Interestingly, none of the authorities have issued an outright denial of the claim made by Musharaaf. There are doubts expressed over his motives behind these revelations, but mostly they seem to agree to the statement and the disappointed over the revelation.
Musharraf playing dirty games in desperation
Tuesday September 15, 2009 (1055 PST)
SLAMABAD: General (retd) Pervez Musharraf’s latest statement that Pakistan had diverted the US aid and ammunition, given to Islamabad for the war on terror, against India is considered here as a great disservice to Pakistan and may create more problems for the country internationally.
Some former generals believe that the ousted dictator is playing into the hands of enemies of Pakistan. However, the Foreign Office is cautiously evaluating the ousted dictator’s latest “revelations”, but is not willing to offer any comment at this stage. Sources in the government, however, said that Musharraf threw a spanner in its efforts to re-negotiate the Kerry-Lugar bill in the interest of Pakistan.
Musharraf’s loose talk on the US aid and his claim that the Pakistan Army, the then government and the agencies were hand in glove with him, both in his unconstitutional action of November 3 and in the murder of Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, have also created ripples within the establishment.
No one knows what Musharraf wanted to gain by denting the interest of Pakistan with his irresponsible statement, but the fact remains that he has created more enemies at home. Despite repeated attempts made by a staffer of our sources, ISPR DG Maj-Gen Athar Abbas was not available for comments. But Musharraf’s utterance is said to have upset many in the establishment.
“Army would be very upset with this,” defence analyst Lt-Gen (retd) Talat Masud said, adding that the statement of Musharraf would undermine the position of Pakistan. Former ISI chief Lt-Gen (retd) Hamid Gul, however, was of the view that Musharraf was playing into the hands of the enemies of Pakistan and at the moment, he was perhaps creating a situation where the US would demand to deploy its Marines and security contractors in Pakistan to watch the interests of Washington.
Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit, when approached, did not offer any comment on the issue, but sources in the Foreign Ministry said the top mandarins in the FO had discussed what they called Musharraf’s “loose talk”.
A source said they did not know what made Musharraf to say that Pakistan had used the US aid, including military equipment and ammunition that were given to use against Taliban and al-Qaeda, against India. “There has been no war with India, so there is no question of using the American aid and ammunition against it,” a senior Foreign Ministry source said, admitting that Musharraf had created more problems for Pakistan internationally.
Lt-Gen (retd) Talat Masud said that in his view, Musharraf wanted to save his skin by dragging others, including the institutions of the Army and the intelligence agencies, in his actions, including the Nov-3 step and the murder of Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti.
Masud said Musharraf wanted his guilt to be shared with others, so that he was absolved from being tried under the Article 6 or booked under murder charges. He reminded the ousted dictator of the fact that he was not leading a political or democratic set-up, but an authoritarian system, where his subordinates and other government players were not given freedom to disagree with him.
Regarding the statement of Musharraf on the US military aid and its diversion by Pakistan against India, Masud said: “I am so disappointed by this statement of Musharraf.” He said the utterance of Musharraf would undermine the position of Pakistan. He lamented that what Musharraf said would have served music to New Delhi’s ear.
Hamid Gul said the statement of Musharraf on the US aid was a very unkind cut to Pakistan and yet another of his great disservice to the country. He said the statement of Musharraf would pave the way for further UN intervention in Pakistan. Gul said the Americans would now demand that they wanted the Marines and the security contractors to be in Pakistan to ensure that the aid they gave was not misused.
About the statement of the ousted dictator involving the Army and the intelligence agencies in his Nov 3 action and Bugti’s killing, Hamid Gul said Musharraf was doing all that to save himself from being tried under Article 6 of the Constitution. Gul said that the trial of Musharraf was imminent besides other things to prove that there was no statutory recourse in the military for anyone if he refused to carry out unlawful orders of the high command.
He said that only the trial of Musharraf would find an answer to the fundamental question that what protection did an Army officer or Jawan had to say no to the unconstitutional and unlawful command of his superiors.
He said the Nov-3 action of Musharraf was unconstitutional, but no officer in the Army had any statutory recourse to say no to his unconstitutional actions. If Musharraf could remove dozens of judges of the superior judiciary because they were not toeing his line, the Army officers, including even the general officers serving under him, were far more vulnerable to have been removed at the stroke of a pen, if they would have chosen to differ with him, he added.
End.
You make it sound like it is foul play.
he is not
