Page 158 of The Circle of Exile
“Two out of three were close to you. Is it now safe to assume, to the best of our collective wisdom, that the missiles were targeted at you, Chief Minister Kaul?”
“You can assume as you wish, Justice Thakur,” Zorji interrupted again, just as pointed. “My client will not voice any assumption out here in an inquiry that is weighing his every word.”
“Very well, Advocate Rasool. Will your client tell us how he escaped the crime scene?”
“It’s a daring story.”
Low chuckles reverberated. Atharva glanced up, and four out of five of his interrogators were hiding their smiles.
“My cars were already lined up behind the mosque. The security used standard protocol in stampede situation. I was bubbled and escorted to the car. The convoy sped out of the alley. Everybody was accounted for and safe.”
“I don’t find anything daring in this story.”
Zorji was just smirking at her. Atharva didn’t know what he was doing but he trusted the old fox with more than his life.
“What did you do as soon as you were safe, Chief Minister Kaul?”
“I convened my Private Secretary and Head of Security.”
Justice Thakur’s brows went up. Atharva blinked, quiet.
“And?” She pushed expectantly.
“He is ex-SFF,” Lieutenant General Sharma laughed. “He does not answer more than asked.”
If Justice Thakur found this amusing and annoying all at once, her expression did a decent job of not showing.
“Chief Minister Kaul, to set the precedent for our conversation going forward — when I ask a question, I expect an answer like a responsible head of a civilian office.”
“Noted, ma’am.”
“What did youdoafter convening your Private Secretary and Head of Security — in detail?”
“I briefed my Private Secretary, and my Head of Security gave us a rundown of the incident. Their counsel was to establish contact with the Home Ministry of India and relay the incident.”
“You did not do that.”
“No, ma’am.”
“Why?”
“Because informing the Home Ministry that a sitting Chief Minister of an Indian state had been under attack in a foreign country would have meant relaying an act of war. As Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir, I was privy to the delicate situation on our various borders. A fitting response would have to be given. It would not have stopped at that. And my state would have been caught in the crossfire. Moreover, the country is on a path to unprecedented economic progress. A conflict would set us back.”
“That decision was not yours to make.”
“That’s a grey area.”
Justice Thakur’s head cocked, as if he were being an arrogant asshole.
“Please explain.”
“I was the victim, I was also substantially informed about situations surrounding a potential conflict. The state I govern was sitting in the crossfire, with already disturbed internal issues. I made a decision then to keep quiet, finish my engagements and fly out immediately.”
“You did not stop at keeping quiet. You altered your travel memo.”
“I did not alter it. I refrained from mentioning this incident.”
“That’s altering facts. On a constitutional position, you held back vital information.”
