Jaswant Singh,his book and the now-famous story of his expulsion from the BJP continue to hog the limelight in Pakistani papers. Copies of his book were reportedly flying off the shelves of bookstores even before his promotional visit to Pakistan was announced,and later,called off.
Ejaz Haider,in his August 24 column in Daily Times narrates his telephonic encounter with Singh,implying that in Singhs misery,Pakistanis have caught the wrong end of the stick. He said he was deeply wounded by his partys decision even as he admitted that the RSS guides the hand of BJP I dont know of any such admission coming from a BJP leader before…He came across as someone who undertook and did the job with sincerity. He had no reason to curry favour with a Pakistani interviewer and with the Pakistani audience. In fact,if he could and did,for a man in his circumstances,that would be a big negative a kiss of death,if you will. How have we reacted to this? Have I heard anyone say that Jaswant Singh,a leader of the rightwing BJP,has had the courage to write objectively about Mr Jinnah? No. Instead of focussing on Mr Singh,we are focused on the fuming and utterly misplaced Parivar cadres.
After Mehsud
After Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) leader Baitullah Mehsud was reported to have been killed in a military encounter last month,the outfit appeared rudderless. Or did it? The News reported on August 26: The defunct TTP has finally confirmed the killing of their top commander Baitullah Mehsud… The revelation came from no other than the newly appointed head of the TTP,Hakimullah. Daily Times carried an editorial on August 24 predicting the fallout of this new appointment: Hakimullah is known for his slack allegiance to any Islamic ethic. His leadership will give encouragement to the criminal aspects of the TTP from Peshawar to Karachi. Incidents of kidnapping for ransom and bank robberies are expected to increase under him. But it will depend on how strong his writ will run among various terrorist elements. And that in turn will depend on his acquisition of the treasure that Baitullah has left behind… If Hakimullah is not able to lay his hands on the full multi-billion treasure trove left behind by Baitullah,Pakistan may expect an increase in criminal violence. The sectarian graph will rise too. Fortunately,however,Hakimullahs outreach is expected to be seriously limited,encouraging the regional commanders to cut loose and be on their own. Dawn compared the two in a piece on August 27: People outside the militant movement who have met Hakimullah know that he must have prevailed upon the TTP shura,leaving no doubt about a possible split in case anyone else was chosen to lead the movement… Comparisons between Hakimullah and Baitullah would serve as a study of contrasts. While Baitullah was introvert and media-shy,the former is extrovert and media-savvy.
