Pak. Lt. Gen. dismissed

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD, AUG. 2 .The Musharraf Government tonight dismissed Lt. Gen. Zia-ud-Din, who was appointed as the Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) by the then Prime Minister, Mr. Nawaz Sharif, in place of Gen. Musharraf hours before the fateful coup on October 12, 1999, from service.

Mr. Sharif had named Lt. Gen. Zia-ud-Din, who was serving as chief of the ISI, as the new COAS after he dismissed Gen. Musharraf from service even as he was on his way back home from Colombo. But Gen. Musharraf managed to retain control over the Army and thwarted the attempt to replace him and even prevent his plane from landing at Karachi.

The chain of events led to the military coup and overthrow of Mr. Sharif as the Prime Minister. The Musharraf regime registered a case against Lt. Gen. Zia-ud-Din and the Military Secretary to Mr. Sharif, Brig. Javed. Disciplinary action has already been taken against the then Military Secretary to Mr. Sharif.

An official statement by the Inter Service Pubic Relations (ISPR) said tonight that Lt. Gen. Zia-ud-Din has been dismissed from service for ``offences prejudicial/detrimental to good order and military discipline''.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : International
Previous : E.U. needs foreign workers but resents their
           success
Next     : UNHCR, Pak.agreement on screening of Afghans