Javed Iqbal (admiral)

Vice-Admiral Jawaid Iqbal (Urdu: جاويد اقبال; b. 31 March 1942), HI(m), SBt, is a retired three-star rank admiral in the Pakistan Navy, politician, and a diplomat who served as the Pakistan Ambassador to Tunisia from 1998 until 2004.

He is known for his activism for the civilian control of the military and vehemently opposed the military takeover of the civilian government in 1999. In addition, he is also known for supporting the anti-corruption activism and was once of the presiding leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf for this cause.

Biography
Javaid Iqbal was born in Jalandhar, Punjab in India, on 31 March 1942. He hailed from a Rajput family who emigrated, and settled in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan after the partition of India in 1947.

After his matriculation from a local high school in Lahore in 1961, Iqbal joined the Pakistan Navy and was directed to join the Pakistan Military Academy and was subsequently trained at the Naval Academy in England with the Royal Navy as a surface officer. He gained commissioned in the Pakistan Navy as Sub-Lieutenant in the Executive Branch of the Pakistan Navy in 1964. He participated in the second war with India in 1965 as an officer abroad on a surface warship.

In 1966, he entered into joining the elite Navy Special Service Group and was selected to be trained with the U.S. Navy SEALs in the United States and was trained as a frogman where he learned skills in high-altitude parachuting and scuba diving. In 1971, Lt. Iqbal served in the western front of the third war with India.

After the third war with India in 1971, Lt-Cdr. Iqbal was directed to attend the National Defence University in Islamabad where he attained MSc. in Strategic studies. He later went to the United States and graduated from the Naval War College in the United States. Upon returning, he served on the faculty of the Naval War College in Lahore.

War and command appointments in the Navy
From 1983–86, Cdr. Iqbal was posted with the Pakistan Armed Forces–Middle East where he served as a naval adviser to the Qatari Emiri Navy and later as military adviser to the Qatari government. In 1989, Captain Iqbal assumed the command of the PNS Badr which he commanded until the warship was returned to the United States for its decommissioning. In 1990–91, Captain Iqbal was posted with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and was selected to serve as a naval adviser at the High Commission of Pakistan in New Delhi.

In 1992, Captain Iqbal was promoted as one-star rank admiral, Cdre., and took over the command of the elite Special Services Group Navy, which Cdre. Iqbal commanded until appointed as director naval intelligence in 1992.

Director Naval Intelligence and Agosta scandal
In 1992, Rear-Admiral Iqbal was appointed as Director-General of the Naval Intelligence (DGNI), and began investigating the rumors surrounding the controversial arms deal signed with France as early as 1994–95. Based on an accidental tip and reference received in sting intelligence, R-Adm. Iqbal investigated Captain Z.U. Alvi, the project engineer of the Agosta 90 Bravo class submarine, at the KESW.

During the interrogation, Capt. Alvi unknowingly revealed the information of senior ranking naval officers and admirals being paid through a defence contractor, Zafar Iqbal, who had financial ties with the Bhutto-Zardari family. Using his own contacts, R-Adm. Iqbal then arranged a meeting with Zafar Iqbal, and confided his deputy spy, Cdre. Shahid Ashraf, of his planning of a sting operation. R-Adm. Iqbal eventually met with Zafar Iqbal in Karachi and had convinced Zafar Iqbal to reveal the information of the parties of the money being paid to the public and military officials. Upon hearing the news, Admiral S. M. Khan, the chief of naval staff, applaud his efforts but removed from the director intelligence to be promoted at the command level position in his staff. R-Adm. Iqbal briefed his findings, leads, and investigations to Cdre. Shahid Ashraf who later went to join the deal, further hampering efforts to catch the culprits.

Commenting on this promotion, Javed Iqbal, after retiring from his military service, reportedly said to the news reporters: Adm. Saeed Khan was the real person to take away big chuck of the deal because the deal was implemented in his tenure.

Staff appointment and ambassadorship to Tunisia
R-Adm Iqbal was appointed as the DCNS (Personnel) at the Navy NHQ and was later posted as the Director of the Joint Training (DG Trig.) at the JS HQ in Rawalpindi. In addition, V-Adm. Iqbal also served on a command level, first serving as the Commander of the Karachi Coastal Command and Pakistan Fleet Command from 1994–98.

In 1998, V-Adm. Iqbal decided to take the retirement from the Navy, and was eventually appointed as the Pakistan Ambassador to Tunisia, which he served until 2004.

He continued serving in the Foreign Service despite having the dissenting and opposing view of military takeover of the civilian government by Chairman joint chiefs General Pervez Musharraf in 1999, and was asked to represent the government until the new appointment is confirmed.

Politics with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf
In 2004, Iqbal returned to Pakistan and resided in his home in Lahore, eventually joining the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for the cause of promoting the anti-corruption activism. Through the party platform, he supported the civilian control of the military and writ of the Constitution in the country.

In 2011, he criticized the Pakistan military's failure of locating the nature of the real estate in Abbottabad where the United States eventually conducted an operation to hunt down Osama bin Laden.

At one occasion, he was once the vice-chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) but resigned from his position as well as leaving the party in protest when Khurshid Kasuri, the politician with views towards supporting Pervez Musharraf, joined the party in his place.

He is currently residing in Lahore, and had voiced to support the trial against Pervez Musharraf for illegally overtaking the civilian government in 1999. He also called for opening the parliamentary commission on investigating the Kargil incursion and introspection in the causes of the Karil misadventure.