The Tale of an Opportunist and Lethal Duo – 2

By: Sohail Parwaz

Haqqani and his spouse Farahnaz aren’t returning to Pakistan. Why? That he spelled once to the local journalists, years ago, before he fled away to USA, “I’m not a prisoner, I’m a guest. But for all practical purposes, I can’t go out, because what if someone shoots me like they did to Salman Taseer?” the couple is not interested in coming back to Pakistan but they are happily visiting India to spit all venom against a country from which they belong and that gave them fame and future.

In the second week of January this year both visited India where they attended various forums and had opportunity to not only spit venom but to defame Pakistan; the country they belonged to. They appeared on Indian TV channels and wrote exclusive pieces for the Indian papers too. Husain Haqqani repeated his old stance about stop competing with India and forgetting the Kashmir issue and moving ahead. In September last year, while talking to NDTV, what he said shocked the public here in Pakistan. People were not ready to believe that Haqqani is the same man who was from the IJT but was now sounding like from the BJP. In his media blitz he advised Pakistan to stop “constantly competing with India.

Same Mr. Haqqani while wrote for the WSJ, “American weapons will end up being used to fight or menace India and perceived domestic enemies, instead of being deployed against jihadists.” Strangely, the op-ed was titled, “Why Are We Sending This Attack Helicopter to Pakistan?” No pseudo patriot asked him that, who’s ‘we’? however renowned intellectual late Cowasjee put it this way, “During Nawaz-I and Benazir-II the most prominent weaver [of lies] and damage-doer was Husain Haqqani.”

During the couple’s first day of the Indian tour Husain Haqqani’s article titled, “Talk, but without illusions” appeared in daily the Indian Express. He cleverly writes […] Meanwhile, India should continue to reach out to Pakistanis who want to protect their nation-state and ensure its progress in the contemporary global environment. This vast segment of Pakistani civil society wants their country’s establishment to understand that the time for using the jihadis as an instrument of bleeding India is over. […] While summing up his article, he once again spat venom […] It does not matter whether the Lashkar-e-Tayiba and the Jaish-e-Muhammad (or for that matter, even the United Jihad Council) acted with the blessings of the ISI or without. As long as such groups are allowed to organise and operate within Pakistan, the government would have to take responsibility for acting against them for attacks anywhere in the world, including across the border. […] so far it was about Mr. Haqqani; however, what his better half is contributing is equally horrifying and a sordid tale.

Ms. Farahnaz Ispahani was invited, on 13 January 2016, by Observer Research Foundation (ORF), a RAW affiliated think tank in New Delhi, to launch her newly written book titled ‘Purifying the Land of the Pure – Pakistan’s Religious Minorities’. The launch ceremony was mediated by Mr. Ashok Malik, senior fellow at ORF/ journalist with leaning towards BJP, Mr. Shankar Ayer ex-Minister/ Indian National Congress, Mr. Vevik Katju, ex Ambassador/ highly anti-Pakistan writer and Ms Sushaini Haider, leading Indian anchor, journalist/ The Hindu. A good number of Indian/ foreign analysts, diplomats and retired defence/ intelligence officers attended the event. Mr. Ashok Malik highlighted the plight of minorities in Pakistan terming it against the concepts of Pakistan’s founding father. Indian participants mainly focused on Pakistan ’s identity and argued that most suitable national identity for Pakistan was not Islam but their being part of Indian civilization was more realistic/ sustainable.

During her appearance before the audience, Mrs. Farahnaz out rightly annulled the basic ideology of Pakistan by saying that, “to make a nation on the basis of religion is fundamentally wrong”. While supporting her stance she purposely ignited the sectarian and minority issue by giving idiotic logic that, “ Pakistan has most dangerous anti-blasphemy laws in the world that has made the life of minorities in Pakistan extremely difficult. Since minorities in Pakistan have gone down from 23% (on partition) to the present 3%, the main target now is Shia and Ahmedies and the recent acts by Pakistani PM and the political parties to show attention towards Hindus/ Christians is merely a symbolic gesture”.

After targeting the government and the state, out of nowhere she dragged in the army for a public bashing and after blaming late Gen Zia-ul-Haq for the plight of minorities in Pakistan, she ruthlessly bashed Pakistan Army by putting baseless and shameful allegations like the persecution of Muslim Bengalis as a separate ethnic group who were considered more close to the Hindu Bengalis due to similar language and culture. While accusing Pakistan Army for creating Al Shams and Al Badar groups, she totally forgot or intentionally skipped the horrific tales of Biharis and West Pakistanis’ genocide at the hands of Mukti Bahini.

The point is that the hate of couple for Pakistan and its armed forces is not something new or strange. The disturbing question is that for how long the government and the decision makers will keep over looking their anti Pakistan attitude and will keep reckoning them as the Pakistanis?