Pakistanis, cutting across social strata, have reacted in shock and disbelief to the news that not a single Pakistani has been suspected of involvement, however tenuous or indirect, in the Boston Marathon blasts. That honour dishonor has gone instead to the Chechen Republic, a tiny province in the Caucasus that has been waging a war of secession against the Russian Federation for over two decades. From Lahore to Larkana, Karachi to Khyber, increduility is writ large on the face of the man on the street as he struggles to come to terms with the fact that, for the first time, Pakistan is a non player in a major terror attack.
It could have been worse though: For a few hours, a student of Indian origin, Sunil Tripathi, a Brahmin from Boston and therefore a Boston Brahmin, emerged as a lead suspect, leading to a spike in depression levels. Fortunately, that was later found to be a false lead much to the relief of most Pakistanis.
If Pakistanis are relieved (and a little disappointed), the mood in LeT training camps dotting West Punjab’s hinterland and Taliban territory in Af-Pak is one of acute gloom and despondency. “This is downright humiliating for us that a Chechen walked away with the gold medal this year,” cried Mullah Akhund, a top Taliban commander, to The Unreal Times. “Imagine the feeling when Pakistan loses to India in a World Cup cricket match. Amplify that feeling ten times. That’s how bad we feel right now, man,” he said and began to bang his head against the wall.
LeT chief, Hafiz Saeed, echoed his views. “Pakistan spends close to 5% of its GDP, or 5 lakh crore Pakistani rupees, on terrorism every year. Yet not a single Pakistani emerges as lead suspect in the terrorist attack of the year? We truly suck,” he glumly observed. The dreaded JuD Amir has cancelled his hate speeches against India for the next few weeks since he feels completely flat and ‘out of steam’.
However, mere loss of prestige should be the least of the Islamists’ worries, contends Tenga Raman, geo-strategic expert. “Americans may now dump the Af-Pak region altogether, leaving them to their own fate and do Chechnya instead, provided they manage to locate it first on the world map,” noted Raman.
“That could be the end of the special relationship between Pakistan and America, I’m afraid. No more drone attacks, billions of dollars in aid, tempting bounties on Al Qaeda suspects, lying to each other and then making up. A swift and unceremonious end to a highly passionate and tempestuous affair as Uncle Sam begins to flirt with Chechnya instead.”