The Honeybee Conspiracy

Part 44

Chapter 42

On Anwar Razak's second trip to China within fourteen days of the Myanmar attack, the tensions were now slowly diffusing. The Foreign Service not only teaches you a lot about International Trade and Bilateral negotiations, but it also equips you in managing escalations in relations between other countries.

But the truth is, as one of Anwar's professors used to tell him is that war is all about economics. And the ability to leverage economics to your advantage is what makes a successful diplomat. 'You are after all a negotiator.' And Anwar Razak Joint Secretary in the Ministry of External affairs used his skills to great effect.

On his return, Anwar made a stopover in Istanbul to push through some key strategic agreements on trade and commerce. This was always the official jargon used by the officialdom. The fact was that India was on the final stages of commencing work of the laying of the underground pipeline for supply of petroleum from Iran to India through Turkey and they were some last-minute hurdles which needed to be sorted out.

That evening there was a note which was unsigned on the Hotel's front desk for Anwar. 'Meet you at The Hilton rooftop bar at 9 pm'. The rooftop bar on the twenty-first floor of the Hilton had a magnificent view of the city of Istanbul by night. The 19th-century mosques which were illuminated were spread across the fountains and parks.Musicians sing folklore songs with their instruments which had a mesmerizing effect on you, a feeling of peace and harmony for the people of this war-ravaged country, making you believe that there is still love after the war, life after death.

"Aslam Malakoum, Anwar." Anwar turned to his right to see who this was. "Malakoum Aslam Tarique," muttered Anwar with a surprised look.

"You were not expecting me, am I right?" said Tarique as he smiled.

"How did you find me? ", questioned Anwar.

"Anwar, you still ask the same silly questions. By the way, congrats on the Chinese matter. You did a great job. Highly commendable sir", said Tarique as he sat opposite him.

"Thank you. So what brings you here?" asked Anwar.

"Nothing, in particular, Just a courtesy call," said Tarique as he winked.

Before Anwar could ask another question, Tarique stood up. There was a big smile on his face, but it was not at him but for someone behind him. "JK my brother, good to see you after such a long time. You still look ten years younger my man." They both hugged each other. Anwar was already on his feet by then. All three sat down as JK ordered a beer.

"I was just congratulating Anwar on his excellent handling of the Chinese on the Myanmar issue," said Tarique.

"Indeed he has. He is our blue-eyed boy in the MEA. Good show, young man", said JK as he smiled at Anwar.

Anwar smiled. The encouragement coming from a high ranking senior intelligence head was indeed gratifying.The sense of insecurity he had when he was in the company of Tarique had now disappeared. He was now very much comfortable and in control. Or was it due to the presence of JK.?He was not sure but JK had a way of making people feel comfortable and calm. Though he was known to be a tough taskmaster, he always led his people from the front and regularly encouraged his team. This attitude from their boss prompted them to give their heart soul mind and body to accomplish their mission. As JK and Tarique were talking, he was watching JK and was awestruck by his persona. He could so easily move in and out of any situation and handle any crisis with such serene calmness. And yet, he was or rather is, a ruthless killer.

No wonder, he was the de facto ruler of RAW.

"How is your excellency? I trust he is in good health." enquired JK of the Ayatollah of Iran.

"His excellency is fine. We were really taken by surprise by the boldness of your PM in ordering the Myanmar operation", said Tarique winking at JK. They all three laughed out loud but little did Anwar know the reason why he winked.

"I think your government should do that to Pakistan. I mean, test the waters, you know?" said Tarique.

Anwar, until then a spectator, joined in and said, "Well Tarique, with Pakistan, it's a different matter. The ISI is deeply grounded on Kashmir. They will survive in Pakistan, I mean rule in Pakistan as long as there is conflict in the region. If there is no conflict, they won't have any role to play. And if they don't have any role to play, there will be no funding from America. They will gobankrupt. Conflict in the region is akin to oxygen for them, without which, they will die. It's such a deep-rooted evil."

"Mmmm, I agree with you, but one day you will have to find a solution to this problem," said Tarique.

"Gentlemen, there is only one solution for this problem," said JK. They both turned towards him. "Development, fast-paced development of the country and its people led by a strong efficient uncompromising government. The development has to be all-round and in all sectors especially in education, health, agriculture, industry and IT. It must be felt by the people. It has to touch every sphere of their lives. There has to be a tangible positive growth a normal man on the street could feel. He must be able to feel that the quality of his life has become betterthan what it was earlier. This is the only sure shot solution to counter-terrorism and inter-country conflict. Otherwise, we as a nation will be destroyed in years to come. "

'True.Very true indeed. I agree with you on this" said Tarique.

"But is that possible, considering that we as acountry are made up of so many different and divergent cultures, castes, languages, people and to make matters worse are the umpteen number of political parties who thrive on all these differences. It's a herculean task JK." asked Anwar.

"Anwar let me answer your question this way. In 1998, Kodak had 1 70 000 employees and sold 85% of all photo films worldwide. Within just a few years, their business model disappeared and they went bankrupt. What happened to Kodak is going to happen to a lot of industries in all sectors within the next ten to fifteen years.

It's going to happen with artificial intelligence, health, agriculture. The fourth industrial revolution is going to happen before our very eyes. Software is going to rule every sphere of our lives. Technology is getting more and more advanced. In the years to come, say by 2030, computers will become more intelligent than humans. Traditional methods of doing business are going to disappear. And that's where we have to align our methodologies to take full advantage of this scenario. We have to be on the driver's seat of change or else, the country will be in chaos and that's where organizations like ISI and ISIS will take full advantage. You see Anwar, today's wars are not fought on armies and weapons but on intelligence and technology. We have to realign our strategies with like-minded nations and ensure that we establish the country as a superpower in the world."

Anwar was listening in full rapt attention.

" And so Tarique, it's in our best interests that we, and I mean we as nations in this part of the continent stay united and share our resources and intelligence if we are to survive and keep terrorism at bay.", JK was staring at Tarique when he said this.

"We assure you JK, we are and will continue to do so," said Tarique suddenly being taken off-guard by JK's sudden remark aimed at him.

"I'm sure you will,"said JK with a smile. An all-knowing smile. He was now rattling his cage and making Tarique feel uneasy.

JK stood up and shook hands, "Well Tarique, my friend, I have a plane to catch. We will meet soon my brother. He shook hands with Anwar and left."

The folk singers who were singing were now coming to an end asIstanbul was settling for another night of uneasy calm. Tarique bid farewell to Anwar. When he was in the lift, he had a feeling that JK knew he was somehow involved in the SQ 5319 crash and the deeper conspiracy.