In the past few days there have been efforts to refute the charges of a conspiracy behind the removal of the PTI government from office.
First it was emphasized by the DG ISPR that deliberations by the National Security Council found that though there was evidence of “interference” by a foreign power in the removal of our last government, there was no evidence of a “conspiracy” to do so. And then, to the eternal shame of the army high command, the need was felt to have a second sitting of the same NSC to examine the same question once more, within a week of the first sitting. The obvious hope was that this time our former ambassador to the U.S would be called and severely grilled. And this shakedown will scare the ambassador sufficiently so that he will exonerate the U.S of conspiracy, and by extension the PDM, and by further extension, the army high command.
This was so evidently done to remove a lot of stink from the constituent parts of the conspiracy among the rotten eggs of the country, which was put in play for a grand national sellout, that only an utter fool could fail to see this.
But the ambassador was made of sterner stuff and failed to oblige.
The charge of conspiracy has not been merely left standing unshaken, but has received still greater credence because of such fumbling efforts at denying the obvious.
A conspiracy is said to have taken place when two or more parties come together for the purpose of furthering a negative or nefarious end, and agreement is reached among them for this purpose.
The NSC is not an investigative body and so it could not have determined whether there was a conspiracy or not. But by saying that they did not find evidence of a conspiracy, it cannot be said that there wasn’t one. By declaring that no evidence of a conspiracy was found, it was obviously hoped that the criminals among the PDM government would be made more acceptable to the people who would be sold the narrative that “there was no conspiracy”.
But the intended result failed to stick while the intent to perpetrate a fraud became more obvious than before.
Some of our high and mighty ought to read Stephen Kinzer’s “Overthrow” which documents
U.S efforts to overthrow various governments in the last hundred years. The only fully proved conspiracy among these efforts was the one set afoot to get rid of Mohammad Mossadegh of Iran. For the removal of Arbens, the removal and murder of Allende by Pinochet’s army, the out of hand shooting of Lumumba, the blowing up of Jamie Roldos and Omar Torrijos in midair etc there is no conclusive evidence of conspiracy. Yet no researcher or respectable historian denies these conspiracies because enough circumstantial evidence exists to rule out the possibility of denial.
In such cases enough dots usually exist by connecting which, a fair conclusion as to the existence of a conspiracy can fairly be established. And this is considered proof enough. And this is true about the ouster of Pakistan’s last government as well.
The utmost difficulty in proving a conspiracy lies in obtaining proof of agreement between the contracting parties.
In the case of Pakistan, it is in Gen Bajwa’s declaration of “neutrality” where the smoking gun lies. When you are committed to one side, and then declare your “neutrality”, you have upset the balance of power between two parties. This is therefore less a declaration of “neutrality” and more an instigation to the other party to go on the offensive. But the army went further than merely instigating. Their fingerprints are all over to suggest that they cobbled this conspiracy together and had a direct stake in its “success” and formed the very epicenter of it!
Most sadly what is increasingly under discussion now is whether this was the brainchild purely of the high command, or was there perhaps an instigation from beyond our borders. Was Donald Lu a later entrant in the game after someone else had come before him to flip the switch in GHQ to initiate the sellout?
This will eventually be cleared by a younger incarnation of a Julain Assange. But meanwhile the high command must remain under the shame of opprobrium vying to take the top slot among our sordid tale of betrayals by those sworn to defend us.
What is more shameful and pathetic than this betrayal, are the bumbling efforts to deny it, and to put a brave face to it.
This seems to be the only avenue left to the high command to demonstrate “bravery”!
For Gen Bajwa, who has enjoyed the reputation of being a gentleman so long, the moment of earnest and deep reflection must surely have arrived. And should he be so driven, he could salvage something from the mess which his thinking has created. He owes it to himself, but primarily to his country to admit to his blunder and give back to the people what is still capable of being salvaged.
PS. One of the most pathetic efforts to shore up the credibility of the thugs that the high command has put in power was recently enacted in Waziristan. They took three of these thugs there to condole with people who had suffered loss, to put a sheen of patriotism on their sordid exteriors. Surely, they thought that this “proof” of national fellow feeling will ameliorate some of the rage among the rank and file who daily die on their orders! Resorting to this gimmick could only have been done if the high command is certain that the junior ranks are composed of a bunch of assholes who are blind to what is happening around them. This was tantamount to adding insult to injury, and only a high command so utterly bereft of competence and higher loyalties could have resorted to such shenanigans, without knowing how their command would react to it!