Is Alastair Campbell a liar or a sucker?
The question is important because Campbell is not exactly a man to be trusted given his glorious past. From the 45-minute falsehood of the September Dossier (2002) on Iraq’s WMD capability to the dodgy briefing document given to journalists in February 2003, Campbell was an important player in Tony Blair’s Iraq misadventure and the tapestry of lies woven by the Blair government.
Mendacity, then, is not a trait unknown to and unpractised by Campbell. In this case, too, he begins inaccurately: “At dinner I was between two five-star generals...”. The Pakistan Army doesn’t have five-star generals, counting out the self-promotion to the rank of Field Marshal by Ayub Khan. Since Campbell is talking not one but two, the safe guess is he was squeezed between two three-star generals. Given that and despite his journalistic career, Campbell doesn’t come across as someone who is finicky about ‘facts’, especially when partaking of a hearty dinner or landing a government job.
So much so, in fact, that were we to accept the eight seconds bit in the story, there is no record of his expressing scepticism at this statement, not even a mild “Really, General?” Now it should be obvious to anyone, even one as uninitiated in the conduct of nuclear strategy as Campbell, that eight seconds is a bit of a stretch in the reverse. One can’t even load and cock a pistol in eight seconds if it has been de-mated from its clip and the two components are lying apart at a distance.
In eight seconds, one can’t do it even if the warhead is mated with the delivery vehicle and is on hair-trigger alert in a silo. To think that Pakistan, which doesn’t have deployed weapons, could do something in eight seconds is to stretch credulity. But if one reads closely the statement, “It takes us eight seconds to get the missiles over”, it would seem the unnamed general is talking about the flight time. Campbell, or for that matter anyone, would have to be a sucker to fall for that.
Yet, either he did or he is making it up. One needs to be sceptical about his claim but putting it in the larger scheme of things, I’d hazard that Campbell might be telling the truth even as he gets the rank and the time wrong. The unnamed general probably said eight minutes — flight time — which Campbell who seems to get a thrill from speeding — 45 days for Iraq and 1.47 clocked on Top Gear — turned into eight seconds.
We do know that this information was passed on to Blair and by Campbell’s own account, so concerned did Britain become that Sir David Manning wrote in a paper that Pakistan was prepared to “go nuclear”.
Could it then be that the unnamed Pakistani general played Campbell for signalling? I’d say, yes. The dinner happened before the US campaign in Afghanistan opened and more than two months before the December 13, 2001 attack on the Indian parliament which led New Delhi to order mobilisation that lasted for 10 months. But before those two events, and after the 9/11 attacks, India had not only offered the US all help but tried to isolate Pakistan by raising the issue of terrorism to take advantage of the situation.
It would make sense for Pakistan to signal, informally but credibly, that while Pakistan had chosen to side with the coalition in Afghanistan, the coalition had to ensure that its eastern front remained secure. The signal, if we accept the veracity of the occurrence, was meant for the coalition, in this case through the United Kingdom, not for India directly. By Campbell’s own account then, the unnamed Pakistani general played him and Campbell got played!
It seems that verifying facts, like getting the rank right, is important after all.
Published In The Express Tribune, June 19th, 2012.
COMMENTS (32)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
1725612926-0/Tribune-Pic-(8)1725612926-0-165x106.webp "article")
Ejaz, what exactly is your point?
Just recently a Former Pakistani ambassador to UN published an OpEd in Dawn where he casually referred to attacking India with nukes.
Let me restate : this wasn't a casual dinner conversation it was an OpEd publsihed in one of the most credible newspapers in Pakistan. Secondly, it wasn't a general but an ambassador who was saying this.
Why then would one doubt some generals bragging about their ability to nuke India to a gora they are trying to impress after having ingested some pegs?
Liar. These Americans and Brit leaders are congenital liars.
@Ali tanoli:
Any reliable link to prove your point that USA did threaten to nuke Iran or any other country?
@nine zero U.S.A many time said if iraq attacked israel we gonna nuc them and every nuc capable state threats with these WMD they are not for flawer for GULDAN. they are reason no one invaded ever those countries who have them.
Ejaz: You talk of Alastair Campbell being untrustworthy because of his Iraq WMD claims. If you searched for a saint in politics, you won't find one. Pakistani establishment being a prime example of that. When was the last time Establishment spoke the truth about anything? After all Pakistan kept saying OBL isn't in Pakistan.
The question isn't if a Pakistani general did say what campbell says he did, or if that statement had any realism.
The question is how many folks in the world will believe Campbell vs Pakistani establishment. It is a game of perception - and world's perception of Pakistani generals is poor enough for them to believe pretty much any adverse thing said about them!!
8 mins or 8 secs...how does it justify this long article? Are you happier if it was 8 mins rather than 8 secs? Pathetic 'patriot'
@Ejaz Haider
I am sure the three star Pak Generals were honest in what they were doing, i.e., indulging in empty and irresponsible bravado.
Mansoor Ijaz, Riaz Malik and now Alistar Campbell none of these people deserve a second look yet our judiciary, establishment, media and honorable Ejaz Haider deem otherwise. Sad state of affairs and very disappointed with Mr. Haider.
And given your track record, who do you think Indians will believe!!
A Pakistanis is badmouthing a white guy, it has to be true.
Pakistanis are prone to boasting- to make them look equal to India. No doubts on this.
Regardless, Ejaaz, we all know that the General must have said this. And for reasons much clearer than those you point out. The General was trying to pull the wool over the world's eyes, exactly like they do to our own people here at home.
Which responsible Nuclear state would make threats like this in the open? And Pakistan complains that the rest of the world want to deprive it of its nukes.
Why shoud he be liar? Our generals ,most of the time, do not know when they speak during lucnh ,dinner with foreigners, they think this the the best time to fly high and send message they are the superior. Nothing should be undermin.Thhis is international syaing " know your self and know your enemy" unfortunatley, we just know our self and do not have accurate information about enemies within and also beyond the frontiers.
@Anas Abbas: I would disagree. A well written and informative blog that reveals the feckless character of Alastair Campbell who would lie about his own Scottish ancestors to make up a story!
@It's (still) the Economy Stupid: This is not a good sign of a responsible nuclear power and may haunt in the future.
Why do you think Ejaz Haider is trying to undo the damage of that statement. Unfortunately this ISPR column will be believed in Pakistan only.
Excellent Blog Ejaz Sahb. Nice analysis
@antanu g:
Really? Is this why Pkistanis won't let supply routes for Western forces (NATO) open.
Pakistan's nuclear policy and its alarmist cries to the world to save the region from a nuclear holocaust is like a man threatening suicide if others did not intervene and stop him !
He's probably neither. He's probably just someone who likes to instigate things. Why ruin a perfectly good drama bomb by getting further into the topic with the general when you can stay quiet so there is no elaboration to ruin its effectiveness?
Sadly...most of the Pkistanis have not learned their lessons and still accept the utterances of a western croak as devine words.
@Anas Abbas: and how do you assess that he is not following another agenda?
Very Well Said Anas Abbas.
he is a sucker ALL THE WAY......
I agree. Its a totally pointless article. What Mr Allister Campbell is saying, has been said on many occasions by various Pak politicians, when they appeal to the world to intervene , or else there will be a nuclear holocaust !
Great article Ejaz. There is nothing wrong with first strike policy and for Pakistan it is just policy meant as a deterrent. Liberals should know that their master not only has a first use policy but has actually used nuclear weapons for the first and only time in human history. For Pakistan it is just a deterrent and will always remain so.
Talk about making a mountain out of a molehill. This incident was a footnote in diaries that were published as a series of articles. Who cares? Instead you have twisted a web of strategy and conspiracy over some bravado and some spin.
I interpret it as once the nuke hit the target India will be nuked in 8 sec. The consequences of such a disclosure is that it show Pakistan will not hesitate to use the nuclear weapons first. This is not a good sign of a responsible nuclear power and may haunt in the future.
probably both lol
In pakistan when peoples tells me that Goray dont lie i laughed like Lama of peru these innocent peoples dont know nothing about gora zaath They lies shamelessly and then apologized like nothing happend remember Bush lies and Collin powel proving of WMD in SC amazing thing was bush even said after killing few hundred thousand iraqis we gonna give palestine a freedom from izraelis they lies but in civilized way.