How honest is General Hamid Gul, the saviour of Pakistan, the guardian of jihadis and the Taliban?
Varan Bus Service was established with millions of rupees loaned to the daughter and son-in-law of a former ISI chief, General Hameed Gul, now the most right wing spokesman of Islamic fundamentalists of Pakistan. His politics of course started after he had secured the financial and economic interests and for his family, using his General’s uniform as the password.
Here is the story which tells numerous tales of how the Generals would not let any business opportunity slip by. Despite the ideological rhetoric and slogan mongering, facts in this story will shake up readers:
“Situated in and around the federal capital, the Rawalpindi/Islamabad district is politically critical because of its proximity to the heart of all government operations. Last summer the CMKP began to reorganize its wing in the area, placing special emphasis on attracting working class youth to the party ranks.
Among other issues, cadres began efforts to develop political consciousness in workers in the Varan city bus service. These efforts have resulted in increased police surveillance and repression of the party and its supporters. This is how the struggle of CMKP started in the district of Rawalpindi and Islamabad.
Varan city bus service is a private company that provides urban bus transport in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. The company is headed by politically powerful shareholders who enjoy very strong connections with the establishment. Its owner, Uzma Gul, is the daughter of the former Director General of the ISI (Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence Agency), Hameed Gul, who some people might remember as the man who headed the anti-communist campaign in Afghanistan, and as a major patron of all right-wing groups in Pakistan.
In addition, 10 or 11 Army Generals are also shareholders in the company. Using its connections as leverage, Varan has acquired special concessions from the Pakistan Government. For example, it has exclusive public transport rights within the city. No other transport company is allowed to operate within city limits, giving Varan a monopoly over transport in certain areas. This company is so powerful that even the Traffic Police is afraid of challenging its operators over traffic law violations.
[Reference: The Generals' Monopoly Bus Service Faces a Rough Route in Islamabad By M T Butt]
http://www.satribune.com/archives/200502/P1_varan.htm
Source: Asia Times Online: http://forum.atimes.com/post.asp?method=ReplyQuote&REPLY_ID=97106&TOPIC_ID=5700&FORUM_ID=4
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Uzma Gul, daughter of Lt. Gen (R) Hamid Gul, is the CEO of the renowned (or notorious?) urban bus service , Varan Tours, in the twin cities of Rawalpindi-Islamabad.
Born on 16 August 1964 in Quetta, Uzma Gul used to be a very naughty, restless and hyperactive child and the word ‘tomboy’ would best describe her exuberant childhood. She spent her childhood all over Pakistan due to her father’s postings and had to frequently change schools. On this she says “I’m a child from everywhere and yet nowhere”. She has fond memories of her childhood especially the time that she spent on her father’s postings in Jhelum and Multan. Uzma Gul completed her intermediate from CB College Rawalpindi after which she immediately got married to her cousin. During her married life she completed her graduation from Punjab University.
In 1991, Uzma Gul started an intercity bus company by the name of Varan Tours from Sargodha to Rawalpindi. As time passed on she also ventured into the business of import and export, mainly pharmaceuticals, wool and beverages
Uzma Gul (in her own words) draws inspiration from Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Mahatir Mohammad, Hugo Chavez, Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, and her own father.
She enjoys listening to music. Some of her favorites are K.L. Sehgal, Khurshid Begum, Fareeda Khanum, Kanan Bala and Iqbal Bano. Among the new ones, she admires Atif Aslam, Ahmed Jahanzeb and Jal.
She is a good swimmer and fond of water sports. She enjoys watching tennis. Her favourite tennis players are Rafael Nadal, Justine Henin and Maria Sharapova.
She is a pet lover and very fond of cats. She is a passionate environmentalist and has an avid interest in organic farming.
Uzma Gul is the eldest of four. She has two brothers and a sister (late). Her husband was a fighter pilot in the PAF and is now her business partner as well.
Source: http://www.pakistanileaders.com.pk/profilesdetail.php?id=630
PPPP warns against Varan ‘monopoly’
ISLAMABAD Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) threatened nationwide protests on Tuesday if the government continued to allow Varan Tour buses, a private transport company, to monopolise routes in Rawalpindi and Islamabad.
PPPP parliamentarians Raja Pervez Ashraf, Zamurd Khan, Chaudhry Qamaruzza-man Kaira, Sherry Rehman, Farhatullah Babar and Enver Baig alleged at a press conference that the government was favouring the company because it was run by Uzma Gul, daughter of General (r) Hamid Gul.
They said the Constitution barred awarding monopolies to individuals. They also condemned the government for registering two cases under the anti terrorist act against Mr Khan for leading transporters in rallies against the company. They said Mr Khan was accused of burning two Varan buses, but the incident had helped the company because the buses were insured.
They accused the government of pushing hundreds of poor transporters to starvation.
“General Musharraf has taken absolute control of the country whereas Ms Gul has taken full control of transportation in the twin-cities,” said Ms Rehman. “They could not find terrorists in Wana and are now bent upon labelling elected representatives as terrorists,” said Senator Enver Baig. Mr Ashraf said the government was actually using the cases against Mr Khan to press him to switch loyalties. He said cases should instead be registered against those who had deprived transporters of their livelihood by giving benefit to the daughter of a general. Mr Khan claimed he had received several threatening telephone calls since joining the protesting transporters but vowed to continue his struggle for their cause. staff report
Daily Times, Thursday, April 29, 2004
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_29-4-2004_pg7_26
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Hameed Gul’s daughter speaks out!
Writing in daily Pakistan magazine Tanvir Qaiser Shahid revealed that the buses run by ex-ISI chief General Hameed Gul’s daughter Uzma Gul had killed 17 people in the past four years.The bus service called Varan was run on loans taken from Askari Bank. This year in January when a Varan bus killed a student, boys got out of hand and torched 10 Varan buses. Uzma Gul said after that that students should be disallowed motorbikes. According to daily Pakistan, Varan buses owned by the daughter of ex-ISI chief General Hameed Gul have caused a lot of unrest in Rawalpindi and Islamabad where they ply in great strength. After the students burnt ten buses in the wake of an accident, owner Uzma Gul got her service to strike, which led to great discomfort among the commuting citizens. SSP Rawalpindi said that he could not allow Varan to kill ten people in a year, especially as a sub-inspector Ismat Niazi that he had fired for drunkenness was now employed by Uzma as her adviser. Varan tours had 12 legal complaints (parcha) against it in Rawalpindi while Varan had 26 complaints against students.
Uzma Gul the transporter
Daily Pakistan wrote that ex-ISI chief General Hameed Gul’s daughter was a brave transporter owning a fleet of buses that plied from Rawalpindi to Taxila. But she faced a lot of resistance from the administration and other vested interests in the business. Once she was also arrested and put behind bars by military police but her powerful father got her out. She began by running one bus in Sargodha in 1994. Then she became an exporter of medicines to Central Asia. Now she had a fleet in Rawalpindi but her facilities for passengers were minimal and sections set aside for women were too small. According to daily Pakistan, owner of Varan Tours, Uzma Gul got into trouble with corps commander Rawalpindi over the adda of her buses as the area belonged to the army which had acquired it. Not only was the corps commander against her and once shouted at her but DC Rawalpindi Major Ziaul Haq too began harassing her. According to the paper the area she used to park her buses was worth crores of rupees.
Hameed Gul’s acquired land
According to daily Pakistan, although the daughter of the ex-ISI chief Hameed Gul claimed that he had only two squares of land, the paper referred to an investigative report which gave proof that he had acquired 15 squares of land along the Indian border at a time when he was serving as a major. He ousted a number of farmers from their land who then moved the High Court. When the court decided the matter in his favour by the year 1986 he had become corps commander and was well on his way to becoming the ISI chief and many plaintiffs had begun to stand down. The title of the investigative report was: General Hameed Gul nay sainkron aikar arazi kaisay banayi (How did General Hameed Gul acquire hundreds of acres of land). The land was in Shakargarh in three villages called Adha, Auliya and Bhopa.
Source: http://rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=57533&D=2005-02-27&HC=2
Aamir Mugharl’s comments on LUBP old website:
Brigadier (R) Imtiaz ‘Exposes’ General (R) Hamid Gul
http://chagataikhan.blogspot.com/2009/08/brigadier-r-imtiaz-exposes-general-r.html
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s former chief of intelligence Brig. Imtiaz Ahmed (Ret.) has strongly rebuffed the allegations of being the CIA and Israeli agent, which was leveled by Hamid Gul in his interview with Arab News on Sunday. SOURCE: Pakistan’s ex-spy chief rebuffs Gul’s remarks by Azhar Masood I Arab News Tuesday 28 July 2009 (30, Shaban, 1430) http://www.arabnews.com/?page=4§ion=0&article=124933&d=28&m=7&y=2009
In a statement, Brig. Ahmed said that Hamid Gul is a “compulsive liar.” SOURCE: Pakistan’s ex-spy chief rebuffs Gul’s remarks by Azhar Masood I Arab News Tuesday 28 July 2009 (30, Shaban, 1430) http://www.arabnews.com/?page=4§ion=0&article=124933&d=28&m=7&y=2009
He alleged the statement made by Gul reflects his “intellectual and mental bankruptcy” and “innate shallowness.” “Those who know Gul inside out would bear me out, as they know that Gul is the embodiment of opportunism,” he added. “The history of my 17-year career in intelligence is testimony to the fact that I have always fought against the CIA, the Mossad, the RAW (India’s intelligence service), the KGB and other hostile intelligence outfits, at the risk to my life, to defend the sovereignty of my country.” SOURCE: Pakistan’s ex-spy chief rebuffs Gul’s remarks
Azhar Masood I Arab News Tuesday 28 July 2009 (30, Shaban, 1430) http://www.arabnews.com/?page=4§ion=0&article=124933&d=28&m=7&y=2009
Imtiaz vowed to uncover the misdeeds and dreadful professional failure of Gul in the near future. “Gul has forgotten that he begged for a higher position from many rulers including Pervez Musharraf in the past. SOURCE: Pakistan’s ex-spy chief rebuffs Gul’s remarks by Azhar Masood I Arab News Tuesday 28 July 2009 (30, Shaban, 1430) http://www.arabnews.com/?page=4§ion=0&article=124933&d=28&m=7&y=2009
Thank you for posting this
Source pkpolitics
By Time
I am amazed after ‘71 debacle, afghan war, kargill, post 911 mishaps and mismanagements and unconstitutionally ruling this country for over 33 years, generals have nerves to claim intellectual superiority.
If ZAB, BB, NS, AH all depended upon Army for their rise then who is calling the shots? Who is the boss? Where buck stops?
Politicians do not command armed birgades. Army does not rule bcaz of its intellect it’s their gun which dictates. They bear the responsibility of all this mess ‘71, Kargil, Afghan jihad and post 911 mess … all this Jihadi culture is result of GHQ’s 21st century vision.
Hamid Gul is unfortunately my distant relative. Do you have any idea how much money he made during Afghan Jihad when he was DG ISI? Do you ever wonder why his sons Omer and Abdullah are not taking part in Jihad that he preaches day and night?
He is very nice to his wif eand kids and was very close to his mom. He is a family man beyond doubt.
When he was DG ISI and lot of $$$ were pouring in for Afghan Jihad he pulled both his sons from educational institutions elder from Engg. university and younger from mere 11th standard and opened 5 factories for them one after another. He knew the time was short and he won’t get unlimited supply of $$$$ life long so he secured his and his famlies financial future in limited time he had. He didn’t wait for their education to complete.
One of his daughter is running Mehran Bus service company. Few years back they had 200+ mini busses I am not sure what’s the status now. His another daughter was allegdely killed by her husband in Multan who happened to be a junior officer in Army. Hamid Gul did not pursue the case and accepted it as suicide case as narrated by his then son-in-law.
He has no right to give lectures on high moral values and financial corruption of others. I am little surprised why judicary doesn’t take on him? Why don’t they ask him and genrals to justify their means of living and how they became filthy rich. Hamid Gul, Fazl e Haq, Akhter Abdur Rehman are among few genrals who made hell lot of money during Afghan Jihad. Time magazine in late ’80s reported 4 Pakistani genrals as richest military officers in the world and our very own Gen. Gul was among them along with Fazl e Haq and Akhter Abdur Rehman.
I have a simple question for JI and PTI fan club, do you ever wonder why these Jihadi leaders don’t send their sons and daughters to this noble cause? They want financially secured future for their kids and incite poors to fight super powers in the name of religion.
[...] View original here: Hamid Gul, Uzma Gul, Varan Bus Service and the Transport Jihad … [...]
After reading the article by Abdul Nishapuri i have come to the conclusion that Mr. Nishapuri is a totally clueless person who has copy pasted information in his article without verifying its authenticity. Moreover the sources he quotes are not even credible. His claims that the bus service was carrying out some secret agenda such as terrorizing and persecuting the workers of CMKP shows how delusional he really is. I have had the opportunity to closely observe the workings of the company while carrying out a consulting assignment with the company and would like Mr. Nishapuri to prove his claims that 10-11 generals were shareholders in the company. Let me tell Mr. Nishapuri and his esteemed readers that the company worked solely as a transport company with ownership in private hands. Yes it is true that the company had taken loans but not only from Askari Bank but a few other banks as well such as Bank Alfalah, PICIC and all of these loans were repaid with full interest. You will not find a single report which says Varan defaulted on its loans. I seriously doubt the claim that these loans were taken on political grounds as this could be possible with a government owned bank but not with privately owned banks. Moreover, Mr. Nishapuri’s lack of knowledge related to the transport sector is evident from the fact that he claims that Varan was given special concessions like route exclusivity in the twin cities. He is unaware that in Lahore companies like New Khan, Premier, Baloch were also given these concession as this was part of the Punjab Government’s Urban Transport scheme. Under the scheme the buses were to replace wagons and mini-van, which were to be given alternative routes. I am a witness of the professional manner in which the company was run and to quote an example Mrs Uzma Gul was given the best businesswomen of the year award for 2003. How does Mr. Nishapuri explain that? The company closed down and with it my assignment for providing electronic tickets and frequent traveller passes ended, which was the first time any company had introduced such an advanced technology in the transport sector on a fleet of 150 buses. The reason for the closure of the company was the political victimization and propaganda (like the one in this article) which forced the company to halt its operations.
In quoting the press statement of PPP members Raja Pervez Ashraf, Zamurd Khan, Chaudhry Qamaruzza-man Kaira, Sherry Rehman, Farhatullah Babar and Enver Baig, Mr. Nishapuri has failed to mention that Mr. Zamurd ran an extensive campaign to close the bus service in which he succeeded. And despite Benazir’s death and the sympathy vote PPP got, Mr. Zamurd lost the election and his loss was attributed to robbing the people of the bus service on which approximately 200,000 people travelled daily. He has also failed to mention that the other members of PPP are quite dis-reputable and took a stance against Varan in support of their party mate, who was accused of instigating and supporting the arson of Varan buses. In referring to the safety record of Varan, Mr. Nishapuri has failed to state the number of casualties caused by wagons, buses, vans etc which i can safely say run into hundreds. Moreover, Mr. Nishapuri has not compared the safety record of varan to other urban bus services all of which had a much higher casualty rate. In Lahore, New Khan bus service killed 109 people in one year. Traffic Police record shows in 2005, 355 people were killed in Rawalpindi from Wagon accidents alone. I do not hear such a propaganda against them. The only reason police made such a hue and cry about the safety of varan is because the company did not pay them. Bribery to traffic police runs in billions of rupees, imagine if the complaint wagon owners were shifted from main routes and if the alternative service did not service the police treasury, how would the police react?
I would also like to correct Mr. Nishapuri for stating that the General headed the anti-communist campaign. He must know that the General headed the anti-soviet campaign. He has not stated that he is an anti-communist or a supporter of the capitalism. In fact he has advocated for a welfare state which is based on the principles of Islam. There is no doubt that the General is ideologically a supporter of right wing parties but i feel that the basis of this article is Mr. Nishapuri personal bias against the General and not investigative journalism. I would urge Mr. Nishapuri to refrain from stooping to such a low level and from the above mentioned examples i can safely say that the information gathered in this article to support the mud slinging against the General and his daughter is bogus and not credible.
PPPP k kutay ka blog
Closing eyes from reality
Every one in Pakistan hates PPPP and its supporters and leaders.
ZARDARI KUTA
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Why is her daughter out of home & working, coz a womans place is within the four walls of her home, it is not my statement but TALIBANS who Hamid GUl sucks up to.
Aurat Hukmaran Nahin Ho sakti( a woman cannot be a leader) so how this woman in running transport business, shouldnt she be wearing a BLACK BURQA & be submissive to her husband, who can buck up kids out of her, the only kob of a woman!it is not my WISDOM but TALIBANS who Hamid GUl sucks up to.