The security agencies and those defending the national borders had egg on their face on May 2. What was subsequently required was to conduct an independent probe and rectify the colossal blunders in intelligence and defence system. The establishment should meanwhile have displayed the courage to tell the truth to the nation
Equally important was to tell the people what was being demanded by the US after the incident. The nation however continues to be fed with disinformation of all sorts, spread through a section of the media with plants and inspired stories. An attempt is on to prove that the US has conceded its transgression and Islamabad now speaks from a position of strength.
Early this week a number of national dailies splashed on their front page the “news” that Sen Kerry had apologised to Pakistan for the American operation in Abbottabad. This happened despite the Senator’s unambiguous statement that he had not come to Pakistan to apologise. Another falsehood that has been spread is that the US had agreed not to launch any unilateral action inside Pakistan in the future. As late as Thursday, Prime Minister Gilani was making the claim. There have been claims through media about the presumed return of 375 US officials including security personnel which have neither been supported by the ISPR nor FO.
The establishment has all along failed to pick up courage to tell the truth to the nation. The ISI’s strategic blunder has made the country a target of criticism by friends and foes alike with the result that special emissaries had to be sent to some of the friendly countries to clarify Islamabad’s position.
What is still not being accepted is that Pakistan has now to talk to the US from a position of extreme weakness. Further, that the establishment has agreed to undertake a number of actions dictated by the US which it has promised to take within a short period of time. Also that its performance is being closely monitored by US officials and that Hillary Clinton will visit the country only after she has received a satisfactory report on Pakistan’s performance.
The weakening of Pakistan’s position can be gauged from its response to the violation of Pakistan’s airspace followed by firing on security personnel by a Nato helicopter. An incident of the sort occurring at the end of last year not only led to strong condemnation by the government but also a stoppage of the Nato supplies through Pakistan that continued till the US officially apologised for the action. This time the matter has been hushed up after a routine flag meeting.
Actions taken by the US indicate that there is no change in its policy towards unilateral action. It still sticks to the position that if Pakistan doesn’t launch operation in North Waziristan. US would continue with the drone strikes. Despite the Parliament’s resolution against the drone attacks, they are being conducted with the same frequency. An attack in fact occurred the day Sen Kerry talked to a select group pf journalists in Islamabad. There has been no respite to them during the week. A more realistic Governor Balochistan has said that no one could stop the US from drone attacks in the province if the Taliban Shura was really operating from there.
Despite inspired stories regarding the wreckage of the stealth helicopter not to be returned and instead used for reverse engineering presumably with the help of China, it was obediently returned when demanded by Sen Kerry.
US special envoy Marc Grossman held talks on Thursday with the President and COAS while CIA Deputy Director accompanying him was closeted with the ISI chief. Only single-liners were issued by the Presidency and ISPR about the talks. Aware of the attempts of misrepresentation by establishment, important US functionaries are increasingly putting forward their views directly through media. Following in the footsteps of Mike Mullen and Sen Kerry, Grossman also gave an interview to a private TV channel.
He made further revelations exposing some of the establishment’s stands. Grossman offered no assurance that there would be no unilateral operations by the US. He also disclosed that no Pakistani authority has ever demanded a formal agreement on the war against terrorism. In an indirect reference to the Haqqani group, Grossman made it clear that not everybody would be reached for reconciliation in Afghanistan and the “terrorism in that country will have to be defeated in the battle field.”
It is time for the establishment to come clean and tell the truth to nation. This is needed to avoid shocks of the type the country got on May 2.
The writer is a former academic and a political analyst.
