Opinion | Pulwama, Abhinandan secrets are out: Pakistan is scared of Modi
The secrets are out. Pakistani leader Ayaz Sadiq has revealed that his country fears Modi. Prime Minister Imran Khan and Army Chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa were worried that if they did not release Wing Commander Abhinandan, India would attack Pakistan. Imran' s minister Fawad Chaudhry claimed that Imran should be given credit for organizing the attack in Pulwama. Both the revelations in Pakistan's National Assembly completely expose Pakistan.
Let us take Fawad Chaudhry first. Pakistan's Science and Technology Minister Fawad Chaudhry is said to be very close to Prime Minister Imran Khan. Fawad Chaudhry frequently defends his leader whenever he is attacked by the Opposition. But on Thursday, Fawad Chaudhry spilled out the secret on who planned the Pulwama attack of February 14, 2019, in which 40 CRPF soldiers were martyred.
Taking part in a debate in National Assembly, Fawad Chaudhry said the terror strike in Pulwama was a major "success" under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan. He said, "humne Hindustan ko ghus ke maara (we attacked India inside their home). Our success in Pulwama is a success of the people under the leadership of Imran Khan. You (opposition) and we (ruling party) are all part of that success.”
As soon as the cat was out of the bag, Fawad Chaudhry realized his folly and then backtracked. He said, "Pulwama ke waqaye ke baad jab humne India ko ghus ke mara” (when we hit India in their home after Pulwama). Soon Indian media picked up the minister's remark, and Fawad Chaudhry had to spend the rest of the day clarifying that he was “misquoted and misinterpreted”. He said, he was referring to "when our planes targeted India's combat installations".
Fawad Chaudhry’s remark comes a day after Nawaz Sharif’s party leader Ayaz Sadiq revealed why Pakistan decided to release Indian Air Force Wing Commander Abhinandan. Ayaz Sadiq recounted a top meeting held in February last year during the critical standoff between India and Pakistan after the Balakot air strike.
He revealed how at a top meeting attended by senior political leaders and the Army Chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, looking frightened, perspiring and shaking in his knees, walked in and told the meeting that Abhinandan must be released because India may attack Pakistan at 9 pm that night.
Ayaz Sadiq said PM Imran Khan was supposed to attend the meeting, but he did not. Wing Commander Abhinandan was captured by Pakistani army after MiG-21 jet fell down during a dogfight with a Pakistani aircraft, and India had demanded his release.
Ayaz Sadiq is not an ordinary politician in Pakistan. He has been the Speaker of National Assembly and the facts that he was revealing carried weight. Till now, nobody knew why Pakistan suddenly decided to release Wing Commander Abhinandan. There were speculations galore.
I remember I had put the same question to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in my ‘Salaam India’ show with him in May last year. Modi had then smiled and replied: “Let the secret of that night remain a secret forever.”
The secret is now out. According to the Pakistani leader, their Foreign Minister told the top-secret meeting that India was going to attack that night at 9 pm, and he virtually pleaded with the opposition to agree to Abhinandan’s release.
On Thursday, the Pakistani army spokesman tried his best to clarify Ayaz Sadiq’s remark, but he did not reject his revelation. The spokesman only said that the decision to release Abhinandan was “a mature response” and “it would be misleading to link this with anything else.”
Two clear facts emerge from the remarks of these two Pakistani leaders: One, Pakistan had conspired the suicide terrorist attack in Pulwama, and Two, Pakistan is mortally afraid of Modi. All other clarifications from Pakistan are nothing but attempts to obfuscate the issue.
Fawad Chaudhry has exposed what Pakistan had been trying to hide till now. Pakistan had been claiming that it had nothing to do with the Pulwama terror attack. Imran Khan had been crying hoarse throughout the hold that his country was not a sponsor but a victim of terrorism, but here, it was his own minister who has spilled the cat out of the bag.
What will the Pakistani army establishment do about Fawad’s remark? It was India which had openly told the world that it has taken revenge for Pulwama terror attack by carrying out an airstrike on terror camps in Balakot. It was India which had formally informed Pakistan about the Balakot airstrike. India never tried to hide facts, but Pakistan did lie. After Balakot airstrike, it was Imran Khan who had alleged that Prime Minister Modi was trying to provoke a war. But his own minister has now nailed Imran Khan’s lies.
For the last two days, the combined Opposition is spilling out several secrets about Imran Khan and the Pakistani army while participating in the debate of national security. Whatever Ayaz Sadiq revealed in National Assembly has brought the loss of face to the mighty Pakistani army establishment.
Ayaz Sadiq has revealed what others feared to do. He spoke about how the General and his foreign minister were perspiring and shaking in their knees because India was going to attack at 9 pm. They were beseeching the Opposition to agree to the government’s decision to release Abhinandan unconditionally.
India TV spoke to the then IAF chief retired Air Chief Marshal B. S. Dhanoa. He told India TV that the air force was at that time ready to wipe out the entire frontline defence of Pakistan, within minutes. That is why, Dhanoa said, Pakistan was forced to release Wing Commander Abhinandan. Watching the former air chief speak makes our hearts fill with pride. We are proud of the unmatched bravery of our armed forces, and they too have an abiding faith in the leadership of our Prime Minister.
Now that the dark secrets are spilled out, every Indian must realize that there is a big difference in what India was less than a decade ago and now. After watching Pakistani leaders admitting that their army had planned the terror attack and that its general were shaking in their knees on hearing about an impending Indian attack, every Indian must realize the difference between the qualities of the earlier leadership and Modi’s leadership.
Pakistan had been aiding and abetting terrorists since decades, and our armed forces were quite capable to strike back, but the earlier leadership used to send dossiers and write letters to Pakistan. The earlier leadership used to take complaints against Pakistan to the United States, but Modi has changed the very lexicon of how to act against the enemy. He ordered the army and air force to carry out surgical strikes inside enemy territory at least twice, and now, the secret is out that India was poised to attack at 9 pm that night, had Abhinandan not been released from captivity.
The unravelling of this secret has clearly underlined the extent to which Pakistan regards Modi’s strength. The Pakistani establishment fears Modi, but unfortunately, our own leaders here are unwilling to admit this. After Pakistan’s admission of its hand in Pulwama attack, our leaders should stop believing in fake claims made by Pakistan and China, and trust the capability of our armed forces. They should have trust in the leadership of our Prime Minister.
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