NEVER apologise, never explain; never accept the blame.Shaukat Aziz, the Pakistan Prime Minister, was in uncompromising form yesterday in London, delivering his message with trademark smoothness.
By Bronwen Maddox
NEVER apologise, never explain; never accept the blame. Shaukat Aziz, the Pakistan Prime Minister, was in uncompromising form yesterday in London, delivering his message with trademark smoothness.
The July 7 bombings? "These events, which we deplore, in our view are domestic issues for Britain," he argued. "One or two of the people (the bombers) may have visited Pakistan, but our security services have not established any such link."
What about the nuclear ambitions, of its neighbour, Iran? "We believe that China and Russia can play a major role." And Pakistan's role as employer of A.Q. Khan, the scientist who sold Iran nuclear knowhow? Aziz maintains: "There were some linkages between people, long ago, but the IAEA has cleared us and taken it off the table." This is not true; the IAEA has said for three years (in ElBaradei's report this week, too) that it wants more details.
Afghanistan? Aziz, in essence, criticised the Government of Hamid Karzai, and British and Nato forces. Drugs, guns and militants "should be interrupted on the other side" of the border, he said.
What about the exile of the political leaders Nawaz Sharif (whom President Musharraf deposed) and Benazir Bhutto? "The presence or absence of any leader is a legal matter and they have to address it through the legal system."
No doubt it is tedious to be lectured by the world, as Pakistan is on so many fronts. But this stonewalling does not rid the country of some responsibility for the region, or for progress towards democracy.
