By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd) Former Director General of Information Systems, Indian Army

It was amusing to see TV debates about former President of Pakistan General Pervez Musharraf’s impending homecoming, during which, Pakistani speakers vehemently denied that their military/Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) knew of Osama bin Laden’s presence in Abbottabad. This despite Ziauddin Butt, former Pakistan Army Chief, revealing at a conference on Pakistan-US relations in October 2011 that Brigadier Ijaz Shah (Director General Intelligence Bureau, Pakistan till 2008) had kept Osama in the Intelligence Bureau safe house in Abbottabad with knowledge of Pervez Musharraf and possibly current chief General Parvez Kayani. He repeated this in an interview with Dawn News on December 8, 2011.

An article by Altaf Hassan Qureshi in an Urdu daily in December 2011 reinforced the complicity. The Terrorism Monitor of May 5, 2011 too had hinted the Abbottabad compound was being used as an ISI safe house. Belief of Kayani and Shuja Pasha, DG ISI being in dark about Osama’s presence stands negated.

In 2011, General Musharraf had announced plans of returning to Pakistan, launch his political party and rule Pakistan again. Possibility of him having orchestrated the ‘memogate’ in conjunction Mansoor Ijaz (ISI stooge) and ISI cannot be discounted, as indicative from his specifying dates of his return to Pakistan in early 2012. Having nurtured Kayani, Musharraf appears confident of a second win. He would do well to read Pakistan’s history where loyalty gets replaced last minute by deceit and violence; what Zia-ul-Haq did to Zulfikar Bhutto, Musharraf did to Nawaz Sharif, plus orchestrating Benazir Bhutto’s assassination for which warrants for his arrest have been issued in Pakistan? Even Imran Khan, with whose political party Musharraf appears to be negotiating, scoffs at the proposed return of Musharraf to Pakistan, stating he would not like to be the insurance company giving life insurance to Musharraf.

In his 11-year rule of Pakistan, Musharraf ensured that in the foreseeable future Pakistan continues to support the Taliban not only for fear of rebellion across the NWFP, FATA and areas astride the Durand Line but more to achieve the cherished ‘strategic depth’, continue as ‘balancer’ state in strategic sights of US and China, keep control of terror export to India and Afghanistan, receive continued financing for jihad by countries like Saudi Arabia, etc. He ensured that no-go tribal areas of Pakistan became strongholds of Afghan insurgency and Afghan refugee camps were converted into major Taliban training camps, facilitating induction of Chinese military advisors to the Taliban and Chinese weaponry including shoulder fired AD missiles.

Notwithstanding current politico-military spat in Pakistan, her present show of constrained friendship with India is opportunistic. The civil government is too weak and the military’s hold over ‘every sector’ of Pakistan too strong with retired and deputed officers occupying plum positions. This implies that Pakistan’s political economy of exporting terrorism as a foreign policy tool, massive corruption at home and the resultant ever growing reservoir of economically deprived youngsters who will fill ranks of extremists and suicide bombers will continue. JuD, the second face of LeT, is not even banned in Pakistan.

While Pakistan will never give up Kashmir, Musharraf had implicitly stated, “Even if the Kashmir problem is resolved, jihad against India will continue”, also adding as President, “There is not a single terrorist on Pakistani soil.” His refusal to be present at Lahore during the Prime Minister’s A.B. Vajpayee’s bus voyage and being master architect of the Kargil intrusions are established facts. In his autobiography authored as President of Pakistan, he refers to India twice as “the most devious enemy.” Those who still consider him as “the best bet for India” need fresh thinking caps. Return of Machiavellian Musharraf to Pakistan cannot be good for India as it only bodes more evil.

The views expressed herein are the personal views of the author.