Shiban Khaibri
Within less than 24 hours of Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif’s commitment in an all Party meeting to fight a decisive war against the terror and to finish the last of the terrorists in Pakistan following Tehrik-e-Taliban terrorists’ attack on an army school on Dec16 in Peshawar, and that there would be no differentiation between “good” and “bad” Taliban, the main mastermind of 26/11 Mumbai attack Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi was set free on bail. But was later on with held as it was widely criticised. This has sent waves of astonishment and indignation across the country in general and trivialized the blood spilling of 164 innocent Indians, men, women and children, in particular. The families of the innocent victims martyred in Mumbai attack on 26/11 are simply stunned on the double speak of Pakistan and the denial of justice by that country to the affected families. It cannot be an error but a deliberate pre meditated strategy, the decision of the court needs an immediate reversal.
It is an irony and a matter of concern both, that Pakistan should decide gallows for the Tehreek-i-Taliban terrorists and freedom for Lashkar-e- Taeba terrorists or simply for those who have wrecked havoc with humanity in the form of destruction of life and property in India. It appears simply a sinister design employed by Pakistan that on a day when Pakistani lawyers were on strike, Lakhvi was “managed” to set free on bail. The other mastermind Hafiz Sayeed is vigorously ranting against India, openly day in and day out, while the main mastermind of 26/11 tastes freedom. Indian Government has expressed anguish and decided to urge Pakistani Government to take immediate steps for the revocation of the bail. It sounds ludicrous that 99% of evidence and witnesses exist in Pakistan in respect of Lakhvi’s trial which either have been recorded in a tutored manner or simply overlooked. There is, on the other hand, no system and provision to extend state protection to witnesses possessing crucial and sensitive evidence against an accused in a court. Dossiers in bunches, tangible and pointed ones, were regularly sent to Pakistan by Indian government in respect of 26/11 terror attack. Whole of the world watched live on Indian televisions, confessions made by Ajmal Qasab, the lone terrorist captured alive about involvement, promotion and financial sustenance by “Zaki Chacha” in the Mumbai terror attack but since a country which stands on its agenda of state policy to “inflict a 1000 cuts”, against India, why should anything fair be expected from that country?
The whole Indian nation was simply moved and emotionally touched by the most inhuman satanic acts of terrorists butchering small innocent children including small girls mercilessly while they were in their school. The extent of medieval barbarity was seen as they burnt alive a young lady teacher. All Indian political leaders, irrespective of Party affiliations, expressed shock over this most dastardly act of terror and sympathies were conveyed to the bereaved families, the Prime Minister taking the initiative who spoke to Nawaz Sharif expressing deepest condolences and told him,” We are ready to provide all assistance during this hour of grief”. Solidarity was exhibited across India by all the schools by observing two minutes silence followed by different manners in paying tributes to the innocent Pakistani school children. India does not, conventionally and culturally, discriminate between the human bloods and wherever innocent human blood is spilled, it is the causality of humanity. Perhaps, this basic fact about the civilized approach to humanity is not in the kitty of Pakistan which has terrorism as its extended state policy.
It is not the dreaded Lakhvi alone but all the 7 mastermind accused of 26/11 have been released. Pakistan, right from the start, did not look serious to prosecute the ones about which Indian Government provided sufficient evidence , the prosecution feigning to “prove charges” against the accused presented a weak and a lacunae laced case before the court, setting way clear for smooth walk to freedom for Lakhvi. Hafiz Sayeed had already been, after summary hearing, set free, he being a proxy of the Pakistan’s ISI. Not only in India, has Pakistan been harbouring terrorism for nearly three decades, doing it even now, and the fact that in whole of the affected areas in the world, India has suffered the most -but even Afghanistan has regularly been charging Pakistan for doing the same against that country, especially in its tribal regions. Afghanistan had been vigorously pleading with Pakistan to contain the dreaded Haqqani terror net work in Pakistan but of no avail. In fact, the ex-Pakistani army chief Parvez Kayani had “warned” America for undertaking air strikes against Hakkani net work in north Wazirstan area. After all, Pakistan has enough experience of and the “addiction” for using tribals from tribal areas bordering with Afghanistan to further its- political agenda, the debut about which was shown in 1947 in Kashmir by it.
It is a travesty that the timing of Lakhvi’s release should coincide with three days state mourning in Pakistan over the Peshawar killings and within 24 hours of the pledge and resolve of Nawaz Sharif to end terrorism from its soil. “You cannot keep snakes in your backyard and expect them only to bite your neighbours , those snakes eventually are going to turn on, whoever has them in the backyard ” was the advice given by the Us secretary of state to Pakistan way back in 2011.The same has very unfortunately proved right.
Let Pakistani establishment pause for a moment and assume that the inhuman perpetrators of the Peshawar massacre of 131 innocent children get into some country and for a sham court cases are filed against them, eventually being let off. As a natural corollary, there shall be an outrage of unprecedented nature in that country and none in the world can question the basis of resentment then in the Pakistani societies. In the same way, our 164 innocents were killed in cold blood on Railway stations, on pavements, in Hotel complexes, even in Hospitals, men, women, children, the sick, the Doctors, the Police personnel and the like. The Indian government collected foolproof evidences and furnished the same to Pakistan. The trial, after a great pressure and even strong diplomatic influence exerted, was started against the identified perpetrators, one of the main mastermind being Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi but went on at a snail’s pace, ultimately resulting in setting free all the accused on bail.
Terror cannot be selectively identified. Likewise, justice cannot be selectively dispensed to the unfortunate victims of terror. Betrayal of justice for the victims of 26/11 cannot be accepted at any cost, if Pakistan really wants to normalize relations with this country. The six vows of Nawaz Sharief following the Peshawar carnage must be fulfilled in totality; there is no alternative for Pakistan.
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