Page 147 of The Circle of Exile
“A detailed breakdown of sightseeing,” Zafarji answered. “Palace visit, riverbed, forts, museum and silk route. The twenty minutes of Jami Masjid have been covered in travel.”
“Then we must oust that…”
“Now that memo is of no use,” Zafarji intoned what Atharva had surmised the moment the Pakistani memo had leaked.
“But why? It’s not like our people will trust them over us.”
“It’s not about who the people trust anymore,” Atharva finally voiced out. He tore his gaze from the television and looked at Fahad, the man who had come with him to this minefield. “Momina Aslam has been quietly pulling out confirmations out of me through our conversations. She made me change my travel memo to a detailed list of sightseeing. I can’t deny I was out that day. And it hits too close to home to what the PoK memo says. I was trying to protect Iram’s travel plans and she pulled out my travel plans. I don’t know if those conversations were recorded. But we always expect the worst case from her.”
“So then what? We confess that an attempt was made on your life there? Bhai, this is not even a press trial then. This is a real trial. Amaal, fucking say something!”
Amaal remained silent. She was usually the sanest and the loudest voice in a room. Now, she was staring into thin air, piecing a puzzle.
“If you say you did not visit the mosque,” she finally began to lay it out. “You open yourself to perjury, especially if she starts bringing evidence or witnesses. She is clearly in touch with contacts in Pakistan. If you say you visited the mosque and hid this attack, you open yourself to unconstitutional conduct and anti-national allegations, leave aside the recurrent question — why you kept quiet.”
Atharva knew this, and was two steps ahead.
“I am going to first make sure that PoK machinery is tightened and maintains complete silence on this.”
“How?” Amaal countered. “Dilshad Khan wanted to kill you and go to war with India to get Kashmir.”
“Mir Faiz will make it happen. If not for me, then for Iram.”
“You yourself said that boy is a weak puppet.”
“Not so weak. He cleared the airspace for an hour. He can do this too.”
Amaal stared blankly at him — “Let’s assume you manage to do that. What next?”
“I will get the Centre to impose an independent inquiry on me.”
“Fuck that!” Fahad objected. “Are you serious?!! Bhai? Amaal, is he serious? Zafarji, please tell me he is not serious!”
Atharva met Zafarji’s ancient knowing eyes.
“It’s a good enough solution,” Zafarji said quietly.
“What the fuck? Amaal! Why are you silent?”
“SIT?” Amaal asked him. Atharva nodded.
“A Special Investigation Team? What’s next? Suspension or President’s rule?” Fahad roared. “There has to be another way. Hang on. Let us think…”
“Take tonight to think,” Atharva consoled him. “It’s late. Go home.”
Fahad stared at him like he was a ghost.
“It’s a crisis on your personal and professional character and you want us to take the night, Bhai?”
“Scampering is not going to do us any good, Fahad. Go. If not home then go to your office and think. Get your teams together.”
“I think you should talk to Zorji first, Atharva,” Amaal voiced.
“That is what I will do first thing we break here.”
“Hmm… this SIT, you will be bringing it upon you. Are you sure it won’t backfire?”
“It will be the devil we canreasonablycontrol, as opposed to a media trial which is a free beast. The moment this issue goes to SIT, everybody will have to shut up in public. Momina Aslam, even if she has more to say, will not be able to make any public statement. She will have to come to the committee with her allegations and evidences. A closed committee.”
