Fasih Bokhari NI(M) HI(M) SI(M) SBt PGAT (Urdu: فصیح بخارى; 8 March 1942[4]: 265 [1] – 24 November 2020) was a Pakistani admiral who served as the Chief of Naval Staff from 1997 to 1999.
He was a well-known pacifist and a prominent political figure as the Chief of Naval Staff from 1997 until his voluntary resignation in 1999, which stemmed from his staunch opposition to the then-Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's instigation of the Kargil War with India, a conflict that Bokhari reportedly saw as an act of inappropriate and uncoordinated aggression from Pakistan and one that subsequently led him into a bitter dispute with Musharraf.
: 372 [12] He led a Platoon that consisted of 80 men and was stationed in Karachi to defend the coastal areas from the advancing Indian Army.
: 150 [3] In 1983–84, Commander Bokhari attended the National Defence University and briefly studied at the Armed Forces War College.
[9] As a naval chief, Admiral Bokhari made numerous attempts to reconstruct the Navy and encouraged his subordinates to be more analytical in their thinking.
: 66 [23] Admiral Bokhari also provided his crucial support for naval base to be established in Balochistan, Pakistan, which was made operationalized on 26 April 1997.
[24] In 1999, Admiral Bokhari oversaw the Hammerhead– 99 as part of a series of conceptual exercises conducted annually by the Navy as a prelude to the Sea Spark.
: 271 [27] On 6 October 1998, Admiral Bokhari invited Chairman joint chiefs General Karamat to deliver the lecture on civil-military relations at the Naval War College where the General Karamat pressed for the idea of reestablishing the official National Security Council that would take on the perennial problem posed to the country, with military having the representation.
[30] About the Indian Navy maneuvering its fleets to Arabian Sea, Admiral Bokhari reportedly marked that: "Pakistan's already badgered economy could be throttled in a war scenario.
[34] After the Kargil debacle and the martial law in 1999, Admiral Bokhari advised Musharraf to resign from the command of the military and it would be the best for him to leave as soon as possible and seek a solution like former army chief General A.W.
[35] Admiral Bokhari, however, maintained in 2002 that his resignation came only after realizing that General Musharraf and Prime Minister Sharif had decided to topple each other and he did not want to be part of these "dirty games".
[7] Admiral Bokhari's revolt saw the meltdown of the civil-military relations between the elected civilian government and the military leaders that eventually led to the military taking over the civilian government by dismissing Prime Minister Sharif on 12 October 1999.: 63 [42] In 2007, Bokhari became the President of the Pakistan Ex Servicemen Association which he remained until 2010 before becoming the Convenor of The Save Pakistan Coalition in 2010.
[44] His appointment was met with the controversy when then-Opposition leader Nisar Ali Khan raised objection to the nomination on technical grounds but was rejected by the President Zardari.
[50] After his famous revolt and resignation, Admiral Bokhari began his political activism aimed towards peace between two countries and showed opposition towards wars.
Admiral Fasih Bokhari, Pakistan's naval chief from 1997 to 1999, was a great proponent of maritime co-operation with India and believed that it would benefit both countries.
"[7] From 2010–2011, Admiral Bokhari wrote column based on defence and strategic strategies for the English-language newspaper, Express Tribune, where he focused on peaceful coexistence with India and balanced relations with the United States and Afghanistan.
[55] In 2002, Admiral Bokhari quoted that: he knew about General Musharraf’s plans to topple [Prime Minister] Nawaz Sharif and did not want to be part of these "Dirty Games".
[35] Admiral Bokhari also noted that a power struggle between an elected Prime Minister and appointed-Chairman joint chiefs ensued and relations were severely damaged after the Kargil war.
: 37–38 [56] Before enforcing the martial law in 1999 against the elected government, Admiral Bokhari noted: "The two men could not work together, both were preparing to take active actions against each other.
[38] In 2011, the News International editorial gave criticism to Bokhari after his appointment as Chairman NAB and opined that "Admiral Bokhari, as CNS, had quietly closed the case against retired Mansurul Haq when the latter was not found guilty but did not take actions against those naval officers who had received kickbacks, including Aftab Shaban Mirani who the Defence Minister involved in the affairs.