Leading columnist and defence analyst Ikram Sehgal on Wednesday expressed dissatisfaction over the appointment of Justice (r) Fakharuddin G Ebrahim as chief election commissioner, saying he had regards for the retired judge but had some concerns over his age.
Speaking at the launching ceremony of his book, Escape from Oblivion, The Story of a Pakistani Prisoner of War in India, Sehgal said he had regards for the newly-appointed CE but had questions about how would he check the rigging in the corrupt system as the last elections were also rigged. Talking about the Pakistan Army, he said, “the Pakistan Army is a blessed army… but in some cases undeserving generals were made chiefs,” he said.
Sehgal, a Pakistan army officer, was taken a prisoner of War in India after being handed over to the Indian army following the 1971 rebellion in the then East Pakistan. Sehgal escaped on the hundredth day of his captivity, becoming the first ever Pakistani army officer to successfully escape from an Indian POW camp. Compiled from the original notes jotted down by the author during the period of his debriefing on return to Pakistan, the book provides an insider’s account of conditions under Indian custody. It is a gripping tale of an individual’s courage, of disparate friendships made in adverse circumstances, and of the will to survive. In his concluding remarks, Sehgal said, “Such men who fight against all the odds of war are to be eulogised for what they believe in, even if their views and aspirations thereof are contrary to each other.”
The speakers present at the launch included Lt Gen Ali Kuli Khan, Brig Muhammad Taj, PML-N leader Sartaj Aziz, and Air Marshal (r) Asghar Khan. The speakers were of the view that Sehgal’s efforts in escaping from Indian custody were a tribute to his loyalty to his country and to the courage of his convictions. “Ikram has made three careers for himself. That of a brave army officer, a successful business man and an influential writer, who has excellent command on defence and security issues,” said Lt Gen Ali Kuli Khan. Air Marshal Asghar Khan said the Pakistan Army should have no role in the elections, adding that every election since 1975 had been rigged.
