The country does not require any assistance from Mr Haqqani on what Pakistan’s foreign policy should be
KARACHI: This refers to the letter titled, “Rejoinder to defence minister” (January 24) by Mr Husain Haqqani on the statement made by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif. The people of Pakistan know who fought for democracy and actions speak louder than words. We are well aware of the games played by the former ambassador in the memogate affair. The case is still pending because Mr Haqqani did not honour his commitment after having been granted leave by the Supreme Court. He has claimed that he helped the Pakistan Air Force acquire necessary military equipment. It should be remembered that military equipment is purchased by the Pakistan government and ambassadors are only kept in the loop due to the nature of their job.
His criticism against Khawaja Asif is not justified because the minister had only voiced facts. Let us look at the statement made by Mr Haqqani that appeared in The Wall Street Journal on April 19, 2015 under the caption, “Why are we sending this attack helicopter to Pakistan?” Mr Haqqani had stated: “The Obama Administration’s decision this month to sell almost $1 billion in US-made attack helicopters, missiles and other equipment to Pakistan will fuel conflict in South Asia without fulfilling the objective of helping the country fight Islamist extremists. Pakistan’s failure to tackle its jihadist challenge is not the result of a lack of arms but reflects an absence of will. Unless Pakistan changes its worldview, American weapons will end up being used to fight or menace India and perceived domestic enemies instead of being deployed against jihadists.”
The answer to Mr Haqqani’s allegations of Pakistan not being serious about fighting militants is Operation Zarb-e-Azb in which the armed forces are pitched against the extremists the former ambassador has talked about.
The country does not require any assistance from Mr Haqqani on what Pakistan’s foreign policy should be. It would be better if he returned to Pakistan and cleared his position in the memogate scandal.
Mukhtar Ahmed
Published in The Express Tribune, January 27th, 2016.
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