Ehsanullah’s turning point
While Ehsanullah Ehsan’s capture – if it was not a walk-in – was impressive, his confession was not quite remarkable. Anybody with even newspaper knowledge of the war on terror over the last few years would not have been too impressed by the beans Ehsanullah spilled for the camera. TTP’s flight across the border, its linkages with NDS and RAW, and even its funding and arming sources, has been common knowledge for a while now. Putting the dots together, it seems his star began to wane when the Americans took out Hakeemullah Mehsud in Nov ’13. Fazlullah briefly removed him from the TTP spokesperson position, before reinstating him, and he clearly did not enjoy the same high standing with the new boss.
Since then the bombs and bullets of Zarb-e-Azb, the run across the border, and the new direction of TTP attacks (schools, universities, etc), seemingly, unhinged him further. And then he was either caught or just walked into the embrace of the military. Yet surely, whether or not Fazlullah reduced his standing, he would have brought a treasure trove of information not covered, of course, in the confessional. He’d have told the boots more about the Afghan sanctuary, more ammo dumps, and the enemy’s preferred points of crossing the border, among other things. All this would, no doubt, prove useful as the military operations expand.
And even more important is the question regarding his fate. Will he, like that controversial Punjabi Taliban leader before him, be allowed to walk in exchange for information? Or, like that spy Jadhav, will he be read his rights and paraded before a magistrate en route to a trial? The law will not give the video nearly the same attention that popular media did. And a few, to say the least, have already questioned the rationale of presenting on TV a man who has relished claiming horrendous killing and justifying them for years. Eshanullah’s turning point should mark a similar point for the security establishment and government as well. Only proper trial and appropriate punishment should follow.
