US terrorism in Pakistan!
Dr Abdul Ruff
Of late, the US-Pakistan relations have entered a drifting posture with
US strategists accusing Pakistan of not killing enough Muslims in the
country on “terrorism” plank and US military killing innocent Pakistan
Muslims as a lesson–cum-punishment for an “uncooperative” Pakistan. With
a possible Indian commitment to US-led terror force killing Msulims in
Afghanistan and even Iraq under the anti-Islamic Indo-US nuclearism
deal, the US agenda in Islamic world has become vivdly clear. But
Pakistan seems to be still sleeping over the US intentions in Paksitan
itself as part of its larger regional strategy .
Finally, USA has done what it is not supposed to do to Pakistan, its
thick ally on “terrorism” in the region, send out a clear message to the
world, Pakistan has been fighting Islam and kill only Muslims. This
month, U.S. commandos mounted a helicopter-borne ground assault on a
Pakistani border village. Pakistan condemned it saying such attacks
violate its sovereignty and the army has vowed to defend Pakistani
territory. But Pakistan does not want to engage in a conflict with the
U.S. But at the same time it’s saying ‘please respect our sovereignty’
and it’s giving some sort of clear signal, while trying to be as
conciliatory as possible”. The USA has stepped up strikes on “militants”
on the Pakistani side of the border by missile-firing drones. USA bombed
Pakistan, a close ally, killing a few Muslims on the spot. The USA and
its allies are waging a terror war in Afghanistan with an intensifying
“Taliban insurgency” to thwart the imperialist move to control the
country, which has raised doubts about the success of the West’s
seven-year involvement. U.S. officials say Taliban and al Qaeda-linked
fighters use the ethnic Pashtun tribal regions along Pakistan’s side of
the border as an operating base to launch attacks inside Afghanistan, in
Pakistan and to plot violence in the West. Targeting those safe havens
has become a priority as frustration grows that Pakistan has not been
doing “enough” to clamp down on fighters in the remote region. Since
Sept 11 the US-ed terror forces have killed thousands of Afghans.
The U.S. attacks into Pakistan also put pressure on the Zardari
government to stand up to what many see as U.S. aggression. If Pakistan
let U.S. activity go unchecked they lose domestic credibility. So they
have to do this kind of thing but not with the intention of destroying
U.S. helicopters. Even during the occupation of Afghanistan by Soviet
forces in the 1980s, Pakistan did not try to shoot down intruding Soviet
aircraft but only to scare them away. A commentator said: “I don’t think
things will get worse but if they do, even then Pakistan will avoid
shooting down American helicopters.”
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari said his country’s forces had only
fired flares at the U.S. helicopters to tell them they had crossed the
border. Like his predecessor Musharraf did, Zardari and his government
also have pledged Pakistan’s commitment to the U.S.-led terror campaign
against the so-called “militancy” and the army has killed up to 1,000
“militants” in recent offensives in the northwest. But the alliance with
the United States and the attacks on militants are unpopular with many
Pakistanis, and cross-border strikes by U.S. forces erode the public
support the government is trying to nurture. It’s very bad as far as
winning the people over, which is essential for the war on terror.
It appears it is only a “limited” war in Pakistan. Neither the United
States nor its ally Pakistan will let a clash between their forces on
the Afghan border escalate since both countries depend on each other for
different reasons. US and Pakistani forces exchanged fire on the Afghan
border on 25 Sept after Pakistani forces shot at two U.S. helicopters
from a Pakistani border post, the latest in a string of incidents that
has ratcheted up diplomatic tension between the allies. The Pakistani
military said its soldiers fired warning shots after the helicopters
intruded over Pakistani territory, but a Pentagon spokesman insisted the
helicopters had not entered Pakistan. No one was hurt. The word does not
know the whole truth. With long bi-lateral ties behind them, Pakistan
needs the USA for economic reasons and the U.S. needs Pakistan for
conducting its war against “terrorism” in Afghanistan. This arrangement
would continue until most of the Afghans are killed. Both recognize the
need for cooperation, but both are also trying to maximize their gain by
building pressure on the other to an early withdrawal of hostilities.
Alarming as the sight of the nuclear-armed allies shooting at each other
might be, US-Pakistan hostilities, therefore, are unlikely to intensify
although more such incidents were possible, with both sides driven by
different compulsions. Apart from anti-Islamism, there is an element of
economic aspect of US interests. Pakistan has to worry about Indian
manipulations. The USA is the biggest donor of aid to Pakistan,
desperately in need of foreign inflows as it struggles with a sharply
deteriorating economy. Pakistani analysts also see the stepped-up U.S.
strikes as an attempt by the U.S. administration to score points in the
run-up to a November presidential election. As such, the U.S. attacks
into Pakistan, particularly the drone missile strikes, are likely to
continue and more minor clashes were possible. There is a perception
that the possibility of such an incident in future cannot be ruled out
but things will not spin out of control.
By bombing Pakistan USA has appeased India and its Islamic blood thirsty
media. It is of anybody’s guess the US terrorist act in Islamabad is a
part of the hidden provisions of the Indo-US nuclearism and India must
have already the paid the sum in ready cash and if any balance is left
over, Rice will collect it when she visit to solemnize the nuclear
engagement. In this context, Anti-Islamic Indian mindset is further
exposed by Manmohan’s recent statement that Iran cannot have nukes, but
inversely meaning that only India should have monopolized the tights to
add more form all possible Westerns powers is ridiculous. One thing
becomes clear: Pervez Musharraf used his diplomatic skills to avert the
imminent US terror attack on Pakistan as it right in the beginning of
its anti-Islamic terror war in Afghanistan has threatened him of an
attack on Pakistan. One does not, however, fail to infer that the
US-Pakistan war is not quite serious enough and it has some other goals
than the stated ones. In this era highly secretive manipulations and
maneuverings, it is beyond the capacity of ordinary people to comprehend
the real motive behind the current fiasco.
Interestingly, obviously, Islamabad’s neighbor India has not yet made
any “panicky” statement about the “explosive situation” prevailing in
Pakistan with US fires. It is strange so because even when there is some
little domestic disturbances in Pakistan, India would like to make a big
hue and cry over the situation there speculating about their impact on
“innocent” India. Media reports suggests that Pakistan got what it
deserved from USA and as a US “strategic partner”, India has no cause of
panic. Pakistani leadership is terribly mistaken if they think their own
killing of Muslims, even on US payment basis, would be tolerated by the
people of Pakistan. In the name of “terrorism” not only US-Pakistani
forces have killed Afghan Muslims, but also a good number of Muslims in
Pakistan as well. Pakistan leadership should realize that the global
Muslims despise any horrendous acts of state terrorism against Muslims,
especially by the so-called Islamic nations for what ever reasons. For
the same reason Muslims across the globe got disillusioned over the Lal
Mosque genocide perpetrated in Pakistan, killing Muslims entrapped in a
mosque.
When it is understandable that the anti-Islamic states continue killing
of Muslims around the world, it is atrocious and devastating, rather
strange to see Pakistan, an Islamic nation, also doing the same job of
killing Muslims mercilessly. Anti-Muslim India kills Muslims in Kashmir
and torture Muslims in India; USA and its terror allies kill Muslims in
Islamic world, particularly in Afghanistan and Iraq; Israel kills
Palestinians in a sustained manner in order to make lands available for
Jews new settlements. India wants to kill every Kashmir Muslim. But
these counties are known as democracies and secular countries and hence
they take liberty to do the ghastly genocide against Muslims. These
anti-Islamic terror states can justify anything done to Muslims today.
But why should Islamic Pakistan? Do Pakistani leaders and media lords
think that Pakistan was established in 1947 by its founder Mohammad
Jinnah exactly for killing Muslims in their own land and nearby? Are
they sure they have got the sanction and legitimacy and mandate for the
current genocide of Muslims under “terrorism” category? If so, are they
not repeating what the Christians in the then Muslim Spain did long ago
killing almost every Muslim? Americans want to kill every Afghan and
other Muslims in Afghanistan and nearby because that is their accepted
mandate. The name Islamic Republic means welfare of Muslims and
encouragement of Islamic way of life and does not denote any US or
Indian culture. Arabs might not be interested in them either. If,
however, Pakistani leadership is still not worried about Pakistan’s
place in Islam and would like kill Muslims in Pakistan and nearby, then
why not Pakistan change its constitution also to read as “secular and
democratic” Pakistan so that it could kill Muslims officially and more
forcibly at par with other so-called democracies? With a “democratic and
secular” label, Pakistan could do the job more convincingly than now!
USA, India and Israel know that too well! And they kill Msulims
whereever it is possible as democracies. But Islamic Pakistan cannot be
anti-Muslim also!! Is Pakistan so sure India would not send troops to
Afghnistan as parrt of the notorious Indo-US deal and kill Muslims there
and in Pakistan?Will Pakistan’s new leadership, people and media reflect
upon some of these thoughts impartially and get back to this reader?
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