ISLAMABAD – Last week while giving an interview to Dawn News reporter CyrilAlmedia, Nawaz Sharif’s statement regarding Pakistan having an alleged rolein the 2008 Mumbai attacks caused a massive country-wide uproar. Sharif inprecise stated, “Militant organisations are active. Call them non-stateactors, should we allow them to cross the border and kill 150 people inMumbai? Explain it to me. Why can’t we complete the trial?” Soon after thestatement went viral, Indian media and authorities became rampant andstarted blaming Pakistan for the brutal attack. A headline from HindustanTimes stated,”Pakistani terrorists carried out 26/11 Mumbai attacks, admitsformer PM,Nawaz Sharif.”On the other hand, Times Now went a step further bystating, “Now, Pakistan can’t get rid of 26/11 stain”. All these statementsultimately paved the way for Indian media, establishment and politicalelite giving them much stronger grounds to reaffirm their stance on Mumbaiattacks. It was not so surprising when the anti-Pakistan narrative gotstrengthened across the globe in the blink of an eye.
The criticism across the country continued as Chairman PTI Imran Khantweeted: “Nawaz Sharif is the modern-day Mir Jafar, who collaborated withthe British to enslave his nation for personal gains. Nawaz speaking Modi’slanguage against Pak State simply to protect his ill-gotten Rs 300b stashedin his sons companies abroad.”In other words,Mr Khan accused Nawaz Sharifof being a sell-out using PM Modi’s language for personal gains. Formerinterior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan under whose watch the FederalInvestigation Agency (FIA) was investigating the Mumbai attacks, arguedthat since the assault took place in the Indian financial capital, it wasthe Indian government which possessed “90 percent of the evidence andfacts” of the incident. Reflecting on Sharif’s recent statement,Nisarfurther highlighted how the Indian government deliberately refused to shareall those facts and evidence with FIA and hence were themselves to beblamed for the hold-up in the Mumbai attacks trial.
Being a seasoned politician and three-time premier, Sharif cannot beunmindful of the consequences of his remarks for his country’s image on theinternational stage
Later on, PML-N officially mentioned how the statement issued by theparty’s “Quaid” was “grossly misinterpreted” by the Indian media. It wasalso mentioned that Nawaz, a patriotic Pakistani, did not need anyone’scertificate to prove his love for Pakistan. Moreover, the National SecurityCommittee meeting on Monday, which had been convened on the Army’s request,was held with Prime Minister ShahidKhaqanAbbasi in the chair,rejectedSharif’s claim about Mumbai attacks as incorrect and misleading. Butinterestingly, on Tuesday, it seemed as if fate had other plans when NawazSharif while speaking to reporters at accountability court rejected NSCstatement, terming it as painful and regrettable. While reading all thesestatements as they came one by one, I couldn’t help but draw an analogywhere Sharif’s condition is akin to a cat trapped inside a room with allexits sealed and stick-wielding people coming after the hapless animal. Insuch a situation, the cat invariably pounces at the attacker’s face toescape.
Sharif too in this case appears to have done that. Being a seasonedpolitician and three-time premier, Sharif cannot be unmindful of theconsequences of his remarks for his country’s image internationally.
In the Buner rally that took place later in the day, Mr Sharif appeared topush the narrative further, if that was possible, by demanding a nationalcommission to establish who has committed treason in the country in lightof his comments about militancy in general and the Mumbai attacks inparticular. And hence it seems as if Nawaz himself was on the verge ofdragging PML-N to a breaking point where the party is on the brink ofgetting politically ruptured. No wonder the upcoming elections have beenplunged into a further state of uncertainty after the recent confession.Given the current discourse, it is safe to assume that Mr Abbasi, ChiefMinister Shahbaz Sharif and other party members in PML-N will still attemptto provide further clarifications overnight in a bid to minimise thealready perceived damage to PML-N’s election hopes.
Ultimately, Nawaz Sharif on the other hand, who alleges the judiciary fortaking orders from the ‘top’, allegedly from military establishment ofPakistan, is now bashing the state of Pakistan for his personal politicalsurvival. Nawaz’s comments on Mumbai attacks are a message to India and theUS that he (Nawaz) believes in civilian supremacy, follows what the US andIndia ask him, and opposes armed forces of Pakistan. He believes thisrhetoric will make him a favourable candidate for the US and India, to beelected as a prime minister in Pakistan yet again. But apparently, it seemsas if Nawaz is digging his own grave by making way for political suicide.Sharif’s irresponsible statement has affected every patriotic citizen andsoldier of Pakistan. Recently, resolutions against ousted prime ministerhave been brought in three provincial assemblies in Pakistan demandingregistration of a treason case against him for his controversial remarks.Similarly, a petition was submitted in the Lahore High Court (LHC) onMonday to register a treason case (under Article 6) against deposed primeminister filed by Aftab Virk on behalf of Pakistan AwaamiTehreek’s (PAT).
His admission of Pakistan’s hand behind the Mumbai carnage has inevitablyfor the worse triggered further slide in Pakistan’s credibility before theinternational community. Adversely, it will have an impact on several casesin which Pakistan is stuck with India before the International Court ofJustice including KulbhushanJadhav case.It remains to be seen if Sharifgets some substantive relief in the coming days as Pakistan is due to holdits next general election later this year. If nothing happens as per hiswishes, it is highly likely that he may further up the ante and come upwith more embarrassing statements which name and shame Pakistan. Till then,the storm awaiting Nawaz is yet to be seen.
BY: Fizza Ali. *The writer graduated with an LLB Hons, University ofLondon International Programmes. Twitter @fizzaalik*