The World of Diplomatic Backstage

De-classification of official documents have been a routine practice in the United States, while just the opposite is true of Pakistan. Successive governments over the years have believed in hiding away from public eye even the most innocuous of official documents without realizing that the practice only adds to the sense of national confusion. "I will expose everybody when the time is right," is a sentence that finds place in every politician's armory. A case in point is that of Mohammad Khan Junejo who kept repeating the line in the context of the Ojhri disaster, but the "right time" never came in his own lifetime.

The book, The American Papers, is a selected bunch of documents de-classified by the US government in recent times, and now resting at the National Archives II at College Park in Maryland. The documents in the current volume have been drawn from State and Defense Department files, and focus on the 1965 war, the East Pakistan crisis of 1971, the breakup of Pakistan, and the first two years of Z.A. Bhutto's rule. The documents, consisting of correspondence between the US embassy staff in Pakistan and the State Department, confidential letters to the US president, draft replies and minutes of high-profile US government policy meetings, constitute the thought of American diplomats and the US government about events taking place in the subcontinent.

The documents give the reader a taste of how foreign missions conduct their business, and the quantum of input that the US government has at its disposal before taking any decision. For instance, a Policy Appraisal airgram dated February 2, 1971, from the US embassy in Islamabad to the State Department in Washington talks of a "hypothesis" which leads to the question: "... will the country split into two independent wings, East and West?" The same document later says, "Keeping Pakistan together has now become a major political task ... both parties lack seasoned leaders except Mujib and Bhutto at the top. Both parties have more experience in agitating than in governing."

The 14-page appraisal and a few more follow-up papers based on various embassy officials' meetings with key Pakistani figures of the time led to the National Security Study Memorandum 118, dated February 16, 1971, which was issued by the National Security Council, advising the State and Defense departments and the CIA that the "President has directed that an immediate contingency study be made of the alternative US postures towards a possible move in the East Pakistan toward secession." This study was to be completed not later than February 26. All this, mind you, was being actively discussed when the actual event was still a good ten months away!

All this input, naturally, cannot be generated in the absence of willing and colluding local officials. For instance, the note on President Yahya Khan's visit to China in December 1970 repeatedly quotes Tabarak Hussain, who was director-general (Socialist countries) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and had accompanied the president on the visit. The covering letter for the detailed note ends thus: "Some of Hussain's comments to the reporting officer were made in `strict confidence'. Please protect source."

What might give a feeling of nausea to a discerning reader are the repeated and continued assurances handed out to American officials by almost every single key Pakistani figure -- political or otherwise -- of continued allegiance to the might of the United States. Whatever had been the public posture of various politicians and military officers active during 1965 and 1973 -- which is the relevant period in the context of this book -- they were all in one voice the moment they reached backstage.

The anti-US, anti-West stance of the Pakistan People's Party, for instance, was quite obvious during the 1970 election campaign, with Bhutto and his cohorts going out of their way to condemn Imperialism. Various notes sent by US embassy staff to Washington, however, show what was going on behind the scene, with Bhutto offering private assurances in this regard to calm down any frayed nerves his campaign may be causing. One of the notes by Ambassador Farland talks of a meeting Bhutto had with him in Peshawar where he had also brought Mustafa Khar and Hayat Sherpao, "who during political campaign was violently anti-US." The ambassador notes: "He (Bhutto) was quite jovial in acknowledging that Sherpao had been one of my principal vilifiers, adding that Sherpao's presence in this meeting indicated that `that chapter' had now closed." Not just that, "Bhutto said that he had asked them to come with him to stress the fact that these two men would serve in their respective areas as the PPP's principal contact for `Mutual Briefings' with US officials."

The cynicism and disillusionment that even a quick glance through the book causes is, indeed, enormous. This is not a book for the faint-hearted. Interestingly, however, when Roedad Khan embarked upon this gigantic task, he himself had been below his usual self. Jamshed Marker has this to say in the Introduction: "The material in this book was culled by Roedad Khan during a period of enforced medical confinement following a surgical procedure in Washington, D.C. This is an unusual form of convalescence, but then all who know Roedad would know that he is an unusual man ... Roedad's assertion that his research work formed a therapeutic component of his convalescence is a value judgment which is best left to the discernment of the reader."

The documents, naturally, have the potential to constitute source material of immense importance to research scholars, historians, diplomats, students of History and International Affairs as well as the general public. Having said that, it must be borne in mind that these documents have been selected from among a large number of papers available, and, as such, any concrete assessment of any subject that has come under discussion in the book will have to be made keeping in view the documents that have been left out for reasons of brevity or even otherwise.

While the readers must be grateful to Roedad Khan for having done what he has, the importance of the Introduction written by Jamshed Marker must not be forgotten. The 23-page write-up gives the correct context to the accompanying 985 pages of official correspondence. Those who may fall to the temptation of skipping the Introduction and heading straight for the text would do so at their own cost, for they will be making hasty and inexact conclusions.

The American Papers: Secret and Confidential India, Pakistan, Bangladesh Documents 1965-1973. Published by Oxford University Press, Karachi.

The writer is a senior Pakistani journalist, associated at present with the largest circulate English-language newspaper of the country, the daily Dawn, as its Assistant Editor. He is based in Karachi. he can be reached at humair_iq@hotmail.com

Wood Dale Chicago prom limo .. Lockport Chicago limo O’Hare
In The News:

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents
Internet browsers are useful, but they can be dangerous. Clicking on malicious links can direct you to dangerous websites that steal information or infect your device.
Apple's latest iOS update introduces advanced artificial intelligence capabilities, which may be capturing and analyzing sensitive information.
Breach site confirmed 56,904,909 Hot Topic users' data leaked online. Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says the company's silence makes matters even worse.
Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson discusses how an innovative Easy-Way kit turns standard strollers electric, simplifying navigation for parents.
Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson talks about T-Mobile being hacked in broad cyberattack on global phone and internet companies.
Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson shows you how to add, customize and manage widgets for quick access to apps and info from your iPhone home screen.
Wrong Google searches can not only compromise your device and personal data. They can also bring law enforcement to your doorstep. Hackers are targeting Google searches.
China's Shanghai Kepler Robotics has developed a new humanoid robot that can carry up to 35 pounds per hand for commercial applications across various industries
Checking your hearing has gotten easier with the new hearing test feature in AirPods Pro 2. You can take reliable hearing tests using your iPhone or iPad.
Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.
Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson explains how a VPN — virtual private network — works and how running it can slow down the operation of your device.
The WalkON Suit F1, an exoskeleton developed to help people with disabilities, can actually walk over to a person in a wheelchair, solving a major problem.
ClickFix, a new scam targeting computer users, is on the rise in the U.S. The scam prompts its targets to click on a link to fix a problem.
Skydweller is the world's largest unmanned solar-powered aircraft that can stay airborne for weeks, and even months, without refueling.
The U.S. government said it is investigating after People's Republic of China hackers targeted commercial telecommunications service providers in the U.S.
Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.
Scammers are using increasingly sophisticated ways to lure unsuspecting victims, and some are impersonating an email help desk or support team.
You can unsend or edit your iMessages with the latest iOS updates. Kurt the CyberGuy explains how you can save yourself some potential embarrassment.
Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says there’s been a rise in cybercriminal services using hacked police and government emails to send subpoenas and data requests to U.S. companies.
Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson discusses how Axiom Space and luxury designer Prada are collaborating on NASA's Artemis III spacesuit design.
Voice assistants may cause confusion across devices. Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson offers some solutions to fix it.
Shameless scammers trick veterans into giving personal info or cash. Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson explores five common scams.
Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson helps you honor our heroes with these powerful podcasts, audiobooks and documentaries this Veterans Day.

Anglo-Israelism and the Flesh

Recently a friend insisted that I read a book by... Read More

Wartime Britain & Things Look Bleak

This is the second of a series of four articles... Read More

Did 9-11 Change Everything for the Business Community

For the business community 9-11 changed everything. In our company,... Read More

California Car Wash Fundraisers and Environmental Law

Many non-profit groups are feeling upset that they are allowed... Read More

Environmentalists Often Complain About GM Crops

Maybe some of the people complaining ought to go to... Read More

The FIRST FAMILY of the United States

The Randolphs:Peyton Randolph was the first President of the United... Read More

Computer Cyber virus attack from hackers

Recently the CIA staged a practice simulation of a cyber... Read More

Experts?

ACCREDITATION: - Scholastic regimentation from the post WWII period has... Read More

Global/Israeli Corruption!

What depth of blind insanity has inflicted itself upon Israel's... Read More

How Senator Sarbaines and Oxley Destroyed America

You have probably heard of the Sarbaines Oxley Law (SOX)... Read More

The Power of Media: Russian Perspective

Journalism, as it is often said, is the 'fourth branch... Read More

Droughts, Dirty Water and Disease

When we go through periods of droughts we also have... Read More

Adminstration of E-Business Taxation

The entry by telephone and cable companies into the Internet... Read More

Colts? Stadium Short on Horse Sense

The predominant discussion in the Indianapolis media over the proposed... Read More

Lack of Peace, Reaching Critical Mass

You have in front of you two buttons, one is... Read More

Stopping a Nuclear Bomb on a Hydrofoil

The US Homeland Security is worried about Hydrofoil or Skimmer... Read More

Government Workers and Lawyers Revolving Door Rule Needed

We need more oversight and transparency in government. We need... Read More

Gun Control? How About Crime Control Instead?

The second amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees every American... Read More

China has the Answer to Environmental Dead Zones

Recently scientists have been watching the exponential growth of marine... Read More

The Fabric of Economic Trust

Economy is called the dismal science because it pretends to... Read More

Trade Wars, China and Over Regulation At Home

We are seeing some trade wars brewing as American trade... Read More

Monitoring Macedonia

Close to 500,000 people - one in four - live... Read More

Ex-CIA Folks are Problematic

Those who are above the law or act as such... Read More

Paid Assassins

The civil war in Iraq seems to be much more... Read More

The Wall of Honor

Many Americans have children, fathers, mothers, grandparents, other family members... Read More

Antigo wedding limo ..