The Pakistani Spectator

The Pakistan government is in a tizzy. After days of denial, and emphatically stating that no Pakistani national was involved in the last month’s bloody terror attack in Mumbai (Bombay), its National security adviser Mahmud Durrani made a dramatic announcement on Wednesday.

Durrani said that Ajmal Kasab, the lone survivor among the Mumbai attackers (who is in the Indian police custody), is a Pakistani national.

However, this public admission cost Mr Durrani his job the same day!!! This means that a serious battle is on within the Pakistani establishment.

Now with the present US administration, under President George W. Bush, packing its bags (and Obama administration poised to take over) one section in Pakistan has got a boost and the other elements are gasping in the absence of oxygen that they were accustomed to from the White House and Langley, Virginia. It was the same scenario at the end of the Reagan administration when this tug of war witnessed the death of the then president Zia-ul-Haq.

“The Pakistan foreign office initially expressed lack of knowledge (about Durrani’s revelation) but later confirmed the report, but declined to give details confining itself to remarks that investigation is continuing,” reports Afzal Khan, The Tribune’s correspondent in Islamabad.

“Pakistan federal information minister Sherry Rehman in a text message to AP also said an investigation had revealed that the lone-surviving Mumbai gunman is a Pakistani citizen, as India had alleged. Earlier, Durrani had also confirmed that interrogation of at least two individuals, Zarar Hussain and Lakhvi had established that they had links with the attackers.

“(An angry) Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani Wednesday sacked National Security Adviser Mahmud Ali Durrani, apparently for revealing matters relating to Pakistani investigation on Mumbai attacks without taking the Prime Minister into confidence.

“An official notification said the Prime Minister has removed Durrani but gave no reasons. However, talking to (Pakistani TV channel) Geo News late in the evening here, Prime Minister Gilani said Durrani had given a statement to an Indian news channel regarding Ajmal Kasab without taking him into confidence.

“The Prime Minister, who spoke in an angry tone, said Durrani’s statement had tarnished the country’s image. Asked to confirm the report, Durrani told the channel that he had yet not received orders of his removal. ‘The Prime Minister might have issued verbal directive,’ he added.

“Informed sources said Durrani had been speaking to President Asif Zardari and must have consulted him on leakages about such vital information. Analysts said the dramatic decision also reflected persistent reports about differences between the President and the Prime Minister.”

“Durrani, a retired major general, served under Gen Musharraf as Pakistan’s ambassador to the USA. He was named as national security adviser to the Prime Minister soon after Gilani took oath.

“The common perception at the moment was that the USA had manipulated the appointment, while Durrani acted as a strategic bridge between the new government and the USA.

“Durrani was general officer commanding (GOC) when military ruler Gen Ziaul Haq’s plane crashed on August 17, 1988, minutes after it took off from Bahawalpur airport. It also carried crates of mangoes gifted by Durrani to Gen Zia. Durrani remained subject of many conspiracy theories after the crash.” (More here…)

The incoming Barack Obama administration would be aware of the challeneges ahead. There is a whole lot of mess created by previous US administrations that needs spring-cleaning. For the international community it is a good news that the new CIA incumbent chief in not an old CIA hand.