Finally the Sindh government has felt the need to launch a probe into the terrorist attack on the PNS Mehran. So far, there has been no official word about any investigation except a cursory remark by Rehman Malik soon after the incident that an inquiry body has been constituted which would thoroughly investigate the incident. Nothing was said about the constitution of the body or its terms of reference. Meanwhile, there were unofficial reports of an enquiry committee having been constituted by the Navy and headed by a rear admiral. One strong point of the Navy investigators was that being insiders, they were more knowledgeable about the crime scene than anyone else. Investigating crimes of the type, however, requires specialised training and experience in the employment of modern techniques of discovering and interpreting the evidence which tends to get lost if not immediately preserved by those specialising in crime detection. What is more, the committee has to have a wider vision, enabling its members to interpret the crime in its proper perspective. One wonders if the Navy team really had the necessary expertise. Initially there was a disconcerting discrepancy about the exact number of terrorists. There were also unconfirmed reports of a dispute between the local security staff of the Navy and the Air Force, both sharing the base, about the jurisdiction of the area from which the terrorists had made their entry. A report in the media told about the DCC rejecting the suggestion for a high level commission by the CNS. Speaking of whom, given the magnitude of the failure, he should have at least offered to resign.
Whatever progress has been made over the week is insignificant and of a routine type. Statements of the staff on duty have been recorded. The brands of the weapons and equipment used by the terrorists have been determined. There were reports of five suspects having been arrested. Interesting, but all this takes one nowhere.
Important questions remain unanswered. These involve the state of preparedness at the base, possibility of inside information, the motive behind the selection of Orion aircrafts as target while ignoring other aircrafts and the fuel tank that could have blown up the entire base. Only an independent enquiry by competent officials can answer the questions. What is on trial is the credibility of the government.
