ISI in spotlight
by
Javed Hafiz |
Research paper’s allegations are preposterous
Afghan-related developments have been truly dramatic. Casualties suffered by the US and allied forces have increased particularly in Southern Afghanistan. Twenty six US and Nato soldiers were killed in one week. During a briefing on Afghanistan in Washington, Centcom commander General David Petraeus fainted, which showed tremendous pressure on him. After a successful consultative session of elders (Jirga), President Karzai sacked his powerful Interior Minister Hanif Atmar and intelligence chief Amarullah Saleh. And Kabul started talking to the Haqqani group.
However, a London School of Economics (LSE) discussion paper about ISI was talk of the world and brought the agency into spotlight once again. The paper repeated old allegations of close cooperation between ISI and Afghan Taliban. It said that ISI also trained and funded Taliban. But what was really sinister this time was the allegation that with regard to Taliban even President Asif Zardari was on board. In a nutshell, what this paper wanted to tell the whole world was that everything in Pakistan is rotten, including its democracy and head of state.
The obvious bias shown by the author Matt Waldman against Pakistan made the report less objective and therefore not authentic. There are so many holes in the so-called research document that it can be shredded into pieces in no time. I was interviewed by the BBC the same evening. The newscaster told me that the proof now against the ISI was very strong. A research paper, after interviewing so many people, had come out with a firm conclusion that ISI had two faces. My reply was that I would like to first know the identity of those interviewed. None of the nine Taliban commanders supposed to have been interviewed by the author has been named. “Due to safety concerns each commander insisted on anonymity,” says the paper.
Any research that does not reveal the source of its information becomes dubious in character. The Taliban commanders in Afghanistan have never hidden their identity. They inflict losses on US and Nato forces regularly. The commanders who do not fear the US and Nato cannot be so timid. That makes the sources of information doubtful indeed. They are either fictitious characters or some rogue elements in Taliban. That makes this discussion paper a piece of literature rather than a research document. It is fiction and not science.
The second big hole in this document is that all sources are from Afghanistan and no Pakistani has been interviewed. This is indeed a novel research document. It brings into spotlight a premier Pakistani intelligence organisation and did not bother to talk to a single Pakistani. Many Pakistanis are quite knowledgeable about ISI and some Pakistanis have reservations about its role. The research document would have gained some authenticity if a representative sample of Pakistani opinion had been included. Indeed, this paper is lacking in academic rigour.
The baseless allegations in this paper remind me of President Karzai’s accusations against Pakistan and ISI till 2007. Since then, his tone has completely changed. Obviously, there is better cooperation between Kabul and Islamabad at all levels now. When Mullah Abdul Salam Zaeef, the former Afghan ambassador in Islamabad, was asked about new allegations about ISI role in Afghanistan, he said, “There is little proof to that effect.”
The Afghan Taliban have rejected this paper out of hand. If the nine commanders supposed to have been consulted by Matt Waldman, were real characters, the Afghan Taliban would have taken them to task. It is a fact that ISI has lost quite a few of its own cadres in this war. How can you become friends with an organisation that kills your people? When I posed this question to the other discussant in the BBC programme, he had no answer.
Two of my kids have gone to the London School of Economics and we, as a family, are proud of this fact. Now, this paper has done a big disservice to that great institution. The allegation that President Zardari has also developed affection for the Taliban is preposterous. We all know that Benazir Bhutto was killed by the Taliban. Why would Zardari befriend the killers of his wife?
It is a fact that Pakistan is playing a positive role in bringing peace and stability to Afghanistan. More than two million Afghans still live in Pakistan. Pakistan has a vested interest in peace in its war-torn neighbour. That would ensure the return of Afghan refugees to their homes. Peace and stability would also boost Pak-Afghan trade. Pakistan played a positive role in the success of Afghan Jirga and it has brought the Haqqani group closer to Kabul. Some international forces do not like this positive role and Matt Waldman appears to have conducted his ‘research’ on their behalf.
(Javed Hafiz is Pakistan’s former ambassador to the Sultanate)
Oman Tribune |
Other comment for Javed Hafiz
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