The X-Project

A NEW NUCLEAR AGE



by Henry Luce

A new day is dawning in the Middle East, and it remains to be seen if the sun will light a positive new direction or a final gasp of illumination before returning to the darkness of chaos and violence. In a short eight days, a major city in northern India was the sight of the most violent single act of terrorism in the history of the planet. In the days following, the Pakistani government would lose two leaders and all but collapse in the face of the repercussions from the explosion. India would switch governments, bringing rise to a conservative fronted coalition and bringing D. Kenneth Neramani to the Prime Ministership. Finally, evidence of illegal secret research into mutant weaponization by a late Pakistani General would be connected to the crime, and his widow’s potential leap to political authority would be destroyed by the possible connection.

The speed of the changes has left the world searching for answers. In the face of a potential invasion by India, the UN Security Council, at the pressure of both China and Russia, has pushed to expand the limited role of the UN Peacekeepers in country to now include stabilizing the region until new elections can be held and a provisional government established until Pakistan can assure its own border integrity. Surprising, the United States has agreed to support the measure, despite being a long time ally of India.

“The State Department hates it, but the support for the measure comes directly from the Oval Office.” Said a source in the White House. “President McKenna is focused on maintaining peace in the region, and considering that the new Indian government has been formed based on opposition to United States involvement, it is possible that his decision has personal factors.”

Other factors include the potential escalation that an Indian invasion could bring from China and Russia, who have long used Pakistan as a counterbalance to India in the region. In any case, most analysts have suggested that UN peacekeeping forces will be in the region for at least eighteen months before the hope of withdrawal will exist.

With the dramatic power re-alignment in the region, it will be years until the full political, diplomatic, and economic repercussions are known, and even now, these could be simply the start of a much larger political crisis to come.

PROFILE ON CALYSEE NERAMANI-KHAN



Washington Post

July 7th, 2007

In the wake of the violence in Pakistan, the closest thing to a consensus leader to emerge has been Calysee Neramani-Khan. Sister to India's Prime Minister D. Kenneth Neramani, and wife of the late General Yuyef Khan, mentor to Musharraf and once considered to be a likely leader of Pakistan. In the chaos which has engulfed the country, Neramani-Khan is one of the few leaders to claim support from the citizens of Pakistan, respect from a number of the tribal factions, and support from many elements of the military. She has stepped on to the world stage at exactly the time her adopted country needs her, and many political analysts speculate that she represents the only route to stabilizing the fractured country.

The former black sheep of the Neramani family, Calysee Neramani-Khan has become something of a golden child in the eyes of the Pakistani people. As the second oldest child of the Neramani family, she quickly entered in the spotlight, though not always in ways that would have made her conservative family proud. Educated in Europe and the United States, her years abroad in international schools often drew press attention for her rebellious ways, being photographed or mentioned in large party scenes, scandalous affairs, and friendships with celebrities including being romantically linked with Warren Beatty in the mid-80s. For a time, Calysee Neramani-Khan was considered an example of the dangers of globalization on Indian society, as a daughter of one of the highest and most honourable castes had become tabloid fodder.

That would all change with her marriage to the late Pakistani General Yuyef Khan. The marriage surprised everyone, as well as her own sudden change in behaviour. Calysee Neramani-Khan dropped the parties, celebrities and limelight of Europe's social scene, and seemed to focus on her adopted country. Working with General Khan's political connections, she quickly made herself the international face of many relief charities and nonprofits working inside Pakistan.

Despite the passing of her husband last year, the widow has continued her associations with international agencies and even gained the trust of the Pakistan government for her assistance in a number of delicate negotiations with India prior to the attack on Srinager. With the death of Benazir Bhutto this week, Calysee Neramani-Khan represents the last major political force in the country not tribal or militarily based, and may be the one hope for peace in the region.

PAKISTAN IN TURMOIL



Islamabad burned today, as the warring factions clashed on the streets of Pakistan's capital. The tentative talks between the opposition parties about the possible formation of a caretaker government ended in tragedy as Benazir Bhutto was brutally assassinated at her own home. Her husband, who accompanied her return from the exile, was also killed.

The leadership of Pakistan People's Party has devolved to her nineteen-year old son, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. Zarari wasted no time blaming the leader of the rival Pakistan Muslim League, Nawaz Sharif, for the attack. As the loyalists and militias of the two main opposition parties clashed in the vicious street battles, the martial law and the rule of the junta that displaced General Musharraf in the wake of the Srinagar crisis has disintegrated.

It now seems evident that the tragedy that took place in Kashmir was too much of a shock for Pakistan, where ethnic, religious and political tensions have been building steadily for the last three decades. Bhutto's assassination removed the last figure who could have possibly negotiated a truce between the various factions now openly struggling for control. With her gone, and any hope for the coalition between the PPP and the PML destroyed, the military oligarchy imploded under its own weight.

While in the past the Pakistani army could be counted to present a bulwark to the centrifugal pressures of their society, the monolithic nature of the military itself has been steadily undermined since the 1970s as the West, Pakistan and the Islamic world encouraged the rise of anti-Soviet jihad. As the Taliban took over Pakistan's troubled neighbor to the north, the situation worsened exponentially. Originally envisioned as a puppet of Islamabad, the enigmatic leaders of the Afghans, Mullah Omar, has utilized the fervor of his adherents and financial backing of his Al Qaeda Praetorian Guard to turn the table on his would be masters.

Adopting the moral high ground of the 'pure' Islamic faith and clothing his policies in Pashtu nationalism, Omar steadily eroded Pakistan's hold on the warlike tribes of its infamous NorthWestern Province which has long supplied many of Pakistan's soldiers and officers. Omar's calls for religious government to be installed in Islamabad as well as in Kabul, resonated all the more among the Pashtuns because they were accompanied by the century-long lure of overturning the so-called Durrand line. This border drawn by the British Raj for its own convenience in 1893, sundering tribes, clans and families, leaving some as subjects of Pakistan and others as that Kabul government.

With the its regular military mobilized to confront India on Pakistan's southern border, the security of NWFP has been largely left to the Frontier Coprs, a paramilitary organization whose recruits are drawn largely from the local tribesmen. Predictably, their loyalty could not be counted upon at the time of crisis as Omar's decades of work had born fruit and the Taliban troops have flooded across the border, proclaiming the unification of two countries and a creation of Islamic Caliphate of Pashtunistan.

It is, of course, a patently laughable exercise - were the situation in Pakistan anything approaching normality. At the present juncture of events, however, the threat from the truck-born lightly armed Taliban militia is all too real. Even the bulk of the Pakistani troops, composed of non-Pashtuns has disintegrated into several mutually hostile factions, as the former members of the military junta maneuver for power.

Some are reportedly have already reached out to Taliban in search of allies. Others are looking toward Iran, as Ahmedinejad has begann massing troops and warning that the Teheran goverment will not tolerate abuses against Pakistan's Shiite minority.

The confusion has also been compounded by the resurgence of the long simmering discontent of the Baluchi provinces. Although their last rebellion in 1973 has been put down with brutal efficiency, the lingering desire for the autonomy remained and had been sparked by the current instability. Several units, composed primarily of the Baloch troops have reportedly mutinied and joined the demonstrators in Karachi and Quetta.

All the long-suppressed tensions of this unhappy country have been brought to a boil by a singularly cruel twist of fate. In a macabre irony, the tragedy that unfolded within India's borders has driven Pakistan to its knees, placing it and its nuclear arsenal at the crossroads of history with the future unpredictable and dark.

As this young state, cobbled form the fragile patchwork of tribes in the dying throes of the British Empire, crumbles along every conceivable social, religious and political faultline all eyes turn toward Calysee Khan nee Neramani, who has unexpectedly stepped into the vacuum left by the singular failure of the rest of the country's leadership.

Seemingly a perfect illustration of the old saying 'comes a moment, comes a man' - this widow of a highly respected military leader, she is probably the last of nationally respected figures on the Pakistan's scene today, who might be able to forestall the ongoing devolution.

Her esteem has been bought in no small part by her very reticence to trade on her family connections and to enter the political arena up till now. As the events continue to spiral out of control Mrs. Khan appears to be the only force holding the situation from the complete collapse.

Buttressed not only by her husband's reputation, but also by her brother's rapid ascent to power in New Delhi, Calysee has been able to parlay her outsider status into tangible political influence with astonishing speed. Backed, subtly but explicitly, by D Ken, she now grasps at the slender hope of pulling her country from the brink of oblivion.

The broader international community has wasted little time in expressing their support for her as well. This comes as no surprise, as Khan presents an almost miraculous opportunity to marginalize the separatists, re-unite the military, avert the war with India and to retain control of the Pakistani nuclear weapons.

What has proven somewhat astonishing is the fact that her foreign backing has not so far made Khan unpalatable to the Pakistanis. it would appear that the Punjabis, who comprise the ruling majority of Pakistan's population and the overwhelming bulk of its urban and educated classes, are desperate for any way out of the current crisis.

Still, Calysee lacks any organized internal support and is facing the almost insurmountable odds of the centrifugal forces that are reaching its apogee in a perfect storm of entropy. It is unlikely that, unless the international support manifests itself in more tangible ways, the Grand Widow will be able to prevent the monumental cataclysm now engulfing the child of Jinnah.

NO-CONFIDENCE VOTE SUCCEEDS



Vinod Sharma, New Delhi, July 02, 2008

Today's no-confidence vote marked a stinging defeat for the Congress Party which swept into the ruling majority under such high hopes only four years ago.

Manmohan Singh, who had been a steadfast leader of the Congress for nearly a decade, has appeared utterly dejected today after he handed in his resignation letter to the President. It is widely believed that the post of the Prime Minister will be offered to Dattatreya Kenneth Neramani, whose Bharatiya Janata Party is sure to regain majority in the early elections.

The rapid fall of Singh stands in stark contrast to his long and illustrious career - first as as the Governors of the Reserve Bank and later as the finance minister, who inaugurated the financial reforms that fueled Indian economy and allowed it to recover from the crisis of the 1990s.

Even as late as last week it appeared that Singh would be able to weather the latest challenge from the opposition, although the government's communist allies, which provide the ruling coalition with a majority in parliament, made clear their intention to withdraw their support, to protest a civilian nuclear deal with the United States.

As a result of intense and months-long negotiations, the former Prime Minister was confident that he could count on the support of the Samajwadi Party, which in alliance with the Congress, would allow the United Progressive Alliance to retain the majority in Parliament even with the defection of the Left Front.

As was clear for months the CPI and CPI(M) were planning to leave the UPA, over the concerns that Singh's nuclear pact with the Unites States would compromise the country's strategic programme or its right to conduct a nuclear test. Both Communist parties refused to be placated by the repeated assurances from the Prime Minister's office to the contrary.

Singh's careful political machinations were thrown into confusion, however by the horrific events in Srinagar and his handling of the situation. The opposition seized upon his slow response to what they declared a clear aggression against India's sovereignty, and UPA was never able to regain the initiative.

Trapped between the pressure exerted by the United Nations and the West for the wait-and-see approach, and the relentless assaults from the BJP which painted him as a lapdog of McKenna, willing to sacrifice Indian lives and autonomy to score points on the international arena, Singh saw his carefully constructed coalition disintegrate within mere days.

'McKenna's little sister' as he was derisively nicknamed by Lal Krishna Advani in the recent, heated Parliamentary session had no choice but to offer his resignation today, as the Left Front a letter to President Pratibha Patil, announcing their decision to withdraw support for the ruling coalition, led by the centre-left Congress party. The hoped-for letter of support from the Samajwadi Party failed to materialize and the triumphant BJP quickly called for the vote of no-confidence.

The caretaker government, soon to be formed By D Ken Neramani, is likely to be an unprecedented coalition, including both the conservative BJP along with their old NDA allies, but also the Left Front and the Samajwadi - the latter thus realizing their quest of transformation into national force. It's debatable whether this majority coalition will last long, given the deep and long-standing animosities between the communists, the socialist Samajwadi and the BJP. In the meantime, however, it will give Neramani a clear mandate for action.

Today marks the pinnacle of Neramani's long work to revitalize India's main conservative party. A scion of the powerful Shiar family that has long been a political dynasty in the Northern provinces, the Eton educated politician has struck a chord with the voters calling for a more robust foreign policy in general, and specifically for an immediate and forceful retaliation for the recent attack in Kashmir.

A landslide victory for his party in the upcoming snap election now seems a foregone conclusion.

GFX: Press Secretary Dana Perino

"Ladies and gentlemen, please. I have a statement to make and then I will take your questions. Obviously, this is a very busy time, so let's keep it to the point. The President has been meeting with numerous ambassadors and diplomats from India, Pakistan, and the United Nations, as well as the Secretary of State and the Directors of the CIA, and the FBI, in order to develop a clear understanding of exactly what the situation in India is at this moment.

I would like to remind the press that there is no indication that the 'Sons of Bakr' have the capabilities to strike any of the targets named in their video, or if the group is responsible for the attack on Srinager in the first place. Top analysts are working to confirm whether or not their claims are true. In the meantime, the Secretary of Transportation has ordered all airports to their highest level of security until the crisis is resolved. The US Navy has moved the Fifth Fleet into the Indian Ocean to support the containment of further escalation.

President McKenna has been in touch with leaders in both Pakistan and India, and expresses hope that no further escalation will be taken before more information develops. He has also instructed our representative at the UN Security Council, with the unanimous support of China, France, Great Britain and Russia to issue emergency Resolution 1823, which calls for an international investigation of the incident by UN Inspectors in order to confirm the construction and origin of the weapon, whether conventional or organic. Prime Minister Singh of India has expressed willingness to allow the inspectors access to the site and the material.

Alright, questions. Bill?"

"Will the US be involved with the UN inspectors?"

"The FBI and Interpol will help support the UN and Indian investigations into the attack. We've asked Pakistan to provide access for the investigators if necessary, and we're hopeful that they will do so. Gary?"

"If it turns out to be a mutant responsible, will this change President McKenna's policies on mutant rights or military research into mutants?"

"President McKenna's position remains committed to ensure that mutants in the United States retain the same rights as any other citizen, and that the weaponization of mutant abilities by other nations is an action strongly condemned by this country. Gale?"

"Pakistan is in political transition right now. Could this be the actions of the government stepping down?"

"I'm not going to speculate on who might be responsible. The investigation will be rigorously conducted, and those who are responsible for this great tragedy will have the entire weight of the United States supporting their discovery and capture. I would also like to note that the Red Cross and other humanitarian aid organizations are in contact with the Indian government in order to try and secure access to the area around Srinager to provide aid to those displaced by the attack, and we support their efforts. Thank you. That's all for now."

LE MONDE | 1 Juliet 2008 | Françoise Chipaux

In a stunning display of naivete, if not outright falsehood, the White House assured the world today that the crisis currently gripping the Indian subcontinent is in the process of de-escalation. President McKenna issued a statement proclaiming that he is in touch with the leaders in India, Pakistan, China and Russia and that he is sure that the solution will be found to return the troubled region to the status quo ante.

Such promises and predictions seems very extravagant as the news pours in, continuing to describe a very grim situation that has shown little trends to the better. Among other things, McKenna has referenced the 1999 Kargil crisis as an example of successful American diplomatic mediation between Islamabad and New Delhi. It would be a height of unfounded optimism, however, to expect a replay of that incident's resolution.

Since the end of the Cold War the United States, in a myopic miscalculation of the strategic situation, has steadily decreased its presence in Central Asia, increasingly relying on India to keep the stability in the region. Strengthening ties between the US and India, inevitably alarmed Pakistan, which was increasingly feeling abandoned by its erstwhile Cold War ally. It was only logical that Islamabad would turn toward Beijing in order to maintain strategic parity with its great rival.

As a result the United States finds itself with very little clout over Islamabad today, and the influence of China is not yet strong enough in Pakistan to force it to back down from its increasingly militant posture. Meanwhile, on the other side of the border India continues to mobilize its troops, massing 300 000 troops on the border, according to the latest estimates, and contributing to the volatility of the situation.

Moreover, there are steady reports asserting that General Musharraf has been placed under a house arrest by a military junta, which is now in de-facto control of Pakistan. These news were stridently denied by Islamabad and dismissed as a pernicious rumor, spread by India. The government spokesperson explained General Musharraf's recent unavailability on his sickness, brought on by overwork. Islamabad has also issued denials that Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif, previously exiled leaders of opposition parties, have been sighted back within Pakistan.

Pervez Musharraf, who assumed the dictatorial power in Pakistan after his 1999 coup d'etat, has been dealing with an increasingly unstable country, but was able to maintain control - spurning the pressure from the West to hold elections or to relinquish his military title. As the martial law was declared and a curfew instituted in all the provincial capitals yesterday, however, the questions continue to mount whether this latest crisis has pushed Pakistan, a nuclear power, past the point of no return and set it on the road to violent and unpredictable dissolution.

to: [Wisdom, Pete], [Frost, Emma]
from: [Kane, Garrison]
subject: India

Pete, I'll assume you've been following the news about India. It looks very likely that the UN security council is going to send in weapons inspectors to determine the origin of the bomb, mutant or otherwise. The FBI is joining with Interpol to send investigators in order to assist Pakistani and Indian efforts to determine what actually happened.

Obviously, this is a bad situation in all kinds of ways. Fred Duncan thinks that the mutant is the most likely source of the explosion, but the Bureau just doesn't have the people to figure out whether or not the guy was weaponized, modified by some government program, or just a wacko with immensely destructive powers. Ms Frost, I've gone through the files at the mansion, and you wrote or spearheaded most of the ones dealing with mutant weaponization that I could find.

Fred is willing to risk his job to slip some experts of my choosing into India with the team and see what we can find out. Pete, I need some of your people and contacts if I'm going to have a hope in hell. Forward this to any of your people you're willing to spare, and let me know how you can help, if at all.

I'm leaving for India tomorrow morning.

--Garrison

BREAKING NEWS

VIDEO SHOWS MUTANT BEFORE SRINAGAR EXPLOSION



Disturbing video just obtained by CNN shows what appears to be a young
mutant praying just seconds before the nuclear explosion that
devastated the city of Srinagar in northern India. The live feed from
an unidentified local news camera was broadcasting via satellite,
filming the crowds attending the Rath Yatra festival.

The video appears to be focusing on the children dancing, but on the
edge of the video a young man kneeling in prayer is clearly seen.
Moments later, a white glow illuminates his hands, and then body. The
man appears to be praying as the light intensifies and then the feed
is lost.

Experts at CNN examined the video fragment and have determined there
is no visible evidence of any nuclear device or bomb.

As reported yesterday, what appears to be nuclear explosion took place
yesterday in Srinagar. Reports indicate as many as 300,000 people
could be dead, with more casualties expected.

Check back with CNN as we continue to monitor further developments.

NUCLEAR BLAST IN INDIA



The north Indian city of Srinager was the site of a nuclear explosion this afternoon. Initial reports estimate at least 300,000 dead in the blast.

The explosion, which took place at 11:38 local time, has not yet been determined as either the result of an attack by another nation or an act of terrorism. India has ordered the mobilization of their military and has put their own nuclear arsenal on high alert.

Srinager was in the midst of a series of festivals leading up to Rath Yatra. Over forty thousand tourists travel to the city for the summer festival every year, and the explosion took place during one of the main events.

The Indian military has moved to isolate the site, and is in the process of evacuating people outside of the range of the blast site.

Prime Minister Singh has denounced the attack in the strongest possible terms. In a public call for calm, Singh vowed that India would not allow this attack to go unanswered, and that the people or nations responsible for the attack would face the full weight of the Indian military.

Britian, the United States, and China have offered humanitarian aid and assistance in the face of the attack.