Something has gone terribly wrong

Asif Haroon Raja

The belligerent attitude and wrongs of India has bred extremism in the region. Dozens of separatist movements and insurgencies in India and in occupied Kashmir are testimony to immoral and unjust Indian policies which Indian leaders have stubbornly pursued and refused to correct them. All told, there are 42 separatist movements, insurgencies and terrorist groups in India. As per an American Think Tank Report, in the light of separatist and insurgent movements and terrorist networks, India is the most dangerous country in the world. Manmohan Singh has admitted this hard reality. It is the sole country in the world wherein its military is closely linked with Hindu terrorist groups. 

Indian ruling elite is so obsessed with pompous plans of turning India into a world power that human misery doesn’t prick their conscience. While maintaining a black record of human rights against Indian minorities of other religions and blatantly meddling into internal affairs of all its neighbors with impunity, it brazenly makes allegations against its neighbors and hurls threats to cover up its own crimes against humanity. As a result of its high-handedness, treachery, policy of intimidation and blackmail, it is the most mistrusted and hated country in South Asia. It is because of Indian selfishness and conceit that South Asia has lagged behind as compared to other regions.

Indo-Pak relations got estranged in the aftermath of Mumbai incident in November 2008 and disrupted composite dialogue as well as diplomatic engagement between two countries. Age-old antagonism that had been apparently suppressed resurfaced with full intensity during last eight months. India adopted a fractious and unbending posture and continued to blame Pakistan for Mumbai attacks without providing concrete evidence. It stubbornly stuck to its unfair stance that unless Pakistan punished the culprits named by Indian authorities and dismantled anti-Indian terrorist network in Pakistan, resumption of talks would be out of question. Contrary to Indian mulishness, Pakistan adopted a conciliatory stance. It offered to investigate the case jointly and promised to punish perpetrators of crime after they were proven guilty in court of law. For the satisfaction of India, Hafiz Saeed and other members of Jamat-ud-Dawa and two other allied religious outfits were arrested and their bank accounts frozen.  Pakistan raised some genuine queries on so-called dossier furnished by India which was full of loopholes. After an inordinate delay, half-baked answers were provided leaving far too many lacunas. India felt irritated as to why Pakistan was asking pointing questions or seeking clarifications and desired that it should obey its commands blindly as it responded to US dictates.

Pak army’s operation in Malakand Division and in Waziristan brought no comfort to India since these operations were directed against anti-Pakistan elements and RAW sponsored militants. In fact, focused operations became a cause of discomfiture to them since their elaborate preparations and investment in Swat and adjoining areas since 2005 evaporated in thin air. They had expected Fazlullah led militants to fix the army in Swat valley for next ten years. They were cocksure that IDP issue would remain unmanageable for times to come, having a crippling effect on socio-economic aspects. Led with such fanciful hopes, ailing Manmohan recovering from his heart surgery in May last gurgled with joy that in his assessment Pakistan had become a failed state. He had confided in Obama that Pak nuclear facilities located in NWFP had become vulnerable and were in the grip of militants.. He behaved atrociously with Zardari during their last meeting in Russia where he reiterated Indian position that until Pakistan complied with Indian demands peace talks will not be resumed.

Sudden collapse of Swat front due to bold, imaginative and sound military operation caused a huge set back to Indian designs. Upsurge of image of army in the eyes of the public and even at the international plane, unqualified public support for the army together with return of IDPs to their homes and Baitullah’s defensive posture in South Waziristan went against their plans.. They tried to recover lost ground by instigating Baitullah to dispatch his suicide bombers and hit targets in major cities of Pakistan and also to put up a united front in Waziristan with the help of Gul Bahadur and Maulvi Nazir and to activate other fronts. Much to their dissatisfaction, the duo is reluctant to play their game wholeheartedly because of offensive posture maintained by the army and FC in Waziristan, Bajaur, Mohmand, and other restive areas. Rising casualties of US-Nato troops in Helmand province has made the position of USA delicate; it is now seriously contemplating exit strategy with the help of Taliban. Commendable performance of Pak army made its detractors making wild allegations to chew their words. It also took the heat of chauvinism out of swollen heads of Indian leaders. There is now a slight change in their tone and tenor.  

On odd occasions when some of the Indian prime ministers tried to be a little flexible and accommodative, hawks in ruling regime, opposition and establishment made so much of hue and cry that they had to hastily disown whatever commitment made by them with Pakistani leadership. Vajpayee’s role during Agra talks in 2001 was a case in point. Recent example is that of Manmohan meeting with Gilani at Sharm-al-Sheikh. Although it signaled thaw in Indo-Pak relations but shaky Manmohan again made resumption of dialogue subject to fulfillment of specified conditions. It clearly highlighted his lack of confidence to face the hawks on his return.

Interesting part of last interaction between two leaders is that it has been agreed in principle to detach Kashmir and terrorism from composite dialogue. If Kashmir is excluded, whole purpose of dialogue gets defeated. As regards terrorism, India has been caught red handed indulging in sabotage and subversion in FATA, Swat and Balochistan. Pakistan has collected ample evidence to prove Indian involvement. Now when the time has come to put India on the mat, we seem to be ready to graciously accept Indian demands of excluding terrorism and thus bailing it out. Our leaders are probably seeing it from a narrow periscope of Mumbai incident only about which India has no means to prove its false allegations. Otherwise too, India has no moral ground to accuse Pakistan on a charge in which it is heavily involved. Main objective behind Indian belligerence is to once again extract concessions from Pakistan as it had done in January 2004. It would apply maximum pressure to make our leaders agree to completely pulverize Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad, to once again give it in writing that Pakistan would not allow its soil to be used for terrorism against Kashmir or India and to forget about Kashmir.               

Something has gone terribly wrong. Never before this nation was harassed, persecuted maligned and humiliated in such a manner. Our sovereignty and integrity as an independent nation was never compromised so blatantly. Our leaders howsoever inept and corrupt never became pawns in the hands of foreign powers to an extent of bartering away national interests, dignity and honor of the nation. Our leaders never held traditional adversaries of Pakistan as dear friends and more trustworthy than own people. Never before we compromised on Kashmir dispute since Kashmir has always been regarded as jugular vein of Pakistan. Our leaders never forced our army to kill its own people at the behest of foreign power. Never before our leaders said that the existential threat to Pakistan is not from its arch rival India but from local militants. Our leaders were never frightened of India as of now. Even after gathering foolproof evidence of their involvement in sabotage and subversion activities in a massive way to destabilize and break up Pakistan they remain tightlipped and do not give up policy of appeasement.