The Black Night of 10/18

The Black Night of 10/18
By Naseem Mahnavi (mnasim_99@yahoo.com)

The ghastly carnage in Karachi on the night of 18th October, 2007 was perhaps the worst thing that ever happened in Pakistan after independence. No amount of condemnation and consolation can give solace to the bereaved families in particular and the nation in general. It was a heinous crime whose facilitators must be demobilized and punished in an exemplary manner. For now one can only pray for the peace of the deceased and the safety of those who live in this country.

However, it would be extremely imprudent if one does not look back and ponder impartially the events and circumstances that made such a thing possible. The following points come to my mind that should make those who deserve to blame themselves do so.

Pakistani generals who need clearance from the Pentagon for their promotions would do anything to please their mentors.
Perhaps this arrangement was agreed when the USA supplied sophisticated hardware to Pakistani military including Star fighters which were clumsily bugged and crashed at regular intervals. How reliable is the rest of American military hardware?

Generals promoted recently to key posts seem to have emotional personalities that can be manipulated easily.

The US administration would like to have Benazir at the head of government in Pakistan when they attack Iran so that she may control the violent reaction of Pakistani Shias. Insecure as she has proven to be, she would literally be on American strings.

The responsibility of the 10/18 carnage lies heavily on the shoulders of those who had persuaded her to return to Pakistan and played a part in facilitating it.

Pakistani politicians are wishful thinkers and get over-excited at the slightest hint of glory. Nawaz Shrif got swollen headed when the Supreme Court gave verdict that he could not be prevented from returning to his home country and Benazir thought that she was returning as the joint viceroy of the US president and British queen.

Benazir was to be accompanied by a number of British MPs and US Senators and security arrangements were being made accordingly to befit the foreign dignitaries. When she boarded the plane with mere Pakistanis the security arrangements were scaled down to those demanded by other not so popular ex-prime ministers such as Jamali and Shujaat. Why Benazir's foreign friends ditched her at the last moment can only be explained by them.

Benazir was aware of an impending attack and yet she chose the insane option of traveling in an open truck at one mile per hour in the darkness of night through terrorist infested roads. Martyrdom is not for a family woman.

Only days before the Swiss investigating magistrate completed his enquiries and sent the case to the prosecutor general, Benazir gave up all her objections to the military dictatorship and tacitly supported Musharraf in his re-election in uniform in exchange for the withdrawal of criminal cases against her. Was Benazir really afraid or did she give in to blackmail?

Hundreds of thousands of destitute and desperate people were brought to Karachi from interior Sindh and other provinces to the welcome rally on 18/10, but tens of thousands did not return. In the coming months there is going to be a proliferation of street beggars, thefts and robberies in this city.

Pakistanis are fighting a war against extremism, but in doing so one should be careful not to introduce a new kinds of extremism, such as democratic extremism or judicial extremism.

The Supreme Court of Pakistan is examining the eligibility of Pervez Musharraf for the third part-time presidential term and the jurisdiction of the existing Electoral College to elect a new president. He has already submitted an undertaking that if he is declared elected, he would give up his part-time job as army chief. He is already past the maximum age for army service, so perhaps he can get around some of the difficulties by submitting a backdated resignation.

This is with due apologies to anyone who feels hurt or embarrassed by the stark, undiluted truth which is necessary to ensure sanity and purpose in a confused nation.