Is the US sincere?
- From: Muhammad Javed Iqbal <kaleemjavediqbal@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 28 Sep 2008 00:46:47 -0700 (PDT)
Pakistani public is getting increasingly weary of 'Do more' demands
of US government and politicians, without considering the damage the
so called " war against terrorism" is causing to Pakistan and its
populace. Time has come to re-evaluate the entire relationship with
USA. Here is a letter that appears in Sept 28, Dawn, which represents
public mood here.
FOR a year or so, some people in the US had been asking if Pakistan
was sincere to their country in the war on terror. This query has
assumed a shriller pitch in recent days, after they heard the news
that American helicopters trying to violate Pakistan’s air space have
been fired upon.
Before asking this question, the Americans need to ask a few questions
of themselves. For instance, was their ruling coterie, led by George
Bush, sincere to the country’s citizens when it went to war in Iraq by
lying to them about WMDs? The war has cost the American taxpayers
hundreds of billions of dollars.
The irony is that between 70 and 80 per cent of the Americans are now
saying that it was wrong for the US to have attacked Iraq and that
their country is headed seriously in the wrong direction. They should
also recall that before the invasion, not only their closest allies
France and Germany had advised Washington to desist from it, but all
the Muslim countries, including Pakistan, had done that.
However, the same Americans who are now acknowledging their folly,
were so gung ho about attacking Iraq. Worse still, the same people had
expressed their annoyance over France’s opposition by childishly
renaming French fries as ‘Freedom Fries.’ This only proves that the
two European nations and all the Islamic ones possessed greater
wisdom.
The other thing is that Bush’s lies about Iraq and Saddam Hussein have
cost the lives of more than 4,000 American soldiers, yet the Americans
are still not saying he is an insincere man. Over here, Pakistan has
lost more lives after 9/11 due to this war than the Americans had lost
on that day. Similarly, more Pakistani troops have been killed in
fighting the militants than the combined losses of all the allied
troops operating in Afghanistan. But we are ‘insincere’.
Consider some other facts. The US has bent backwards to sign a
civilian nuclear deal with India, which will only free India’s fissile
materials for building more atomic bombs whereas many American experts
and legislators, as well as Nuclear Suppliers Group member-countries,
have warned against it.
Obviously, New Delhi’s increased production of nukes will make life
more difficult for Islamabad and it will have to either live under a
greater threat or divert scarce resources towards countering India’s
strategic advantage. Is America being sincere to Pakistan?
And, that is not all. In an interview to Dawn (Sept 22), Pakistan’s
former army chief Gen (r) Mirza Aslam Beg has revealed that after the
US and India signed a strategic partnership agreement four years ago,
Washington gave India the authority to establish in Afghanistan one of
the largest spy networks. This is meant for use against all the
neighboring countries but is particularly disturbing for Pakistan,
given India’s hostile intentions towards us and its dismemberment of
this country in 1971.
Gen Beg additionally stated: “Now, they have signed another agreement
that by the end of next year they will have 150,000 Indian soldiers in
Afghanistan. From this one can imagine what are their intentions for
the region.” He also opined that the US wanted to keep the Pakistan
Army engaged in a ‘running war’ with its own people.
Therefore, we are more justified in doubting America’s sincerity. The
thing is, as also noted by Gen. Beg, whenever Pakistan tries to have a
peace deal with the Taliban, the US does something to sabotage it.
Pakistanis understand their situation and the psyche of the tribal
people and the religious extremists better and their strategy to deal
with these folks must not be undermined.
ABDUL ALEEM
Karachi
.
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