EDITORIAL: Hundreds of classified documents released during the recent months on Discord, a gaming platform, by a young American airman reveal, among other sensitive matters, Ukraine’s battlefield vulnerability in the ongoing war with Russia, and America’s worries about China’s military advances.
They have caused considerable embarrassment for the Biden administration though it has tried to play down the significance of the latest trove of leaked documents, reminiscent of the earlier revelations first made by Edward Snowden and then Julian Assange.
Many of America’s allies have expressed disquiet over the disclosure of information shared with its civilian and military leaders. Some documents now made public by The Washington Post and other media outlets show the US has also been monitoring internal communications as well as deliberations by leaders of friendly countries. These include two Pakistani memos containing sensitive information related to foreign policy issues.
In one of them titled “Pakistan’s Difficult Choices” circulated among official recipients last March, Minister of State Hina Rabbani Khar contends that this country can “no longer try to maintain a middle ground between China and the United States”, suggesting that “Islamabad should avoid giving the appearance of appeasing the West”.
Adding a note of caution, the memo goes on to aver that the instinct to preserve Pakistan’s partnership with the US would ultimately sacrifice the full benefits of “real strategic partnership” with China. Another document dated February 17 features Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s discussion with his advisers about an upcoming UN vote on the Ukraine conflict, and the anticipated renewed Western pressure to back a UN resolution condemning Russian invasion.
One of the interlocutors is quoted as arguing that supporting the resolution would signal a shift in Pakistan’s position – it along with 32 other countries had earlier abstained from voting on a similar resolution — pointing out that Pakistan can negotiate trade and energy deals with Russia while supporting the resolution could jeopardize prospects of such a deal.
These leaks raise very serious concerns about how highly sensitive information is handled in Islamabad, especially the role of the intelligence agencies whose job it is to secure delicate matters and conversations. But they seem to be getting distracted by another interest: recording conversations related to power politics and ‘leaking’ the same whenever it suits their purposes.
The US, with its enormous surveillance capability, is known to spy even on European allies as well as its protégé, Israel. However, access to information regarding internal communications and discussions, like in the present instance, can come only through agents or spies.
The Discord leaks about PM Sharif’s confidential deliberations are indicative of the presence of such elements in the highest levels of our policymaking circles. A thorough investigation into these leaks is in order. Those found involved ought to be held to account under the relevant laws. They should also be named and shamed.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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