An amusement park in Abbottabad isn't amusing

In Pakistan, faith is full of rules but its politics frequently defies rules. The decision of its government to convert the acres near Osama bin Laden’s former house into an amusement park must be seen in this light.

The announcement made by Aquil Shah, the minister for tourism in the North-western Pakistani province Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, said, “The 50 acre site will include a zoo, adventure sports facilities, restaurants and artificial waterfalls.” He added that the project had nothing to do with Osama.

Despite that denial, Abbottabad is now identified in the global imagination as the last refuge of bin Laden. Till Osama made it his home, Abbottabad was a sleepy military town, little known beyond Pakistan.

Imagine therefore the tourism boost to Abbottabad when the amusement park is thrown open to public. The Taliban and al-Qaeda cadres from across the world would no doubt race to be among the first visitors. In course of time it might even become a compulsory annual pilgrimage for them. Perhaps, the entrance to the park may even have a commemorative plaque reading, “In memory of Osama bin Laden — friend, philosopher and guide.”

The local authorities say that the activities at the amusement park will include adventure sports facilities and a zoo. These are just the sort of training activities for the restless and the eager among the Taliban and their new recruits.

It is easy to imagine that the franchise for adventure sports in the park may well be given to a joint company formed by Hafeez Saeed and Hamid Gul with ISI as their sleeping partner. While Pakistan’s spy agency ISI needs no introduction, it might be necessary to recall that in April 2012, the US Government had put a bounty of $10mn on Saeed for his role in the 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai. Gul was instrumental in setting up the Taliban. So anyone with a macabre sense of humour will consider Saeed and Gul well qualified to run this adventure sports facility.

The nearby Heritage Park may well be run by Mullah Omar. Remember, he was considered the spiritual leader of the Taliban. He was the protector of Osama and the head of Afghanistan for five years prior to 9/11. It was at his instance that the giant 6th Century Bamiyan Buddhas were destroyed. 

There is no doubt that one consequence of establishing this park near a site associated with the last days of Osama would be to perpetuate his memory. This is exactly the kind of institutionalised association that USA had wanted to avoid when they buried him into the anonymity of the sea. Now, Osama will be brought alive every day in the hearts and minds of the thousands who visit the park.

What Pakistan does within its own territory is definitely its own affair. No outsider has a right to interfere or preach to it the rights or wrongs of any of those actions. But what if the effect of that action has repercussions beyond Pakistan’s borders? It is precisely for this reason that USA chose to eliminate Osama in Pakistan’s territory. It is also in pursuit of this logic that USA has been carrying out drone strikes in Pakistani territory to bomb and take out terrorists.

It can be argued that USA is taking the international law in its own hands, or that it is rewriting the conventional script of the international law and international relations by its obtrusive actions. But a powerful argument can also be made in favour of its actions by pointing to the fact that the roots of international terrorism lie in Pakistan and that unless they are struck at USA will only be trimming the branches of terror in places like Afghanistan.

Hence, it is more than likely that the decision of the Pakistani authorities to set up an amusement park in Abbottabad may have serious and long term unfortunate repercussions.