NSA Durrani's sacking shows cracks in Pak establishment
NEW DELHI: Who in the Pakistani establishment got the country's NSA out when he enjoyed the confidence of President Asif Zardari?
The sacking of Mahmud Ali Durrani has once again trained the spotlight not just on who calls the shots in Pakistan but also on a simmering power feud between Zardari and his nominee, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.
Pakistan's admission that captured terrorist Ajmal Amir Kasab was one of its own has been overshadowed by the churn it has caused in the highest echelons of the Pakistani establishment.
The admission was first hinted at by NSA Durrani. While foreign secretary Salman Bashir waffled, it was later confirmed by information minister Sherry Rehman and foreign office spokesperson Mohammed Sadiq. None of them were sacked. In his defence, Durrani said his statement about Kasab came after it was cleared by Zardari and security agencies.
The claim that he was not shooting his mouth off, did not save him.
The sacking has once again underlined the pre-eminence of army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kiyani, besides pointing to the possibility of Gilani having switched over to the army camp.
Gilani and Zardari have been at odds with each other for some time, to the extent that the latter has reportedly mulled replacing the PM with foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi. So when Gilani sacked Durrani, it was seen as a show of defiance, because Durrani was personally appointed by Zardari.
On Thursday, in a show of solidarity, Gilani and Zardari reportedly met to look for a new NSA, but that could not conceal the cracks in the PPP leadership.
There were other powers who objected to Durrani being the apparent source for stories in the western media about Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi and Zarar Shah's (both Lashkar-e-Taiba commanders in charge of the Mumbai attacks) revelations to Pakistani interrogators. These damning reports established more than anything else the involvement of the LeT in the attacks. By extension, the ISI, which bred and nurtured the LeT, would ultimately come under the scanner.
These disclosures not only forced the Pakistan military-intelligence establishment on the back foot, it brought in the Americans, pushing the Pakistanis to acknowledge Kasab.
India is preparing to push Islamabad on the next set of issues. This would include further admission that all the 10 terrorists were Pakistani. That could lead to further probe into their training camps, their leaders, sources of finance and weapons and finally their connections with the official military-intelligence establishment. In many ways, Kasab's capture could be used to open the can of worms that is the ISI and its terror ideologies and groups. And it's something the Pakistani establishment would want to avoid dearly.
Durrani is seen not just as a friend of former president Pervez Musharraf but also as a friend of the US -- he was Musharraf's ambassador in Washington. His past activities of being involved in a track II peace process with India couldn't have helped him either.
But it still doesn't explain why he would be sacked if the ISI knew and approved of the disclosure. Sources said it may point to more fissures that are not yet apparent.
In fact, in his explanation, Durrani said, "Obviously, this would help the situation with India and that is the primary concern, that you tell the world, tell India, that `yes, guys, we didn't make this announcement because we were not sure of the facts. Now we are sure of the facts and we're saying yes, he was Pakistani'."
He added, "We are prepared to take this process forward with a view to uncovering full facts, thus ensuring that the perpetrators of this heinous crime, whosoever they may be, are brought to justice. I have no bad conscience. I was doing what is best for Pakistan, I was doing what is best for peace between India and Pakistan. If it doesn't suit some people, then so be it."
