Nandipur to Panama

Capital suggestion

The PML-N’s A-Team – which includes the prime minister and the ‘first daughter’ – has been bombed via the internet in a targeted, precision attack. The PML-N’s A-Team has no idea as to where are the bombs coming from. It has no idea as to the identity of the attacker, or how much additional ammunition is left with the attacker. And it has no idea if – and when – there would be another attack.

Nandipur went from $329 million to $847 million. Imagine: a wholesome $518 million evaporated into thin air. Neelum-Jhelum has gone from Rs15 billion to Rs414 billion. Imagine; a massive Rs399 billion over and above the original cost estimate and the project is still not ready. The New Islamabad Airport has gone from Rs37 billion to Rs81 billion. Imagine: Rs44 billion overspent and the project is still not ready.

Nandipur’s expose amounted to nothing. Neelum-Jhelum’s expose amounted to nothing. The airport’s expose amounted to nothing – and the credit goes to the A-Team’s superb ‘media management’ and its outstanding political gymnastics.

Panama is a different ballgame altogether. This is cyber warfare at its best. The attacker picks the target and the timing of the attack. The A-Team has fought and won many a battles before but the A-Team has absolutely no experience in this kind of war fare. The A-Team has no control over foreign investigative agencies. The A-Team has no control over foreign media. The A-Team has no control over other prime ministers resigning (and the domino affect). And the A-Team is up against a global war against offshore tax havens.

Cyber warfare in tandem with exposing the truth as a weapon is a deadly cocktail. Imagine: Russian President Vladimir Putin had to admit the accuracy of the Panama Papers (the Papers revealed that Putin’s associates “secretly shuffled as much as $2 billion through banks and shadow companies”). Putin now claims that the “funds had been spent on musical instruments”.

The first wave of bombing has knocked out the First Daughter and infected the prime minister with Panama Fever. Will there be another wave of bombing to knock out other members of the A-Tem? Will there be another wave of bombing to knock out PML-N’s B-Team as well?

The domestic political minefield is now divided between the leaders who own offshore companies and those who do not. From within the PPP, Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan stands out while the rest of the PPP stands united with the PML-N. From within the PTI, one or two members of the top leadership probably own offshore companies but Imran Khan and the rest of the party is clean (and thus cannot be targeted). Lesson: If you are clean you cannot be targeted. For the time being, the PML-N and the PPP are united versus the PTI plus JI.

The PML-N’s goose is being cooked – and the PML-N doesn’t even know who the cook is. What is the cook’s intention – toe the line or else? What does the cook want – chaos or destruction? Is the cook after strategic or tactical resources? If the cook is of American origin, and resides in Fort Meade, then he will have both political and economic objectives.

To be certain, the New Silk Road is a target. Eurasian integration is a target. And the ultimate goal of this warfare is to protect a US-controlled ‘One World’. On the economic front, offshore wealth is estimated at $32 trillion; compare that to the total American debt of $16 trillion. Remember, offshore wealth is untaxed and taxes are the ‘lifeblood’ of Western governments.

Make no mistake; cyber warfare is war by other means. What that means is that Pakistan is at war – at war with the cooks. There is no doubt that what is coming out is the whole truth but there are cooks trying to create chaos in Pakistan. And Pakistan is actually moving towards chaos. And chaos is not in Pakistan’s interest. And serious steps must, therefore, be taken to avoid chaos.

The writer is a columnist based in Islamabad. Email: farrukh15@hotmail.com

Twitter: @saleemfarrukh