Daily Times

Long before Admiral Mike Mullen spoke his mind, the month of May had already dealt a telling blow that left the people of Pakistan bewildered and dismayed. After a series of assassinations of high profile politicians, it appears the tide has now turned. The killing orgy let loose has now turned towards journalists who wish to highlight the truth shrouded in mystery. Saleem Shahzad’s assassination is a case in point, although he is not the first nor will be the last to lose his life in such a grisly manner. The history of Pakistan is replete with such gory murders. Each time such a heinous act is committed, questions about the motives are invariably asked. In a country where scores of people are dying every day for one reason or another and where killings and suicide bombings are rising, such questions may appear irrelevant yet need to be addressed.

Shahzad was working on a very sensitive subject. He was treading through a field mined in such a way that a single unscrupulous move could prove lethal. He successfully jockeyed in this area meeting several seemingly inaccessible leaders of the Taliban and al Qaeda. He was kept in their custody at least once for about six days before being released unharmed. Some of his interviews take us to a fictional landscape, particularly the one that he conducted with Ilyas Kashmiri, once a darling of the Pakistan Army, later the most wanted commander of al Qaeda who carried a head money of five million dollars. However, recent reports suggest that he has been ‘exterminated’ (in Orwellian language). According to reports published in Asia Times Online (October 15, 2009), Kashmiri was arrested by the Pakistan’s army in 2003 and then again in 2005. On the latter occasion, the charge was an attempt on the then military ruler Pervez Musharraf’s life. On both occasions, the army released him. Was it a coincidence or done on purpose? The arrest and subsequent release of Mullah Baradar — the second-in-command to Mullah Omar — is no less peculiar. According to reports, Shahzad received threats following his article on the release of Baradar published in Asia Times Online on October 13, 2010. Instead of putting its own slick and knavish house in order, the ISI reportedly asked him to reveal his source and write a rebuttal. According to an article, “Saleem refused, to the obvious displeasure of the ISI officials” (Asia Times Online, June 2, 2011). His in-depth and surgical analysis of the invasion of PNS Mehran base (Asia Times Online, May 27, 2011) proved to be the last straw. The feudal tendency that afflicts the leadership knows no boundaries. It gives an impression of seeking vengeance even when the case is otherwise. Sadly, this inherent flaw cannot be rectified. Militaries around the world are familiar with only one language, the language of order and command; hence they are alien to democratic culture. Pakistani Bonapartes always claim themselves to be the custodians of democracy even when they are flouting it brazenly.

The incident at the naval base has completely exposed the myth of unity of command in the army. The soldiers are as confused as society at large, unable to discern between friends and foes. All the political parties are playing upon the religious sensitivities of the people, not realising that religion cannot solve the economic challenges presented by capitalism since it lacks the material base to do so. To save the crumbling system, civil-military bureaucracy and political parties are looking towards a fanatic version of Islam as a panacea of all ills. The entire society has been held hostage to the whims of a few who hold monopoly over religious interpretations.

The evil that Zia initiated to legitimise his draconian rule even now refuses to be interred. So is the Pakistan Army’s burning hegemonic desire to rule the state and beyond. Despite its humiliating failures on almost all fronts, it has failed to shed the mindset of being the sole saviour of this God-forsaken state. The main reason rests with the measly existence of the capitalist forces, which can compete neither with the feudals nor with the metropolitan capital for hegemony. The void is filled by the army, which is conveniently used by the international capital for its own designs. Wars are fought neither for faiths nor for supremacy of religions. Their sole objective is the realisation of capital and shedding the load of overpopulation. All wars have served these purposes. Nazis massacred the poor Jews but, at the same time, granted honorary Aryan status to the rich Jews, such as the Oppenheim bankers.

Today, international capitalism has set its eyes on the oil rich states in the Middle East and North Africa, hence its desire to secure a withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, leaving behind its henchmen to safeguard the imperialistic interests. Under these circumstances, the US needs a subservient partner if not an all out lackey. To the US administration, the loyalties of the Pakistan Army appear to be divided. It seems as if it is looking towards China, which is likely to play a pronounced role in Afghanistan’s future. The Americans are not ready to give up ‘the goose that lays the golden egg’ and they want it on their own terms. The message given to the Pakistan Army is loud and clear: any repeat of the Raymond Davis saga will not be tolerated and the Haqqani network must be dispensed with. The Taliban will be the main instrument that is likely to deliver for the Pakistan Army and the Americans will allow it but under the watchful eye of the Pentagon. However, what will the nation get out of it? It has suffered a long bloodbath in the war of international capital.

Who killed Shahzad remains a secondary question. Some circles initially implicated al Qaeda in Shahzad’s assassination to add insult to the injury, given the embarrassment faced by the ISI post-May 2 raid by the US Navy SEALs. Ali Dayan Hasan, senior South Asia researcher at the Human Rights Watch, has squarely blamed the intelligence agencies for Shahzad’s brutal murder. The reality is that we have lost another courageous journalist who was unveiling the truth. It is time we recognise our real enemy that does not reside outside but dwells amongst us.

The writer is based in Australia and has authored books on socialism. He can be reached at saulatnagi@hotmail.co