Indo-US unethical pressures on Pakistan

Asif Haroon Raja

The US exerted pressure on Pakistan to take a u-turn on Taliban led regime in Afghanistan, with which Pakistan enjoyed very friendly relations, and to join US devised war on terror as a Frontline State. For over a decade, the US has been constantly applying pressure on Pakistan to do more. The US is pressing energy starved Pakistan to cancel its gas pipeline deal with Iran, vitally needed to overcome energy crisis. It wants Pakistan to switch to Tajikistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project, which is long-term and unpredictable.  The US is pressuring Pakistan not to open peace talks with TTP and to continue fighting the senseless war, which the world at large has denounced and wants an early end to it. The US is restraining Pakistan in spite of the fact that its forces are withdrawing from Afghanistan after losing the war and would complete their drawdown by December 2014. Ironically, the US is desperate to open peace talks with Afghan Taliban and is requesting Pakistan to extend a helping hand in this regard.

The US is exerting pressure on Pakistan since early 2010 to launch a major operation in North Waziristan (NW), like the ones launched in Swat and South Waziristan in 2009 and to eliminate Haqqani network sanctuaries. While scandalizing NW as a safe haven for terrorists, the US ignores safe havens of Kunar and Nuristan from where Fazlullah’s men are undertaking cross border attacks since 2011. Ignoring Pakistan’s multiple compulsions; the US military has been continuously asserting since 2009 that existential threat to Pakistan was from militants and not from India. It has been pressing Pakistan to shift all its troops from eastern to northwestern border to save Pakistan from going into the hands of extremists.

While saying so, the US gives no written security guarantee as it has given to Afghanistan, nor offers any explanation concerning India’s hostile military standoff against Pakistan in 2001/02 and 2008/09 and India’s two-thirds military deployed against Pakistan. It keeps mum over India’s much hyped Pakistan specific Cold Start doctrine, which envisages Indian mechanized forces puncturing Pakistan’s forward defence lines at 15 different points in quick time. The US also overlooks India’s mad rush to bolster the strength of its three military services with latest state-of-craft weapon systems and technology coupled with up gradation of its weapon oriented nuclear program and above all the belligerence of Indian political and military leaders. Fortunately, the Army didn’t get carried away by the motivated hype. It couldn’t ignore the treacherous track record of wily India and its designs against Pakistan and maintained its strategic balance.

The US joined by EU and UN is putting intense pressure on Pakistan to grant MFN status to India. While Pakistan has been put on the leash since September 2001 without any letup, India on the other hand has been given a free hand and allowed to indulge in its Chankyan and browbeating tactics against all its neighbors with greater emphasis on Pakistan. India has been overly rewarded by the US led west to boost its economic and military power. These gratuitous favors have been extended to India despite the fact that it is not the active member of coalition fighting war on terror. India has been watching the bloodshed in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq all these years from sidelines. India has in fact been doled out rich endowments for stoking terrorism in Pakistan and consolidating its influence in Afghanistan.

RAW’s heavy involvement in FATA, Swat, Balochistan and Karachi becomes all the more sinful because it has been performing immoral acts under the garb of friendship. It signed peace treaty with Pakistan in January 2004 with the promise of resolving all pending issues through dialogue. Rather than extending a helping hand to Pakistan to fight terrorism, India under the cover of peace treaty launched a massive covert war using Afghan soil and fed terrorism in Pakistan. India supported by world powers is hell-bent to make Balochistan into another Bangladesh.  

Ironically, the US which declared Pakistan as its close ally in September 2001, looked the other way to the covert operations undertaken by RAW, 17 Indian intelligence units, Indian Embassy and four Consulates in Afghanistan. All along, USA has been socially, diplomatically, politically, economically and militarily harming Pakistan and serving India on the false pretext of making it a bulwark against China. This farce holds no water since both India and USA enjoy cordial relations with China. In fact, the US is beholden to China for extending huge loans during its economic recession.

The US has never even asked India to settle the core issue of Kashmir, which is the bone of contention between India and Pakistan and a future nuclear flash point. According to December 10, 2013 study, Indo-Pakistan nuclear war would set off global famine and kill over two billion people. What to talk of Kashmir, which is lying in pending tray of UNSC since 1948, the US has not put slightest pressure on India to resolve less contentious issues like Siachin and Sir Creek, which have been obstructed by Indian military establishment. Construction of 62 large and small dams by India over Pakistan-specific three rivers in violation of Indus Basin Treaty to dry up Pakistan doesn’t ruffle the feathers of USA.

Washington feels least concerned over blatant human rights violations of Indian occupying forces in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK). Deaths of over 100,000 Muslim Kashmiris and rapes of thousands of Kashmiri women and imprisonment of tens of thousands Kashmiri youths in secret torture dens have brought no frown on the forehead of high and mighty USA since its own forces have been and are still involved in similar crimes and so is its blue-eyed boy Israel. Discovery of hundreds of unmarked graves and mass graves in IOK gives a glimpse to the level of barbarism perpetrated by Indian forces against hapless Kashmiris since 1989. The unmarked graves also provide a clue to the fate of 10,000 missing persons who were arrested, but then whisked away to unknown destinations. Their families have not been given any information about their whereabouts. Dishonoring women and extra judicial killing are among the favorite hobbies of Indian brutes. Equipped with draconian black laws, Indian soldiers and policemen have licenses to kill and rape at will without fear of accountability. 

IOK is in illegal occupation of India for 66 years and the reign of terror is now 24 years old but the flaming torch of liberty still burns vigorously with no sign of waning. Even teenagers have joined the fray and shouts of Azadi can be heard from every house top. Their hatred against India is infinite and their wish to get rid of Indian slavery is lasting. No amount of pacification programs, farcical elections and dramas lessen their resolve to get their birth right of self-determination. How can they stop thinking about the horrific massacres and gang rapes in Sopore, Handwara, Kupwara, Pushpura and several other towns/villages?

Till the completion of fencing of Line of Control (LoC) in 2005/06 and its reinforcement with electrification and Israeli provided surveillance radars, thanks to the generosity of Gen Musharraf, India used to lament that freedom movement in IOK was Pakistan aided and abetted. By 2007, Indian Army commanders deployed in IOK started bragging that cross-LoC movement has been sealed and Pakistan backed terrorism effectively crushed. Unarmed movement in summer of 2008 followed by teenagers’ movement completely unnerved Indian military. Unjust hanging of Afzal Guru, falsely implicated in 2001 terrorist attack on Indian Parliament has further angered the Kashmiris. To hide its embarrassment, Indian military aligned with hard-line BJP, once again played the old song of Pakistan abetment and heated up LoC in January 2013 and again in August to defame Pakistan and freedom movement, regain declining sympathies of the world and also to catch Hindu votes for BJP in next elections in June 2014.

The US pressured Pakistan to withdraw support to freedom fighters (FFs) in IOK, allow India to fence the LoC and to bridle all Jihad groups engaged in Kashmir Jihad. It left the Kashmiri FFs in IOK alone to face the wrath of Indian military might. The only course of putting meaningful pressure on India through low intensity proxy war by FFs and Jihadis was also given a death blow after enforcing new laws on terrorism. Desire to forge friendly ties with India, makes it difficult for Pakistan to highlight Indian brutalities in IOK. Fear of crossing Indian ‘tolerance threshold’ and of being declared a terrorist State inhibits our leaders to support Kashmiri uprising boldly. Pakistan’s hands have been skillfully tied by the US and western powers, while India has been given a free hand to crush the freedom movement in Kashmir. Meeting of DGMOs on December 24, to ensure LoC sanctity is only a short-term measure. India has softened its stance after it successfully pitched Bangladesh against Pakistan on the issue of 1971 war crimes.   

Covert war spearheaded by India, propaganda war, expansion and liberation of media in Pakistan, creation of TTP in FATA and BLA/BRA in Balochistan and drone war are the multiple tools employed by the US-India-UK-Israeli nexus to destabilize and dismember Pakistan. Armed forces and the people have failed the conspiracies. Will our leaders ever rid Pakistan of perverse US and Indian pressures and their machinations aimed at robbing our dignity and honor and scheming to make Pakistan a compliant State?