The Indian Dramas: From Star Plus to RAW Plus – III

By: Sohail Parwaz

The Indian dramas are always out of place and out of time…… oh out of reality too (that I ‘shamefully’ forgot). As we have talked about some old productions by M/s RAW Plus, it has given us a fair idea about the level of perseverance, perfection and professionalism of the ‘Producers’. Even if a fifth grader is asked to write a spy story, it’s firmly believed that one would scribble a brilliant piece according to the one’s level, nevertheless, what could be expected from those immature nonprofessionals and novices of India, who consider themselves nothing less than the German Mata Hari, The Soviet Rosenbergs and Klaus Fuchs, Major John André of Britain and famous one-legged Virginia Hall of USA (Even that lady with the imputed leg was far better than the jug heads)? The poor planners have numb and retarded minds and have no mental ability to think beyond building a story around a pigeon, a camel or a stray kite.

The ‘Kaoboys’ of RAW never grew up and despite committing follies after the follies never showed flexibility and kept the set format to make any subversive, sabotage plan or a clandestine operation. Forty Seven years is hell of a time to grow up unless one is not willing to do so. The most recent drama is ‘Aik Din Pathankot Ka’ (A Day at Pathankot). It was a copy of ‘Mumbai 11/26’ which was in fact the verbatim reproduction of 9/11. However, the planners couldn’t pick up the courage for the daring maneuvers as the planners of 9/11 did and that screwed the already loose script.

The world is already pointing fingers at India and doubting the drama. The sane and honest voices from within are also strongly criticising the dubious and childish kind of urban legend. The major part of Indian media; ever ready to demonize, criticise and condemn Pakistan for anything happening, even the blame for something in poor Arun Lal’s kitchen in the slum environs of Mumbai is also thrown upon Pakistan. And drop scene took place recently when more than willing Pakistan volunteered to cooperate in the investigation and immediately sent the team, nevertheless, cunning ‘Production Team’ flatly refuse to give them an access to the Pathankot airbase.

Let’s take that interesting issue a little later and come straight to standoff which continued for almost four days. Oh Lord! What a pathetic professional standard it was, where just six of the ill-equipped terrorists, totally strangers on a hostile land, fought a pitched battle against the well equipped, ‘valiant’ native soldiers and gave them a real tough time for four days. For a while, let’s compare Pathankot attack with APS Peshawar carnage, where, about seven terrorists attacked the school meant for innocent students. The faceoff continued for eight hours and by 6 PM they all were killed and the control was regained by the army troops. Not to be forgotten that they all were well familiar with the city, surroundings and the school. Now, contrary to that the attackers who landed at Pathankot, started goofing up from the very outset and after committing at least half a dozen of blunders when finally landed at Pathankot then for four days gave tough time to those troops, who were not only familiar with the terrain but had the advantage of being on the home ground as well. The outcome of the showdown clearly suggests that the wise and smart Indians have to take one or the other blame; either it was a Notanki (drama) or the Indian forces are not at all capable of handling the critical situations come what may.

There are many other doubts lurking in the millions of minds and it’s quite apt to share those here to prove the incident as a drooped production. The very first thing that comes to our minds is Gurdaspur’s Superintendent of Police Salwinder Singh.  All the sharp brains have failed to understand that for what the hell on earth the terrorists released SP after a so hasty roughing-up that he didn’t need serious medical intervention, leaving aside efforts for hospitalizing him? Not only that, even they displayed highest standards of courtesy and released his cook, Madan Gopal, also. The comedy of errors is that the terrorists left these two Policewalas without harming them but made SP’s friend, a jeweler Rajesh Kumar Verma, a hostage. They slashed Verma superficially round the throat however surprisingly missed the carotid; the throat artery which can never be missed by a novice even. Another irritating point is their behaviour towards a poor Toyota cab driver, whom they hired prior to kidnapping the SP, and who was doubtlessly harmless to the terrorists as compare to the SP and his cook. The terrorists killed Ikagar Singh because he bothered them (may be taking rough roads at too fast a speed, out of fear) and  let all three of their succeeding ‘hostages’ go, alive and mildly damaged, despite that one of them owned an expensive car with a blue flasher rotating on the roof.

The costly XUV500 was Salwinder Singh’s Mahindra’s private car or official one? If it was his private vehicle, what led him to affix a blue blinking beacon on its roof, as one can see clearly in the pictures that the beacon on Salwinder Singh’s SUV is clearly an aftermarket addition? How Salwinder Singh did enjoy that expensive ride? Nevertheless, if it was officially entitled to him then a question comes to the mind that how a middle rank police officer who has not, yet, climbed high enough up the seniority ladder to have earned a Mahindra XUV500 could enjoy its official ride?

Another glaring flaw in the story that sounds more like a joke is the communication gadgets. Never before the terrorists, anywhere in the world, with a clear agenda and an immense strength for a long operation land up without their own com-sets, even satellite phones. It is almost a humor that a suicide squad who have a plan to destroy an airbase, diddles around with a filched (official) handset belonging to a responsible and significant police officer whom they ejected, alive, only to allow him to blow both their cover and to compromise their sensitive to-do list. Should they be called the terrorists or the comic losers (Prior to this drama I always enjoyed the three stooges’ performance)?

Another most significant and undeniable fact is that on January 1, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval had forewarned the Indian Air Force, NSG and Punjab Police about a ‘possibility of terror attacks’. Following the alert, Western Air Command chief had reached Pathankot air base on the same day by night himself to review the security preparations himself. Some local residents also confirmed that at the night of January 1, there were lots of suspicious movements of the security forces and unknown people in the area and the locals were warned and cautioned not to come out at night. However, the militants entered the Pathankot airbase, soon after those ‘preparations’, at 3 A.M on January 2.

The script contains many other loose ends, however mentioning about them is like making this write-up a hilarious and humorous piece. The Indian government’s allegations and their media’s hue and cry was like a storm in the teacup, that died the moment Pakistan extended a cooperating hand for the joint inquiry and the drop scene took place when the Pakistani team was not allowed to enter the Pathankot airbase. The drama badly flopped however, RAW Plus created a reason to hit another educational institute at Charsada, Mardan; a ‘gift’ that was received via Kabul on 20 January, killing and injuring a large number innocent students, the future of Pakistan.