Just as the tide was turning against the so-called Pakistani Taliban because of loss of public support, comes the news that Asif Zardari has signed a transit trade agreement that gives India the right to overland trade with Afghanistan and beyond – something that even Bangladesh has refused to give to India in the case of trade with Burma. That is the extent to which Zardari’s ‘My Democracy’ can go to accommodate the enemy.

 

As I predicted in my article “ The Future of Pakistan" only two days ago, it is America’s plan to induct Indian troops into Afghanistan and have a shorter supply line from India to Afghanistan via Lahore and Peshawar. Clearly that would be resisted and not just by the Afghan Taliban. This transit agreement is the red rag to the bull that would expand the scope of the Civil War in Pakistan and create ‘opportunities’ for the USA. If the Pakistani political parties do not unite to oppose this agreement, the people will. That is a prospect that should be avoided. Would the armed forces rise to the occasion and save Pakistan from Asif Zardari?

 

 

 

By Sajid M. Ansari

Saturday, 9 May 2009.

 

 

KARACHI, Pakistan—Congratulations to India on achieving what she could not during the last 43 years, the transit route via Wagah and Torkham, to Afghanistan for her exports, all because Mr. Zarrdari wanted ‘peace’ with India at all costs.

 

This transit facility is a priced facility, which no civilian or dictatorial government of Pakistan had given to India in the past. Mr. Zarrdari gave it away with a stroke of a pen.

 

Of course Mr. Zarrdari enjoys dictatorial powers of feudal proportions as President of Pakistan, powers that no other president, in any democratic country, enjoys anywhere in the world.

 

The poor Indian president could not even dream of such powers despite being the president of the largest democracy in the world.  Our president is above parliament and does not need parliament’s approval for such trivial issues, therefore, the Indians, must learn from our democratic system and learn democracy from President Zardari, especially lessons on how to use ‘powers’ as and when required instead of ‘depending’ on the parliament.

 

However, in view of Mr. Zardari’s love for peace, the Indian government should make hay while the sun shines and ask Mr. Zardari to handover Pakistani controlled Kashmir along with Gilgit, Hunza and Kohistan, as well, for the sake of ‘eternal peace’ and Mr. Zarrdari will definitely agree to it as he wants ‘peace’ with India. Then India should also ask for handing-over of Sir Creek for the sake of ‘peace’ and since Mr. Zarrdari, being a big ‘peace-lover’, will also be happy to do it, not directly of course but through the good offices of Mr. Holbrooke, the vice-royal of USA for Pakistan.

 

Then, for the sake of ‘peace’, India may ask Pakistan to hand-over all nuclear assets as after the ‘peace’, with India, Mr. Zardari may think that since India is going for peace, why Pakistan is keeping nukes in its arsenal. Moreover, Mr. Zardari has already assured India that Pakistan will not use nukes first no matter what. In this case, India could attack first and destroy our nukes, in which case we won’t have nukes for a counter attack, so it’s better maybe to end the Pakistani nuclear arsenal anyway. So Mr. Zardari’s thinking goes apparently.

 

Then India may ask us that since both countries have achieved ‘peace’, therefore Pakistan should reduce the strength and numbers of its military and standing army. In which case Mr. Zarrdari will think that since almost all the matters have been resolved ‘peacefully’, so India and Mr. Holbrook might be right in demanding that we don’t need a big army standing on India’s borders, and that the military budget spent on developing and securing our nuclear and strategic programs, and the funds spent on developing Hunza, Gilgit and Chitral, could instead be loaned to the poor members of the parliament, comprised of feudals and industrialists. And if these poor chaps could not repay, President Zardari then may write-off all loans since he has the powers, which even the U.S. President does not, May Allah bless the Pakistani democracy! Amen!

 

So congratulations to the Pakistani people and the parliamentarians as now we shall have ‘peace’ with India, shukar alhamdolilah.

 

So what if India continues to organize and sponsor saboteurs in Balochistan and training and supplying arms to militants in NWFP, which is it has been doing for the last seven years, along with USA. 

 

A final note: Mr. Zardari’s party founder, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, vowed to fight India for a thousand years to secure Pakistani rights. Just for the President’s information. Maybe Husain Haqqani and Farahnaz Ispahani should have reminded him.

 

Mr. Ansari can be reached at sajid2012AThotmail.com