Adil Najam
What do Pakistanis think about how Osama Bin Laden met his end, the implications of that end?
There are as many opinions on what happened in Abbottabad as there are Pakistanis. Maybe more. But there is no sense whatsoever where the government of Pakistan (or any of its major institutions) stand on what happened – or stood when it was happening. For 36 hours now the world has been waiting to see what Pakistan does and says – the silence and incoherence from Islamabad has not just been embarrassing, it has been damning. Finally, key institutions in Pakistan have begun trying to piece a narrative together – unfortunately it is way too late and the narrative itself rather lame.
When I put up a short post on Osama Bin Laden’s death soon after the news broke, I had hoped that in time more details would become available and we would get more clarity on what happened and how. We do now have more detail. But certainly not more clarity. The story about what happened in Abbottabad now lives in Spin-abad. Everyone – from governments, secret agencies, the media, the Twitterati, and your spinster aunt – are taking a spin. Many are taking multiple, sometimes contradictory, spins. Everyone except the Pakistan government.
That, of course, is a surprise – not only because the Pakistan government does have a lot of explaining to do, but even more because it is in the interest of the Pakistan government to do that explaining itself rather than have someone else do it for them. Yet, up until it was already too late, Pakistan seems to have abdicated that responsibility. In fact, President Barack Obama, Secretary Hillary Clinton and Senator John Kerry seemed to be making that (half-hearted) case for Pakistan more than anyone in authority in Pakistan. Given that President Obama had informed President Zardari before the speech from the US President, one would have assumed that the Pakistan President and his media handlers would have their own statement ready to go on the air minutes, if not seconds, after President Obama’s speech. This is not about spin and PR, this is Diplomacy 101: Own and define the narrative as soon and as clearly as you can before someone else defines it for you – especially if the narrative is likely to be unfavorable.
But the narrative, itself, is not the core of Pakistan’s challenges. The problem is the facts on the ground and the government’s inability and unwillingness to explain them. Pakistan is used to the feeling of the world ganging up on it. But there are good reasons for the questions being asked of Pakistan by the world today. There are even better reasons for the questions being asked of Pakistan by Pakistanis today. Whether the government comes clean to the world or not, it is vital that it respond to Pakistanis. The first is a matter of national image (no trivial issue, that), but the latter is a question of citizen trust in national institutions (an existential element of statehood).
The fact is that there is a Pakistan case to be made on this issue. And it needs to be made to Pakistanis much more than to the rest of the world. It is a case that forcefully stresses that a world, and a Pakistan, without Osama Bin Laden in it is a vastly better world than one with him in it – this is a villain who orchestrated events that have left more than 30,000 Pakistanis dead in extremism and terrorism. It is a case that legitimately highlights the sacrifices that Pakistan and Pakistanis have, in fact, made in the fight against terrorism. Most importantly, it is a case that honestly analyzes what happened in Abbottabad – it is not a surprise that Osama Bin Laden was found in Pakistan and in a large urban area (just like nearly every other major Al Qaida figure captured) – but an explanation is owed on why Pakistani intelligence failed to make the connections that led to him, an explanation is owed on exactly what Pakistan’s official role in the final operation was (or was not), and an explanation is owed on exactly what Pakistan’s strategy on countering terrorism is, who is running it, and why it is not working well enough or fast enough.
In a country and an ‘establishment’ as divided as Pakistan, this cannot be an easy conversation; it is not supposed to be. It is time to ask honest and tough questions of everyone. It has long need a necessary conversation; now is the time to have it.
The question that I would like answered is why is my tax money being spent on DHA and golf clubs, instead of on education, health or at the very least, a god damn radar system with better coverage?
We, as a nation, have eaten the proverbial grass for four decades, and now we find out that our pampered army is caught quite literally with its pants down.
While the establishment may well have to dodge the questions of the international community about why Osama was found in the army’s backyard, but more pertinent question that the people of this country owe an answer to is, how can four choppers enter our airspace, travel for at least half an hour right into the heartland of our military installations, conduct a 40 minute raid, and then get out (who knows maybe they stopped over somewhere to have breakfast), without anyone knowing about it.
This event has absolutely shattered the mythical image of an invincible, omnipotent, omniscient ISI in the eyes of the average Pakistani. The only thing they are good at is bugging phone calls of Pakistani citizens, abducting them and cobbling up political parties like IJI.
Well written! I am amazed at the Government’s decision to stay quiet in all of this when everyone around the globe is finding reasons to point the finger at us. But I think this isn’t the first time that they have surprised us. The is a similar scene to when Raymond Davis was released and handed back to the US authorities, there was the same silence in the air.
But you are right when you mention that there is a case which needs to be build for Pakistan. I think none of the so-called leaders are interested in doing this. No one is willing to talk about the fact that Osama bin Laden and his minions are reason so many of us have lost their bread winners or been incapacitated for life. To top that off, innocent people have fallen victim to the treacherous drone attacks in the northern areas. We as a country have suffered the effects of the war on the other side of the border!
They want to talk about equality then lets face it, human lives have the same value whether you are in the States or in Pakistan. The losses we have suffered in the so called “Do More” exercise are numerous but no one is answerable to that. The way that this Government plans to stand aloof on such major issues is pathetic! I think the solution to this is that we first root out the scum which has plagued our institutions before we blame others for our dire state…………
Its a Big drama against Pakistan
are nuclear arsenals safe? Do we even have one? What game they are upto?
The pakistani army, intelligence and the government of pakistan is a humiliation to this nation.