October 12, 1999: Inside the military takeover tha...

Summary

• Pakistan’s military takeover on October 12, 1999, brought an abrupt end to the elected government of then-prime minister Nawaz Sharif and marked another major turning point in the country’s political history.
• How the takeover unfolded On October 12, 1999, tensions between the prime minister and the army chief reached a decisive point when Nawaz Sharif moved to remove Musharraf and appoint then-Inter-Services Intelligence chief General Ziauddin Butt as the new army chief.
• More than two decades after the 1999 takeover, civilian supremacy and military involvement in politics remain central themes in Pakistan’s political debate.

AI Generated Summary

Pakistan’s military takeover on October 12, 1999, brought an abrupt end to the elected government of then-prime minister Nawaz Sharif and marked another major turning point in the country’s political history. However, some senior members of Sharif’s government later claimed that they had received indications weeks earlier that army chief General Pervez Musharraf was preparing to take control.

Former information minister and senior cabinet member Mushahid Hussain Syed recalled an incident from September 14, 1999, when Nawaz Sharif travelled to Skardu with several ministers and government officials. General Musharraf and senior military officers were present to receive the prime minister.

According to Mushahid Hussain, the visit included a gathering in the evening where participants listened to and sang old songs. During the event, Musharraf and other military officers reportedly raised slogans in support of Nawaz Sharif. However, Mushahid noticed that Lieutenant General Mahmood, the Rawalpindi corps commander whose command also covered the Northern Areas, was absent.

When Mushahid asked Musharraf about the corps commander, he was told that Mahmood could not attend because of other commitments in Rawalpindi. Mushahid later interpreted the absence as a possible indication that contingency plans were already in place for a military takeover. He claimed that if events in Skardu had gone against Musharraf, an alternative plan could have involved a rebellion from Rawalpindi.

Mushahid also recalled that changes were made to the guard at the Prime Minister’s House during September. The commander of the army’s 111 Brigade, which has historically played a prominent role in security operations in the capital, was also replaced. He further alleged that military-linked personnel had approached some political and social activists, including lawyers and human rights workers, in late August and early September. According to him, they suggested that the government would soon fall and asked whether the activists would consider serving as ministers in a new administration.

Mushahid maintained that preparations were under way on both sides and that the central question was who would make the first move. Musharraf, however, consistently rejected the claim that he had planned the removal of Nawaz Sharif in advance. He maintained that the army had acted as an institution in response to what it considered an unfair and non-transparent attempt to dismiss its chief.

How the takeover unfolded

On October 12, 1999, tensions between the prime minister and the army chief reached a decisive point when Nawaz Sharif moved to remove Musharraf and appoint then-Inter-Services Intelligence chief General Ziauddin Butt as the new army chief.