A senior American diplomat has quoted Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
as expressing optimism over the dialogue process between Pakistan and
India that may improve their relations. Earlier the top US diplomat had
discussed the situation in South Asia at a meeting with the Indian
External Affairs Minister S M Krishna who later held talks with his
Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi. Secretary Clinton hoped that
the top diplomats of the two leading countries of South Asia having
nuclear arsenal in the store would agree on the steps that they believe
are necessary to get their relations back on a more positive footing.
The observations reflect the US desire that Pakistan and India agree on
taking steps to improve their relations, which were hit hard in the wake
of November 2008 Mumbai attacks. Political observers are of the view
that on the pretext of terror incident, the Indian government had been
deliberately delaying the peace talks with Pakistan. Clinton may hope
whatever she may like but she must be well aware of the chequered
history of the two countries. It’s not too old, spread over just 62
years. During this brief period great upheavals had taken place in the
South Asian continent. It was partitioned to create two independent
states, and the big brother later manipulated to dismember the other
one, just within a quarter of century. Soon after independence India had
successfully grabbed a number of territories that wanted to accede to
Pakistan as provided in the partition of India plan. This was done
through military might setting aside political and moral values. The
areas that had fallen to the Indian highhandedness included the states
of Jammu and Kashmir, Hyderabad, Junagarh, Manavadar and Mangrol etc.
Amid continuing tension and political maneuverings at least four major
wars were thrust upon Pakistan in addition to innumerable minor border
conflicts. After each and every conflict New Delhi tried to deflect the
attention of the international community through peace talks that never
culminated into settlement of disputes. It happened because intentions
were mala fide or situations were so manipulated or tailored in a way to
upset the geo-political conditions. It is believed that situation like
November 2008 Mumbai attacks were deliberately designed to malign
Pakistan and then start harping on the tune that “ Pakistan take action
against elements accused of being behind the attacks. “Pakistan happens
to be sandwiched between India in the east and Afghanistan in he west,
under the US occupation. It’s almost a decade that Pakistan’s western
neighbor is passing through a civil war or insurgency against American
presence. Neither any success had been achieved their in the war against
al-Qaida and Taliban nor it is in sight. The Americans themselves and
their NATO allies are stuck up in a quagmire that is impossible to cross
over.
Instead of admitting its failures, Washington had been pouring the onus
on Pakistan and pressing Islamabad to do more and more to curb the al-Qaida
and Taliban elements who as it is said are having safe heavens in the
tribal areas bordering Afghanistan and also the province of Balochistan
that also borders Afghanistan. Taking the line from the US, India is
also doing the same and had been accusing Pakistan for all types of
terrorism taking place in that country. This way it had been trying to
divert the international attention from several liberation or separatist
movements across the country. This include the state of Occupied Jammu
and Kashmir where an indigenous movement is going on since the
independence of India and Pakistan for right of self determination as
enshrined in the UN Security Council resolutions.
The United States of America had been on board all along and had
supported these resolutions but for reasons best known, it had never
pressed for their implementation, the way it did in many other cases.
Although Pakistan had been an ally of US and also its partner in defense
pacts like SEATO, Baghdad Pact and CENTO but its cooperation had been
limited to Colombo Plan and supplies under PL-480 and the recent Kery-Lugar
Act whose benefits would be no more different. In spite of Pakistan’s
great role all over, for the cause of the United States of America,
there had been no element of reciprocity. In the fifties, it gave the
obsolete arms to Pakistan that were used in the Korean War. In the post
1971 war, its 7th fleet never approached the Pakistani waters despite
announcements that it had departed. America never helped Pakistan to
secure the right of self-determination for the people Jammu and Kashmir.
It avoided any harsh reaction when New Delhi did nuclear explosion one
after the other but pressed Pakistan not to do the same. It is very
sensitive to the alleged activities of the Pakistani spy agency, the ISI
but never raised any objection to the acts of the notorious Indian RAW.
It is in this background that the people of Pakistan are seriously
apprehensive of the latest US venture the Kery Lugar Law. It’s advisable
to seek lessons from history. The United States was humiliated in the 25
years Vietnam War. Almost 3 million US men and women were sent thousand
of miles to fight for what was a questionable cause. But US had failed
to draw any lesson and repeated the same mistake in Iraq and
Afghanistan. Bush had succeeded to humiliate President Saddam Hussain
but had failed to capture the hearts and minds of his people. Even now
the American causalities are rising in Iraq and no victory is in sight.
Similarly it is stuck up in Afghanistan with no hope of any
breakthrough.
Although the governments of Pakistan, present and past, had been doing
whatever asked in the war against terrorism and extremism yet the US
must know that its people are fed up with every day demands to do more.
There may be a breaking factor. Let the government may ask them to do
for themselves. Meaning yet another quagmire awaiting them. Instead
Washington must press India to resolve its disputes with Pakistan so
that it could whole-heartedly fight out the war against terror.
