All right, one more from SSS -
Islamabad ready to deal
This time the message is obvious - the title says it all.
Leaving out many nitpicks, what he (or the 'planters' from ISI) seems to convey -
- We would like to give you Ilyas Kashmiri, but we cannot. So we may look at Lakhvi.
- We should do a joint 'grilling' of Lakhvi and if the evidence is positive, we can look at handing him over.
- Kabul is not by us, it is by Al Qaeda
Apart from that he says -
- The dossiers provided cover a whole lot of ground including Khalistani terrorists
- Khalid Khawaja has filed a suit in Lahore high court, for an injunction against handing over the arrested Quetta Shura people
US seems to be putting a lot of pressure on pakistan. pakis are using multiple ruses to manage the pressure and at the same time pursue their interests scrupulously. Approach seems to along -
- talks with India ('see we are so reasonable only'),
- selective vicious attacks on Indian interests ('look, we can hit you where it can hurt, whenever we please'),
- deftly avoiding the possibility to take responsibility in all that ('see we have arrested so much of the Quetta folks. We are oh so responsible. The Quetta folks must have done that')
- hint vaguely of tantalising intelligence cooperation ('we can give you Lakhvi or do you want Ilyas was well?'),
- put tangible issues on the table like water along with no-hopes issues like Kashmir ('okay you guys cannot give us Kashmir, what about some water over and above the Indus Treaty in exchange for Lakhvi?' - let us remember - the US will vociferously back such a compromise)
- to US, appear cordial, practical, sincere and get that is desperately required and at the least possible cost (half or more of Quetta Shura or Lakhvi is no cost really)
Kayani knows he has a weak hand, but seems to be managing the cards rather well. After all pakistan is not about progress or development. It is about survival for the day -hopefully something will happen tomorrow that will bail out. And in that process if India is weakened that will provide even more strategic depth possibilities.
From their side, unless the Pathans including Quetta and Kandahar Shuras smarten up, they will continue to be the fattened goats for eventual sacrifice for pakjabi interests. If I go out on a limb, I can say that till that happens Kayani's interests are safe. In other words US cannot impact Kayanis plans in any way - only the Pathans can.
From our side I am confident of our bureacracy and the army (I am sure they know everything!). I am worried about the effete political leadership (which is strangely feeling supremely confident - 'no opposition, we never had it so good' mindset), and even more about elite media that has not only practically dumbed down everything but is also a big cheerleader (eg Americans like SV hiding behind their Indian names and pushing their adopted country's agendas)
Arresting and trying Lakhvi or similar folks can only be a part of a bigger game plan. We should not dumb down to such simplicities like the Americans (that AlQ is all about Bin Laden). It should result in reduction of pakjehadi violence in India. Or else...?