Adil Najam
I do not like being taken for a fool. Especially, when the trick being pulled off is offensive as well as stupid. That is why I am feeling really angry at these emails people have been sending me.
Over the last many hours I have now received five different copies of (a much forwarded) email with the title “House of Akbar Bugti.” One of them from a Pakistani blogger who asks that we “MUST put these pictures on ATP to expose the lies of Bugti supporters” and that “these pictures prove he was only interested in his own comfort and not the Baluchi people.” Other versions of the email simply has long, very long, strings of email addresses of hundreds, possibly thousands, of people it has already been forwarded to (which is itself bad Internet etiquette) and then carries a string of photographs, including the ones below.
We have already had a long and open discussion on ATP on Nawab Akbar Bugti’s killing, how it was done, what it meant, and his political career. People are most welcome to hold whatever opinion they wish. But please do not try to make a fool out of other people.
Of course, the idea is to convey the image that Mr. Bugti was living in great luxury in the caves (which he may well have been) and, therefore, somehow (but I fail to see how) his killing was justified!
The problem is that a half-wit with only half of his wits handy would be able to tell that these pictures are not from Mr. Bugti’s caves. These are publicity pictures from a hotel. (A real picture of Mr. Bugti in the mountains is at the top of the post).
For Heaven’s sake, look at that dining room and bathroom; yes, these were in the same email! You really think we was the kind of guy who would serve meals to his tribesmen there in those crystal glasses. Just how stupid do you think we Pakistanis are!
Indeed, the stunt is so very lame that it took me less than 15 minutes to find out where they are from. These pictures are from a luxury hotel (although not 7-star!) the Cappadocia Cave Hotel in Turkey. My first thought had been that it might be a hotel in Petra, Jordon since I had stayed in something like this there.
I do not know who came up with this idea. If it was some zealot intelligence agency wallah, then it is particularly un-intelligent, even for our intelligence agencies. Or, maybe, it was just another super-patriot thinking that this will somehow help Pakistan; think again, you just made us all look not just needlessly violent, but abjectly dumb. Well done!
As you can see I am deeply angry and offended. Not just because this has wasted my time, gotten on my nerves, distracted me from better things, and is such a cheap trick to defame and misinform. Much more so, because whoever pulled this stunt believed that ordinary Pakistanis would fall for this; and – tragically – there are some out there who actually did!
These picture stunt shows how some people are itching to find an evil enemy figurehead to throw stones at, and to justify all their wrong doings.
I am reminded of a comment by Faqeer on the Bugti post where he discussed the similarities between the US publicity stunts in liu of their crimes against humanity in Iraq and Afghanistan. They used Osama and then Saddam Husain as the figureheads representing all things evil, and our government has tried to use Bugti. Amazing, and sickening.
I don’t care what Bugti stood for, because for all I know he never said anything or did anything that made a positive difference in the lives of the people of Balochistan. The question is what good did the Pakistan government get by murdering an opposition leader whom they had themselves erected as a don who would protect their gas reserves/pipelines, and oppress a poverty-stricken people at the same time. Where were the good faiths of the military commanders when he was one of “the good guys”, and was touted as among the valiant leaders of Balochistan? Where are the officials who authorized cheques worth hundreds of millions of dollars to be written in one man’s name? They all hide today, and call themselves patriots. Shameless!
Yeah, seems like someone is running a psyop here. Bugti did have a lavish life in relative terms. Hamid Mir of Geo TV did an interview with him not so long ago at his “ranch” which didn’t show any signs of poverty or humbleness. Plus if I recall it correctly he owned a few recreational horses etc.
Regardless, this is a nice hotel and extra-judicial killings based on lavish life is probably not the point people are trying to make. I think they are refering to how he enjoyed the Govt. royalties and never invested in his own people. But this picture stunt is very foolish and destroys the credibility of whoever is going to use this as their bases.
AoA
I had also recieved such mail but had not opened due to slow connection.Thanks you saved me.
About these pics,well I want to meet the architect!!!!!!!!!
Dear AN,
Thanks for this post. Indeed, this is a foolish web of lies and so silly that one can only laugh – notwithstanding your rage.. a clear manifestation of abusing the internet for making a nonsensical point. Even if late Bugti and his associates were living in a lavish cave, would that condone an extra-judicial process of law enforcement?
Thanks for this article Adil. I agree with you.