The Marriot hotel bombing in Islamabad is yet another grim reminder that Pakistan government’s “unstinted support” to US in its misguided war in Afghanistan is not coping well with its own geopolitics. The bombing is not as much a sign of “extremism” or “terrorism” as it is an indication that Pakistanis, especially the Pashtun population, see their government’s constant support of US invasion and continuous occupation of Afghanistan a betrayal. Pakistani Pushtuns have a strong affinity and religious, ethnic, social, cultural, and linguistic ties with the natives inhabiting Afghanistan’s border regions with Pakistan. They naturally have much sympathy for their embattled Afghan cousins.
Pakistanis, along with Afghans, do not view US attack and occupation of their neighbouring country as a legitimate counter attack in self-defence; the September 11 attack on the USA was a criminal attack by individuals, not armed attack by a country. US produced no evidence that Afghanistan either attacked the United States or assisted or approved the September 11 attack. None of the attackers belonged to Afghanistan. More importantly, Afghan government asked Washington to provide evidence of Osama’s involvement, Washington couldn’t because they had no proof, and the bombing began. Few weeks later, the war’s objectives changed; Afghans were told that the bombing would continue until the regime change. This war was never authorised by the United Nations Security Council.
The growing violent insurgency in Pakistan has very little to do with the religious extremism as the Pakistan government would like us to believe to cover up its own follies. Religious fervor today is no more than it was before the US invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001. However, suicide bombings and explosive violence was unheard of until recently. The nature of the violence points to different root causes.
It’s the unceasing deaths and destruction in the US occupied Afghanistan and Hellfire missiles, drones, special operation raids inside Pakistan, and, moreover, Pakistan army’s use of heavy artillery, tanks, helicopter gunships, jet fighters against its own population in the tribal areas that’s greatly responsible for the recent explosive uprising in Pakistan. The hard fact is that military operation in the tribal areas is not prompted by some national or strategic interest; the army action is seen as Pakistan attacking its own people on the order or behest of the United States. Rehman Malik, interior adviser to prime minister, may say as many times and as loud but Pakistanis are not buying his claim that the 100,000 troops in the tribal region bordering Afghanistan are fighting Pakistan’s war.
The feeling of tribesmen of being abused, exploited and terrorised is not totally unjustified. The military operation in Bajaur Agency in which gunship helicopters, fighter jets, and heavy artilleries were used left hundreds of civilians, including small children, dead. Almost half a million out of the 900,000 population became homeless, and hundreds of houses, mosques and other buildings were destroyed. The heavy-handed military approach is taking its toll; the situation in the tribal areas is now growing alarmingly similar to that which prevailed in erstwhile East Pakistan after the March 1971 crackdown by the Pakistan Army.
Like an unwelcomed spectre from Pakistan’s painful past, the unwise military adventurism has not only seriously harmed the harmony between Pakistan’s military and the tribal population but also created indifference and disaffection towards the united Pakistan. The tragic lesson, incredibly simple and blunt, of 1971 is lost on Pakistan’s political and military leadership.
True, it’s a recognisable duty of Pakistan to strictly check the infiltration at the Pak-Afghan border, although it’s impossible to seal the border, given the very difficult geography and terrain. The US army and NATO forces with all their resources are not able to secure the porous terrain. How could resource-strapped Pakistan be expected to do the impossible? Yes, it’s also required of Pakistan not to allow any sanctuaries and hideouts of Afghan insurgents on its soil. Pakistan must do everything possible to ensure a stable and friendly Afghanistan and let Afghans deal themselves with the US-installed Karzai government from within their own border and with their own men and material.
However, Pakistan deploying 100,000-strong army personnel in the sensitive tribal area and pitting them against its own population provide no solution to the quagmire Afghanistan is pushed into by the US. All evidence indicate the Afghan war has expanded into an unwinnable conflict against a formidable insurgent movement. A complete check on cross-border infiltration of men and material from the Pakistan side may make a small dent in the fighting capacity of the insurgent fighters; however, it will not eliminate or even significantly weaken their military prowess. Afghan insurgency has taken deep root and well adept at guerrilla warfare to remain a menace and constant danger to the US-installed and -protected Afghan government.
No proud people put up with the humiliation of occupation and expected to sheathe their sword when their liberty is assaulted, Afghans are no different. As long Afghanistan remains occupied, the region (Afghanistan and Pakistan) will remain volatile. Modicum of peace and sense of normalcy will only return when foreign forces withdraw and let the Afghans sort out their own future. The longer the foreign forces continue their present futile efforts, the longer the tragedy of violence, pain and sufferings and loss of human lives will continue.
Pakistan also must play its role; it needs to reassure Afghanistan that there will be no threat to its security from the south and diligently try to clamp down on militant activity in its tribally ruled border regions.
On the other hand, Afghanistan must not allow India to use its territory to destabilise Pakistan. Indian military presence in Afghanistan is not a secret. India has brought thousands of its troops in Afghanistan ostensibly to provide security to its embassy and construction companies working on a large scale in Afghanistan. Pakistan has legitimate reasons to believe that the sprawling Indian embassy in Kabul is more of a military base and RAW’s operation centre than a diplomatic mission, and is being used to create disturbances in Pakistan. Presence of such large contingent of Indian army and spies on its northern border, understandably, does not play well with Pakistan’s sense of security. Afghanistan must do to remove Pakistan’s concern vis-a-vis Indian army’s presence within its border.
Pakistan and Afghanistan should soon realise they are strategically bound together by a common fate; they share religion, geography, history, culture and traditions. They are also connected through ethnic, tribal, family and linguistic ties. No two peoples are as close together as Pakistani and Afghans. It’s time they put their disputes behind and move on together to face the challenges and benefit from the tremendous economic opportunities owing to their geo-strategic location.
Pakistanis, along with Afghans, do not view US attack and occupation of their neighbouring country as a legitimate counter attack in self-defence; the September 11 attack on the USA was a criminal attack by individuals, not armed attack by a country. US produced no evidence that Afghanistan either attacked the United States or assisted or approved the September 11 attack. None of the attackers belonged to Afghanistan. More importantly, Afghan government asked Washington to provide evidence of Osama’s involvement, Washington couldn’t because they had no proof, and the bombing began. Few weeks later, the war’s objectives changed; Afghans were told that the bombing would continue until the regime change. This war was never authorised by the United Nations Security Council.
The growing violent insurgency in Pakistan has very little to do with the religious extremism as the Pakistan government would like us to believe to cover up its own follies. Religious fervor today is no more than it was before the US invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001. However, suicide bombings and explosive violence was unheard of until recently. The nature of the violence points to different root causes.
It’s the unceasing deaths and destruction in the US occupied Afghanistan and Hellfire missiles, drones, special operation raids inside Pakistan, and, moreover, Pakistan army’s use of heavy artillery, tanks, helicopter gunships, jet fighters against its own population in the tribal areas that’s greatly responsible for the recent explosive uprising in Pakistan. The hard fact is that military operation in the tribal areas is not prompted by some national or strategic interest; the army action is seen as Pakistan attacking its own people on the order or behest of the United States. Rehman Malik, interior adviser to prime minister, may say as many times and as loud but Pakistanis are not buying his claim that the 100,000 troops in the tribal region bordering Afghanistan are fighting Pakistan’s war.
The feeling of tribesmen of being abused, exploited and terrorised is not totally unjustified. The military operation in Bajaur Agency in which gunship helicopters, fighter jets, and heavy artilleries were used left hundreds of civilians, including small children, dead. Almost half a million out of the 900,000 population became homeless, and hundreds of houses, mosques and other buildings were destroyed. The heavy-handed military approach is taking its toll; the situation in the tribal areas is now growing alarmingly similar to that which prevailed in erstwhile East Pakistan after the March 1971 crackdown by the Pakistan Army.
Like an unwelcomed spectre from Pakistan’s painful past, the unwise military adventurism has not only seriously harmed the harmony between Pakistan’s military and the tribal population but also created indifference and disaffection towards the united Pakistan. The tragic lesson, incredibly simple and blunt, of 1971 is lost on Pakistan’s political and military leadership.
True, it’s a recognisable duty of Pakistan to strictly check the infiltration at the Pak-Afghan border, although it’s impossible to seal the border, given the very difficult geography and terrain. The US army and NATO forces with all their resources are not able to secure the porous terrain. How could resource-strapped Pakistan be expected to do the impossible? Yes, it’s also required of Pakistan not to allow any sanctuaries and hideouts of Afghan insurgents on its soil. Pakistan must do everything possible to ensure a stable and friendly Afghanistan and let Afghans deal themselves with the US-installed Karzai government from within their own border and with their own men and material.
However, Pakistan deploying 100,000-strong army personnel in the sensitive tribal area and pitting them against its own population provide no solution to the quagmire Afghanistan is pushed into by the US. All evidence indicate the Afghan war has expanded into an unwinnable conflict against a formidable insurgent movement. A complete check on cross-border infiltration of men and material from the Pakistan side may make a small dent in the fighting capacity of the insurgent fighters; however, it will not eliminate or even significantly weaken their military prowess. Afghan insurgency has taken deep root and well adept at guerrilla warfare to remain a menace and constant danger to the US-installed and -protected Afghan government.
No proud people put up with the humiliation of occupation and expected to sheathe their sword when their liberty is assaulted, Afghans are no different. As long Afghanistan remains occupied, the region (Afghanistan and Pakistan) will remain volatile. Modicum of peace and sense of normalcy will only return when foreign forces withdraw and let the Afghans sort out their own future. The longer the foreign forces continue their present futile efforts, the longer the tragedy of violence, pain and sufferings and loss of human lives will continue.
Pakistan also must play its role; it needs to reassure Afghanistan that there will be no threat to its security from the south and diligently try to clamp down on militant activity in its tribally ruled border regions.
On the other hand, Afghanistan must not allow India to use its territory to destabilise Pakistan. Indian military presence in Afghanistan is not a secret. India has brought thousands of its troops in Afghanistan ostensibly to provide security to its embassy and construction companies working on a large scale in Afghanistan. Pakistan has legitimate reasons to believe that the sprawling Indian embassy in Kabul is more of a military base and RAW’s operation centre than a diplomatic mission, and is being used to create disturbances in Pakistan. Presence of such large contingent of Indian army and spies on its northern border, understandably, does not play well with Pakistan’s sense of security. Afghanistan must do to remove Pakistan’s concern vis-a-vis Indian army’s presence within its border.
Pakistan and Afghanistan should soon realise they are strategically bound together by a common fate; they share religion, geography, history, culture and traditions. They are also connected through ethnic, tribal, family and linguistic ties. No two peoples are as close together as Pakistani and Afghans. It’s time they put their disputes behind and move on together to face the challenges and benefit from the tremendous economic opportunities owing to their geo-strategic location.
3 comments:
you pakis are paranoid
sir,it is so sad that even when you call yourselves friends of afghan,the brutal taliban regime was supported by pakistan.When taliban tortured common afghani people where was your sense of responsibility towards afghans.
Dear,
Pakistan always support Peacfull Aghanistan in one or other ways, the "Brutuality by Taliban" you mentioned here is not true......If you look back the events trace back to the start of ninteeth century you will understand what is wrong and what is right? Any how every persons have its own nature of study.........Thanks for making comments......
Post a Comment