Pakistani army officers allegedly arrested for an attempted coup against President Pervez Musharraf were actually picked up in the Afghanistan city of Ghazni, Afghan diplomatic sources in Europe have claimed. The sources say the officers — ranging from majors to lieutenant colonels — may have been on leave before joining Taliban units. "This brings in an element of deniability for the Pakistani authorities," the sources add, explaining that some two dozen officers between the ranks of major and lieutenant colonel may have been involved. They add that the continued Pakistani assistance to the Taliban — whether covert or open — is necessary because of Taliban limitations in operating communications technology and sophisticated weapons systems.
This doesn’t make clear how they came to be turned over to the Pakistanis, if they actually were arrested in Ghazni, or how far up the chain of command the awareness of what they were doing goes. One thing is clear, the Pakistanis sure aren’t too popular with the present Afghan government. The Great Game between India and Pakistan doesn’t bode well for Afghanistan’s future. |