Benazir: leader par excellence – II

The theory propounded by Dr Sachithanandam got credence as proved by later events. Dr Sachithanandam aptly highlighted that “the earliest foreboding surfaced in the backroom manoeuvres by United States and British intelligence services to engineer panic about the security of Pakistan’s nuclear assets.” It was a repetition of the hysteria they generated over non-existent weapons of mass destruction that Iraq allegedly possessed. A carefully worded article, co-authored by former State Department officials Richard L. Armitage and Kara L. Bue, signalled the shift in US policy. After formally acknowledging the then President Pervez Musharraf’s many achievements, the authors continued: “much remains to be accomplished, particularly in terms of democratisation. Pakistan must…eliminate the home-grown jihadists…And…it must prove itself a reliable partner on technology transfer and nuclear non-proliferation.” And the denouement: “We believe General Musharraf…deserves our attention and support, no matter how frustrated we become at the pace of political change and the failure to eliminate Taliban fighters on the Afghan border”. Translation: Musharraf has to go.

It was ‘Washington’s 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 maneuvered to defend Pakistan’s 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 2013after 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 the 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 Pakistan’s participation could not arise, which proved correct.

Benazir was fully aware of the fact that the Bush Administration had been becoming increasingly hostile to Musharraf’s determination to prioritise Pakistan’s 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 uproot their networks by cutting their financial supports from inside and outside. The shocking attacks in Peshawar, Quetta and elsewhere during the present regime testify to the failure of the entire security apparatus.

First, it was the threat of Soviet/communism card. Then it was the al Qaeda card. Now it is ISIS card. Those who need proof must read why Fazlullah (Mullah Radio), the 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, the 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 Pakistan’s strong protests, Afghanistan took no measure to bridle Fazlullah and other militant leaders like Faqir Muhammad and Khalid Khurasani who fled Bajaur and Mohmand Agencies, respectively. In the aftermath of Peshawar School carnage, Pakistan’s the then Chief of Army Staff, General Raheel Sharif, rushed to Afghanistan asking for firm action against Fazlullah and his men. Four of them, Maulvi Abdus Salam, Hazrat Ali, Mujeebur Rehman and Sabeel alias Yahya were hanged in Kohat, a few days before the first anniversary of Peshawar School tragedy.

It is no more a secret that when our troops at Bajaur, Mohmand and Chitral countered Fazlullah’s onslaught from Afghanistan, Nato helicopters came to rescue the infiltrators on the night of 26 November, 2011-the tragic incident of military post at Salala. On 22 June 2013, Fazlullah’s special squad kidnapped 17 soldiers and beheaded them. Fazlullah proudly claimed that his men had killed Major General Sanaullah Niazi and two others on 15 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 27 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, the Operation Zarb-e-Azb was launched that displaced a large number of people. The success of this operation to uproot militancy and terrorism is still to be seen. Many analysts cast doubts about its effectiveness to effectively counter militancy and religious fanaticism as the main source (madressahs run by Maulana Abdul Aziz et al) of agitating such minds are still working freely, without any trouble.

Through its proxies such as TTP, the US has successfully engaged Pakistan army, the world’s 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. According to military sources, since the start of Zarb-e-Azb thousands of 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 counterterrorism 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 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 the US, 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 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 16 April 2010, says that the country’s 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 to the threats.” The report also claims that the security arrangements made by PPP were also ill-organised and characterised by a 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 Benazir’s 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 Benazir’s 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 Benazir’s assassination, in his book ‘Getting Away with Murder: Benazir Bhutto’s 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 in the absence of capacity and willingness of the government and courts to solve the case. “In Bhutto’s 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; Bhutto’s 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.

Even after nine years of the tragedy of losing Benazir, our rulers and agencies failed to punish her assailants and forces behind terrorism. 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 Pakistan’s nuclear arsenals. (Concluded)

(The writers, lawyers, researchers and authors of numerous books, are Adjunct Faculty at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS).The views expressed in this two-part article are not necessarily those of the newspaper)