Author: J. N. Raina
Publication: The Free Press Journal
Date: October 31, 2003
General Pervez Musharaff, are you
listening to sensible people, at least on your side of the `fence', that
divided us 56 years ago, because of the machinations of the imperialists,
who `whipped' us for 300 years? Are you not afraid of Uncle Sam, who is
just blinking at you suspiciously, keeping an eagle's eye on the affairs
of the subcontinent from across the seven seas? George W Bush is
knocking at your door for bringing a `regime change in Pakistan, after
the action in Afghanistan and now Iraq. Once you had your own premonitions
that Pakistan will be the next target of the U S attack. You better understand
whether Bush is your friend or foe. This friendship will last till you
remain most loyal to him. Sometimes your friend will feign madness to get
things done. You have seemingly created an impossible situation for yourself.
You are caught in a vicious whirlpool of your own making.
The Americans have devised a new-found
strategy to `straighten out' societies in countries like Pakistan, Saudi
Arabia and Egypt. Ironically, these are the Islamic nations most favoured
by the US. The strategy will be enforced in consonance with the regime
change policy to suit their long-term interests. Reports are rife
that the US has established a strong grip over Musharraf, his Army, security
forces and the IS. "America is now present in the streets, side streets,
and mohallas of Pakistan. It has gained and is gaining control over
their security forces, their intelligence agency and even their Army. The
war might be against terror, but in the process, Pakistan is coming under
complete control of the U S", highly-placed sources have told a section
of the media.
By their tactical approach, Gen
Musharraf is being compelled to seek parity with India in arms buildup,
ignoring the size of India and its requirements. India does not and should
not seek such a parity with China or any other country in view of its poverty.
According to the Friday Times, a weekly English newspaper published from
Lahore: "Millions of children in India and Pakistan are malnourished. Millions
more do not have water, sewage and health care". This is the dismal picture
obtaining in the subcontinent. The reason: both India and Pakistan
have remained engaged in arms race since partition. There is a general
feeling in Pakistan that people are being `brainwashed into believing that
Kashmir is the end-all and be all of their national existence'. The very
notion is wrong. Only recently, Musharraf had declared that Pakistan
would counter India's move to acquire Israeli Falcon Airborne radar system.
He announced that he will never allow his country to be at a `military
disadvantage' and would do best to maintain a `no-win situation'.
This is what your friends expect
from you, Mr Musharraf. Dalai Lama has well said: "Our own brain, our heart
is our temple; the philosophy is kindness". Of late, Gen Musharraf has
given a new twist to his Kashmir policy that Pakistan is not claiming whole
of Kashmir. But if `India insists Kashmir is its integral part, there cannot
be a solution to the issue'. These arguments are undesirable, keeping in
view the State's total integration with India, leaving no scope to reopen
the accession issue. Late Kashmir leader Sheikh Abdullah was the final
authority to arbitrate on the State's accession with India. As the Prime
Minister of Jammu and Kashmir ( as was the nomenclature then) he had in
a signed article declared that the arguments which justify the accession
are `overwhelming.'
"India is a secular State; so has
the National Conference (the party he headed then ) decided to make Kashmir.
India is rich and can buy Kashmiri goods. Even from the religious point
of view, the best that is in Islam in this subcontinent, is in India
and not in Pakistan", he had thundered. "With Kashmir as a part of
India, India's policy towards secularization of the state will be completed",
the Sheikh had maintained. By resorting to ethnic cleansing in Jammu and
Kashmir, Pakistan and its surrogate the Jamaat-i-Islami cannot make it
an Islamic State.
To those who had pleaded that Kashmir
should go to Pakistan because the rivers from Kashmir flow to Pakistan,
the Kashmir leader, who had a mass following, had rebutted thus: "If Kashmir
should become a part of Pakistan because its rivers flow there, then Germany
should become part of France, because the most important German river Rhine
flows into France. This very argument can be reversed and it may be contended
that because the rivers of Kashmir flow into Pakistan, then Pakistan should
become a part of Kashmir".
And that was once a historical fact.
Several parts of what is now Pakistan formed a territory of the then Kashmir
Empire. For 14 years, mindless Pakistan-sponsored proxy war is on. The
sponsors are facing the music too. In a new audiotape, released by terror
mastermind Osama bin Laden's group, Al Qaida has `appealed' to Pakistani
soldiers to `revolt' and topple Pervez Musharraf or `he will hand over
them to the Hindus'. The situation has come to such a pass now. Osama has
asked the Muslims in Pakistan to unite to oust `this traitor and put in
place a loyal leadership in Pakistan which defends Islam and Muslims'.
All this is the result of pampering
religious extremism and fanaticism. Gen Musharraf must smell of some deep-rooted
conspiracy, hatched by the imperialists, to keep the Kashmir fire burning
so that the two countries remain engaged in procuring sophisticated arms
worth billions of dollars. Advantage US. In such a deal, the US sometimes
shows generosity towards Pakistan and India. When Pakistan's Defence Secretary
Lt Gen(rtd) Hamid Nawaz Khan returned to Islamabad from an arms-buying
trip, he declared amid joy that there was a breakthrough in arms sale.
The US at this stage wishes to award Pakistan for its services in Afghanistan
and its `cooperation' in the so called war against terrorism. This is besides
the point that Americans are aware of Pakistan's hobnobbing with the terrorists.
The US had even offered concessions
to Pakistan if it sent troops to Iraq. `We will show great leniency in
the sale of equipment to Pakistan', an official had clearly told Khan.
Once Pakistan becomes totally dependent on foreign aid, it will be Pakistan's
sellout. Slowly and steadily, the US is pushing Pakistan to the brink of
disaster. The US is not interested in the establishment of a civilian government
in Pakistan, because it is easier to handle a dictator than an elected
representative.
It will be in Pakistan's own interest
to wipe out terrorist camps on its soil. Al Qaida and Taliban are regrouping,
to Pakistan's disadvantage. After all, who created Osama and for what purpose?
Did not Musharraf raise his voice against the CIA? `If he and his ISI are
to be accused of not apprehending Osama bin Laden and the Al Qaida fugitives,
then President Bush and the CIA are equally to blame', he said, making
it clear that CIA and ISI are hand-in-glove with the terrorists. America
played a major role in sustaining the mujahideen force, who fought against
the erstwhile Soviet Army in Afghanistan, which also included the Laden's
Office of Services, set up to recruit volunteers from overseas. Between
1985 and 1992, US officials had estimated that 12,500 foreign mercenaries
were trained in bomb-making, sabotage and guerilla warfare tactics in Afghan
camps that the CIA had helped to set up.
India and Pakistan have become victims
of `cunning tricks' of the `industrial-military complex'. According
to the Friday Times, `moderate Muslims must become vocal and refuse to
acknowledge and support wayward... Islamic States must be democratized
and secularized. The mosque and the State should be separated for
good'. But on the contrary, Pakistan has used jehadism and terrorism as
instruments of the State policy. While Gen Musharraf has exhorted the Islamic
countries to `choose between extremism and economic growth' to solve their
problems, he has been himself using terrorism as a `tool of blackmail'
against India.
In his address to the UN, he stunned
the world by offering to switch off the terrorism tap in Kashmir, in return
for concessions from New Delhi, showing clearly the hand of Pakistan in
sponsoring terrorism in Kashmir. It is Pakistan's friendship with India
that will endure in the long run. India does not want Akhand Bharat. It
wants peace and democracy to prevail in its neighbourhood. Nobel
peace prizewinner Shirin Ebadi has said `I am a Muslim; so you can be a
Muslim and support democracy'. If India is pushed to the wall, it will
be the turn of the Indian Muslims to get devastated. Pakistan has already
destroyed Muslims in Afghanistan and Kashmir. It is destroying Muslims
in Pakistan. Now the ISI is recruiting thousands of jehadis in India. For
what?
