Defying adversary’s conspiracies

Dr Zafar Nawaz Jaspal

PAKISTAN has been encountering grave internal and external security challenges since the dawn of twenty-first century. Its adversaries, particularly India, have been endeavouring to realize their malicious designs through various illegal and inhuman methods. Premier Narendra Modi openly expressed his earnest desire to ‘isolate Pakistan’. His Hindu Fundamentalist associates in the cabinet have been hatching conspiracies to bleed Pakistan. Nevertheless, the people of Pakistan and their friends courageously defy the evil designs of the Indian ruling elite.
Premier Modi swore that India would isolate Pakistan through a global campaign on September 24, 2016. He stated: “We will isolate you. I will work for that.” He added: “We will intensify it (our efforts) and force you to be alone all over the world.” Subsequently, New Delhi unleashed appalling propaganda against Pakistan at the regional and international forums. Being a host country of 8th BRICS Summit (October 2016) and 6thHeart of Asia (December 2016) conference, India attempted to malign and isolate Pakistan. However, New Delhi failed to convince the participants of both Summit and Conference.
The failure of maligning campaign enraged the Indian ruling elite. New Delhi sabotaged the 19thSouth Asian Association for Regional Cooperation’s summit planned to be held in November 2016 in Islamabad. Bangladesh, Bhutan and Afghanistan on the behest of India decided to not participate the SAARC summit. The cancellation of SAARC Summit did not only disappoint the host country, but also exposed the regional bully. Instead of wasting its time on India and its criminal schemes, the Government of Pakistan continues focusing on its other significant diplomatic ventures.
The Government of Pakistan decided to hold three mega events in the beginning of 2017—multinational Naval Exercise ‘AMAN’-17 at the North Arabian Sea; Economic Cooperation Organization Summit in Islamabad; and Pakistan Super League 2017 final cricket match in Lahore. The successful holding of these events, certainly, rout Prime Minister Modi’s pronounced policy to isolate Pakistan. In addition, these events would underscore that Pakistan is safe country for sports and foreign direct investment.
Pakistan Navy successfully hold multinational Exercise ‘AMAN’-17 (AMAN meaning peace in Urdu) in the North Arabian Sea from 10 to 14 February 2017. More than 35 countries ships, aircraft, helicopters, Special Operations Forces, Explosives Ordinance Disposal, marine teams and observers from regional as well extra-regional navies participated in the exercise. The theme of the exercise, i.e. “Together for Peace” was very impressive and thereby well received globally. Consequently, the leading Naval powers, including United States, Russian Federation, United Kingdom, China participated in the naval exercise. The large number of participating nations in the Exercise AMAN-17 demonstrated that international community desires to work closely with Pakistan instead paying any attention to the unsubstantiated denunciation of India. It also manifested a pivotal role of Pakistan in maintaining order, peace and stability as well as prevention of terrorism and piracy at North Arabian Sea.
The failure of India’s systematic diplomatic and propaganda campaign to isolate Pakistan inflamed Premier Modi and his extremist associates. They targeted innocent people of Pakistan with the collusion of their Afghan allies. In February 2017, RAW conducted bloody terrorist attacks in Awaran, Quetta, Mohmand, Lahore, Peshawar and Sehwan. On February 17, 2017 the ISPR spokesman stated: “Recent terrorist acts are being executed on directions from hostile powers and from sanctuaries in Afghanistan. We shall defend and respond.” The primary objective of these terrorist attacks was to terrorize both the people and Government of Pakistan.
The Government of Pakistan did not succumb to the enemies of the people of Pakistan. It took bold initiatives and convened the13th Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) Summit on March 13, 2017. The theme of the summit was “Connectivity for Regional Prosperity.” The number of participating states was very encouraging. Importantly, all ECO members attended the summit. Eight states were represented at head of the state or government level. Perhaps, the 13th ECO summit in Islamabad dissipated the negative rhetoric about country’s isolation, which had been fiercely propagated by New Delhi since September 2016.
Premier Nawaz Sharif took a courageous step and permitted to hold the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2017 final cricket match on March 5, 2017 (Sunday) at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium. Renowned foreign players played. The stadium was jam-packed with cricket lovers. The provincial government ensured the security and defied the nefarious designs of terrorist organizations and their local and foreign facilitators. It demonstrated the valour of the people of Pakistan and sent a clear message that they have resilience to encounter enemies. To conclude, the preceding discussion proves that neither India is able to isolate Pakistan in the community of nations nor terrorist groups are capable to terrorise the people of Pakistan.
— The writer is Associate Professor, School of Politics and International Relations, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad.
The article was published in Pakistan Observer.

COLD START OR NUCLEAR WINTER

Shahid Raza

A Crisis of Sanity in South Asia

South Asia is no stranger to conflict, for the region has always remained unstable for most of its post-colonial history, mainly due to the two regional powers, India and Pakistan, locking horns in an endless turf battle. It is not a good time for peace advocates on either side of the border simply because the conflict dynamics have created a toxic public perception which feeds ever so politically motivated cross border fanaticism. The situation is creating a noxious impact on the collective psychology of the people in both countries as they are encouraged to perceive the other as their enemy, while those concerned citizens who are not politically affiliated nor act on the behalf of any governmental or nongovernmental agenda and who only advocate peaceful coexistence and dialogue are branded as anti-nationals or even traitors. 

This description of the contemporary situation in South Asia is very important to understand because this particular public perception of the ‘evil neighbor’ is a decisive factor in creating public support for legalizing aggressive policies against their respective neighbor, which most often results in the deaths of young soldiers and civilians caught up in the crossfire. It is done in order to implement the ultra-nationalist ambitions of the political forces in power often seeking an opportunity to ‘talk in the language of bullets’ rather than making efforts to solve the root cause of the conflict through engagement and diplomacy. Having been born and raised in South Asia myself, I feel that this public hatred is not organic because, as a Pakistani, the Indian people I met have only been warm and friendly to me and vice-versa, which leads me to believe that this cross border fanaticism is manufactured by the political elements on each side of the border to augment their own delusional objectives. 

One only needs to look at the native language media in both countries to truly gauge how this malicious trend has taken root in the communal psychology in South Asia and how it has been used and abused to gain public support for destructive policies which seek to destroy the regional peace and stability.

There is absolutely no denying that there are genuine causes of conflict in South Asia like the Kashmir issue and the fact that there have been numerous wars and skirmishes between India and Pakistan over the past seven decades. It is also evident that after both countries gained the declared nuclear weapons capability in 1998, they have opted for another method of fighting each other through the application of proxy warfare. This new strategy is believed to be a ‘cost effective’ and indirect engagement method which is used to achieve perceived state objectives without risking an all out conventional or a nuclear war. Henceforth the ‘concept’ of a limited war under a nuclear threshold has been created and regularly propagated on the native language populist media, seminars, conferences and private gatherings of notables. 

There is a crisis of sanity in South Asia’s decision-making circles as jugglers with loud and extreme political views are finding more and more space on the highest positions and upper most echelons of power. The scholarship which once advocated peace or at least a pragmatic and sustainable détente between Islamabad and New Delhi are being relegated to the bureaucratic labyrinth which is only fit for storing fossils and not decision makers. It is not hard to find very powerful and influential pundits in South Asia to be advocating nuclear war against their neighbor on native language news media in order to ‘teach them a lesson’, and the most depressing aspect about this whole situation is that instead of being branded as nuclear extremists, these elements are gaining more and more influence in the corridors of power. The people of South Asia are only told how they can nuke the other country and live; instead of being told the truth that any such event would most certainly result in Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD).

Out of this purely sadistic climate of geopolitical hatred comes the idea of a ‘limited war’ under the nuclear umbrella. While the Pakistani military leadership hasn’t revealed any such doctrine officially yet the Generals in India further emboldened by a right wing Hindu nationalist government in New Delhi have convinced themselves that such a war is not only possible but also pragmatic from the point of view of their foreign policy goals. So earlier this year when the new Chief of the Indian Army General Bipin Rawat officially acknowledged the existence of the so called ‘Cold Start Doctrine’, the officials in Pakistan quickly promised a ‘hot finish’ response should this doctrine be deployed against Pakistan as a battlefield strategy. So let’s pause for a moment and try to digest what just happened; India thinks it can invade Pakistan without starting a full scale conventional or a nuclear war in order to capture Pakistan’s Ground Lines of Communications (GLOCs) for drawing concessions on territorial disputes while Pakistan has a declared policy that it will respond with everything it has to defend itself, including its stockpile of nuclear warheads if required. A better example of this crisis of sanity in South Asia can’t be found.

The concerned citizenry in South Asia would have a reason to overlook this show of method-less geopolitical madness only if the two regional giants were not engaged in aggressive purchases of weapons, the buildup of nuclear weapons and ever so sophisticated delivery systems to put their new battle plans into action. India with its growing economy is already the single biggest customer for sophisticated weapons in the world and is also building a nuclear city for the construction of thermonuclear weapons, while Pakistan also continues to rapidly expand its nuclear arsenal, which is expected to start a new nuclear arms race in the region if one isn’t underway already. Personally I am very concerned about this situation which in my assessment is only deteriorating rather than headed in the right direction which may lead to a prolonged mutually agreed de-escalation between the two belligerents.

The world powers like United States, China and Russia are sitting on the bench as casual observers despite the fact that they are fully aware of this rapidly deteriorating situation in South Asia. The outgoing Obama administration voiced their ‘concerns’ over this situation and admitted that according to their projections a nuclear war in South Asia could not be ruled out but it failed to take solid steps to maintain strategic stability in the region in greater international interests of peace and sustainability. I believe that Beijing, Moscow and the new administration in Washington DC needs to take a very serious look at this incredibly dangerous situation developing in South Asia. The World community must take concrete steps to build confidence as well as tactical and strategic balance power between India and Pakistan by creating environment for nuclear and conventional de-escalation of deployed forces, the administration is also encouraged to create solid mechanisms to target specific individuals in India and Pakistan who openly and barefacedly advocate nuclear war in South Asia on native language media in order to encumber the deliberate and sadistic manufacturing of hate. 

The author is of the opinion that the time has come to take active measures to make it costly for individuals and organizations to advocate the use of nuclear weapons in South Asia because they are actively contributing to the self feeding cycle of cross border fanaticism. The author encourages the concerned quarters in the entire world to create specific mechanisms to monitor the native language media organizations and government officials in South Asia which are engaged in propelling the nuclear war bandwagon in the region and put financial, legal and travel sanctions in place to make it expensive for them to continue the hate manufacturing factory. The individuals and organizations engaged in this malicious activity should be publicly named and shamed, their respective Governments too should be requested to limit their activities and create legal avenues to treat them with punitive measures because the very survival of more than 1.5 billion people is at stake. In the end, I hope that this report helps people understand the simmering situation in South Asia and serious efforts are made to return some sanity to South Asia before the Cold Start leads to a nuclear winter.

The article was originally published in Katehon. 

Hussain Haqqani: A Spy in the Guise of Ambassador

Sarah Khan

19 March 2017

In his latest article published in leading US daily, “The Washington Post”, Pakistan’s ex-ambassador to US, Hussain Haqqani appointed by Pakistan People’s Party leadership, has successfully libeled Pakistan at behest of his masters in RAW and CIA. In his recent article, “"Yes, the Russian ambassador met Trump’s team. So? That’s what we diplomats do” Haqqani wrote “The relationships I forged with members of Obama’s campaign team also led to closer cooperation between Pakistan and the United States in fighting terrorism over the 31/2  years I served as ambassador. These connections eventually enabled the United States to discover and eliminate bin Laden without depending on Pakistan’s intelligence service or military, which were suspected of sympathy toward Islamist militants.” In other words, he confessed that he facilitated CIA spies to launch operation inside Pakistani territory.

Osama was killed in Pakistan or not is a different story as US has not given any proof to it but Haqqani’s article and confession depicts the nefarious role played by a Pakistani Ambassador in defaming its country. Moreover, the writing of an article in renowned US daily is a clear indication of his loyalties with his masters in CIA, who want to keep the issue of OBL killing live by publishing the story time and again as they did in case of alleged proliferation by AQ Khan.

Appointing a man of duplicitous character as Pakistan’s ambassador to US was a serious blow to Pakistan’s relations with superpower. And Hussain Haqqani exploited the granted opportunity at its fullest. Haqqani is known for shifting loyalties even in Pakistani politics. He began to develop a coherent argument against the military’s dominance of Pakistani politics. He was in student politics some 43 years ago, affiliated with the Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba (IJT); he praised General Ziaul Haq in the 1980s as a young journalist before working for Nawaz Sharif. He switched sides and became close to Benazir Bhutto and Asif Ali Zardari, ending up as Pakistan’s ambassador to the US after a stint in exile during the Musharraf years. His appointment as ambassador to US by PPP was nothing less than a treason again Pakistan. During his tenure, he not only ruined his bilateral ties between two allies but facilitated RAW/ CIA to carry out nefarious activities inside Pakistan.

In an article titled, “Why Are We Sending This Attack Helicopter to Pakistan?” Haqqani wrote for the WSJ, “instead of being deployed against jihadists, American weapons will end up being used to fight or menace India and perceived domestic enemies”. To which Pakistan may have asked, who’s ‘we’? Of late, Pakistan’s former ambassador to the US has become the US’s ambassador to Pakistan — if that ambassador were a nagging neocon with an axe to grind. But he can’t be even termed as US Ambassador to Pakistan because mostly US ambassadors to Pakistan have portrayed a positive image of Pakistan in their statements and writings. For instance, Cameron Munter and Robin Raphel always praised Pakistan for playing a positive role at regional and global level.

Though he was nominated as Pakistan’s ambassador to US and his job was to enhance bilateral ties between two countries, instead Haqqani played at the hands of CIA/ RAW to spoil bilateral relations between Pakistan and US. According to media reports, he granted Pakistani visa to hundreds of CIA agents within a few days. Vali Nasr in his renowned book, Dispensable Nation has noted that there is more CIA presence and lesser diplomatic US presence in Pakistan.

After his removal as ambassador from US, he has been playing openly in the hands of Indians. He frequently visits India and attends seminars and conferences, where his only purpose is to deliver anti-Pakistan speeches. His academic critique of Pakistan’s state ideology, and defence and foreign policies must be ridiculed as that of an opportunist, who now works either for the Americans or the Indians, or possibly both. Haqqani is a turncoat and a traitor whose nationality must be revoked by government of Pakistan.

The writer can be reached at ardent.jingo@gmail.com

Modi’s anti-Pakistan propaganda

Excerpt from Ikram Sehgal’s Article, “Yes Deep State Exists Everywhere: But Who Runs the Real Deep State in Pakistan” published in www.globalvillagespace.com on 19 March 2017.

The deliberate anti-Pakistan Army agenda by the “deep state” is not only condemnable but a matter of concern. Those propagating Modi’s anti-Pakistan propaganda are committing (and have committed) treason and must be held accountable in a military court, whoever they are. Covering up treason is also treason.

Holding a public office or being associated with an office holder compounds this felony. Deepening the misunderstanding between the government and the Army creates bad blood. The fake “Cyril Almeida” story was planted by an obnoxious cabal as part of a dirty campaign to create a rift between the civilian and military leadership. The planting of the false information by a willing pawn was not the work of any politician (or at least a mature one), but of someone with influence in the media.

Referred to as “a state within a state”, it can be described as elements within a country’s  internal organs such as the armed forces, intelligence agencies, police, bureaucracy, etc (in essence an “Establishment within the Establishment”) pursuing an agenda separate from the Govt.’s

While bureaucrats are willing to fall on their swords, who was being protected when the Federal Minister for Information Pervaiz Rashid became a convenient scapegoat? What was the motive for this blatantly treasonous propaganda coinciding with Modi’s virulent anti-Pakistan tirades? Consider the cryptic ISPR statement after the last Corps Commander’s Conference about the “Dawn Leaks” being discussed!

Why is the Commission’s report not being published? Where did the perfidy trying to defame the new COAS emanate from? Different from the style of his predecessor, Qamar Bajwa is more substance and quiet emphasis instead of being vocal! The new COAS may listen to advice but is not hostage to anyone’s counsel.

In less than 120 days Qamar Javed Bajwa has shown he is decisive and determined. Calling the Afghan diplomats to GHQ to hand over the list of terrorists being given sanctuary (and support thereof) in Afghanistan over the objections of the Foreign Office (FO) was a very deliberate show of seriousness of purpose in the language they understand.

The corruption, nepotism and customary incompetence of these despicable public servants are a real scourge for Pakistan. This “deep state” further force-multiplies the myriad number of our problems. The influence of this “deep state” must be minimized, otherwise, the State cannot provide services, administer justice, maintain law and order and bring about economic prosperity that our people desperately need.

Pakistan’s political leadership has learned no lessons from the past, it continues to be ill-advised by sycophants who use their proximity to the powerful to create misunderstanding, using any means at their disposal i.e. spreading rumors, feeding leaks and false information, orchestrating events, feeding lies to their masters, etc. “Deep State” thrives in conditions where flatterers and hordes of ‘yes men’ lead the rulers astray. Proxies in the print, electronic and social media carry out their bidding without question. A cursory survey will show that our Information Ministry gives most of the government budget for advertisements to the anti-Army media.

The corruption, nepotism and customary incompetence of these despicable public servants are a real scourge for Pakistan. This “deep state” further force-multiplies the myriad number of our problems. The influence of this “deep state” must be minimized, otherwise, the State cannot provide services, administer justice, maintain law and order and bring about economic prosperity that our people desperately need.

Religious Intolerance Remains Highest in India

Sarah Khan

Apparently a secular state, India remains the worst country in terms of religious intolerence according to United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) in the past six years. The State Department 2016 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices places the strongest emphasis on deteriorating religious tolerance, violence caused by Hindu nationalist groups and the support these groups receive from the ruling BJP party. The insecurities faced by the religious minorities and the lower Hindu castes have also been pointed out in the recent report. Additionally, the report draws attention to restrictive laws on cow slaughter and religious conversions. A special report titled, Constitutional and Legal Challenges Faced by Religious Minorities in India concludes that “During the past few years, religious tolerance has deteriorated and religious freedom violations have increased in some areas of India. To reverse this negative trajectory, the Indian and state governments must align theirs laws with both the country’s constitutional commitments and international human rights standards.”

Moreover, an Indian constitutional provision deeming Sikhs, Buddhists, and Jains to be Hindus, contradicts international standards of freedom of religion or belief. Despite gave violations, the report has placed India among the tier 2 countries (countries in which religious freedom conditions do not rise to the statutory level that would mandate a Country of Particular Concern CPC designation but require close monitoring due to the nature and extent of violations of religious freedom engaged in or tolerated by governments) where the country has been since 2009.

There has been large-scale communal violence against religious minorities in India since 2008, and in recent years the Indian government has not taken any substantial step to address the communal violence against minorities in India. Restrictions on foreign-funded NGOs and religious freedom along with corruption and police and security force abuses are among the most significant human rights problems in India, according to a US report. NGOs and religious leaders, including from the Muslim, Christian, and Sikh communities, attribute the increase to India’s general election and some politicians’ use of religiously divisive language.

In the past decade, extremist Hindus have increased their attacks on Christians and Muslims. There has been worst cases of violence against minorities in India. For instance in 1999, Graham Staines, an Australian missionary who had worked with leprosy patients for three decades, was burned alive in Orissa along with his two young sons. The brutal violence visited on Muslims in Gujarat in February 2002 also brought the dangers of Hindu extremism to world attention. Between one and two thousand Muslims were massacred after Muslims reportedly set fire to a train carrying Hindu nationalists, killing numerous people. Despite these grave human right violations, there has been no incremental step by UN or international community to address religious intolerance in India.

One of the grave concerns regarding human rights violation is forced conversions. The BJP policies on Hindutva and conversion coincide with increasingly violent attacks by Hindu militants on religious minorities. Attacks on Christians, especially in the states of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Orissa, have surged in recent years. India’s Home Ministry (internal security) and its National Commission for Minorities officially list over a hundred religiously motivated attacks against Christians per year, but the real number is certainly higher, as Indian journalists estimate that only some ten percent of incidents are ever reported. These attacks include murders of missionaries and priests, sexual assault on nuns, ransacking of churches, convents, and other Christian institutions, desecration of cemeteries, and Bible burnings.

The other major target of Hindu extremists is the Muslim community, which is haunted by the fear of recurrent communal riots that have taken the lives of thousands of Muslims and Hindus since Indian independence. During the outbreak of violence in Gujarat in February 2002, many of the victims were burned alive or dismembered while police and BJP state government authorities either stood by or joined in. The mobs had with them lists of homes and businesses owned by Muslims, lists that they could have acquired only from government sources.

Hindu extremism has largely been ignored by international community including the United States. In India, this violence is supported by Hindu extremists and their allies in the Indian government, currently led by the Bharatiya Janata Party. Despite yearly reports by United States Commission on International Religious Freedom on grave violation by BJP led Indian government, India has not been designated as CPC. Moreover, the US government or even UN has never raised the issue as matter of concern with Indian government. The US and international community must address the grave HRVs by Indian Hindu extremists against Muslims and Christians and USCIRF must designate India as CPC to address HRVs against minorities.

The writer can be reached at ardent.jingo@gmail.com