From the tragedy, some unsavoury truths

Below, a collection of short excerpts from various reports and analyses following the tragic assasination of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto.

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From M. A. Muqtedar Khan’s (Associate professor and director of Islamic Studies, University of Delaware) article for The Indian Express “The region’s new Afghanistan?“, comes this chilling conclusion:

“…For America’s foreign policy, this is a big blow. Washington was banking on Bhutto becoming the next prime minister and taking over the baton from President Musharraf as America’s frontline ally in the war against terror…now we have a diminished and peeved Musharraf and no Bhutto in Islamabad. The jihadis are rejuvenated and on a roll.

Pakistan is now America’s new Afghanistan, with a reconstituted Al Qaeda, reconsolidated Taliban, a large section of the population that believes the US is in a war against Islam, and a cache of nuclear weapons. “

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From Shyam Bhatia’s column (also in The Indian Express):

“…Over the years her indiscretions included telling me of how General Musharraf had drawn up plans for the conquest of Srinagar.

…Our most memorable encounter was in Dubai in 2003 where I stopped on my way back to London from Delhi…After dinner we talked and talked for hours.

…The most extraordinary part of our conversation, which I promised never to reveal in her life time, was Benazir’s role in exporting her country’s nuclear secrets to North Korea. She had participated in the negotiations to give Pakistan’s nuclear bomb details to North Korea in exchange for missile technology from Pyongyang.

The issue, as she explained it, was to somehow convey the relevant nuclear data to North Korea without the Americans finding out.

The solution in which she connived was to find an overcoat with the deepest pockets possible in which she could carry warhead designs on a series of CDs during a state visit to Pyongyang. The grateful North Koreans immediately responded by giving Pakistan the missile technology they so urgently needed in return. And nobody guessed. Indeed everyone to this day has wondered how it was possible for the information to be relayed. “

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Here is the excerpt from the original interview in which Benazir revealed General Musharraf’s plans re. “taking” Shrinagar: (dt. Sept 3, ’03)

Q: General Musharraf is a pretty bright man, isn’t he?

A: That’s what people say, but from what I remember of him, I was quite disappointed by his analytical skills. He was my Director General Military Operations and he presented me with his plan in front of 50 officers about how the mujahideen would infiltrate an area similar to Kargil. How they would bring about a war and the Indians wouldn’t be able to dislocate us and they would be forced to start a second front at which point the international community would intervene and we would take Srinagar…”

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From yesterday’s HT: Ten injured in clashes in J-K following Bhutto’s assassination (Hindustan Times)

“…At least ten people were injured in clashes between police and demonstrators on Friday during a general strike called by hardline faction of Hurriyat Conference to protest against the assassination of former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

The clashes took place at different parts of the city as groups of youths indulged in stone-pelting and burning of tyres on the roads to protest against the assassination of Bhutto, official sources said.�”

I wonder, why protest in India on the death of a leader of Pakistan?

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From a comment by Sadler on Bharat-Rakshak:

“…(dont forget Bhutto’s) role in sponsoring islamic terror in india, her role in the genocide of hindus in kashmir, and her nurturing of the taliban

…Those who are mourning the death of Bhutto may well consider sparing a tear or two for their fellow hindus who were slaughtered, raped and driven from their ancestral lands by “leaders” like Bhutto. They still live in squalid refugee camps.”

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From an article by Dr Subhash Kapila:

“…Further, for those who fawn over her in India, let it be reminded that it was Benazir Bhutto who brought Kashmir as an emotional frenzied issue in Pakistan’s electoral politics, it was during her prime ministerial tenures that proxy war and terrorism against India was heightened in Kashmir and it was she again who was instrumental in launching the Taliban which emerged as a scourge in Afghanistan and in Kashmir.”

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And finally, here is a slightly long but excellent backgrounder to the shenanigans in Pakistani politics written by Tariq Ali (written before Bhutto’s assasination)

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My own take on this is:

1. The danger of Pakistan becoming a “failed state” are now at least an order of magnitude higher than before.
2. The longer the US and the international community take in dealing decisively with the grouping of Jihadi forces in Paksitan, the worse it will get
3. The repercussions for India can be severe (esp. in view of Point 1). Unfortunately, our government and strategic planners do not inspire confidence.

Related Posts:

Emergency in Pakistan: Opportunity or Headache? Part-II

The �Raja-Mandala� approach to containing Pakistan

All roads lead to Pakistan (once again) and finally

The “Talibanisation” of Pakistan

Image courtesy: Wikipedia