Dear Readers,
The killing of Osama Bin Laden in Abbottabad on May 2, 2011 by a raiding party of US Navy Seals who flew in undetected in stealth helicopters, accomplished their mission and flew out, has left many red faces in Pakistan. Pakistan was not informed about the mission for ‘security reasons’; it was only after the operation that President Obama informed President Zardari about what had transpired in Abbottabad. Since then Pak-US relations have become far more strained, especially the relations between the ISI and the CIA that is key to the US fight against Al Qaeda and the Taliban. Pakistan’s embarrassment was huge considering that Osama Bin Laden was residing in Abbottabad since the last six years in a mainly garrison town; this has eroded the credibility of our intelligence agencies and other law enforcement agencies. While the US has started asking some very tough questions of Pakistan, it has also stepped up efforts to smooth over the crisis and restore relations back to normal. After all, Pakistan’s role in the war against terrorism is vital. A vital question still remains unanswered i.e. did anyone in Pakistan actually know Bin Laden was residing in Pakistan? While there are no clear indications yet, Defence Secretary Robert Gates told a Press Conference on May 18 that “somebody” in Pakistan knew Osama bin Laden was hiding in the country but there was no proof that Islamabad leaders were aware. Why don’t the US release the evidence from the computer discs, hard drives taken during the Bin Laden rand? Why don’t they tell us who among Pakistanis was involved, officially or unofficially? Don’t we have a right to know (and prosecute) those who were accessories to the murder of 40000 of our soldiers, policemen and common citizens, the old, women and children included? Crucially, Bin Laden’s killing has come at a time when authoritarian Islamic regimes are being challenged across the Arab and Muslim world, peacefully one might add in some of the most dramatic cases e.g. Tunisia thus giving lie to the ideology of violence and death that Al Qaeda represents. This in turn imposes pressure on Al Qaeda’s successor leadership to demonstrate its capabilities through dramatic, potentially catastrophic acts of terrorism, since these alone can possibly reverse what may appear, at present, to be an irreversible decline. While the world’s most wanted terrorist may be dead, the threat from the Al Qaeda and its affiliates/franchises is very much alive; the entire world must remain on guard, Pakistan more than any other country. For the benefit of readers I am re-producing my article “DEFENDING THE IMPOSSIBLE”.
Adored by the Pakistani masses, the Armed Forces faced widespread public outcry and humiliation over, viz (1) Osama Bin Laden’s presence near a supposedly secure area in Pakistan for nearly six years and (2) failing to interdict the heliborne US raiding party. The military hierarchy did the correct thing by presenting themselves in a Joint Session of the National Assembly and the Senate for hostile questioning by a rampant lot of “elected” representatives riding the crest of aroused public opinion. Having been denied their place in the sun by extended periods of military rule in the last 64 years, the inquisitors were beside themselves relishing the opportunity, not only for political grandstanding but to subject the uniform to public humiliation. Friday May 13, 2011 was billed by the politicians as the day that the Pakistan Army would be brought to permanent heel by being held “accountable to the nation”.
Director General (DG) Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha took the hot seat on behalf of the military. In the circumstances, he acquitted himself well above and beyond the call of expectation. Instead of trying to defend the impossible, Shuja nonplussed the attacking wolfpack right at the outset by acknowledging that mistakes had been made, accepting full responsibility he offered to resign. One does not remember any other senior military officer, except incidentally for the much vilified Gen A M Yahya Khan (in his affidavit before the Hamoodur Rahman Commission), to have ever accepted responsibility and subject himself voluntarily to accountability, Shuja Pasha did both. In doing so he did himself proud, more importantly he did all soldiers, serving and retired, proud of the uniform. Shuja Pasha managed to redeem, from the abysmal low it had sunk to, quite some respect back for the Army. Except for those who have motivation and vested interest to be detractors, a 180º turnaround was apparent soon after details of the Joint Session filtered out. Paraphrasing Mark Twain, the politicians’ aspirations for the demise and eclipse of the Pakistan Army and the ISI were greatly diminished. Contrary to the crafted political script, the military remains a potent force in Pakistan’s political life.
A reality check in the cold light of reason. No doubt it was massive intelligence failure, however the blame must be somewhat equally apportioned between the civilian and military establishments. Civilian neighbourhoods fall under the domain of civil administration, comprising also, but not limited to, Municipalities, Union Councils, Police Stations, etc. The house that Osama Bin Laden was not cantonment area as is the widely held public perception but a civilian residential area under the purview of the local police station (Thana). The Station House Officer (SHO) of every Thana has a number of undercover agents whose job is to mingle with the population and check out the neighbourhood for anything potentially affecting law and good order. Outside visitors purchasing and/or renting out premises are particularly screened. The job description of the Federally-controlled Intelligence Bureau (IB) is also to ferret out terrorists, the KPK Provincial Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on their part failed to spot the alien visitors as did the Special Branch and the Anti-Violent Crime Units. Did the inmates of the three-storey villa pay taxes? And not confined to income tax but a whole range of local govt and municipal taxes? Was this house and its inmates ever subjected to “house to house census” scrutiny? It is not uncommon for rich rural citizens in Pakistan to have houses in towns and cities in proximity to the villages where they own farmland, similarly overseas Pakistanis also own property in many affluent urban areas, many outsiders have residences for use during the summer season in areas like Abbottabad where the weather is not so warm. While Bin Laden’s kidneys needing dialysis periodically may or may not be true, what about normal physician cover and medication thereof for the inmates of the house, including several women and many children? Did they never fall sick?
Where did they get the National Identification Cards (NIC) for obtaining and maintaining water, gas and electricity connections, including even acquiring mobile phones? Contrary to media reports about his “luxurious” mansion, the Bin Laden home was not in mint condition, what about periodical repairs and maintenance concern to residential living? The huge failure across the board has been conveniently dumped upon the Army, why are not a whole range of the civilian bureaucracy not being held accountable and/or accepting responsibility? And what about the politicians of the area, how come they never sought votes from the inhabitants of the nearly secluded villa?
There was a “reverse swing” to the Parliamentary inquisition, Contrary to the well-planned humiliation of the uniform, the “elected”, albeit with 44% bogus votes, found soon after the Joint Session that they were not in sync with those (the 56% genuine voters) they “represented”. The Pakistani populace may have been demoralized and disappointed because of May 2, they still believe in their soldiers, right or wrong. The frustration displayed by Mian Nawaz Sharif was more pathetic, he declared India was not an “enemy”. To me it is shocking that he allowed his anger against Musharraf and his cronies to overcome his patriotism, in trying to fan animosity against the Army he has stooped to a new political low. Mian Sahib probably thinks that the 80% of the Indian Armed Forces (four times our strength) located and/or deployed near our borders are there for sightseeing! This popular leader is increasingly out of sync with reality, he hatred has warped his rational thinking. Any sane, peace loving citizen of South Asia would certainly like to have India as a friend. However it will take some doing to “cold start” our sworn enemy somehow into a friend.
Let us give credit to the Americans. Violating the sovereignty of an “allied” country, their elite commandos risked a firefight in a violent raid deep in our heartland, not counting the possibility of an aerial skirmish stealth with combat aircraft positioned overhead in Pakistani airspace to interdict the scrambling of PAF interceptors. Single-mindedly they did what they had to in order to accomplish their stated objective. That is the exact model Pakistan must emulate, to achieve one’s national interest there must be a no-holds barred attitude, taking calculated risk including even violating international laws at will to ensure (and justify) that the intent and objectives of the nation are always paramount, no matter what the consequences.
The Pakistan Army and the ISI are crucial to the nation’s existence, those who want to harm us must first target them successfully. The post May 2 humiliation of our defense establishment led to mass anger and depression, this was jumped upon by Pakistan’s enemies, unfortunately they were joined by a section of our elite who should know better. Instead of defending the nation, the military was forced into the most unusual position of having to defend itself from the nation. Thankfully, vilification of our soldiers remains unacceptable to the broad mass of the populace, who well know that if we are to survive as an independent entity, the uniform remains the only real guarantors of our freedom.
M. Ikram Sehgal
