The 'great' Mr Haqqani

25 Nov, 2013

The book "Magnificent Delusions", written by Husain Haqqani, Pakistan's former ambassador to the US, has recently been launched. It is worth remembering that Haqqani was forced to resign in 2011 over charges that he sought US to downgrade its support for Pakistan's army. After his sacking, Haqqani settled down in the US and, unsurprisingly, seeks the Pakistanis to embrace Malala Yousafzai as a hero. Seemingly, it is time for all "sincere" Pakistanis to settle down in the US and issue verdicts on what's wrong with Pakistan.
Haqqani's background is well known; from the 1970s when he was a frontline activist in the IJT, he kept changing his loyalties. Now he is loyal to "you know who", and even refused to come to Pakistan to depose before the Abbottabad Commission.
His suggestion that Pakistan's Army is disproportionately large, and should be cut down at a time when Pakistan faces the most serious threat to its existence on its eastern and western borders after 1970, reflects on his loyalties to the safe heaven where he resides.
While launching his book, he said that Pakistan's Army has caused internal dysfunction in Pakistan because the Army has continued to become stronger, and built Pakistan's national "narrative" implying thereby that Pakistan is now a military state.
Haqqani either hasn't read history or denies it wilfully. His diplomatic skills are reflected in his blindness to the fact that non-implementation of UNSC resolutions on a plebiscite in Kashmir sowed the seeds of permanent (West desired) tensions between India and Pakistan.
It is the likes of Haqqani who have done more damage to Pakistan than anyone else. The tragedy is that they are all well protected by "you know who".

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