SPY EYES

By Sajjad Shaukat

Although all the small countries have been facing the unjust world order, reflected by the US-led privileged status quo of the affluent countries in the uni-polar system, yet Pakistan has become its special target because it is the only Islamic country which possesses nuclear weapons. 

The prevalent global system tends to give a greater political and economic leverage to the most developed nations who could safeguard their interests at the cost of the weak countries. Whenever, any controversy arises, the UN Security Council enforces the doctrine of collective security against the small states, while the five big powers protect their interests by using veto. This shows discrimination between the powerful and the weaker. It is notable that in 2001, UN had permitted the United States to attack Afghanistan under the cover of right of self-defence. In 2003, UN became helpless regarding Anglo-American illegitimate invasion of Iraq. In case of the Indian occupied Kashmir, the issue still remains unresolved as UN resolutions regarding the plebiscite were never implemented because Washington supports the illegitimate stand of India due to its anti-China interests. Similarly, US-led NATO countries have attacked on Libya by setting aside the international law.

Since September 11, Pakistan which joined the US war on terror as the frontline state against terrorism, especially in relation to Afghanistan, Washington has always tried to apply coercive diplomacy by manipulating the multiple crises of this developing country.

The contradictory statements of the US officials which still continue, shows American duplicity with Pakistan. In this respect, sometimes, US has cajoled Islamabad with economic and military aid, sometimes pressurised the latter to take actions against the Taliban militants, sometimes accused Pak Army and its intelligence agency, ISI of close contacts with the Afghan Taliban, while blaming for cross-border terrorism in Afghanistan. On the other hand, in the past few weeks, cross-border attacks by heavily armed militants who entered Pakistan from Afghanistan and targetted the infrastructure of our country’s various regions have continued intermittently.

While, in the post-Osama episode, since the militants’ attack on Pakistan’s naval base in wake of perennial wave of terror-events in the country, US-led some western countries including India and Israel have intensified their campaign against the security of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons. In this regard, on June 9, the then American CIA Chief Leon Panetta expressed fears that there is a danger that Pakistani nuclear weapons could fall into wrong hands. On May 24, the head of NATO in Afghanistan, Anders Fogh Rasmussen also expressed similar thoughts.

In fact, CIA-led Indian RAW and Israeli Mossad which are already behind suicide attacks, bomb blasts and targeted killings in Pakistan have continuously been exploiting the killing of Osama Bin Laden. These elements are distorting the image of Islamabad in the comity of nations by indicating that other leaders of Al Qaeda have also taken shelter in Pakistan. Meanwhile, America has also increased drone attacks on Pakistan, which could also include Balochistan and other major cities of the country. At the same time, by setting aside the joint session of Pakistan’s Parliament, protesting the violation of the country’s sovereignty, recently, Obama repeatedly made it clear, “he was ready to order more assaults against any safe havens” of terrorists in Pakistan.

In fact, before leaving Afghanistan, US wants to shift Afghan war to Pakistan, which it has already started transferring. Under the pretext of Talibanisation of Pakistan and lawlessness in the country, which has collevtively been created by CIA, RAW and Mossad, US-led India and Israel are preparing ground to ‘denculearise’ Islamabad. Like ex-president Bush, high officials of the Obama Administration have also been stating that any plot to attack the US homeland and Europe would be planned in Pakistan’s tribal regions. In the recent past, while talking about the failed attempt of the Times Square bombing, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had warned that Pakistan would face “severe consequences” if a future terrorist attack on US soil was traced back to Pakistan. In this respect, America has already gained the favour of some western countries, showing Pakistan as a failed state.

Notably, renowned political thinkers, Hobbes, Machiavelli and Morgenthau opine that in international politics, deceit, fraud and falsehood become the principles of international morality. In their sense, strategic thinker, Thomas Schelling remarks about the US, “coercion to be an effective tool of foreign policy.” Kissinger also endorses politics of bargaining and pressure through threats, coercion and even violence as key elements of the US diplomacy. In this regard, diplomacy itself becomes the real tool of blackmailing. In these terms, American policy shows deliberate duplicity towards Pakistan

It is notable that despite Pakistan’s successful military operations against the Taliban militants and scarifies of country’s security forces including civilian casualties and collateral damage during war against terrorism, the US has continuously been pressurising Islamabad to take military action against the Haqqani group in North Waziristan. In this context, on June 28, Lieutenant General John Allen, the US commander in Afghanistan, blamed that Pakistan was keeping its options open by allowing Haqqani fighters based in North Waziristan to operate within its borders to kill the Americans in Afghanistan.   

While Islamabad has already made it clear that army is engaged in other tribal areas, so it cannot attack the militants of North Waziristan. On June 9, Pakistan’s Chief of the Army Staff, Gen Ashfaq Parvez remarked about military operation in North Waziristan, “a well thought out campaign is under no pressure to carry out operations at a particular time…future operations, as and when undertaken, will be with political consensus…the people of Pakistan whose support the army has always considered vital for its operations against terrorists.” On June 7, Gen. Kayani again emphasised peoples’ backing for army.

However, in the recent past, Pakistan’s civil and military leadership has flatly refused to act upon American unnecessary demands. Knowing the American double game and its intentions to shift Afghan war to Pakistan, Islamabad sent home 120 US military trainers. In response, on July 10, America withheld $800 million in military assistance to Pakistan. On the other side, on July 13, Gen. Kayani during Corps Commanders’ Conference made it clear that the military could do without US assistance by depending on its own resources, while on the same day, Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar threatened to pull back troops from the Afghan border in response to US aid cuts.

At present, trust deficit exists between Islamabad and Washington owing to the ambivalent policy of the US towards Pakistan. In this context, on July 25, US Admiral Mike Mullen stated that US-Pakistan military-to-military ties were at a very difficult crossroads, allowing progress on that front was not yet clear, but like some other US high officials, he hoped that the two nations would soon find a way to reconcile those ties. An American official said, “we are committed to work with Pakistan on counter-terrorism.”

It is mentionable that in economic context, the world order shows greater disparities as the flow of capital and credit system including I.M.F and World Bank is also dominated by the US-led most developed countries—its result is an increase in the activities of the Multinationals which have shattered the economies of the poor developing states-particularly Pakistan. Besides, these developed countries blackmail the governments of the small states through financial pressure, while US especially blackmails Pakistan.

Every time, I.M.F sanctions loan to Pakistan after American green signal. Past experience proves that economic dependence on foreign countries always brings political dependence in its wake. While, at this critical juncture, our country has been facing precarious financial problem, US-led some western allies are compelling Islamabad to accept American undue demands which are, in fact, part of American shrewd diplomacy as the US, India and Israel are trying to weaken Pakistan for their secret strategic designs. In case of refusal, US can conduct full-fledged aerial strikes on Pakistan. There is also another option for the United States. With the help of some western powers, the US can impose economic sanctions on Pakistan or can declare the latter as defaulter in connection with the payments of debts so as to further destabilise the country.

No doubt, Pakistan has been facing the unjust world order in the unipolar world led by the US. Such a critical situation demands a strong sense of unity among our security forces, politicians and general masses in order to cope with foreign enemies.