The Pakistani Spectator

Much have been said, opined and criticized upon ‘Mumbai explosions’. People are going to be sick on reading about and listening on the issue of this planned terrorist attack. No doubt that this episode has left all of us upset with injured and indignant hearts but at the same time the stories of ‘hollow & void’ supremacy of Indian army and security agencies have reached every corner of the world. Especially the incompetence of the Indian intelligence agencies has become a talk of intelligentsia in all political and military circles of the globe. It is Pakistan’s un-seen win though the charged world media does not leave any stone unturned to frighten our beloved country with ‘dire consequences’. No worry it is their trumpet; they will blow the tunes of their own likeness but going unheard and un-attended.

For the last two weeks the Indian government and media are spitting fire on different counts declaring Pakistan as the main culprit and major responsible factor for this tragedy. They have a new version or a different hypothesis every morning clearly indicating that the ruling party of India wants to get score in the next coming election by putting guns on the (weak?) shoulders of Pakistani PPP government. The ‘filmi’ story I firstly heard here was that:

‘The Mumbai attack was a job of ten terrorists who were trained in Pakistan. On 21^st November 2008 these ten terrorists started their journey from Karachi with about 400 rounds and an AK-47 rifle each along with 8 grenades. Next day their other companions got ‘checked-in’ in Taj Mahal Hotel with a lot of ammunition as their luggage. The ten terrorists got hold of an Indian trawler by force, murdered four of the crew by silently cutting their throats and then ordered Captain to take them to Mumbai. When they were seven miles away from Mumbai, the terrorists switched over to three speed boats in groups. Then on 26^th evening the travelers of these three speed boats get down on Taj Hotel, Oberoy Hotel and Nriman House respectively.’

There have been occasions in the recent past in which Pakistan has been targeted through same kind of terrorist attacks but it was good that you never named India responsible for those acts. My own assassination on 27^th December 2007, bomb explosions at Public gathering in F-8 Markaz and on Marriot Hotel of Islamabad, successive attacks on our friend Asfand Yar Wali in CHarsadda, explosions at FIA Office & on Lawyer’s procession at Lahore and so many other such attacks at Bannu, Kohat and in FATA area are the living examples of enemy’s hands to disturb our peaceful atmosphere but I appreciate that neither you nor any of our friends ever pointed out our finger towards India though we had certain evidences to put blame on India’s RAW.

Continuous disturbances in Baluchistan have believed us to lead that the planning, strategic information, funds and ammunition are being supplied to the banned faction of Baluchistan Liberation Front by their Indian friends across borders but we kept calm and quiet.

I tell you dear dari, that India has taken liberty of our compromising attitude. We have totally failed on diplomatic front.

Irresponsible and unwanted press statements and interviews by every Tom and Harry in our cabinet, especially Ch Ahmed Mukhtar, on this sensitive issue has played hovoc. You try to understand, dari, that how much loss we have suffered on this account. Mr Haqqani is also proving himself futile as an Ambassador in US where he should have controlled American press, media and their think tanks by knocking at their doors with the key facts.

Michael Molin, pays a visit to Pakistan every week and holds meetings with you and the Army Chief and then sensational press statements try to demoralize you and our nation. You can try to avoid such frequent meetings with them unless there are fresh developments on the issue. Do they come to threat you every week and you are simply ignoring its consequences.

Kindly pull your Foreign Secretary to play his role and he should ask their counterparts in all the key countries to explain to the respective host governments about the ground realities and India’s aggressive policies in association with the US as his new ally and strategic partner in South east Asia.

In the aftermath of Mumbai episode, the gross mistake on our part was that we in a spur of moment issued orders to disband Jamat e Dawa (JUD) declaring them as Muslim extremists. Our security agencies immediately raided their religious schools and welfare centers and bound their organizers under house arrests. OK, there must be secret reports and hundreds of reasons with your men to order so but it was not the time to do so. It has given India an edge to propagate that these were the extremists who were fighting with them in Kashmir and they are directly or indirectly involved in Mumbai siege also.

Secondly, dear dari, in the process of disbanding JUD activities, your men lacked courage to take decision at their own. They have chosen to shift the onus of this ugly verdict on the shoulders of UN Security Council but as a result, instead of keeping our public on our right side, we have lost our respect in their eyes. The resolution passed by the UN body against Pakistan has very serious connotations and repercussions. We’ve lost confidence of our old and beloved friend China. We lost favours of Indonesia and Libya too who were our trusted allies since independence.

Some body told me the fact that Chinese delegate had himself approached our envoy in the UN that ‘if Pakistan wants to veto this resolution China would stand by it’ but our worthy diplomat consciously avoided to respect the Chinese offer. Moreover our diplomat deliberately remained absent from that UN meeting despite the fact that he was there in another room of the same building. The resolution was passed un-opposed. It is a black dot on our diplomatic history which will have its own consequences in due course.

It may a part of deep conspiracy against Pakistan that at the same moment our security agencies made announcement of arresting culprits allegedly involved in Marriot Hotel explosion. It was stated in a press conference that the arrested culprits belong to already disbanded Lashkar e Tayyaba (LeT), another religious extremist organization. It has also been notified with honour that the vehicle involved in that incident had come from Jhang (a city in central Punjab) one night before the Marriott Hotel blast.

Dear Zardari, you know our Investigation agencies and Police more than anyone else. They have now started playing pure American tunes without re-mixing Pakistani nationalism in those. They perhaps have dropped the core reality from their mind that the same investigation teams have earlier announced a key conclusion in which the involved vehicle was found parked during previous night in the official territory of the Indian Embassy in Islamabad. Instead of asking India to give explanation of this cogent fact our teams have turned around the whole scenario by saying that the vehicle had traveled from Jhang the previous night.

The American CIA used to release its policy-information on South East Asia through Washington Post but now they are benefiting from their deep connections in our M/O Interior, I think. Some people there are openly serving American Interests like former Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz.

Dear Zardari, take a class of key persons there in the M/O Interior that we’ve to think with Pakistani nationalism and not on American lines. They are not going to spend any more on us. The US has once given $10.67 billion in installments to General Musharraf in his tenure of eight years. It was a business deal with him. Now America is openly taking side with India as his strategic partner bound to do so as one signatory. You, dear dari, plan at your own for our people and keep your national interests prime. Our people will not betray you, trust them.

You know why America is playing these cards of blame game through our M/O Interior because the super power has planned to weaken rather eliminate our ISI. Recollect; six months earlier somebody got issued a notification from you that ISI would work under M/O Interior. What happened then; Bare clashes of Interests. M/O Interior had to take back that order within twelve hours. Even now our army is alert. General Kyani is a sensible person and he has smelt the plans being developed behind the curtain. He has already started armored exercises in Pindi, Lahore and other cities. Air Force is with him. Gen Kyani is bent upon winning the people’s support and he will do it. He is successfully washing up the image of Pakistan army which was gradually defaced and spoiled by Gen Musharraf.

Well-argued and forceful voices have also started rising up with a general attitude that PPP’s this era is not different from the Musharraf’s coercive rule. In the opinion of many there is no harm in giving Gen Kyani a chance if Imran Khan leads the government. Imran Khan is intentionally and wittingly being publicized as an honest manager.

Dear Zardari, please do a serious effort to read in between the above lines.

Convey my love to Bilawal, Bakhtawar and Asifa.

Yours to remain

(Benazir Bhutto)

From Heaven

23^rd December 2008

Drafted and communicated through Aal e Hashmat