Jawed Anwar

In 1999, General Pervez Musharraf launched the Kargil operation without taking Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif into confidence. According to many analysts and former American diplomats, this operation was carried out on American signals. Once the objectives of fully shifting India into the American camp and opening its economy to major US companies were achieved, Washington ordered Musharraf to withdraw.

Along with Kargil, Musharraf’s profile was being deliberately raised because the decision to attack Afghanistan immediately after 9/11 had already been taken, and the United States did not want to deal with a parliament in Pakistan — it only needed one man. That man is, and has always been, the head of the Pakistan Army.

A few months later, in October 1999, Musharraf overthrew the elected government and imposed martial law. This step too was taken with Washington’s complicity. Musharraf had long-standing relations with Israel and Western intelligence agencies. Between 1993-95, while serving as a Major General, he visited the United States several times as a member of Benazir Bhutto’s delegation. During the same period, he secretly arranged meetings in Washington between Benazir and Mossad officers and a special envoy of Yitzhak Rabin (this has been stated by multiple sources and former diplomats; see Wikipedia English). It was during this era that his deep friendly ties were forged with Shaukat Aziz, who was then the global head of Citibank.

After 9/11, Musharraf was the sole absolute ruler. He provided the United States with all Pakistani air, naval and land facilities for the American attack. The ambassador of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Mullah Abdus Salam Zaeef, was abducted from Islamabad and handed over to the CIA. This was one of the worst acts of diplomatic thuggery in history. Musharraf himself wrote in his autobiography In the Line of Fire that hundreds (some estimates say thousands) of Pakistanis and foreigners were arrested merely on the basis of having a beard or wearing religious clothing and handed over to the Americans.

Former CIA officer John Kiriakou openly stated in a whistle-blowing interview (ANI/YouTube):

“We basically bought Musharraf. We gave the Pakistani ISI and army tens of millions of dollars in cash. Dealing with dictators is easy because you don’t have to worry about the media or public opinion. Musharraf let us do whatever we wanted.”

Under the banner of the “War on Terror”, American drone strikes in Waziristan and FATA, bombing of madrasas, and the killing of thousands of civilians — everything happened with the blessing of the Pakistani state machinery. That process continues today under different names because it brings in enormous dollars.

The 2019 Pulwama–Balakot drama was part of the same continuum. Former Governor of occupied Jammu & Kashmir, Satya Pal Malik, told The Wire in an interview in 2023 that there had been more than 11 intelligence warnings about the attack on the CRPF convoy, an aircraft had been requested, but it was deliberately ignored.

The purpose? To turn Modi into a national hero so that he could win the Lok Sabha elections with a huge majority. India did not destroy any so-called terrorist camp in Balakot — a few trees fell — yet Modi got the desired “surgical strike” label. The immediate release of Abhinandan was also part of the same script. India, Pakistan, the United States and Israel were all on the same page.

Now, in 2025, the four-day Pakistan–India air battle in mid-May and the immediate ceasefire that followed — was it really an accidental incident? Or was it a stage to raise General Asim Munir’s stature, award him the rank of “Field Marshal”, concentrate power in his hands through the 27th Amendment, and prepare the ground for the next big adventure?

What could that big adventure be? A new operation against the Taliban government in Afghanistan, acceptance of the Abraham Accords, Pakistan’s formal recognition of Israel, and possibly direct or indirect participation of the Pakistani army in protecting Israeli interests in the Middle East.

Despite the apparent pictures, statements and hue and cry, ground realities tell a different story. Whether it is India or Pakistan, the military (and in India, the political) leaderships of both countries are bound by the same chain of foreign powers’ interests.

In Pakistan, the 27th Constitutional Amendment has removed the last obstacle. Now Washington has no concern with parliament, nor with the media, nor with the public. One phone call is enough.

And lunch can be very “delightful”.

(The truth of the bloody lunch and the coming blood-soaked plan — in the next instalment)