12 May, 2016

Haqqani's Book Exposes 26/11 As Handiwork of Pakistan

The truth has a tendency to pop up, unexpectedly. That is how the revelations made by Husain Haqqani should be seen. A former Pakistani Ambassador to Sri Lanka and the US, he has claimed, in his forthcoming book India vs Pakistan: Why Can’t We Just Be Friends?, that 26/11 was the handiwork of Pakistan. He has quoted former chief of Pakistani intelligence agency Inter-State Intelligence (ISI) General Pasha who told him the attack had been carried out by those trained by the agency, though it was not an ISI operation. However, it does not make a difference whether the ISI did it officially or unofficially.

The revelation does not startle India which has evidence galore that the terrorists who reached Mumbai with Pakistani weapons and communication equipment were guided by their bosses in Pakistan at every stage of the operation. They were able to kill 166 innocent people and injure several more. Pakistan had always been in denial mode whenever 26/11 was brought up for bilateral discussion. Haqqani has nailed the Pakistani lie by quoting no one other than a former ISI chief. He has added strength to his revelation by reiterating that he would not have quoted Pasha if he was not 100 per cent certain. Under these circumstances, Pakistani denials will have no credibility.

Haqqani has credibility because of the access he had at one time to prime ministers Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto. Whatever little is available about the book in the public domain suggests that it also exposes American duplicity in condemning Pakistan-backed terrorism. While the US claims it is in the forefront of the fight against terror, it has been turning a blind eye to the nefarious goings-on in Pakistan. The US is spasmodic in its response to Pakistan, condemning it only as a prelude to condoning it. Terrorists are arrested at American instance but only to be released later. The book should prod the US to take a firm stand on Pakistan-backed terror.

Courtesy: The New Indian Express

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