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Apr-06-2009
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Diplomatic Oil and Dictators
The governance of Pakistan for past sixty-one years was mostly by autocratic rulers, elected or not and by the dictators with a feudalist warlord mentality. Over last several decades Pakistani ruling elites and the army Generals have developed an acute dependency on diplomatic oil or rent collections from America and Arab states around the Persian Gulf and Red Sea. Pakistan has exploited American policy for regional hegemony to control energy supplies to satisfy insatiable demand for fossil fuels from Middle East and Central Asia. For rent collection it has also exploited demands of the Sunni/Salafi/Wahabi Arab clerics to impose the 13th century fundamentalist Islam in South Asia.
The nuclear and missile armed Pakistan needs rent from America and Arabs of Persian Gulf and Red Sea to maintain its 500,000 men strong army. Pakistan"s annual budget of $25 billion is supported by about a third from aid from America, Arab states and remittances from ex-pat Pakistanis mostly in Muslim lands of Middle East and some in developed nations of America and the Western Europe. Pakistan"s internal savings - taxes paid by citizens - are low and following the adage, "no taxation means no representation" Pakistan has been unable to establish a functioning democracy with three independent branches of governance.
Pakistan is geographically located at the cross-roads. American ally Israel is at the western end of the Middle East and Pakistan is at east of Persian Gulf. Pakistan offers a potential access to a port in warm waters of Arabian Sea for the fossil fuel supplies to be taken out from Central Asia. To satisfy America and the West"s insatiable demand for fossil fuel from the Middle East and Central Asia requires America to maintain regional hegemony. For an annual rent of a few billion dollars Pakistan is a willing partner to help America achieve its policy goals.
The First Afghan War
The first Afghan War lasted ten years (1979-89). As soon as Soviets withdrew in 1989 America broke away from its support to Pakistan. However, the political vacuum in Afghanistan allowed ambitious Pakistani Generals to embark on establishing a strategic depth in Afghanistan that was plunged into chaos by warring Afghan warlords from 1989 to 1994.
General Musharraf was the military advisor to late PM Benazir Bhutto in 1990s and on his advice Mrs. Bhutto unleashed in 1994 the Taliban forces from Pakistan"s tribal areas to occupy Afghanistan. As the dictator from 1999 to 2008 President Musharraf policies in Afpakia areas were responsible for human rights violations, destroyed one and destabilized other of two nations, Afghanistan and Pakistan. For six years 2003 - 2008 using duplicitous policies General Musharraf collected $12 billion from America as an ally for Pakistani army"s contribution to the WOT.
Taliban were financed by Arab states. Under Taliban rule (1994-02) Afghanistan witnessed an Islamic fascist regime that imposed strict fundamentalism, implemented Shariah, discriminated against women and girls, non-Sunni Muslims and followers of faiths other than Islam, etc. They outlawed women"s education, burned girl"s schools and destroyed statues of ancient Bamiyan Buddha. Afghanistan was left in ruins.
As soon as Taliban tested power the Generals of Pakistan lost control of them and by 1996 al Qaeda moved into Afghanistan to wage a global jihad - a civilizational war - against non-believers of America, the West and the rest of world in pursuit of establishing next Islamic Caliphate. Their first major terrorism success was the attack on America on 9/11/2001. It started President Bush"s War on Terrorism (WOT) that has destabilized Middle East as America took the WOT to heartland of Muslim World in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Dictators and Myths
Using the potential threat of spread of communism America in 1982 galvanized Arabs and Pakistan that was over burdened by millions of refugees fleeing from soviet occupation of Afghanistan to build a jihadi force that successfully resisted the Soviet occupation under the dictatorship of Zia-ul Haq of Pakistan. In 1990s USSR disintegrated perpetuating a myth that Afghanistan is graveyard of empires.
Another myth is related to poverty being responsible for terrorism? Pakistani poor are illiterate or semiliterate as they are educated in Saudi clergy dominated and financed 30,000 madrassahs established in 1980s that are ill equipped to offer modern education needed to produce skilled knowledge workers. Wars including proxy wars are made by state actors and politically motivated warlords, not poor youth. The privileged class of Pakistan includes the army Generals, ruling elites and feudalist warlords with private militias established to wage jihad for growth through extraterritorial expansions.
America and other nations have identified and branded as terrorist more than 30 private militias affiliated with jihadi organization with acronyms LeT, JuD, JM, etc. A favorite ploy is to promise to dance with houries or virgins in heave if the jihadi dies for causes promoted by the privileged classes. Suicide bombing is preferred as it leaves investigative agencies little to identify the warlords orchestrating terrorism. Jihad and terrorism to attack soft targets is a favorite tool of the politically motivated feudal warlords.
A popular myth is that each Pakistani is better than 10 Indians. They instigated three wars in South Asia to gain control of India"s Jammu and Kashmir state. In each war they were beaten back by India. Under General Pervez Musharraf Pakistan occupied Kargil Heights in May-July 1999. Facing a fierce Indian resistance and global political backlash President Clinton forced Pakistan to vacate Kargil Heights after Pakistan had taken heavy losses.
Stabilization of Afpakia
With President Barack Obama America in 2009 has embarked on a systematic withdrawal strategy from Iraq and refocused American attention to Afpakia area along both sides of the Durand Line to stabilize it. The area is home of regrouped Taliban and al Qaeda that were driven out in 2002 with the American occupation of Afghanistan.
America was busy for six years from March 20, 2003 to present in Iraq. The Pakistani Generals were counting on American war fatigue to withdraw from Afghanistan but it didn"t happened. President Obama has declared that America will outlast all terrorist holed up in safe heavens in areas now called Afpakia of eastern Afghanistan and tribal Pakistan to decisively defeat al Qaeda and its allies such as more than 30 private terrorist militias operating al across Pakistan.
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