to the Elders of Zion maybe). Instead, the system will evolve with enough elections where people will eventually learn the power of their vote, in my humble opinion. There was also no point in trying to get behind Shariah which no one has any experience of for at least a thousand years.

This book together with Musharraf's 'In the line of fire' make a great reading, juxtaposing the a liberal, western view with a conservative Islamic reformist view, as I would not place the general as a fundamentalist.

I would highly recommend everyone to read this book, instead of watching his interviews on YouTube.

[Ali · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you ever need to teach your kids the meaning of self-contradiction and hypocricy, a few pages of this book should be all you need.

[Omama. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of all the military biographies I have read, this one is the best by far, and I'm only saying that in context of language and verbosity; it's written in Urdu with a good nostalgic and gripping mix of Faiz's poetry. Shahid Aziz had a rather successful career in the army, had remained on several important positions; DG Military Operations, DG ISI analysis, Corps Commander Lahore, and Chairman NAB after retirement; also a key player in the '99 coup. I've been meaning to get my hands on this book, as it was banned in Pakistan; secondly my curiosity increased when I read about Shahid Aziz joining ISIS, going to Syria and getting killed there, also heard Pervaiz Musharraf talking about him on TV. It was really surprising as to why would a general, after spending 37 years in army, fighting for his motherland, would do such a thing?

جو رُکے تو کوہِ گراں تھے ہم، جو چلے تو جاں سے گزر گئے

The initial chapters dealing with his early life are really interesting to read; early childhood, college life, first love, joining the military, life in PMA; all the bits and pieces are there. His account of 1971 war is the most vivid and detailed; scenarios of soldiers fighting on the front lines and the actual battle. He didn't go into details of Zia's regime, tried to uncover the facts about Kargil war, presented Musharraf's personality as he had the opportunity to work very closely with him, stated the details of the plotting of the '99 coup, which was solely for a new hope; which were never fulfilled sadly. His tenure as DGMO, Corps Commander and as Chairman NAB; he has unveiled the financial and moral corruption everywhere. From the start till the end, I was constantly thinking he must be very lucky to spent a long time in Army, to the rank of Lt. General, though he stood up to almost everyone in his entire career; sent his resignation 2/3 times, yet there was some really caring officer every time who stopped him to do so. Must be very lucky. He resigned from NAB, as he was being pressurized to close Benazir Bhutto and her family's corruption cases.

The later part of the book deals with 9/11, America in Afghanistan, Pakistan's role, Musharraf's policies; a good amount of chapters are pointing out state of society and lack of morals, solutions, suggestions.

As i've just finished reading this one, i'm now thinking, what an extraordinary life it was. There's a certain kind of sadness starting from the very first sentence of this book which had me mesmerized. An emptiness; nothing in spite of everything. Life of a romantic person, lightened with his dreams and hopes, from 'Firaq-e-Yaar' to 'Jamal-e-Mehboob', the urge to make a difference, to do something for the motherland, the internal solitude of the soul, emptiness, the strive to find meaning in this big void, finally succumbed to the very threats he was protecting the country against. What a life.

[Ehsan Alam]

Yeh Khamoshi Kahan Tak
A book leads towards inspiration, patriotism, truth, wisdom,behind the scene stories. Indeed it guids its reader towards high goals.

[Arij Awais · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book on the Army and political system of Pakistan. He clearly exposes how the current democratic system cannot work in Pakistan. This system which is made for the elite is rotten and cannot deliver results for the masses.

He also discusses how we need new solutions other than western solutions. He also suggests Islam as a way forward as most of Pakistanis want.

This book also exposes Musharraf and his policies of how he sold the country to America and how American agencies are responsible for the bomb blasts in Pakistan. His first hand experiences of the War on Terror make this book an eye opener.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED !

[Omar Ali · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shahid Aziz retired from the Pakistan army after a long and successful career, reaching the rank of Lieutenant General (3 star general) and serving as DG analysis wing of the ISI, DGMO (director general military operations), CGS (chief of general staff) and corps commander (commanding 4 corps in Lahore). After retirement, he served as chairman of the powerful National Accountability Bureau (NAB), the main anti-corruption watchdog in Pakistan. In spite of having been one of General Musharraf’s closest associates (and related to him by marriage; the daughter of one of Shahid Aziz’s cousins is married to Musharraf’s son) he became increasingly critical of Musharraf after retirement and in 2013 he wrote a book that was highly critical of Musharraf and of Pakistan’s supposedly pro-US policies at that time.

In May 2018 there were several news reports claiming that General Shahid Aziz had left his home last year (or even earlier) to join the Jihad against the West and had been killed, either in Syria or in Afghanistan (General Musharraf was the one who claimed he was killed in Syria, most other reports said Afghanistan). While his family has denied these reports, they have not been able to produce any explanation about where he is if he has not actually died on Jihad. So I decided to read the book. Having read it, I think the combination of naive idealism and PMA-level Islamism found in his book makes it very likely that these reports are true. My review follows (please also read this review by Abdul Majeed Abid as a complementary piece)

The first surprising thing about the book is that it is written in Urdu. Most military autobiographies in Pakistan have been written in English, a simplified/desi version of which is the lingua franca of the Pakistani elite. This may be because General Shahid Aziz (like his mentor Musharraf) was a Mohajir, and unlike Musharraf he seems to have been well read in Urdu and comfortable with using it. While his own politics are firmly in the Islamist-PTI-PMA category, he is also a huge fan of the Marxist-Leninist poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz and quotes him un-ironically throughout the book. Whether this reflects positively on Shahid Aziz or negatively on Faiz Ahmed Faiz is up to the reader. In any case, points to General sahib for writing in Urdu, and that too, in good Urdu. Not that he did not know enough English; he even wrote poetry in English (a poem called “The Naked Deceiver” is in the book. It is not a great poem, but the vocabulary is extensive, which may be one reason he had such a great career in the Pakistani military: he could write good idiomatic English).

He describes his own motivation for writing the book in these words: “I did nothing in my military service over which I should feel eternal shame, but what I did in the last few years and where we brought the country in those years, the weight of those actions has been crushing me for the last 5 years.. what use are regrets now you may ask? ..but I wanted to write this book so that maybe some young person can learn something from my experience”. This feeling is his main motivation for writing this book. A few years ago one may have dismissed this as the usual grandstanding where retired army officers transform into warriors of the Ummah (on TV) after retirement, but continue to hold on to green cards and foreign bank accounts. But if the story of General Shahid Aziz joining the mujahideen and dying in that effort is correct (as it appears to be) then in this case at least, the conversion was sincere.

What were these actions that he regrets to much? He was a participant in Musharraf’s coup (and as he makes clear in the book, it was no spontaneous response to Nawaz Sharif’s firing of the army chief, it was a pre-planned coup) and then in his martial law regime. Under this regime, Pakistan joined the American war on terror as a “non-NATO ally” and fought against the mujahideen in Afghanistan (and beyond). It is this betrayal of Islamic solidarity that Shahid Aziz regretted, and it is this regret that eventually drove him to write this book (and it seems, to join the mujahideen in his old age).

A military brat, Shahid Aziz grew up in cantonments all across the country, was an average to below average student and was madly in love with his cousin (who later became his wife). He joined the army, was an outstanding cadet (he got the sword of honor at PMA) and was posted as a young officer in the Chamb sector (in Kashmir) in the 1971. His memories of the war give an interesting window into the war as it looks to fresh young officers (complete with the fog of war and minor atrocities like an Indian prisoner who was shot dead by someone the day after Shahid Aziz happened to see him bound and helpless). Shahid Aziz comes across as idealistic and honorable (e.g. he refused to vote in Gen Zia’s fake referendum, and he claims a George Washington moment when Zia came to inspect his unit during a major exercise and asked about their training and Aziz answered that there was no training and this was all a fake show; a piece of information that Zia did not appreciate) but then again, he is writing the book. Whether there was another more calculating side to him is not revealed in this book, but it is hard to believe that he made Lt General in the army by always telling the truth. Some awareness of when to keep your mouth shut must have been there even in idealistic young Shahid Aziz.

He went on a course to the US and got a chance to travel through Europe, and was impressed by the honesty and friendliness of the common people in both places. He was also approached by an American officer with what Shahid Aziz took to be an effort to recruit him, though his claim that he was offered a position in the US army seems ridiculous. By 1999 he had risen to become the director general of the analysis wing in the ISI and was at this post when Musharraf’s Kargil adventure exploded into the news. He claims that he had no idea this was in the works and was as surprised as Vajpayee when the news broke (and given the fact that Musharraf had not told other senior generals or the chiefs of the navy and the air force about his adventure, he is likely telling the truth). He is very critical of the whole operation and makes it clear that it was a tactical AND strategic disaster of epic proportions, though it appears that he did not share this opinion with Musharraf until after his retirement.

He has shared interesting details of the coup preparations and the day of the coup itself. Like most army officers, he had a low opinion of politicians (and civilians in general) and believed that a strong man with a “sincere” team was needed to clean up Pakistan and put it on the road to modern-Islamist prosperity. Unsurprisingly, he saw himself and his fellow generals as exactly the sincere people who were needed. By the end of the book he concedes that their scheme did more harm than good, but as usual he blames faulty execution, not the idea of a military coup in itself. After the coup the generals made lists of qualified people to run the country and conducted formal interviews in GHQ, but at the same time other outsiders (such as Shaukat Aziz) were mysteriously parachuted into top positions without this vetting and interviewing process. He claims to have no idea how and why this happened and seems to have been remarkably incurious about these matters, which suggests that he was either extremely naive or has conveniently forgotten some details. Readers can be forgiven for thinking the latter is more likely.

By 2001 he had been promoted to Lt General and posted as CGS (chief of general staff) at GHQ. He was there when Musharraf got the famous call from Colin Powell and joined the American war on terror. In hindsight, Shahid Aziz is very critical of this decision and its aftermath, but even in his own book he does not report that he ever dissented from this policy while in office. Musharraf, who was now related to him by marriage, seems to have trusted him and promoted him regularly. After serving as corps commander in Lahore, Shahid Aziz retired and was made head of the National Accountability Bureau. He claims he tried to go after big fish, but was stymied by Musharraf and Shaukat Aziz and their political calculations. Eventually he resigned from this post and went home to contemplate all he had done with life. If we take his book at face value (and in this matter, I see no reason not to) then Shahid Aziz comes across as a (mostly) honest man with a rather simple Islamic faith, a VERY simplistic view of society and history (Naseem Hijazi comes to mind) and a strong desire to live in a “modern country” (a combination common among educated middle class Pakistanis, and especially in army officers; what we may label “Mehran Man“, the sort of person who is a PTI supporter). As long as he was in service he managed to stay upright with just enough compromises to get ahead, but once retired he seems to have taken his Islam more seriously than the average real-estate tycoon/retired general. From within his worldview, the fact that Pakistan had sided with an infidel power against fellow Muslims was an unforgivable sin and this weighed on his conscience (he says as much). Finally it caused him so much heartache that he decided to write this book and get it off his chest. Given that a few years later he went ahead and joined some Islamic warriors and got killed, it seems that writing this book did not assuage his conscience to the extent desired.

The book is worth reading for its picture of army life in the 1970s, its anecdotes about the Zia era and the insider (critical) view of Kargil and the Musharraf era. While one can imagine that the real-life Shahid Aziz must have been a shade more calculating and shrewd than the book implies, my impression is that the book is generally sincere and honest, and therefore is a good window into the mind of a typical “good Muslim, sincere Pakistani” officer. His anecdotes and impressions of Kargil, the 1999 coup and the Musharraf era are revealing not just because of what they tell us about these events but also because they show what pygmies are making these decisions on our behalf and what level of analysis and historical understanding they are working with. The downside is that the book is repetitive and could do with some aggressive editing.

All in all, worth a read.

[Syed Ahmed · Rating 1 out of 5]

A personal egoistic story of an idiot army general who conquered his own country with full pride.Another dark side is, he proudly writes a book about his illegal adventure.Another darkest side is ,people read it and among best seller in pakistani bookshops and widely read in libraries.

[Dil Nawaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

#bookreview

بول کے لب آزاد ہیں تیرے

اس پر پا بندی اسی وجہ سے لگائ گئی کہ ایک میجر اتنا سچ کیسے بول سکتا ہے-
شاہد عزیز کو اس بات پر داد دینی پڑے گی کہ انہوں نے اپنی غلطی اور کوتاہیوں کو کھُل کر بیان کیا ہے۔

مشرف سے محبت کا افسوف ساری زندگی ہوتا رہے گا میجر صاحب کو غلط انسان پر بھروسہ کر بیٹھے- اس کتاب میں بیان کیا گیا ہے کس طرح فوجی قیادت کرپشن کو ختم ہونے ہی نہیں دیتی-

پہلے اچھے اچھے خواب دکھا کر مارشل لاء لگا دیا جاتا ہے کہ حکمران کرپشن کر رہے ہیں پھر خود ہی حکومت میں آکر کرپشن پر “خاموشی” اختیار کر لیتے ہیں-

اس کتاب میں وہ اپنی جوانی پھر فوج میں بھرتی اور محنت کرکے ٹاپ لیول کے میجر بنے اور مشرف کے چند قریبی ساتھیوں میں تھے- کس طرح امریکہ میں کورس کے دوران پاکستانی فوجیوں کی برین واشنگ ہوتی ہے-

کس طرح وہ کینسر جو جنرل ایوب کے دور میں شروع ہوا تھا مشرف کے دور تک پاکستان کو کھا گیا بس اب ڈھانچہ ہی بچا ہے- فوج کے کاروبار کو کُھل کر بیان کیا کس طرح لوگوں کی بیکریاں، پیٹرول پمپس اور زمینوں کے کاروبار کرتے ہیں۔

ڈی ایچ اے، این سی ایل، چینی کرپشن، پیٹرول کرپشن مشرف دور میں ہوئ کچھ اپنے ہی سفارش کرانے نکل پڑتے ہیں۔ سفارش کا نظام فوج کو کمزور کر رہا ہے- حسد، جلن، غلط بیانی بھی فوج میں عروج پر ہے-

ترقیّ کیلئے حکومت کا ساتھ دیا جاتا ہے۔ مشرف نے بھی مارشل لاء اسی غلط فہمی میں لگایا کہ ان کو ہٹا کر کسی اور کو چیف بنایا جا رہا ہے- لیکن مشرف آنے پر مٹھایاں بھی بانٹی گئیں-

شروع میں مشرف نے امریکہ کے ساتھ افغان وار میں نیوٹرل رہنے کی پالیساں بنائیں پر وہ ہاں ہاں کرتے چلے گئے اور حالات پاکستان میں بد سے بد تر ہوتے گئے-

شاید وہ افغان بھائیوں کے خون میں ساتھ ہونے کی سزا تھی یہ غلاط پالیسیوں کا نتجہ نقصان پاکستان کا ہی ہوا-

جو کچھ پچھلے آٹھ ماہ سے ہو رہا ہے اسکی کچھ جھلکیاں بھی ماضی سے ملتی جلتی ہیں- جب آپ پڑھیں گے تو پتا لگ ہی جائے گا کہ ہابندی کیوں لگی اور شاہد عزیز صاحب بھی کئ سالُ سے منظر سے غائب ہیں-

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

[Qadeer Sipra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book for those who are fond of reading novels. I was expecting that it will expose the reality of the "Corrupt Army Personals" and will reveal some hidden facts of Kargil. But the writer seemly frightened of his pension and allowances. I am not doubting his love for the country, he made many sacrifices for our country but as per reader review, I am here to tell the truths.

[Inam Ullah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am unable to download the book.

[Usman Khan · Rating 5 out of 5]

ماشاءاللہ

[Sami · Rating 5 out of 5]

Get a free copy of this book from here

[Usman · Rating 5 out of 5]

M very curious about this book

[Sanawar Ali]

Good and bad

[Fawad Bukhari · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read book for those who want to know what exactly happened from 1999-2007 from kargil to the end of musharaf regime
The blunders of our military shocked me
But shahid aziz sir described every incidence in a utter honest approach

[اسلامی جمہوریہ · Rating 5 out of 5]

http://m.facebook.com/

[Alamgir · Rating 5 out of 5]

ok

[Khalid Nawaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

it will be a good book

[Azeem]

it is goood book

[Afzaal Bhatti]

let me read then comments

[Saurabh Ranjan]

Its correct

[Mohsin Baig · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yeh Khamoshi Kahan Tak

[Junaid Shaikh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice book blown figures upfront from a security professional.

[Shahid · Rating 5 out of 5]

good book

[Muhammad Arshad]

good to know the history