Forced demands on Pakistan

Sajjad Shaukat

Setting aside the ground realties that Pakistan, itself, is the major victim of terrorism, which has been bearing multiple losses in combating this menace since 9/11, Indian blame game against Islamabad, continues in during exchange of information between the two neighbouring countries regarding Mumbai mayhem of November 26, 2008. Rejecting Pakistan’s stand that its government or any official agency is not involved in the Mumbai attacks, presenting one after another list of bogus evidence, New Delhi wants to make Islamabad accept all other Indian demands since our rulers admitted on February 12 this year that Ajmal Kasab is Pakistani national and Mumbai terror-attacks were “partially planned in Pakistan.” Pakistan’s government not only submitted its report to India after lodging FIR against the nine suspects but also took six accused persons into custody. In fact, Islamabad’s admission which has emboldened New Delhi was forced by the US-led some western countries which have been continuously insisting upon our government to “do more” against the militancy in the tribal areas by ignoring internal backlash and sacrifices of our security forces during war on terror, while paying no attention to the Lahore-terror attacks on the Sri Lankan cricket team. 

Although being a responsible state actor, Pakistan’s leadership did not accuse Indian secret agency RAW of planning Lahore mayhem which had similarity with that of Mumbai, yet India backed both these tragedies to achieve some secret goals against Pakistan. In this context, India wanted to avail this opportunity in increasing further pressure on Pakistan with the help of America and some other European states in order to force Islamabad to confess that all the terrorists responsible for Mumbai attacks came from Pakistan. While Pakistan has not yet completed investigation in connection with the terror-attack on the Sri Lanka’s cricket team, Indian Minister of External Affairs, Pranab Mukerjee, repeating his old rhetoric of baseless allegations against Islamabad stated that Lahore incident and Mumbai catastrophe “are part of Pakistan’s terror-infrastructure” and it should dismantle terrorist training camps. It is mentionable that US former Secretary of State, Condoleeza Rice and British Foreign Secretary who had visited New Delhi and Islamabad in the aftermath of Mumbai catastrophe stressed upon us to take actions against the banned Jamaatud Dawa and the already banned Lashkar-i-Tayba. Speaking Indian tune, they also said that the terrorists involved in the Mumbai events came from Pakistan. 

Notably, America and the Great Britain had played a key role last year in getting passed a resolution through the UN Security Council which added Pakistan-based Jamaatud Dawa and four of its leaders to the list of Al Qaeda-related terrorists. Without any doubt, this similar approach by the US and India show that these states are in collusion to destabilize and ‘denuclearise’ Pakistan through coercive diplomacy. So demands on Pakistan to take action against the Jamaatud Dawa and its related welfare organistions including admission regarding the departure of the Mumbai culprits from our soil were forced. And Islamabad accepted these false allegations as our country is facing serious internal and external challenges of grave nature. In the recent past, IMF decided to sanction loan to Pakistan after American green signal. Past experience proves that economic dependence on foreign countries always brings political dependence in its wake. While, at this critical juncture, our country has been facing precarious financial problem, US and its western allies compelled Pakistan to accept some Indian false demands. 

Hollowness of New Delhi’s allegations and forced admission of Islamabad of February 12 could be gauged from the fact that on February 27, while addressing a press conference, Pakistan’s Naval Chief of Staff Admiral Nuaman Bashir remarked that he had no proof that Ajmal Kasab, the lone surviving gunman of the Mumbai attacks used Pakistani waters to reach India. He further explained, “I do not have any proof…the Indian navy is much larger than ours, and if Ajmal Kasab had gone from here, then what were their coastguards doing, and why they did not stop the terrorists?” The statement of our naval chief coupled with western duress makes it quite clear that Mumbai mayhem was pre-planned by the Indian intelligence agency, RAW to further distort the image of Pakistan in the comity of nations as well as to manipulate the world phenomena of terrorism with the help of US-led Europe in declaring our country a terrorism-sponsored state. Another aim of New Delhi was to convince the sole superpower to continue drone strikes on Pakistan’s tribal regions which are already considered by Washington and some other western capitals as safehavens from where Al Qaeda-related militants could plan a terror attack inside American homeland and Europe. Nevertheless, all this is part of Indo-Israeli and western lobbies to weaken Pakistan in on way or the other as our nuclear assets irk their eyes.

On the other hand, west’s silence over a number of developments such as assassination of Indian Anti-Terrorism Squad Chief Hemant Karkare in Mumbai during terror attacks, involvement of Hindu extremists in the Malegaon bombings, confession of Indian serving Lt. Col. Purohit in relation to the bombing of Samjhota express which brunt alive 69 Pakistanis, demolition of Babri Masjid, massacre of Muslims in Gujrat, recent genocide of Muslims in Assam and assaults on Christians from time to time clearly show double standard of the US-led international community. In this context, anti-Muslim approach of India was also witnessed during the present election campaign when grandson of the former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and candidate of the BJP, Varun Gandhi, with the pledge of Gita, warned that he would “cut off the hands of Muslims.”

Inaction of the west over Hindu terrorism and such duplicity undoubtedly indicates that America and major European states have their common interest in India. Hence, they blindly support New Delhi’s shrewd diplomacy against Islamabad. These major countries only tolerate Pakistan owing to its role as a frontline state against terrorism, otherwise, they leave no stone unturned in tarnishing the image of our country so as to harm our interests. In this respect, forced demands on Pakistan regarding Mumbai mayhem entailing accusation of cross-border terrorism either in Afghanistan or the Indian-held Kashmir are also part of this double game.

As a matter of fact, we are living in an unequal world order. The prevalent global system tends to give a greater political and economic leverage to the affluent developed nations who could safeguard their interests at the cost of the weaker countries. Whenever, any controversy arises on the issues, the UN Security Council enforces the doctrine of collective security against the small states, while the five big powers protect their interests by using veto. This shows discrimination between the powerful and the weaker. In this context, it is notable that in 2001, UN had permitted the United States to attack Afghanistan under the cover of right of self-defence. Consequently, NATO forces invaded and occupied Afghanistan. In case of the Sub-continental Kashmir, the issue still remains unresolved as UN resolutions in relation to the plebiscite were never implemented because Washington and some western powers support the illegitimate stand of India due to their collective interests by ignoring the legitimate rights of the liberation of Kashmiris.

There is no doubt that it is the General Assembly where the Muslim states of the Third World constitute majority, but they are helpless in implementing their decisions. In economic context, the world order reflects greater disparities as the flow of capital and credit system is also dominated by the United States and other developed countries—the consequent result is an increase in the activities of the Multinationals which shattered the economies of the poor developing states. Besides, international financial institutions like I.M.F and World Bank are under the control of the US and its partners who protect their interests by blackmailing the governments of the small states through financial pressure.

Nonetheless, the principle of might is right which was order of the day during the period of nature is being implemented in the modern era, but in its refined form. Major powers can change falsehood in truthfulness by legitimating it through Security Council. It was due to this master-client relationship that Pakistan was forced to accept Indian self-created demands which were baseless, but still the US and other western countries had been backing the same in connection with Mumbai catastrophe. In wake of a continued debate abroad and rising tension between the two South Asian nuclear states in relation to the culprits of Mumbai tragedy, the fact remains that Pakistan and its land have played no role, but was forced to accept Indian concocted evidence as the country depends upon the sole superpower and other foreign donor agencies because of rising financial crisis and political instability which have been created by external secret agencies, especially RAW.

Like Hitler, Indian leadership is increasing its demands as recently it sent some more evidence in reply to Islamabad’s report regarding Mumbai tragedy. Our government needs caution as New Delhi, with the support of west could entangle Pakistan in vicious circle of terrorism with the sole aim to isolate our country diplomatically.