September 30 , 2011

Murder of Burhanuddin Rabbani

 

Prof. Burhanuddin Rabbani, a former President of Afghanistan, the leader of Northern Alliance, and the head of the High Peace Council of Afghanistan for the past one year, and a much-respected Islamic scholar who translated the works of Syed Qutb into Persian, was assassinated on September 20 in a dramatic manner by a suicide bomber who posed as an emissary of Taliban chief, Mulla Umar.

The High Peace Council comprising 68 prominent Afghans from all sides of the political spectrum was set up a year back to seek peace with the Taliban to facilitate the US and allied forces to withdraw.  The efforts of Rabbani and other Council members to seek the participation of Taliban in the talks had not been successful owing to trust deficit and recalcitrance of Taliban; but, the soft-spoken former President kept pursuing his vision of a united Afghan nation.

While on a visit to Iran, he received phone calls from his trusted lieutenants that an emissary of Mullah Umar was arriving in Kabul with a message of the Taliban chief for him. The emissary, Ismatullah, was no stranger for Prof. Rabbani, as he had met him at least once before and was well acquainted with Rehmatullah Wahidyar, an associate of Mr. Rabbani and a member of the Peace Council.

Frustrated over the failure to draw the Taliban to his peace efforts,  Prof. Rabbani  welcomed the opportunity and the emissary by returning immediately to Kabul and receiving warmly the visitor who was not checked for security, owing to his earlier meetings with Mr. Rabbani.  The visitor embraced the professor and detonated the bomb hidden in his turban.

The assassination of Mr. Rabbani gives a clear message that the Taliban are not interested yet in reconciliation despite the fact that the US-led coalition forces in Afghanistan and the drone attacks in Pakistan had eliminated several of their leaders. Like the hydra-headed monster, the Taliban keep sprouting new arms as soon as some are cut off. An Afghan is said to be at peace with himself as long as he is at war with someone.

The US and NATO forces are better equipped and organized and the Taliban losses are hurting them. But, they are hitting back.  The 20-hour attack on the US embassy and NATO headquarter in Kabul on September 13, the murders of Ahmed Wali Karzai, the brother of Afghan President, and numerous pro-government Afghans and the most recent being that of Prof. Rabbani, bear witness to their continuing will to keep fighting. They  have constantly rejected peace overtures by the US.  Now, they have eliminated the very figure that stood for peace, unity and progress.

Although the Taliban have not yet come out accepting responsibility for the murder Prof. Rabbani, the manner in which it was accomplished bears their clear hallmark.   

The elimination of Prof. Rabbani may have no immediate or far-reaching repercussions on the shape of things to come in Afghanistan. It does remove from the scene another senior Afghan leader who had a soft corner for the US. It roughens further the path of withdrawal of all US and other Western troops from Afghan soil in the next couple of years.

In the interest of their image as the invincible sole super power, the US abhors the very thought of withdrawal without the laurels of success. And, the Taliban are unwilling to concede victory to them.

The US has successfully killed their spiritual guide, Osama bin Laden, eliminated almost all their strongholds and leaders, yet the Taliban keep indulging in bomb blasts, assassinations and ruthless killings and destructions on any pretext. Their most potent weapon is the suicide bomber. He is the most baffling too.  The assassin of Prof. Rabbani, Ismatullah, had cultivated the friendship of the 71-year old scholar to ensure easy access to him, circumventing the strict security checks at his residence.

The Taliban claim to have a thousand suicide bombers ready to carry out their missions.  They are called religious extremists.  But, they have been killing religious people offering prayers in mosques, paying homage to Sufi saints and visiting various shrines.  They can be classified only as terrorists, thoroughly misguided and adhering to no caste or creed. In the war against them, some 35,000 Pakistanis have been killed, many in their bomb blasts.

Against his background, the accusation on September 22 in the US Senate Armed Services Committee by Admiral Mike Mullen and Leon Panetta, Defense Secretary, that Pakistan’s ISI and its “veritable arm” – the Haqqani network of North Waziristan - were involved in the attack, Sept. 13, on the US embassy  in Kabul, comes as a surprise. More so, because Admiral Mullen had in previous Congressional hearings defended Pakistan.  Senior officials seem now united in backing a possible punitive action against Pakistan should it fail to act against the Haqqani network.  The punitive action might include direct US attacks on Haqqani bases in North Waziristan, in disregard of Pakistan’s sovereignty.

The accusations at such a high level could not have come without some credible evidence.  The army’s spokesman acknowledged that the ISI had contacts with the Haqqani network in a September 23 media statement. He maintained that contacts have to be maintained with the enemy to keep getting crucial information.

American media reporting the assassination of Prof. Rabbani hinted at the Haqqani network with the ISI link being responsible for the crime.

Relations between the US and Pakistan are of a symbiotic nature  – beneficial to both.  Any punitive action against the Pakistan  army might recoil against US interests in the region.  Neither Admiral Mullen, nor the Defense Secretary, Leon Panetta, have till the time of writing given any indication about the punitive measures.

US-Pakistan relations have been handled for decades past by the top men in uniform on both sides.  Perhaps the time has already come for a major shift from this pattern, like the ongoing changes in several Arab countries dominated till recently by military dictators. The US might consider strengthening the fledgling civilian government of Pakistan and the country’s socio-economic sectors.  A clear shift in emphasis is indicated. If things are allowed to continue on the present pattern, poverty and frustration will keep forcing the youth in the arms of the bigoted Mullah. The frequency of suicide bomb blasts might increase further. More Rabbanis committed to the cause of peace will be killed.

         arifsyedhussaini@Gmail.com