Sunday, March 07, 2004
The real Deal?
As far as spy vs spy kind thrillers go, you can't get much better than Seymour Hersh. Yes, there are times when I doubt the veracity of some of the things he says, but you have to hand it to him -- the man has fantastic sources. In his latest column in the New Yorker, Hersh examines why the U.S. did not crack down on Pakistan after the revelation of A.Q.Khan's little nuclear hobby. If Hersh can be believed, the United States has made a pact with the devil that will make the support of Bin Laden, Hekmatyar and gang in the 1980's seem like child's play. In return for not pressuring Musharraf on the Khan issue, U.S. special forces get permission to comb the Pathan areas around the Hindu Kush for Osama Bin Laden. Of course, if Pakistanis get to know about the presence of U.S. forces on their soil, one can safely guarantee that Musharraf will not be around for much longer.
This story, if true, is completely nuts. There were times, after Sept 11th, that I thought perhaps the U.S. had learnt its lesson that to sup with the devil, you need a very long spoon. It was pretty clear to anyone who bothered some cursory reading of the newspapers that the real source of terror was not Iraq, but Pakistan, with its shady ties between the ISI and the army and the various Islamic groups. If America were even moderately serious about chasing down terrorists, it was Pakistan they should have headed to.
So, now, instead of figuring out the exact details of who Dr. Khan was handing out nuclear secrets to, they ignore him and hope Bin Laden can be caught instead, even if it means real political danger to Musharraf. What on earth are the Americans thinking? Little wonder then the persistence of the rumour floating around South Asia that Bush needs Bin Laden as the ultimate trophy to seal his election victory.
Though the U.S. seems to have given Pakistan a free ride on the Khan issue, the IAEA hasnt been quite as forgiving or compliant. AP is reporting that senior UN diplomats are convinced that Khan could not have indulged in his little hobby without active help from the Pakistan government.
Despite denials by the Pakistani government, investigators now are certain that some, if not all, of the country's decision makers were aware of Khan's dealings, especially with North Korea, which apparently helped Islamabad build missiles in exchange for aid with its nuclear arms program, said one diplomat.
"In all cases except Pakistan, we are sure there was no government involvement," he said. "In Pakistan, it's hard to believe all this happened under their noses and nobody knew about it."The diplomats didn't say which parts of the Pakistani government might have known of Khan's black market activity - military, political or both.
This story, if true, is completely nuts. There were times, after Sept 11th, that I thought perhaps the U.S. had learnt its lesson that to sup with the devil, you need a very long spoon. It was pretty clear to anyone who bothered some cursory reading of the newspapers that the real source of terror was not Iraq, but Pakistan, with its shady ties between the ISI and the army and the various Islamic groups. If America were even moderately serious about chasing down terrorists, it was Pakistan they should have headed to.
So, now, instead of figuring out the exact details of who Dr. Khan was handing out nuclear secrets to, they ignore him and hope Bin Laden can be caught instead, even if it means real political danger to Musharraf. What on earth are the Americans thinking? Little wonder then the persistence of the rumour floating around South Asia that Bush needs Bin Laden as the ultimate trophy to seal his election victory.
Though the U.S. seems to have given Pakistan a free ride on the Khan issue, the IAEA hasnt been quite as forgiving or compliant. AP is reporting that senior UN diplomats are convinced that Khan could not have indulged in his little hobby without active help from the Pakistan government.
Despite denials by the Pakistani government, investigators now are certain that some, if not all, of the country's decision makers were aware of Khan's dealings, especially with North Korea, which apparently helped Islamabad build missiles in exchange for aid with its nuclear arms program, said one diplomat.
"In all cases except Pakistan, we are sure there was no government involvement," he said. "In Pakistan, it's hard to believe all this happened under their noses and nobody knew about it."The diplomats didn't say which parts of the Pakistani government might have known of Khan's black market activity - military, political or both.
