Farooq Ganderbali
That Pakistan’s international isolation on terrorism is near complete is clearly visible. Statements emanating from Islamabad, first from ISPR chief Asim Bajwa and then from Advisor on foreign affairs to the PM, Sartaj Aziz, suggest that Pakistan is getting desperate, like a drowning swimmer, not to drown in its own sorrows. Gen. Bajwa, normally not usually known for his emotional outbursts, claimed recently that the world had left Pakistan alone in its fight against terrorism. Sartaj Aziz on the other hand, spoke of not targeting the jihadis in Pakistan because it would lead to a blowback.
So much for emotional outbursts! The fact of the matter is that Pakistan is living presently in the past and the past has a bad habit of catching up. After all, with the jihadi culture in Pakistan being more a matter of State news, it is but natural that the likes of Hafeez Saeed continue to rant against India and threatening the Pak Government with dire consequences if they did something against him. The JuD leader is certainly a brave cleric for he moves around Pakistan with state protection. Therefore, it is strange that Sartaj Aziz should tell the world that moving against terrorists ‘fast’ would lead to a blowback. Obviously, this would be the case for a nation steeped in skulduggery and black operations.
The skeletons are coming tumbling out of the closet as Pakistan seeks to balance its governance structures. The problem is that it has allowed the radical Islamic elements to take over virtually every aspect of governance, particularly education. Thank god for the military, which remains wedded to the concept of using the jihadis for making them stronger against India. Otherwise it would be possible to visualise a wholly bearded Army where radicalism would be the norm. That was perhaps what Gen. Zia had in mind in the early days of his tenure. That said, one must question the rationale of ISPR chief Bajwa making a political statement at a time when the Prime Minister of Pakistan is recuperating from a heart surgery in London.
Look, it goes without saying that the Army is in control in Pakistan and the average man of the street knows that the real PM is Raheel Sharif and not Nawaz Sharif. Sad but true! One thing leads to another and the old question of a military coup crops up like the devil. Devil be damned, Nawaz would say, give me some breathing space.That is why he went to London for a surgery.
There is a strange kind of silence in Pakistan, one that reflects an impending doom. No way Nawaz is going to go, rather one could say no way Raheel is going to go. That is in November 2016. At that point in time, one will have to see if Raheel will become the ruler of Pakistan or he would prefer to sit in the backseat and do the driving. After all, technology in Pakistan is made by the military and for the military. No jokes, they even drive cars from the backseat!
Returning to the issue of terrorism, it has been said that Pakistan is the ‘cradle’ of global terrorism. Now, one is not suggesting for a moment that dear friend Baghdadi of ISIS fame is a creation of the Pakistan ISI. There are others who can claim credit for that. However, one must remember that many of the fathers and grandfathers of the modern day jihadi were born in the womb of Pak ISI’s. They were the guys who created the Mujahideen in Afghanistan. Then there were others like the LeT and JuD, masquerading as guys who did charity work in Kashmir. Huh! That must be best joke of all times. The tentacles of Pak sponsored terrorism go far and this is evidenced when one reads the testimony of David Headley.
The question one needs to ask is whether the terrorist monster will eat up Pakistan from inside. It is a distinct possibility, for the jihadi genie is now out of the bag and a little out of control. That is precisely why Raheel is acting like a school master with a mission, quite an impossible mission one would argue. As an aside, it might be mentioned that a recent post on twitter saw the Pak military briefing US Senator John McCain. And guess what the banner behind read when the US team was being briefed? “We are in no hurry.” This seems to indicate that the Pak Army is there to stay in North Waziristan. And they are going to bomb the hell out of the empty buildings that dot the landscape and claim that more militants have been killed.
This being the case, the next US administration will have to continue to deal with Raheel Sharif. And this Sharif may well tell the other Sharif to ‘heel’ while he plays the King! ‘Trump’s’ up for Raheel, boys! It is no coincidence that at the time of writing this article news came in that the Suicide bomber who tried to target US consulate in Jeddah recently was identified by the Saudi Interior Ministry as 34-year-old Pakistani national Abdullah Gulzar Khan! Sartaj Aziz, are you listening?
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