The London plot is thicker than the London fog. It has provoked many questions and provided few answers. The world media is being desperately manipulated by the three governments of Britain, USA and Pakistan to do their respective bidding. Where does truth begin and falsehood end?
The plot has already been captured in world headlines as “mass murder on an unimaginable scale”, as “Britain’s 9-11”, “the most severe threat since the end of the second world war.” And what do the three governments have to show for such elephantine claims?
Well, some two dozen Britons of Pakistani-descent have been rounded up in the UK and six or seven people in Pakistan, only one of whom has been named, a certain Rauf Rashid. The British government claims these terrorists were planning to blow up transatlantic airplanes “soon” with liquid explosives disguised as soft drinks. Considering that the super sleuths of Britain and Pakistan were on the trail of these terrorist masterminds for months, possibly a year, and that an attack was “imminent”, can’t they even give us evidence that any of the alleged terrorists had even bought a ticket or seat for transatlantic travel on any flight in the near future?
The Pakistani government says it played a critical role in apprehending Rashid who is supposed to be the big link between some grand planning ace, an Al Qaeda hot-shot no less than the equivalent of a #3 after Osama and Al Zawahiri, and the various executioners of the plot. We haven’t been told the name of the planner. If he is free, like OBL, what’s the big deal about not naming him and putting a reward on his mug shot? Will Rashid be handed over to the UK? The London Times says the UK will definitely seek his extradition. But the Pakistani Foreign Office spokesperson says there is no extradition treaty between the two countries. The British High Commission says it may happen in due course and a Pakistani intelligence official deflects the question. Has the UK asked Pakistan to investigate the links of the 24 arrested in the UK? No.
Meanwhile, the UK and USA governments are leaking like a sieve to their media. Allegations of Pakistani-jihadi involvement in the plot are flying thick and fast. There is talk of money transfers from the UK to Pakistan ostensibly for quake relief but “probably” to facilitate the plotters, we are told. But no evidence is cited or source named. Instead of Pakistan looking like the good guy it is being rounded up in the columns as the usual terror suspect. And what is Islamabad’s response? Incredulously enough, the line is that it is “Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan” that is the source of the plot. Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan? We thought it was the Taleban in Afghanistan and Al Qaeda in Waziristran! We live and learn. Apparently, the British wanted the plot to unravel allow the plotters a “dry-run on board aircraft with the liquids in their handbags before swooping down on the plotters. But President Bush weighed in and ordered Blair and Musharraf to seize the moment.
The foreign media wants to know why Hafiz Saeed, the head of the Jamaat ud Dawa, a front for the banned Lashkar i Toeba, was detained a few days before the London plot was announced if he doesn’t have any connections with the plot. A report from India says Islamabad did it to in exchange for a commitment from Delhi for a Manmohan-Musharraf meeting in New York in September and a resumption of secretary-level talks. Not so, we are informed, the decision was taken when Condi Rice visited Islamabad and complained about the Lashkar. But the government waited for some time before ordering his detention because it didn’t want to be seen as kowtowing to Washington. Then the Mumbai blasts in July forestalled the decision because Islamabad didn’t want to be seen as bending before the Indians. But after he was detained last week, American pressure on Britain and Pakistan to announce the plot put paid to Pakistani sensibilities. So what happens now? It seems Mr Saeed will successfully challenge his detention before the Lahore High Court next week and put all conspiracy theories to rest!
A little cynicism is in order. It’s strange that Bush should have leaned on Blair and Musharraf to go public with the mother of all terror plots just when his woes in Iraq, Afghanistan and Lebanon were beginning to take a toll of his popularity in the run-up to the Senate elections in a few months. Strange also that Blair should have decided to take a holiday just when Britain was threatened with a fate worse than 9/11. Strange too that the incredible investigative work done by Britain should have yielded the fruit of fear and insecurity precisely when its government is being whipped for supporting US foreign policy in Iraq. And definitely strange that the great moment should have been seized at the height of the Israeli bombing of Lebanon in which over 1000 civilians have died and there is universal belief that Israel lost the war and Hezbollah won it.
So many questions. So few answers.