0
WHAT else but the Mumbai outrage! The fact that India`s intelligence, its navy, its coast guard, its marine police, the Mumbai police and every single body that is on ground and at sea for the protection of India`s commercial heart failed all ends up in detecting (many) more than 10 terrorists, armed to the teeth and more, is very bad indeed.
If it is even partially true that the attackers were trained in Pakistan, Mangla Dam being one of the alleged training areas, and sailed from Karachi, armed to the teeth and more, after giving the slip to our Karachi police, coast guard, navy and the umpteen intelligence agencies that are the bane of ordinary Pakistanis` lives, it is even worse.
Amid all of this shemozzle, we Indians and Pakistanis must understand, both countries show off their nuclear prowess by firing missiles ever so often as if the bum (bomb) was the be-all and end-all of everything, that the lives of our respective citizens were secure merely because we each had not one but several bums, India many more than Pakistan.
Amid all of this, many Pakistanis with family and friends in India, many of whom live in or travel to Mumbai several times each week, many of whom stay at the Taj, were shattered at there being no news from them for two, even three days. Like I was.
Amid all of this the Indian prime minister for whom I have the greatest regard and respect — for his intellect and simplicity of manner and humility — made an impossible demand of Pakistan before even preliminary investigations into the attacks had been completed. The loud demand was to send the chief of the ISI to Delhi to help in the investigations because there were indications already that the attackers came from Pakistan.
Incredibly and unbelievably our geniuses, the ill-spoken Yusuf Raza Gilani and the president himself, hastily agreed; and immediately announced to the world that the DG ISI would soon be travelling to Delhi, in the words of the prime minister “because we have nothing to hide”.
But the DG ISI is only a department head; why should he have visited Delhi? Far better to have said to the Indians that while Pakistan was ready to provide all help (which could include bilateral visits at several levels) in investigating the horror that was Mumbai, it would wait for some solid proof from the Indian side that the attack was launched from Pakistan`s soil. Or by a terrorist organisation based in Pakistan.
If any official had to go to Delhi, why not National Security Adviser Maj Gen Mahmud `The Charmer` Durrani whose Indian and American friends in high places are legion, as are his charm techniques? National security is his remit too.
Predictably, first the DG of the ISPR raised his eyebrows at the announcement from the Prime Minister House, and then came the missive from GHQ that not the DG ISI but a “representative” of the ISI would visit Delhi once “formalities” were over, and so on and so forth. The result was that alongside the news announcing the visit of the DG there was a `box` containing the clarification.
Whilst this proves the point that the army chief runs the ISI and not the PM, the fact remains that the Indian demand should not have been acceded to with so much alacrity, and haste bordering on near panic. None of which means that Pakistan should not cleanse itself of the monsters in its midst. Which, be as it may, is the second time that the elected government has been forced to make a humiliating U-turn on matters ISI by its praetorian overlords — for what else are they? The first time, of course, while trying to hand it over to Rehman Malik (I ask you!).
Far easier for the PM to have insisted then that the civilian government`s nominee would head the ISI, and not someone forced upon it by the army. It could also have insisted that this time around it would be an officer from the navy or air force or indeed from the civilian intelligence apparatus.
But no, every time entirely the wrong moves have been made by the government, many commentators heaping scorn upon it for its naiveté in not knowing how to deal with the `other stakeholders`. That is, the military (read army) bureaucracy. Which position I reject. The people are stakeholders in a democracy, and their elected leaders rule in their name. There is a proviso though. And that is that politicians (aka `bloody civilians`) stand as one against military (read army) machinations.
How comfortably ensconced the PPP government at the centre would be if it had not alienated the PML-N by breaking its word repeatedly, how perfectly secure the PM would have felt when he ordered that the ISI be placed under civilian command with the PML-N sitting on the government benches!
Which quickly brings us to the situation obtaining in the Punjab where a rampant governor, apparently egged on by the centre (though Asif Zardari says he is being egged on by Taseer!), is doing his all to undermine the government, allowing `Barrakk Chowk` to be festooned with strident and dangerous slogans.
Last week I had said that the destabilisation of the Punjab government would be to the sole detriment of the PPP and got a number of questioning emails. Let me explain why it would redound on the PPP the government of Punjab works and the people know it works.
There is time even now for Asif Zardari to make a fresh (and honest) compact with Nawaz Sharif by announcing the immediate scrapping of the 17th Amendment and restoring the pre-Nov 3, 2007 judiciary. Otherwise, the `other stakeholders` will bide their time and strike, to the utter detriment of the country, particularly of the PPP.
In the end, let me condemn with all the force at my command what happened in Mumbai. Let me confess too, that whilst I was saddened by the death of every single innocent killed there, Hemant Karkare`s death moved me the most.
He was the fearless and outstanding head of the ATS which was investigating the Malegaon and Samjhauta Express bombings and, in the teeth of severe criticism by the BJP, had arrested several far right Hinduists, including a serving colonel of the Indian army. My heart went out to the young lad, possibly his son, who was shown taking part in Mr Karkare`s last rites. RIP, sir.n
