Mr. Ambassador, that it will be held in the strictest confidence."
"Thank you, Director. Send your officer home this evening. Juhi will co-operate. By the way what's the name of the boy?"
"Didn't Juhi tell you?"
"No."
"Why?"
"She reserves the right to tell or not tell her father anything strictly according to her wishes. I never question her wisdom."
"He is Aban Malik."
"Is he the son of Imran Shah Malik?"
"How do you know him?"
"Just a guess. I saw in the newspapers how Mr. Malik was snuffed out. I believe it's not the work of western intelligence."
"The Government of Pakistan is looking into the matter."
"Don't forget to see me after you see Juhi. Let this cat out of the bag. I'll tell you more about Mr. Malik."
Long Battle
Siddhartha entered the Director's room. "Sir, I've to go to New York. The situation has turned grave after Imran Shah Malik was shot today."
"What about your progress at the Lalit Continental Hotel?"
"Still groping in the dark. The butler who attended to the four gentlemen will visit our office tomorrow and help the graphic expert to draw their sketches. I think we may be able to recognize some of them. When I'm back from the US, I'll see how to proceed in that matter. One more interesting fact has come to my notice. Hussein Pharma of Dubai booked the Presidential suite in the hotel. I've sent orders to our agent in Dubai to verify the profile of the company and get back to me. I'll keep you posted about everything."
"Anything else?"
"I need two hundred thousand dollars from our secret fund."
"Two hundred thousand!"
"Yes, sir. We may have to fight a long battle for the young man."
"Why should we get involved for a Pakistani?"
"I think he holds the key to Indian security."
"Is he a security threat?"
"Maybe just the opposite."
Zia-ul-Haq
The Assistant Director of FBI and two senior agents reached the Ambassador's stately home in the evening. The agents greeted the Ambassador and then expressed their wish to see Juhi. The Assistant Director waited in the living room.
The agents expected Juhi to be fidgety, but found her poised and confident while answering their thorny questions. Soon it was over and as Juhi signed the paperwork, one of the agents remarked, "May I suggest something to you, Ms. Shergill?"
Juhi nodded.
"If you know what is good for you, keep away from this Aban Malik."
"I hope you people do not harm him any more than you have already done,"Juhi could not hide her ire.
The agents stood up, thanked Juhi and left the room. "We'll be back, young lady,"The officer chewed his words under his breath.
The Ambassador saw the agents off and then came back to the Assistant Director, still sitting in his living room.
"I'd now like to have the Imran Shah Malik story you mentioned."The Assistant Director's tone was brusque and business-like.
"Try and recall the assassination of the President of Pakistan Zia-ul-Haq in a plane crash in the late '80s,"the Ambassador began. "After witnessing a US Abrams tank demonstration in Bahawalpur, the President came back to the BHV airport. An officer presented a crate of mangoes to the President, when the President was to board his C-130 Hercules. The mangoes were spiked with VX gas. The President was seated in his air-conditioned VIP capsule with the American Ambassador and the head of the U.S. Military aid mission. When he showed the mangoes to his American guests, boasting how good Pakistani mangoes were, the VX gas escaped and the nerve gas finished them all off. It then dispersed and reached the cockpit. The commander, the first officer and the flight engineer, although not choked immediately, suffered extreme twitching and sweating, followed by severe bronchial constriction. It was so swift and intense in its action that the crewmembers were overcome by drowsiness before they could send out a Mayday signal. The plane flew erratically for some time, nose-dived and exploded on the ground. The officer, who had presented the mangoes,
"Thank you, Director. Send your officer home this evening. Juhi will co-operate. By the way what's the name of the boy?"
"Didn't Juhi tell you?"
"No."
"Why?"
"She reserves the right to tell or not tell her father anything strictly according to her wishes. I never question her wisdom."
"He is Aban Malik."
"Is he the son of Imran Shah Malik?"
"How do you know him?"
"Just a guess. I saw in the newspapers how Mr. Malik was snuffed out. I believe it's not the work of western intelligence."
"The Government of Pakistan is looking into the matter."
"Don't forget to see me after you see Juhi. Let this cat out of the bag. I'll tell you more about Mr. Malik."
Long Battle
Siddhartha entered the Director's room. "Sir, I've to go to New York. The situation has turned grave after Imran Shah Malik was shot today."
"What about your progress at the Lalit Continental Hotel?"
"Still groping in the dark. The butler who attended to the four gentlemen will visit our office tomorrow and help the graphic expert to draw their sketches. I think we may be able to recognize some of them. When I'm back from the US, I'll see how to proceed in that matter. One more interesting fact has come to my notice. Hussein Pharma of Dubai booked the Presidential suite in the hotel. I've sent orders to our agent in Dubai to verify the profile of the company and get back to me. I'll keep you posted about everything."
"Anything else?"
"I need two hundred thousand dollars from our secret fund."
"Two hundred thousand!"
"Yes, sir. We may have to fight a long battle for the young man."
"Why should we get involved for a Pakistani?"
"I think he holds the key to Indian security."
"Is he a security threat?"
"Maybe just the opposite."
Zia-ul-Haq
The Assistant Director of FBI and two senior agents reached the Ambassador's stately home in the evening. The agents greeted the Ambassador and then expressed their wish to see Juhi. The Assistant Director waited in the living room.
The agents expected Juhi to be fidgety, but found her poised and confident while answering their thorny questions. Soon it was over and as Juhi signed the paperwork, one of the agents remarked, "May I suggest something to you, Ms. Shergill?"
Juhi nodded.
"If you know what is good for you, keep away from this Aban Malik."
"I hope you people do not harm him any more than you have already done,"Juhi could not hide her ire.
The agents stood up, thanked Juhi and left the room. "We'll be back, young lady,"The officer chewed his words under his breath.
The Ambassador saw the agents off and then came back to the Assistant Director, still sitting in his living room.
"I'd now like to have the Imran Shah Malik story you mentioned."The Assistant Director's tone was brusque and business-like.
"Try and recall the assassination of the President of Pakistan Zia-ul-Haq in a plane crash in the late '80s,"the Ambassador began. "After witnessing a US Abrams tank demonstration in Bahawalpur, the President came back to the BHV airport. An officer presented a crate of mangoes to the President, when the President was to board his C-130 Hercules. The mangoes were spiked with VX gas. The President was seated in his air-conditioned VIP capsule with the American Ambassador and the head of the U.S. Military aid mission. When he showed the mangoes to his American guests, boasting how good Pakistani mangoes were, the VX gas escaped and the nerve gas finished them all off. It then dispersed and reached the cockpit. The commander, the first officer and the flight engineer, although not choked immediately, suffered extreme twitching and sweating, followed by severe bronchial constriction. It was so swift and intense in its action that the crewmembers were overcome by drowsiness before they could send out a Mayday signal. The plane flew erratically for some time, nose-dived and exploded on the ground. The officer, who had presented the mangoes,
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