Dr Fareed Malik in his column 'The cost of war' (Dec 17) writes about the meltdown of economic resources due to the 1965 war and collapse of the economic order in Pakistan due to the 1971 defeat. Ironically Z A Bhutto was the common character in both these wars. When Iskander Mirza asked Bhutto in London why Pakistan had gone to war with the much bigger and better-armed India, he said, "How else could I have pulled down Ayub?" We know very well now that Bhutto had actually trumped up the Tashkent 'debacle' to launch his PPP. His "udher tum, idher hum" antagonized Mujibur Rahman to the breaking point who eventually invited an eager Indira Gandhi to walk into East Pakistan. -KHURHID ANWER, Lahore, via e-mail, December 18.