Recently I came across an essay written by renowned Historian Mr.

William Dalrymple best known in

Pakistan for his famous work Last Mughal about current Afghanistan situation in historical context.
After reading the essay I am hurt to the core as the essay was looking like a burlesque fantasy where
author conveniently distorted facts and mingled them with his love for Indian Establishment and Hamid
Karzai. The essay -- if not completely then partiallywas murder of historical accounts and acute
distortion of facts that doesnt suit a reputable International Historian like Mr. Dalrymple.
Mr. Dalrymple grossly misinterpreted history and twisted it in favor of Hamid Karzai and overlooked the
unquestionable mismanagement, corruption and embezzlement in Karzai Governance. It starts with Mr.
Dalrymple firing salvos at Hamid Karzai with pointing the barrels of his guns towards Pakistan Army and
premier Intelligence agency ISI. Mr. Dalrymple intensions were mala fide and were totally against the
established norms of impartial assessment of conflicts. As I went through the article I was totally
astonished that Mr. Dalrymple intentionally or unintentionally accepted the Afghan government
position over Durand Line. While asserting his point of view, he totally ignored the international norms
in which the Colonial Neighbors were bound to accept the borders of newly carved out states as per
Colonial settlement. It was not only heartbreaking but surprising as it came from the pen of a reputed
and internationally accredited author such as Mr. Dalrymple himself.
The nature and tilt of his essay towards India was obvious when a photograph in which Muslim refugees
were waiting to be transported to Pakistan from Purana Qila of Delhi was captioned Partition in India.
September 1947. Moslems waiting to leave for Pakistan as they seek protected transport to Dot Purana
Qila, an ancient fort in Pakistan, where many refugees have gathered. I would like to ask Mr. Dalrymple
that where is Purana Qila? Isnt it in Delhi and these days even a Zoological Garden is operational there?
And what kind of protected transport he was talking about? Being descendent of a family that actually
migrated from India to Pakistan, I reserve the right to question his uncouth intentions by challenging the
established fact of mass Muslim Refugees and Immigrant genocide committed in Delhi and East Punjab.
Mr. Dalrymple cunningly over looked the mass murder of Muslim migrants by fanatical Sikh and Hindus
of India. The tale starts with the mention of an Indian Army officer who escaped the deadly bombing in
Kabul. I accept that the loss of human life Indian or Pakistani is deplorable but it fully endorsed my
point of view that Mr. Dalrymple had vested interest in mind to please his Indian friends. Mr. Dalrymple
has blamed ISI and Pakistan army for breeding Taliban and has overlooked the fact that it was Americans
and CIA who actually facilitated the birth of Taliban and Pakistan plunged into this deep pit of
radicalization. Mr. Dalrymple while pronouncing his verdict has blamed Haqqani Network for the deadly
Kabul bombings and blamed ISI for this atrocious act in line with Indian customs of blaming Pakistan for
her every security lapse. While reading his judgment about this bombing, I was surprised to the core
that why didnt Mr. Dalrymple brought any tangible evidence of involvement of Pakistans premier
intelligence agency or better why didnt he challenge the failure of Hamid Karzai to stop the terrorists
from infiltrating most secure neighborhood of Kabul even when all American resources were at his
disposal.
Mr. Dalrymple observes that The hostility between India and Pakistan lies at heart of the current war in
Afghanistan. And then he gave his opinion about the conflict and made India look like a damsel in
distress or Mother Teresa looking to help the unfortunate Afghan population. While going on he
asserted that during Kargil War, Pakistan was about to go nuclear on India. I am ashamed to the core for
being once die-hard fan of Mr. Dalrymple. Is Mr. Dalrymple aware that it was not Pakistan but Indian
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpai who asked Indian Air Force to remain ready for nuking Pakistan? If
Nawaz Sharif was in such a strong position that he was about to nuke India and Indians were scared as
chicken that they begged Clinton to intervene then I must say Mr. Dalrymple needs to verify his facts
and should stop relying on his conversations with Indian Security Establishment and RAW Officers.
After this Mr. Dalrymple gave his opinion about why Pakistanis feel insecure from India and in his own
words said, In the eyes of the world, never has contrast between two countries appeared so stark as
no: one is widely perceived as next great superpower, famous for its software geniuses, its Bollywood
Babes, its fast growing economy and super rich magnates; the other written off as a failed state, a world
center of Islamic radicalism, the hiding place of Osama bin Laden, and the only ally of US whose airspace
Washington has been ready to violate and whose villages it regularly bomb. I want to ask Mr.
Dalrymple that has he forgotten the hospitality and red-carpet welcome that we gave to him during
Lahore Literary Festival? Mr. Dalrymple Pakistan is the motherland of Arfa Kareem who was the world
youngest Microsoft Software professional. Pakistan is known for its history and place where great sufi
poets and preachers of inter-faith harmony such as Bulleh Shah and Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai rest! Mr.
Dalrymple you are wrong! We Pakistanis have so many good things to talk about rather than Osama bin
Laden.
I am saddened to the core by this gross misinterpretation of Pakistani identity by Mr. Dalrymple. Talking
about the Drone attacks, well, Mr. Dalrymple has dismissed completely the idea of an understanding
between the Establishment of Pakistan and U.S. over drone attacks and they are carried out with
convenience of local establishment. After this Mr. Dalrymple has given his totally misleading opinion
about the conflict of East Pakistan that became Bangladesh with Indian help. Well, Mr. Dalrymple have
you forgotten that Mukti Bahni was trained in Indian Bengal and were transported to then East Pakistan
in Indian Army trucks? I understand and feel sorry for the inhuman acts of torture attributed to Pakistan.
I accept that Establishment and West Pakistani politicians made some very gross errors by depriving 60%
population of then Pakistan from their rights but if India was really an enchanter of peace then why
didnt Indians intervene through mediators such as U.S. itself to stop the conflict and opted for the
breakup of Pakistan?
I am sorry to say Mr. Dalrymple is still living in Colonial Era and is treating Pakistan with the eyes of the
officers of then Bombay Government that was very skeptical about Major Sandmans and Lord Lawrence
forward policy and peace negotiations between Baloch and Pathan tribesmen. Mr. Dalrymple then gives
brief account of Mr. Karzais educational stint in Simla. Well, as we respect Mr. Karzais opinion about his
University life, we want to bring into notice the serious issue of Afghan Refugees in Pakistan. It was
those refugees who brought narcotics into Pakistan and made our Pakistani youth drug addicts. I want
to protest Mr. Dalrymples mal intentions about Pakistan. If India is such a best friend of Afghanistan and
has no vested interests such as dismemberment of Pakistan then why didnt Mr. Dalrymple proposed to
his Indian friends in New Delhi and Kabul to take all Afghan refugees from Pakistan and make refugee
camps in Amritsar or Bangalore? It is surprising that rather to laud Pakistan over its restless dedication
towards the betterment of refugees; Mr. Dalrymple has totally skipped this part from his essay and kept
on praising India.
Mr. Dalrymple must know that these refugees are scourge and what I can see in Islamabad; they have
devastated the greenery of my city by illegally chopping down all trees on greenbelts of the beautiful
capital. This is now a high point to assess our Afghan policy. Pakistan has always been a vocal supporter
of peace in Afghanistan as it directly affects the security situation inside our country. Whereas India has
always seen Afghanistan as its potential outpost the evidence of which is given by Mr. Dalrymple
himself that there is bleak presence of Indian Intelligence officials in four Indian consulates. Mr.
Dalrymple has also confessed that Afghanistan was the only country that opposed the inclusion of
Pakistan in UNO after independence. Further Mr. Dalrymple has also informed the readers that in 1961,
Afghanistan gave shelters to ultra-nationalist fugitives from Balochistan and elsewhere on its soil. It
perturbs me greatly that Mr. Dalrymple has totally ignored the established fact of the presence of
Baloch militants and their ring leaders on Afghan soil. Mr. Dalrymple has acted totally obnoxious about
the Pakistani point of view regarding the Afghan conflict.
Mr. Dalrymple has also informed the audience about the Indian help in construction of a road link
between Afghanistan and Iranian port of Chahbander and totally ignored the huge economical setback
to Pakistans ailing economy and failure of Gawadar port that Pakistan was developing keeping in view
the needs of landlocked Afghanistan and Central Asian countries. Elsewhere in the essay where Mr.
Dalrymple was assessing the Kashmir dispute that Pakistan terms core issue between the relations of
two countries. The writer has totally showed his ignorance about the whims and wishes of Kashmiri
people. It was not important what Maharaja of Kashmir wanted or Nehru wanted. The thing that was
important was the whims and wishes of people who wanted to join Muslim majority Pakistan.
I am greatly grieved by Mr. Dalrymple biased assessment of the creation of Pakistan. Mr. Dalrymple has
totally ignored the historical facts that Jinnah and all Indian Muslim League in contrast to what is
taught in Zias version of history were not demanding partition of Indian subcontinent initially. It was
after the Indian National Congress rule of 1937 that the leadership realized that there is bleak chance of
the betterment of Muslims which was a minority community in British Indian Empire and whose rights
were about to be trampled by vast Hindu majority. Well, Mr. Dalrymple has totally ignored the ideals of
father of our nation, Mr. Muhammad Ali Jinnah, about the future course of actions of Pakistan.
In my view the essay was totally rubbish and was written to appease Karzai and Indian friends of Mr.
Dalrymple. I was expecting that author would take a more balanced stance but the whole article was
nothing but an ugly exercise of mud-slinging against Pakistan. I am sorry to confess but yes William
Dalrymple has lost his stature of unbiased Historian and now has become obnoxiously Indo-phile
We Pakistanis also need to reassess and change our attitude towards Taliban and terrorists. It is because
of Taliban apologists that people like Mr. Dalrymple get their fodder of tarnishing Pakistani identity.
Pakistans biggest problem is extremism and we need to cull it as soon as possible before this cancer
devours our whole national fabric. It is responsibility of Imran Khan and Nawaz Sharif combine to steer
Pakistan out of these troubled waters. I wish them Godspeed!