Rape accusations have not stopped magazines and newspapers of repute from providing former Union minister MJ Akbar with space to write. This time, its the cover story on Open magazine. Titled “The Last and Lost War of Pakistan,” the piece talks about how the Pulwama terror attack borrows from a “history of deception and subversion”.
Akbar, in the essay, takes readers through a history of Pakistan and how India’s western neighbour has time and again feigned ignorance on terrorist attacks.
“And we heard the same denials. Jinnah and the Pakistan establishment did not ‘know anything’ about the raiders of 1947; Ayub Khan feigned ignorance of Operation Gibraltar; General Zia ul Haq insisted that he had nothing to do with Khalistan secessionists although they got sanctuary, funds and arms in Lahore; Nawaz Sharif claimed he was hoodwinked by his own generals during Kargil; and Pervez Musharraf of course was the ultimate ‘innocent’ as masterminds in Pakistan ran the barbaric terrorist assault on Mumbai in 2008. Today, Imran Khan sings the same tune, and then demands ‘actionable evidence’. How can the wilfully blind and the consciously deaf see or hear evidence? To go down that route of trust is to participate in fraud.”
Akbar, who has been accused of sexual harassment and rape by 20 women — senior journalist Priya Ramani was the first to talk about Akbar’s inappropriate behaviour — had himself termed the allegations “false, fabricated and deeply distressing”. He had also filed a private criminal defamation complaint against Ramani.
Interestingly, Akbar’s essay ends with, “Revenge is not a word that should exist in the dictionary of a civilised and sensible government; but justice is. The two have one thing in common: both are best served cold.”
Justice awaits Akbar. Sooner or later. In the meanwhile, is it not prudent to ask Open magazine the same question Akbar raises in his essay: How can the wilfully blind and the consciously deaf see or hear evidence?
Also read: Rape-accused BJP MP MJ Akbar’s Pictures Appear on Book Distributed at Pravasi Bharatiya Event