Friday, January 20, 2012

What is brewing in Pakistan?

Pakistan is the world's largest producer of conspiracies by far. However there has been a curious lack of any effort about recent events in that country which is worrying since it is just across the border from India. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has decided to take on all comers. First he criticised the fearsome duo of army chief Kayani and ISI chief Pasha for asking the Supreme Court to investigate,what is known as, the memogate affair without taking permission from the civilian government. Who has ever heard of the Pakistan army chief taking permission from anyone? Except of the US. That Kayani and Pasha did not suffer heart attacks due to excessive mirth was because Gilani then poked them severely in their eyes by sacking retd Lt Gen Khalid Naeem Lodhi as Defence Secretary. Gilani irked the Supreme Court for not investigating President Zardari's corrupt activities. That is stupid. No one investigates his boss for corruption and, to be fair to Gilani, if he started investigating the famed Mr 10% he would be doing it forever. So he was called to answer charges of contempt of court. He politely told the court that the President had immunity from any charge and the court had to back down. So whence this surfeit of courage? This is after all the country where ZA Bhutto was hanged, Zia ul Haq was blown up in flight and Benazir Bhutto was bombed or shot depending on who you talk to. Several possibilities spring to mind. It is possible that the US has promised him great riches for weakening the army so as to force them to take on the Haqqanis of the Quetta Shura, not memogate Haqqani who is hiding in Gilani's basement. It is also possible that Osama is still hiding in Pakistan, having fooled the US Navy Seals with a body double, and has promised Gilani the throne of Afghanistan once US forces leave. Or maybe the Chinese have promised him the governor's post in Xinjiang if he can help them wipe out the pesky Uighurs. Whatever it is we have got to know. A Pakistan without conspiracies is deeply worrying and not good for the safety of India. Will our government wake up?

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