Contradictory claims

[Torpedo]

Contradictory claims​

WHEN India’s junior foreign minister accused Pakistan of speaking in “different voices” over the investigation into November’s Mumbai attacks, he was not altogether wrong. Pakistan’s approach has been plagued by contradictory statements and Uturns. These have strengthened the impression of a government divided within its own ranks and lacking the unity of either purpose or policy. In January, the then national security adviser, Gen Mahmud Ali Durrani, was removed from his post for having tacitly admitted, without clearance from the prime minister, that Ajmal Kasab, the only surviving Mumbai gunman, had Pakistani connections. At the time, the government was roundly denying the Indian accusation of Pakistani involvement. Some weeks later, Interior Adviser Rehman Malik conceded that some part of the conspiracy had been hatched in Pakistan. He claimed the arrest of various suspects and confirmed the unearthing of evidence linking the attacks with the Lashkar-i-Taiba, the banned organisation that India believes masterminded the plot. He told reporters that investigators had traced the fishing boat used by the attackers, which was hired in Balochistan and sailed from Karachi.

But on Friday, Pakistan naval chief Noman Bashir claimed there was no evidence that Kasab had entered India from Pakistan waters, although a day later he attempted to water down his comments by saying that it was impossible to effectively police thousands of miles of coastal territory. Such contradictions lead one to question whether, at any point, a unified policy decision was formulated in terms of the country’s response to the allegations levelled by India. Under the circumstances, it appears as though the left hand of the establishment is unaware of what the right is doing. At stake are matters of national security. Through its turbulent history, across a range of issues, Pakistan has displayed the tendency to resort immediately to the denial of a problem without launching a full investigation. It is often proved wrong later, as was the case with the Mumbai carnage. Not only does this project an exceedingly harmful image of the state at home and abroad, it also wastes valuable time in coming to grips with the problem. Moreover, matters are not helped when various key state officials keep saying different things.


This is editorial from Dawn (todays issue). I think this is a blow in the face to all those who are supporting foolish claims of various high officials of Pakistan.