Durrani and the C-130 crash

The ways of 'fate' are strange, and so are its acts. 'Act of Fate' is such a dear or feared universal term as it is understood instantly. Yet, acts of fate never fail to surprise people even when they are expected.
Re-emergence of Major General (retd) Mahmud Ali Durrani's linkage with the C-130 Crash over Bahawalpur on August 17, 1988 surprised many people, including those who knew about the planned disaster and had hoped that it would come back to public notice - and to a full exposure. Strangely, Maj Gen Durrani himself initiated the revival of this case of horrendous sabotage. What compelled him to do so!
The issue opened on January 7 as breaking news, which had nothing to do with the C-130 case. The next day's story said: "In a dramatic move, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani sacked his Advisor on National Security Mahmud Ali Durrani for bypassing the prime minister on fundamental security matters." Continuing the story, The Nation reported that "Durrani was sacked for his controversial statements to Indian media about the identity of Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone suspect of 26/11 Mumbai attacks. His disclosures created a lot of confusion about Pakistan's stance on Mumbai incident."
Mahmud Durrani, then, gave an interview to a newspaper that was published on January 13. The lengthy, self-boosting statement was concerned mainly with his justification of going public on a sensitive security matter. Embellishing it were some features of his career and political views that were meant to shed favourable light on him, but that conveyed just the opposite impression. The last part of the interview was on the C-130 crash.
The interview carries obvious ambiguities and questionable statements. His "strong commitment to have peace with India," and his "staunch belief that Pakistan must have excellent relations with the United States," implying, whatever may be the cost to Pakistan, need to be dissected to find what motivation lies underneath such thinking. How has it happened that a Pakistan army officer whose military education and training was meant to instil in him unshakeable commitment to Pakistan's security interests switched over to pursue a commitment to the interests of the two hostile powers that have inflicted grave damage to Pakistan in the past and have teamed together to further harm this country?
Our immediate concern, however, is to put the record straight on his role in the C-130 crash. This would also bring out the bitter reality regarding his claims of "impeccable reputation," "above-board integrity," and "loyalty to Pakistan beyond a shadow of doubt."
What General Durrani has stated on the C-130 Crash in his recent interview is more or less a copy of the telephone interview he gave to an American female journalist Barbara Crossette in July 2005. It appeared first in World Policy Journal; Fall 2005, and was reproduced in a local English daily in December 2005. His denials and assertions are the same, and his rejection of the established facts is also the same. This is unfortunate, because he could have avoided the pitfalls in which he had landed himself in the previous interview. Much of his narration is just padding. Real issues are evaded. When an issue has to be addressed, the explanation is woolly and in essence far from the facts.