Pakistan stands self-condemned through the shocking boast of its federal minister Fawad Chaudhry — said to be close to Prime Minister Imran Khan — that the Pulwama terrorist attack on February 14 last year, in which 40 CRPF men were killed, was a “major achievement” of the government and the Opposition parties — meaning the people of Pakistan.
Chaudhry was addressing his country’s National Assembly or Parliament, and his remarks were direct and emphatic, removing any scope for backtracking as he appeared to do somewhat in a subsequent tweet. So shocking and dramatic was the statement that the Pakistan PM may wonder what his minister was up to, really.
Had he given himself the mission to undermine the PM who has lately found himself in the line of fire of an effective combine of 11 Opposition parties. Was Mr Chaudhry playing the Army’s game if the latter is in the process of washing its hands of Mr Khan whom it had propped up in office two years ago?
Such questions are apt to arise in Pakistan’s domestic debate, but in India we ought to bear in mind that the evilness of that country’s policy toward us derives from the stranglehold the Pakistani military has gained in determining policy since the Ayub coup six decades ago. The civilians make up a huge constituency of incompetents and innocents, who are manipulated at will by the Army.
It is not the Pakistani “Muslim” who is the enemy but the Army. In recent years this premise has sometimes been somewhat obscured in our thinking, and as a by-product, the Kashmir policy too lacks clarity. The Centre misidentifies the inimical forces, targeting even those who have stood by our Constitution and flag.
The broader implications of Mr Chaudhry’s self-shaming admission ought to be brought before the world. In this context, raising China’s all-season support to Pakistan, which has emerged as its buddy pal, is also to be questioned.
