Pakistani General Jawad Nasser
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General Javed Nasir, the Pakistani officer who tipped the balance of power in the Bosnian War.
The man whose name is linked to one of the most sensitive phases of the Bosnian War (1992–1995).
During that period, while Bosnian Muslims were subjected to siege, starvation, and attacks, under the watchful eyes of the world, a UN arms embargo was imposed on all parties, which many considered unfair to the besieged side.
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According to British historian Mark Curtis, Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), under the leadership of Javed Nasir, managed a secret program to coordinate supplies, including the transfer of advanced military equipment and anti-tank weapons to Bosnia, backed by significant financial support.
This move helped shift the balance of power on the ground, leading to successive victories for the Bosnian Army and ultimately breaking the siege. This prompted the other parties (Serbs and Croats) to call for a ceasefire when they realized the war was no longer in their favor, leading them to sit at the negotiating table and sign a peace agreement that ended the conflict.
In July 1995, during a meeting of Islamic countries in Geneva, Pakistan declared the arms embargo imposed on Bosnian Muslims “illegal.” Then-Pakistani President Farooq Leghari stated that a policy of appeasing the Serbian aggressors would not achieve stability.
Later, Pakistan became the fourth-largest contributor of UN peacekeeping forces in Bosnia and Herzegovina, pledging to keep its troops there to protect civilians, at a time when some European countries were considering withdrawing their forces under the pretext of safeguarding their soldiers’ safety.
In 2011, Javed Nasir’s name was brought up in legal proceedings before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) regarding his support for the Bosnian Army during the war. However, the Pakistani government refused to hand him over, citing his health condition.
Javed Nasir passed away in Lahore on October 16, 2024, at the age of 87.
May Allah have mercy on him and grant him a spacious place in Paradise.
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