Indo-US Mutual Deceptions

                                                    By Sajjad Shaukat

Indo-US relationship which has strengthened rapidly after the disintegration of the former Soviet Union is, in fact, based upon mutual self-deceptions. Overtly, both the powers are taking steps to further stabilise their ties, but covertly they are fulfilling their self-interests at the cost of each other. In these terms, while acting upon the ‘shrewd strategies’ of political thinkers like Machiavelli and Hobbes, Indo-US alliance is artificial and unnatural.

It is notable that prior to his latest visit to the US in relation to the nuclear deal, signed by America and India last year, and to get further benefits of sophisticated technology including the support of sole superpower for a permanent seat for New Delhi in the UN Security Council, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said in his interview to the Washington Post, “India is ready to resolve all outstanding issues with Pakistan on the condition that it will not allow its territory to be used against its neighbour. He blamed, “Pakistan has come to the point of using terror as an instrument of state policy” and “India has been a victim of Pakistan-aided terrorism…terrorists in that country are planning attacks in India similar to last year’s Mumbai carnage.”

Confused in his goals, interview of Singh itself is based upon self-contradiction. On the one hand, he indicates that India wants to resolve all outstanding issues with Pakistan, while accusing the latter of sponsoring terrorism. Notably, recently, the US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton repeatedly emphasised both New Delhi and Islamabad to settle all their disputes including the thorny issue of Kashmir. Besides, on November 15, Mrs. Clinton revealed, “We’re not interested in staying in Afghanistan” for a long time. Although the US President Obama is willing to send more troops in Afghanistan, yet American political experts believe that Obama administration’s revised objectives in Afghanistan will also include exit strategy amid growing domestic pressure for withdrawal of troops.

On the other hand, India wants to entrap America permanently in Afghanistan so as to achieve its secret goals by harming the US interests. If US-led NATO forces withdraw from Afghanistan, Karzai whose regime depends upon their troops and Indian support will fall like palace of cards due to the unmatched Taliban militancy. India which has established a number of secret training facilities in Afghanistan from where well-trained militants along with arms are being sent to Pakistan in order to attack the security personnel including western nationals will not be in a position to maintain them in wake of the successful guerrilla warfare of the Taliban. New Delhi which also wants to get strategic depth against Pakistan for which it has increased its military installations in Afghanistan will not be able to continue its anti-Pakistan activities. In this respect, on September 20, NATO commander, Gen. McChrystal in his report on the Afghan war admitted: “Indian political and economic influence is increasing in Afghanistan including significant development efforts…is likely to exacerbate regional tensions.”

Definitely, withdrawal of foreign powers from Afghanistan will roll back Indian clandestine designs. In order to keep western presence in Afghanistan, Indian training centres located there are also being used to target the US-led NATO soldiers with the sole aim to implicate Islamabad for cross-border-terrorism. For this purpose, some Muslim religious scholars who are on RAW’s parole are also working in Afghanistan to impart training to the new recruits who have joined the ranks and file of the Afghan Taliban to fight against Americans.

So crazy in fulfilling its anti-Pakistan aims, New Delhi is silent particularly over American losses such as cost of war on terror, amounting seven trillion dollars, increase in defence budget and acute financial crisis inside the US homeland.

It is mentionable that after the elimination of the Cold War, Hindu-Zionist lobbies had started a propaganda campaign through western media that China is likely to emerge as superpower of future, which would especially damage American political and economic interests in Asia. Although China is a peace-loving country, yet it has become a scapegoat of India. Impressed by the perennial campaign of these lobbies, US has decided to make India a regional power to counterbalance China. In this regard, setting aside Indian irresponsible record of non-proliferation, Washington’s nuclear deal with New Delhi, American pressure on the International Atomic Agency (IAEA) to sign an accord of specific safeguards with India, permitting the latter to obtain nuclear equipments from the west, ignorance of the safety of Indian atomic weapons including cases of smuggling and theft, deviation of Obama from his earlier commitments to encourage India and Pakistan to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) and resolve the Kashmir problem, and negligence of Hindu terrorism, despite assaults on Christians and churches might be cited as example.

Moreover, as to what extent India has succeeded in its cunning approach in deceiving the US-led Europe could also be judged from some other developments. For instance, western states make much hue and cry that Pakistan has become a failed state due to perennial wave of suicide attacks by the Taliban insurgency, but they totally ignore the Maoist uprising which has rocked India with terrorist attacks.

In this context, on October 31, The New York Times wrote,  “India’s Maoist rebels are now present in 20 states and have evolved into a potent insurgency. In the last four years, the Maoists have killed more than 900 Indian security officers…violence erupts almost daily.” The Times explained, “the Maoists represent the dispossessed of Indian society, particularly the indigenous tribal groups, who suffer some of the country’s highest rates of poverty and illiteracy…India’s rapid economic growth has made it an emerging global power but also deepened stark inequalities in society. Maoists have destroyed roads, bridges and even an energy pipeline.”

While setting aside its own injustices towards the Maoists, India blames China for backing the insurgency. The main aim behind is also to gain further sympathies of America as it has been getting by distorting the image of Pakistan.

On the other side, Indians should know that America itself watches its own strategic interests, and is not going to prove a trustworthy friend on permanent basis. History proves that the US has always betrayed Pakistan and so it will do with the Indians. In this regard, after using Pakistan in its previous Afghan war against the former Russia, Washington left Islamabad to face the fallout of that war.

In the near future, Indians will face the fallout of the ongoing war in Afghanistan, which its secret agency, RAW has been sponsoring with the aid of American CIA and Israeli Mossad. Indian ambition of becoming a superpower will also prove a dream as non-state actors who are present almost in every South Asian state are likely to destabilise the country where its forces have already been fighting movements of separatism in more than six states. Although Indian rulers have launched propaganda that new terror-attacks inside India are being planned in Pakistan, yet by following Machiavellian diplomacy, RAW itself will prepare that terror-incident in order to implicate Islamabad.

In fact, India wants to extract maximum benefits not only from America, but also from Russia, Germany and other major powers from whom it is already getting latest arms and ammunition. In this connection, New Delhi will play an opportunist role, which Italy had already played with some European powers before the outbreak of the World War 1. It is a historical fact, that from 1902 to 1914, having foot in two camps, Italy which had joined the Triple Alliance, pledging support to Germany and Austria also signed pacts with France and Great Britain, powers of the Triple Entente. Although, through a five-year agreement, Italy had strongly assured German Chancellor Bismarck to support his country, but when the greater war actually started, Italy did not join it. Same is true in case of India which is acting upon diplomacy of deceit regarding the United States.

In these terms, American must keep in mind that India is the most opportunist ally. Indian Hindus are followers of Chanakya (Say some thing else and do some thing else) whereas Americans are mostly candid and outspoken.

Furthermore, biological make up, historical background and religious beliefs which have formed the habits and national character of Hindus are quite different from the Christians. Indians still have a strong belief in the superiority of their race. These facts have been verified by the misdeeds of Hindu fundamentalist parties like the BJP, RSS, VHP, Shev Sina and Bajrang Dal which have missed no opportunity to communalise national politics of India. With the backing of Indian officials, these parties have intensified anti-Christian and anti-Muslim bloodshed in the last decade coupled with the dissemination of Hindutva (Hindu nationalism).

Nonetheless, under the pretext of using terrorism so as to malign Pakistan and thwart the progress of China, Indo-US new alliance is based upon mutual deceptions.

Sajjad Shaukat writes on international affairs and is author of the book: US vs Islamic Militants, Invisible Balance of Power: Dangerous Shift in International Relations

Email: sajjad_logic@yahoo.com