“THE truth is out there.” The ominous tagline of the hit science fiction drama The X-Files has taken on a new meaning over the last few days after a former United States Air Force intelligence officer testified before a US Congress subcommittee on Wednesday that the country has been covering up a long-standing programme to retrieve and reverse-engineer alien technologies. Once pooh-poohed by ‘serious’ scientists and experts as a wild conspiracy theory, ufologists had long argued that humankind’s rapid strides in the 20th century are the result of its coming into contact with extraterrestrial life forms. Could it be that they were right all along? The Pentagon has denied Maj David Grusch’s claims, but those who believe will now continue looking for answers with renewed vigour. Most interestingly, Maj Grusch said the US has likely been aware of “non-human” activity since the 1930s and has recovered “nonhuman biologics” from UFO crash sites. Have aliens been living among us all along?

In Pakistan, it is usually a different type of khalai makhlooq that makes the headlines with its shenanigans, but the country is no stranger to haqeeqi aliens as well. There have been reports of at least two UFO sightings in recent years, with an Islamabad man recording a “mysterious bulging triangle” lurking over the capital city in January 2022, and a PIA pilot snapping a “very shiny object” in the sky over Rahim Yar Khan during a Karachi- Lahore flight in January 2021. Have extraterrestrial life forms suddenly started taking an interest in our affairs too? Perhaps one ought not to get carried away with such inquiries. Sceptics have pointed out that while those testifying before the US Congress have made some startling claims, they haven’t backed them up with equally compelling evidence. Perhaps humanity needs to wait a little longer before it is ready to confront ‘the truth’. In the meanwhile, it may be best to put on a tinfoil hat.

Published in Dawn, July 31st, 2023