Peshawar tragedy and Benazirs assassination: Wages of appeasement - II Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul Haq It was Washingtons renewed interest in Asif Ali Zardari and Rehman Malik and not Benazir that forced Musharraf—once a close ally of Bush—to offer firm opposition to US Late Neo-colonialism to ravage Pakistan. According to Dr Sachithanandam, politically challenged Pakistani liberals — a motley crowd that includes members of human rights and civil liberties organisations, journalists, analysts, lawyers and assorted professionals—were utterly incapable of comprehending the geo-strategic context in which Musharraf manoeuvred to defend Pakistans interest. So they slandered him an American puppet, alleging he caved in to US pressure and withdrew support to the Afghan Taliban regime in the wake of 9/11 although in fact he removed one excuse for the Bush Administration to bomb Pakistan into stone age, as a senior State Department official had threatened. Later, the same forces wanted to punish Musharraf using Nawaz as tool as Zia was used to hang Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. As part of New Great Game, they keep on creating puppets and dumping them; they invent and slay enemies-Inventing and slaying enemies, Business Recorder, May 16, 2009. Musharraf, an insider of the New Great Game, returned to Pakistan on 24 March 2013 after nearly four years of self-imposed exile to contest elections despite the possibility of arrest and death threats from Taliban. His agenda included restoring economy and countering Jihadi outfits, without realising that the militants openly expressed confidence in Nawaz Sharif and JI, as desired by their masters in Washington and elsewhere asking to oppose him tooth and nail. The question that continuously perplexes many is why Benazir decided to join hands with Musharraf. The answer is simple: to counter militants supported by certain vested interests inside and outside the country. American discomfort with Musharraf was palpable by late 2003, after he dodged committing Pakistani troops to prop up the Anglo-American invasion of Iraq. When he offered to cooperate under the auspices of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), naïve Pakistani media and analysts lunged for his jugular, condemning him once again for succumbing to US demands. In fact he nimbly side-stepped American demands: he calculated that diverse ideological stances of the 57 Muslim member countries would not allow the OIC to jointly initiate such controversial action and therefore Pakistans participation could not arise, which proved correct. Benazir was fully aware of the fact that Bush Administration had been becoming increasingly hostile to Musharrafs determination to prioritise Pakistans interests when steering the ship of the state through the choppy waters of the unfolding New Great Game, which the West — led by the US - has been manoeuvring to contain growing Russian and Chinese influences in Central and West Asia. She decided to work with Musharraf, precisely for resisting this agenda of Pakistan—hostile forces. She became the prime target of these forces and was eliminated. Since then all events prove that under the chosen political leadership (PML-N, PPP, PTI & JI), Pakistan is moving towards complete disaster. Like his predecessor, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Interior Minister, keeps on reminding us of his dedication to fight terrorists but there has been no concrete effort till today as was the case in the five years of PPP to contain them, let alone uprooting networks by cutting their financial supports from inside and outside. The shocking attack of 16 December 2014 testifies to the failure of the entire State apparatus. First, it was the threat of Soviet/communism card. Then it was the al Qaeda card. USA is now pulling out a new one: The ISIS card. Those who need proof must read why Maulana Fazlullah (Mullah Radio), ex-son-in-law of Maulana Sufi Muhammad, who had founded Tehreek-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi (TNSM), in Swat, announced allegiance with Daesh-ISIS. In Afghanistan, US-backed, ISAF-trained, National Directorate of Security and Indian RAW helped Fazlullah and his men to settle down in Kunar and Nuristan and extended them all sorts of facilities to launch cross-border attacks. By April 2011, Mullah Fazlullah started sending his barbarian, well-trained militants into Pakistan who attacked targets in Bajaur, Mohmand and Dir in their bid to clear their way to re-enter Swat through Dir. Subsequently, targets in Chitral were also hit. Despite Pakistans strong protests, Afghanistan took no measure to bridle Fazlullah and other absconding militant leaders like Faqir Muhammad and Khalid Khurasani who had fled from Bajaur and Mohmand Agencies respectively. In the aftermath of Peshawar school carnage, Pakistans Chief of Army Staff, General Raheel Sharif rushed to Afghanistan asking for firm action against Fazlullah and his men. It is no more a secret that when our troops at Bajaur, Mohmand and Chitral countered Fazlullahs onslaught from Afghanistan, Nato helicopters came to rescue the infiltrators on the night of 26th November, 2011-the tragic incident of military post at Salala. On 22nd June 2013, Fazlullahs special squad kidnapped 17 soldiers and beheaded them. Fazlullah proudly claimed that his men had killed Major General Sanaullah Niazi and two others on 15th September 2013 at a time when peace talks were under way. In the aftermath of these events, General Raheel Sharif, who assumed the charge of armed forces on 27th November 2013, was faced with mounting pressure from his institution and outside world to launch a much-delayed action in North Waziristan and elsewhere against the safe sanctuaries of militants. On his initiative and with the approval of Prime Minister Operation Zarb-e-Azb was launched that has so far displaced nearly a million people. The success of this operation to uproot militancy and terrorism can only be assessed once it is completed. Analysts, however, are casting doubt about its effectiveness to counter militancy and religious fanaticism in the aftermath of wanton attack on Army Public School. Through its proxies like TTP, USA has successfully engaged Pakistan army, the worlds sixth largest, in military operations that take toll of human beings, bleed the country financially and create ideological divisions in society. The only Muslim nuclear-state is now in deep troubles and battling to survive. According to military sources, since the start of Zarb-e-Azb more than 2,500 terrorists have been killed or captured. Caches of arms and explosives in big quantities have been seized. It must be remembered that huge population is displaced and not properly looked after in the wake of this and many other operations where Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) still complain of victims of militancy and neglect. Pakistan has suffered military and civilian casualties in thousands and cost to counter terrorism has amounted to over US $150 billion during the last ten years. We could have easily developed the areas that are hub of these militants and create rapid anti-counter squads to trace and kill them. Approach of our civil and military leadership to tackle militancy and religious fanatics is flawed. Pakistan is one of the worst hit countries by terrorism and money laundering. There is sufficient evidence that militant groups working against the security and stability of the state generate huge funds through organised criminal activities and also get huge donations from sympathisers in and outside Pakistan. The fundamental questions relating to terrorism and money laundering are: -- Where do these terrorists get so much money from? -- Why are the governments not serious in cracking down on unlawful transfer of funds? -- If banking channels are used, then why the remitters and recipients cannot be traced? -- If hawala and hundi system is used for unlawful cross-border transfer of funds, why persons engaged in these unlawful activities are not arrested and punished? -- Who are financing these terrorist networks? -- Who provides these terrorists with sophisticated arms and military training? It is a well-established fact that the terrorist networks get millions of dollars every year from various sources-using cover-up entities. Militant groups in Afghanistan, Pakistan and elsewhere in the garb of ideology are engaged in criminal activities; from smuggling to kidnappings, narco trade to arms deals. They are also fascist in their outlook aspiring to control the entire world by power-religion is just a ploy to achieve nefarious designs. Terrorism is their main tool to achieve monetary gains. Terrorism, like fascism is a self-destructive ideology. To fight terrorism, it is necessary to understand it. Wishful thinking about military might and invincible air-strike-power will not help to win the war against terrorists-they use religion to conceal their lust for money and social control, otherwise what is the justification for destroying educational institutions. Use of ill-directed force against a few groups without eliminating the main causes leading to terrorism, is proving to be merely a self-defeating exercise. Determined and practical efforts are needed to destroy financial lifeline of militants and religious fanatics. The strategy to fight terrorism has ignored this most vital aspect and, therefore, powerful states such as USA, with all their military might and economic resources, have failed to win the war started by them in 2001-they are now certainly yielding before the forces of obscurantism-the enemies of humanity who take away innocent lives in the name of religion and faith (sic). The so-called powerful nations are also guilty of not providing justice and conforming to international laws-the use of power by them without any restraint and respect for peace gives an excuse to the terrorists to launch attacks and engage in anti-State activities. Benazir gave her life for resisting the designs of those who support militants to wreck Pakistan providing them pretext to intervene physically in the name of safeguarding nuclear arsenals. Unfortunately, her own party stalwarts betrayed her-security in-charge Rehman Malik along with others fled the scene. The vehicle was intentionally diverted from given route. Those inside also did not restrain her from waiving to the workers through the sunroof of the bomb-proof vehicle. The UN Commission, in its report released on 16th April 2010, says that the countrys President at the time of assassination, General Pervez Musharraf, was aware of and tracking the many threats against Benazir but he did little more than pass on those threats to her and to provincial authorities and were not proactive in neutralising them or ensuring that the security provided was commensurate with the threats. The report also claims that the security arrangements made by PPP were also ill-organised and characterised by lack of professionalism. Though Rehman Malik claims that he was not an adviser on physical security, the letters he wrote to authorities and his liaison role with security and intelligence agencies showed that he was deeply involved in the overall management of Benazirs security. The rapid departure of the only back-up vehicle in which Malik and other PPP leaders drove away was a serious security lapse. Rehman Malik has been accused of fleeing the scene along with Babar Awan, Lieutenant General Tauqir Zia (Retd), Farhatullah Babar and driver Khizer in a car, which was the back-up vehicle for Benazir in case she wanted to use it in an emergency. Former protocol officer to Benazir, Muhammad Aslam lodged a murder case against Pervez Musharraf, Pervaiz Elahi, former Intelligence Bureau (IB) Chief, Ijaz Shah, two serving ministers and eight police and administration officials for their alleged involvement in Benazirs assassination. He also nominated Rehman Malik and others in the case. Aslam also named the then interior minister Lieutenant General Hamid Nawaz (Retd), Brigadier Javed Iqbal Cheema (Retd), Irfan Elahi, Saud Aziz, Yaseen Farooq and Khurram Shahzad accusing them of direct or indirect involvement in the conspiracy to kill Benazir. He also contended that Malik and Awan forced the driver of the back-up car to leave immediately. These allegations have yet not been probed properly. Heraldo Munoz, the lead United Nations (UN) investigator, assigned probe into Benazirs assassination, in his book Getting Away with Murder: Benazir Bhuttos Assassination and the Politics of Pakistan, doubts that the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) independently carried out the attack. He does not discount suspicions about involvement of intelligence operatives in her murder and later covering up of evidence. He expresses fears that the murder would remain unsolved because of absence of both capacity and willingness of the government and courts to solve the case. In Bhuttos case, it would seem that the village assassinated her: Al Qaeda gave the order; the Pakistani Taliban executed the attack, possibly backed or at least encouraged by elements of the establishment; the Musharraf government facilitated the crime through its negligence; local senior policemen attempted a cover-up; Bhuttos lead security team failed to properly safeguard her; and most Pakistani political actors would rather turn the page than continue investigating who was behind her assassination, Munoz observes. Since even after seven years of the tragedy of losing Benazir, our rulers and agencies failed to punish her assailants and forces behind terrorism, our beloved children became target of brutal militants on 16 December 2014-the responsibility for this rests collectively on civil-military leadership and judiciary. Benazir, as leader of the poor and dispossessed will always live in the hearts of Pakistanis. If the country has to get rid of terrorism and legacy of Benazir is to prevail, workers of PPP must defeat enemies in their ranks. People from all walks of life must work hand in hand to resist and counter the forces of bigotry, extremism, fanaticism, fascism, which are part of New Great Game aims at controlling South Asian and Central Asian resources through the bogey of Islamic militants with the ultimate objective of containing, socialist China, democratic India and getting hold of Pakistans nuclear arsenals. (Concluded) (The writers, lawyers, researchers and authors of numerous books, are Adjunct Faculty at the Lahore University of Management Sciences)
Posted on: Sun, 28 Dec 2014 03:20:50 +0000
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