Daily Times

It is becoming increasingly difficult for the PPP leadership to live down the admission made by the former ambassador to the US, Hussain Haqqani, in a Washington Post (WP) article which states that US National Security Council (NSC) officials had asked him for help in stationing Special Operations and intelligence personnel on the ground in Pakistan with direct approval of Pakistan’s civilian leadership upon his request.

‘Although the United States kept us officially out of the loop about the operation, these locally stationed Americans proved invaluable when Obama decided to send in Navy SEAL Team 6without notifying Pakistan,’ Haqqani presumed.

The elaborate clarification by former Prime Minister, Yousuf Raza Gilani and the forceful defence forwarded by Pakistan Peoples Party spokesperson Senator Farhatullah Babar have done little to mollify those of us who wear our patriotism on our sleeves.

Haqqani’s own statement in the Abbottabad Commission had reportedly noted that he was authorised some discretion by the then Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani to issue visas to US personnel, which were also duly vetted by Pakistan’s security agencies. But since the report is still under wraps, this version of Haqqani’s testimony is not being taken as the whole truth.

Indeed, had he confined himself to the main theme of his Washington Post piece which was what ambassadors do during election time in the United States and not mentioned the matter of the United States National Security Council asking him for help in stationing US Special Operations and intelligence personnel on the ground in Pakistan and then linking it up with the May 2, 2011 United States Navy SEAL operation against Osama, perhaps we would have been saved from this unnecessary controversy. Perhaps, he could not resist the temptation to grab some glory for what he believed he had accomplished for his country as well as for the hosts. Perhaps there is a connection; or perhaps there is actually no connection between the visas he had issued and the Osama operation.

In any case, there is so much diplomats do in host countries, sometimes even bordering on the clandestine in the interests of their countries. Most take these actions of theirs to their graves never ever revealing these state ‘secrets’. Of course, sometimes urged by their patriotic duties or to protect and promote national interests some diplomats are known to have spoken with some even writing for revealing information. However, in this case, what Haqqani has done is simply to reproduce what everyone already knew only to get caught in the crossfire of the an ultra- patriotic media prone to sensationalising even mole-hills on one side and interested political quarters on the other.

The late Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, former president Pervez Musharraf and Advisor to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz have written memoirs, parts of which could be termed as not very much in the so-called interest of the nation. Aziz, in his book Between Dreams and Realities: Some Milestones in Pakistan’s History revealed that the regular Pakistani army crossed the Line of Control (LoC) during the Kargil War and that Musharraf had kept the civilian government in the dark about the details of the magnitude of the regular military’s direct involvement in the operation.

Former president Asif Ali Zardari had admitted in a WP article the day after bin Laden’s assassination, ‘A decade of cooperation and partnership between the United States and Pakistan led up to the elimination of Osama bin Laden as a continuing threat to the civilized world.’

In his book The United States and Pakistan 1947-2000: Disenchanted Allies, Dennis Kux notes: ‘(General) Ayub stormed into (secretary of state Henry) Byroade’s office’ saying, ‘Our army can be your army if you want us. But let us make a decision.’

Remember the U2 plane incident of May 1, 1960 that almost brought the full wrath of the then super power, the Soviet Union down on the fledgling country? During the Cold War, we were known as the most allied ally of the US as we entered military pacts with the US (CENTO and SEATO). Next, we see Pakistan fighting the ‘free world’s’ last battle called Jihad against the ‘infidel’ USSR during which the CIA had round-the-clock access to a visa-free revolving door in and out of Pakistan.

We once again entered into a war on behalf of the US in 2001 against the so-called global terrorism during which we were designated as a Major Non-NATO Ally.

The problem with Haqqani is, he always tries to punch above his weight. This time too, temptation got the better of him. Here is how he sees himself (via e-mail message on March 18, 2017):‘I made a place for myself here (US) on my own and used it to help Benazir and Zardari and maybe Pakistan’s transition to democracy. But none of that changes the way I am described by all. We are culturally predisposed to mistaking consistency for nobility. Also, no one else’s ‘careerism’ invites the kind of frequent commentary as mine does — from Khar (Hina?) to SMQ (Shah Mehmood Qureishi?) to NS (Nawaz Sharif?) to Javed Hashmi. A function of familiarity breeding contempt, perhaps? So, I have concluded that the home front battle (when I asked him to come back and fight his battles from home) is for landowning nobility, rich bankers, ex-journalist spouses, Malik Riaz protégés and holier than thou commentators. I must be content with my circumstances.’

The author is a senior journalist based in Islamabad. He served as the Executive Editor of Express Tribune until 2014