HVK Archives: A heretic does India a good turn
A heretic does India a good turn - The Observer
Venkata Swamy
()
3 October 1997
Title: A heretic does India a good turn
Author: Venkata Swamy
Publication: The Observer
Date: October 3, 1997
Muneer Ahmed did a great service to the nation by once again bringing
Mumbai blasts to light in his book Will Pakistan Break Up?
The answer to his question about break-up of Pakistan is obvious. It won't
break up if secular forces in India can help it. Unfortunately, secularism
is ruling the roost in Delhi. It would rather see India destroyed than to
see Pakistan break-up.
Earlier, Gandhism was also based on same principle. And when Morarji Desai,
as PM, pronounced that 'even if India is about to be destroyed', he will
not make nuclear weapons'. It may be noted that his opposition to nuclear
weapons sounded very moral, but in reality it was not so. He was against
India having nuclear weapons but not Pakistan possessing the bomb.
This was similar to Gandhi's opposition to Bhagat Singh and others like him
because they committed 'violence'!
Thus, the so-caned Gandhians never saw any Islamic communal demand,
howsoever irrational it may be, which they did not like. Nothing better
illustrates this than the reaction right after the Mumbai blast about which
Muneer Ahmed wrote in his book.
Immediately after the incident on fateful Friday of March 13 1993, Governor
of Maharashtra rushed out with the statement that it may be handiwork of
Tamil guerrillas or Sikh extremists. But he could not bring himself to
accept the fact that ISI of Pakistan may be involved in it.
The chief minister of Maharashtra, Sharad Pawar, personally took
responsibility to keep all modes of transportation open including airports,
so that the perpetrators will not suffer any inconvenience. Also he did not
permit any CBI inquiry for months until all clues had gone along with the
secular friends to Dubai.
But CBI could not remain out of the scene for long. It started its
investigation by arresting VHP activists. And Mumbai police also promptly
arrested one Moslem and one Hindu gangster as responsible for the blasts.
Of course, like corruption, secularism is also an international phenomenon.
So Mark Fineman of Los Angeles Times lamented the demise, not of hundreds
or thousands of Hindus but destruction of Dawood and his brother's
accounting business due to police raids!
Such being the case, the worries of Ghulam Ishaq Khan are entirely
misplaced. Both ISI and Nawaz Sharif did their home work before they
decided on Mumbai blasts.
Hence, President Khan's worries about US declaring Pakistan a terrorist
state were also misplaced. Thanks to excellent lobbying by the Jewish lobby
and Hillary's Rose law firm, the Clinton administration resumed its
military aid to Pakistan. And the Indian government could do nothing. Poor
Pressler became an unwitting casualty.
And whether Muneer Ahmed writes, or even if ISI itself confesses, nothing
will change as far as GoI is concerned. Since Mumbai blasts there were
several other terrorist attacks. But did they make Indian authorities
declare Pakistan a terrorist state? Did they break off any negotiations let
alone breaking relations? Just like foreign minister Dinesh Singh who
rushed to Mumbai after the blast to declare that there was no Pakistan hand
behind the blast, Gujral too rushes to issue certificates of good conduct
to Sharif each time he meets him.
So why should anybody, who is somebody in ISI or Pakistani government,
worry about any adverse reaction from India or US for that matter?
Certainly, GOI is not worried. That is why Gujral went all the way to New
York to meet his friend Nawaz Sharif to crack some jokes with him in
'chaste' Urdu.
All this does not mean that UF government will not act in the light of
revelations by Muneer Ahmed. As happened in the case of Taslima Nasreen's
Lajja, the government will probably ban the book of Ahmed also since it
shows Pakistan in poor light.
As pointed out in the columns of India Post, no Indian diplomat is allowed
to condemn Pakistan by name, so why should GoI permit Muneer Ahmed to do
the same? CBI too on its part will redouble its efforts to prosecute some
more BJP or VHP leaders for bringing down the Babri Masjid just to
neutralise any adverse impact on public opinion Pakistan may suffer on
account of Muneer Ahmed's apostasy.
Pakistan, on its part, will declare Muneer Ahmed a non-Muslim. And if some
mullah 'discovers' a torn Koran anywhere near Ahmed, his fate will be
sealed in Pakistan.
The world in general equates both India and Pakistan as same and wants them
to negotiate. Regardless of muted Indian response we must, however, thank
Muneer Ahmed for his exposure.
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