The killing of OBL inside Pakistan has brought to fore some stark realities. First the invasion of airspace, then the landing of American boots on Pakistan soil, any doubts about the role that Pakistan has in its relationship with its favorite ally have been removed. The presence of a highest value target 10 minutes from a major military base rings alarms for internal security. And support rallies complete with an absentee funeral provide terrifying insight into how far the extremist ideologies have been woven into the society’s fabric polity, military and civil society: before demanding answers from the US, seems like we need to direct a lot of the questions to ourselves, and each other.
Honestly, it does not really matter if OBL was killed on the 1st of May. At least not for Pakistan. He had no role in al-Qaeda operations any more. He was an ailing man who only symbolised terror and extremism. What should matter to Pakistan is that its territory was invaded by foreign forces. First by Osama, and then by Obama…and both went undetected, or so they say.
So it does not matter if the military operation was real, or a staged act. If the former is true, Pakistan showed alienation, compliance and a complete disregard for future consequences. If the latter is true, one can add stupidity to that list. A nation that has lost more than 30,000 lives in this war deserved the truth.
Obama will win the next election, but Pakistani establishment just lost the last vestiges of the little credibility it had remaining. The WikiLeaks revelation that Zardari had two and a half years before given the Americans assurance of unilaterally intrude and act on Pakistani soil. Their meetings with General Kayani also revealed in these WikiLeaks shed light on the double-dealing going on on both sides. While the Americans decide on what information they want to release and what they want to hold back, Pakistanis wonder: in this war between Osama and Obama, at what point did they lose their country?
ESCHMALL SARDAR
Peshawar
