The Hari Putar Dialogues - 7

(The Tribune, 27th May. Islamabad
Foreign minister Shah Mehmud Qureshi and law minister Farooq H Naek would go to New York next month to meet the UN Secretary-General and formally ask him to establish an international commission to probe into the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.)

Putar: According to a story carried in the front pages of The Tribune the Foreign Minister and Law Minister of Pakistan will go to New York next month to meet the UN Secretary General.

Hari: That's right, putar. 

Putar: They are going to request the Secretary General to establish an international commission to enquire into the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.

Hari: That is correct, putar.

Putar: This means that the Government doesn't trust its own government to carry out the investigation fairly.

Hari: That's true, putar.

Putar: In other words the government is a divided house, Papaji?

Hari: That could be the reason.

Putar: With different organs working at cross-purposes.

Hari: I suppose so, putar.

Putar: It was said that the water sprinklers arrived in record time to clean up the area soon after the assassination.

Hari: That was according to news reports at the time, putar. 

Putar: It seems that the Municipalities in Pakistan are exceptionally efficient.

Hari: They were in this case, putar.

Putar: Do you think other countries can send their Municipal representatives to learn about cleaning streets from Pakistan municipalities?

Hari: I'm not so sure, putar.

Putar: Or was the cleaning of the streets at the time a different kind of 'clean up'?

Hari: That's possible, of course, putar.

Putar: The PPP has requested the Indian Government to support the Resolution.

Hari: That's true.

Putar: Tell me something Papaji?

Hari: Bol, putar?

Putar: If the Indian Government accepts the PPP proposal it will be the first time that the two Governments would have made a joint proposal.

Hari: That's true, putar.

Putar: Some 'patriotic' people in Pakistan and India may oppose the making of such a joint resolution.

Hari: That is bound to be the case, putar.

Putar: Those people don't want the countries to come together in any situation

Hari: That's true, putar?

Putar: Even if it's a search for justice and truth.

Hari: I don't know, putar.