War on Terror and Pakistan

Pakistan witnessed several terrorist attacks in the country after 2001. Medium scale sectarian violence is reported to have existed in the 90’s too which is, itself, alarming news for the security, law and order situation of the country. Once known as the “Land of the Pure”, Pakistan has clearly diverted from its initial ideology through which it sought independence. For a country like Pakistan, where the magnificent Quaid-e-Azam dreamt of peace, prosperity and progress through the underlying principles of Unity, Faith and Discipline in the country, the future now looks grim due to Pakistan being declared as a frontline state (as before in Cold War era). From September 2001 till present, the country’s sovereignty and integrity has been brutally targeted by the American intervention, Indian intelligence under the banner of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), terrorist groups hugely concentrated in the North Western part of the republic and none other than indigenous Islamic groups having close alignments and sympathies with the gruesome Taliban and the Al-Qaeda network. US based unmanned spy planes known as “drones” have operated, silently, from Pakistani bases like Terbela and Afghanistan on “special permission” by the government of, then, President General (R) Pervez Musharraf which was continued when Pakistan’s largest political league, the Pakistan’s Peoples’ Party (PPP) won the largest number of seats in the country’s National Assembly (Lower House) and, successfully, formed a coalition with the other crucial political parties in the country like Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz Group) led by the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Mian Nawaz Sharif. Also coalition parties like Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province based Awami National Party led by Asfand Yar Wali Khan, Karachi based Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) led by Altaf Hussain and the Jamiat-e-Ulama-e Islam (Fazl Group) founded by Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman, also dominant in KPK, supported Peoples Party’s stance. General (R) Musharraf went on to seek voluntary exile due to abnormal situation in the country due to the assassination of former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Ms. Benazir Bhutto who also headed the Pakistan Peoples’ Party and was a charismatic leader of international repute also known as the ‘Daughter of the East”. Once again, terrorist attack was never ruled out.

Initially, when, Musharraf overthrew the incumbent Nawaz Sharif’s government and declared Martial Law in the country, the interests of the United States of America took a U-turn followed by the collapse of the twin towers and the associated buildings in Manhattan, NY due to plane hijacking by Muslim terrorists. US, hugely, rested the blame on Al-Qaeda, and the world, for the second time, saw Osama bin Laden as the face behind the attacks on the World Trade Centre. Then, the young generation of the 21^st Century, were forced to hear a new name “Taliban”. Taliban was a term which was once popular, on a small scale, as being a local Afghan militia, which overthrew the first Afghan government of the 90’s which was riddled with unabated infighting, and set peace in the larger part of Afghanistan by overcoming skirmishes among various ethnic groups. Taliban also brought reforms under its Islamic policies by eradicating the production of heroine, reduction in crime by giving severe punishments to the criminals and oppressors, restricting the woman folk to go in local marketplaces without a veil which further reduced issues related to sensual behaviour in the society like adultery and rape, ensuring Islamic education in its suburbs to the local population. The war veteran Mullah Muhammad Umar is the founder and Amir of Taliban. The Taliban had cultivated excellent ties with Pakistan in the governments of Ms. Benazir Bhutto and Mian Nawaz Sharif. America is not ignorant of the fact that the Taliban and the Al-Qaeda’s leadership comprises of the members who were once trained by CIA, with the help of Pakistan’s intelligence organization, the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI). When the interests of USA changed after the 9/11 attacks, Pakistan, to its utter disappointment, realized that the militia it had once trained, had gone out of control and had gained immense power and influence on military grounds and the moral support of the local populations of the North-West territory. Sympathy with the Taliban also existed, and still does, in a segment of Pakistani society due to the common bonds of Islamic brotherhood and old anti-Soviet jihadi elements. Moreover, there is a public outcry to revisit the strategic ties with the United States.

Anyhow, Musharraf started a series of operations against the Islamic fundamentalists, largely under the pressure of America. The Bush Administration gave more than $10 Billion in aid to Pakistan. Pervez Musharraf was intelligent enough to form an alliance with the US and the Northern Alliance (an afghan based anti-taliban group). The US also compensated Pakistan by, annually, reimbursing $1 Billion to keep Pakistan on track. Sometimes, the aid was temporarily suspended so that the republic took things seriously because a faction of Pakistani authorities was against rooting out militant groups. The wisdom of Islamabad in such a strategic move was due to the fact that economic progress was at stakes. Moreover, Musharraf wanted the defence of the country to be at par with India which has been a perennial threat to Pakistan since the partition of 1947. Pakistan went to war with India in 1948, 1965, 1971, 1999 in which Pakistan achieved some success but had realized that to contain a comparatively bigger power, Pakistan had to overcome its weaknesses, economic hurdles and also to win the confidence of the nation. In a bid to tilt the balance of power in the favour of the Pakistanis, Musharraf knew that American alliance was necessary. However, the major blunder of the Musharraf led regime was that it failed to, properly, assess the situation. Once, Pakistan had supported the Taliban in a bid to maintain its influence in Af-Pak region and keep the Indian Army, operating in Afghanistan, away. The situation further crumbled when the militants took safe havens in the Northern Areas and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of the country. The locals, especially the Sunni sect of Muslims pledged support to the Taliban which, consequently, witnessed a local Taliban militia known as the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Moreover, Musharraf’s army conducted operation on the Lal Masjid also made his government and the, once prestigious, armed forces very unpopular. The permission granted to the US to operate on Pakistani territory also raged debate on all levels ranging from the Parliament to the local streets down to the common man. This “special permission” was regarded as “interference on the country’s sovereignty”. Some defence analysts and a large faction of the society including the bureaucracy and the discontented groups among the Army also feared, and went as far as suggesting, that USA had an eye on Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal. Had United States been a true ally of Pakistan, it should not have developed much better ties with India.

Pakistan has played a vital role in the war against terrorism. It has been a key ally in this war and suffered a lot. Despite its enormous efforts in war against terrorism, Pakistan has been criticized by the US. It is a fact that US cannot win without Pakistan’s help, as 75 present of US/NATO supplies pass through Pakistan and the country has deployed more than 120,000 of its troops in tribal areas. It has lost more than three thousand soldiers in the war against terrorism.

Pakistan has established 1500 checkpoints along the border with Afghanistan, and is the only US ally which has captured or killed more than 700 Al-Qaeda members. Despite all these efforts Pakistan has been blamed for not doing enough.

Additionally, the benefits of this war are still not clear. The American raids in Iraq and Afghanistan might have claimed some success in targeting the top terrorists of Al-Qaeda network but the loss of thousands of civilian lives, destruction of the Iraqi infrastructure, an imbalance in the law and order situation of Iraqi authorities, dampens the original benefits which were to be achieved by wiping out terrorism and making the world a better place to live. Countries like Cuba, Vietnam and North Korea have, successfully, countered American agenda and are still thriving. Other countries like Brazil and Venezuela are on the roads of huge economic progress without American interference. Even Turkey analyzed the situation properly and only extended logistic support to North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on “limited” scale so that the things which Pakistan faces now would never arise. The catastrophe which Pakistan faced was largely due to little or no bargain by the leadership. For Asian developing countries like Pakistan, it is a must to become hard bargainers when dealing with super powers, a lesson which Pakistan had learned in the Cold War. Just to run after “hot” dollars isn’t enough. The price is paid by the masses. More than 32000 people in Pakistan have died due to the terrorist attacks and, largely, due to standing with America. Now the common man is confused whether this war is “ours or theirs”. Taking an example of Srilanka, which spent nearly three decades fighting off the Indian - backed Tamil Tigers, the Srilankan Army was trained by Pakistan Army. But the Srilankan armed forces dealt with the Tamil Tigers themselves, no America was present at its borders. And eventually, the situation finally settled.

Let me remind the readers here that Pakistan has faced $68 Billion worth of losses due to this war while the US aid up till now stands at nearly $16 Billion. Moreover, in a newspaper, Pervez Musharraf has mentioned that “had I not formed an alliance with America, the US would have formed partnership with India and would have handpicked Pakistan’s nuclear assets. Further, it is possible that Pakistan would have been wiped out of the world map because American mood was WAR.” War on Terror is an interesting, yet, very confusing topic, a debatable scenario where the gulf of opinion and criticism is a very wide one. It is a fear driven war where pros and cons are less important than the interests of the super powers involved.

The recent assassination of Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad by the US Navy SEALS has mounted more pressure on the defence sector of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Pakistani cricketer and politician Imran Khan, still, calls for a political solution to the problem and bitterly criticises the presence of NATO on Afghan soil as being the sole reason Pakistan is facing the bitter fate of her involvement in this US led war. Pakistan is facing a threatening economic situation, slow or negative industrial growth, corruption at its peak, loss of thousands of lives due to terrorist bombings etc. To counter such an aggravating scenario, a good leadership is the need of the hour. No doubt, Pakistan has been a true ally of the US and has withstood major losses without complain. The US must realize this! If Pakistan wants to control the situation and end the war in its favour, the North Waziristan and Wana area should end fighting. This is only possible if the leadership makes the first move. Secondly, the borders of the Durrand Line need to be sealed. Pakistan needs to, again, divert its 150000 army towards the eastern borders to maintain the balance of power in the region. The Indians are enjoying the show, seeing its enemy collapse on its own! This must be stopped if Pakistan wants to prosper. Moreover, Osama’s presence in the country is not clear. There is no footage of his dead body and the so-called funeral and dumping of his body in the Arabian Sea casts doubt on the validity of Osama’s presence. We can consider this propaganda against us. India is also mounting diplomatic pressure on us. Moreover, Indian economy is growing rapidly which is again what Pakistan doesn’t like. The level of contentment of our neighbour is clearly indicated due to the peace in its territory unlike ours where the law and order situation is very futile. Indian Army and intellegencia is operating in Afghanistan, building infrastructure and providing electricity to Kabul and its suburbs, educating the masses, setting up relief camps and channelling charity to the Afghan population; all in a bid to increase the Indian Influence. ISI is not unaware of this. It is always best for a nation like us to seek a middle way out but the incumbent leadership fails to do so due to its puppet nature and weak stance on matters of foreign policy.

I would like to add here that this “WAR ON TERROR” is different than the conventional wars. This is not a war of weapons. It is a war of communication and information technology. Al-Qaeda is a very organized group. Take a look at its top two leaders. Osama was a civil engineer, Aiman-al-Zawahiri a surgeon. It is pertinent to take note that these two were once allies of USA. USA ignores that blood is thicker than oil. The attacks on humanity just for the sake of supremacy always bounce back. This has been proven in the history of the globe. Afghanistan is a strategic place, no doubt. But for that, one has to pay the price. An English general once remarked that when invading Afghanistan, first make a retreat plan. War on Terror, in general, can be rightfully considered as another move to assert US dominance in the world. But this time, there are problems within America. The economic growth has slowed down and the world is witnessing the emergence of new global stakeholders like the Peoples Republic of China, India and Brazil which are also the largest holders of Federal US currency in their respective reserve banks. USA now needs to reassess the situation and end this war on a fairer ground, otherwise, America and its NATO allies may face a far embarrassing defeat than the one witnessed in the Vietnam War.

The solution to end this disastrous war calls for immediate withdrawal of NATO from Afghanistan, peace settlement with the tribal areas and the Pakistani authorities, a political solution with the militant groups and calling for “slow” weapon disarm. In the name of humanity, such measures will prove helpful for Pakistan as well as for India. If Pakistan doesn't get close to turmoil, it will desire to live with peace and establish good ties with India and call for a political situation in the disputed territory of the State of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Moreover, India needs to avoid its conventional, stubborn attitude in its diplomacy to reap benefits as a growing superpower in Asia. Pakistan is a key player and an important member of SAARC and can also serve as the controller to initiate and maintain the peace process in the world due to its strategic location on the World Map. For such issues to be kept in mind, the solution to humanity is PEACE.

The important factor here is security. PNS Mehran incident is the latest one in Pakistan where insurgents attacked a naval base in Karachi and destroyed 3 PC3 Orion planes. If such incidents keep on continuing, the whole structure of the most important ally of USA in its War Against Terrorism can dismantle. Therefore, Pakistan needs to strengthen its defences and improve its intelligence network which is now being overwhelmed and outnumbered by the intelligence sharing policy of CIA and RAW. These events cast doubt to the apparent fact of friendship with USA. Is USA really our friend? Or is it an enemy in disguise? Was there really a need to react so massively to the 9/11 attacks? Who is Osama bin Laden? Is he dead or alive? Does he exist now or is he just a face, a pretext to destroy the Muslims of the World?

So many questions arise in one’s mind and this War on Terror analysis drives people (including me) schizophrenic! But, conclusively, this war needs to end on fairer ground. Mediation efforts should be started and a political solution to the problem be made in order to save the whole world from the dangerous network of terrorism. Otherwise, we will eventually realize that we are destroying ourselves.