August is a very happening month and not only because I was born during the month ! Actually most opinions agree that August 6, in the year 1945 is the day the world changed forever! Well we all know USA used an atomic device on that day . " Little Boy" , was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan. And just three days later on 9th August "Fat Man" was detonated over Nagasaki city. Estimates vary and depending on who you believe between 80,000 to 120,000 lives were lost instantly. Both cities were turned to rubble. Another 50,000 to 100,000 victims died later as a result of the these nuclear attacks. This signal event ended the second world war decisively and has largely shaped political, geographical and international contours of our world today.
August came early this year not quite far from the Japanese shores; in Sentosa island. A resort island off the southern coast of Singapore. Actually it is connected to the city by road , cable car, monorail and even a pedestrian boardwalk. Yet another big bang happened here on June 12 , 2018. There was a lot of uncertainty and Yes - no ; go- no go for a while but a "Fat man & a Little Boy " did manage to drop in once again. Exactly on Capella resort! Luckily no one exploded. Korean fat man; president for life Kim Jong-Un and the American brattish little boy; president Trump shook hands in a bid to avoid nuclear tipped rockets flying over the Korean peninsula. Seems like the world has averted this catastrophe for now! This whole event was high on drama, sound bites and optics and might prove to be as historical as the events in 1945. A little bit to the west of Singapore things were not so dramatic !
In fact every effort was made to keep things as close to the chest as possible. It was hilarious but will prove historical in the long run. The deadly combination of "little boy and Fat man" exploded over Pakistan. They were more potent than a nuclear device! In fact they were Book Bombs !
Lieutenant General Mohammad Asad Durrani is a retired chief of the notorious spy agency of Pakistan- ISI . In a prime example of life being stranger than fiction, he somehow has gotten friendly with Amarjit Dulat . Ex chief of ISI's biggest rival - Indian Spy Agency RAW! Maybe it is their Punjabi connections, maybe their track 2 interactions but they have hit it off and are drinking buddies in their retirement. They have written a book together : The Spy Chronicles: RAW, ISI and the Illusion of Peace .
Everything has exploded in the Pakistani security establishment. They were livid at their such an errant "little boy" ! Having read the book I can safely conclude that no state secrets were divulged by Durrani. All he seems to have said has been said before and most of the campaign generalities he talks about is common knowledge. What seems to have touched a raw nerve is the fact that he is gunning for peace between India and Pakistan. Definitely not an operating philosophy for the Pakistan establishment. Most damning in my opinion is his belief that Pakistan was not made for ever ! This one is huge ; specially coming from a three star general and their chief spy albeit retired. He has laid bare chinks in their armour, the one's we could all see anyway. Last we heard he is going to face a court of inquiry. In a secretive Pakistan we will know of the outcome when we will. Maybe never !
Everything has exploded in the Pakistani security establishment. They were livid at their such an errant "little boy" ! Having read the book I can safely conclude that no state secrets were divulged by Durrani. All he seems to have said has been said before and most of the campaign generalities he talks about is common knowledge. What seems to have touched a raw nerve is the fact that he is gunning for peace between India and Pakistan. Definitely not an operating philosophy for the Pakistan establishment. Most damning in my opinion is his belief that Pakistan was not made for ever ! This one is huge ; specially coming from a three star general and their chief spy albeit retired. He has laid bare chinks in their armour, the one's we could all see anyway. Last we heard he is going to face a court of inquiry. In a secretive Pakistan we will know of the outcome when we will. Maybe never !
Even as the din from the first explosion was abating, along came the second. More powerful; really a "Fat Man"! The thing is that at the time of writing the book was unpublished as yet. Reham Khan's autobiography . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GRxgs9XyGM
What seems to have got everyone's goat is the fact that she broke the news at an Indian Channel. A crime in itself. But the bigger issue is the fact that she directly indicts establishment's blue eyed boy Imran Khan : her ex husband;of being in collusion with forces sympathetic to Taliban who changes his views and statements to suit his audiences. Anything to grab power.She raises a big red flag for the voters to vote with caution lest Imran manages to grab power and lead Pakistan into an intractable abyss.
Having tied up Nawaz Sharif in all kinds of tangles, some of his own making; the field is clear for Imran. All he has to do is to show up on the election day but for this impertinent women who dares to speak!! Everyone and their mother is hell bent on tarnishing the reputation of the author as a person; as a mother; as a wife; as a women; as a Pakistani; as a Muslim and even as a journalist. Nobody has read the book! This book if and when it comes out may change the outcome of this election and the course of history. The only ray of hope for the establishment is the fact that nobody reads; especially a common voter in Pakistan. And the book is in English, a language in my personal experience even fairly educated in Pakistan are not very comfortable with.
The thing though is that with so many voices trying to shout her down and shut her up in itself proves that she is surely worth listening to. Personally I believe she has a very crucial point about Imran khan. As Reham was married to him for a year (10 months according to Imran) she validates my assessment of Imran not being trustworthy. We will have to wait till 25th July to see if August has arrived !
