A sovereign state should never outsource national security to any foreign power.
Security arrangements between two nations can only be fruitful to mutual benefit of both, if they are equal, or between those who share common strategic goals in the region. Classic example of such a relationship, beneficial to both, is between China and Pakistan. The USA and many countries in Europe have openly declared their support and commitment to the security of Israel. It is a cornerstone of their foreign policy and national interests. Israel was created by them following WW1 on land which formed part of Hejaz, under control of the Ottoman Empire. Similarly, Russia has their own area of domain and hegemony.
We must remember that the Soviet Union and US almost went to war when Missiles, capable of carrying Nuclear Bombs, were installed in Cuba in 1962. The 13-day confrontation erupted when American deployment of nuclear missiles in Italy and Turkey led to installation of Soviet Nuclear Missiles in Cuba. Sanity prevailed when JFK and Khrushchev agreed to diffuse the crisis. This Ukraine crisis could have been averted, if NATO had not provoked this country and installed missiles next to the border with Russia. This was typical of former European colonialists to promote proxies, to confront their foes, instead of directly engaging in direct conflict. Ukraine has suffered, both in men and territory in a conflict where they face a more powerful adversary in the region.
Pakistan was created by a fragile old man with a quintessential will and commitment, who despite all odds succeeded in carving out a separate homeland where Muslim majority could live in peace and harmony with members of other faiths. It was the will and determination of MAJ and other stalwarts of our freedom struggle, which prevailed over intrigues of many Mir Jaffers and Mir Sadiqs amongst the Muslims, who were allotted lands, titles, awarded by British Colonial Raj, for helping them rule India for benefit of HM Government. MAJ’s vision was that Pakistan should be a modern democratic welfare state with a constitution as supreme law.
There was no role for extremists like TTP, TLP neither in Jinnah’s Pakistan nor for any autocratic rule. His 11 August 1947 address had clearly elaborated that Pakistan should be a Muslim majority country, with equal rights for all citizens, irrespective of their faith and ethnicity. He was very clear that security of Muslims would be compromised in a Hindu majority state ruled by right wing supremacists, who considered India as a Hindu Rashtra (nation) with dreams of Akhand Bharat extending to Myanmar in the East, all the way to Iran and parts of Afghanistan to the West. Israel also harbors similar expansionist designs, with blessings and support of US, UK and others who were instrumental in its creation.
Countries in the Gulf and Middle East should be cautious, that US commitment to Israel is far more sacrosanct to them, than any verbal commitment and guarantees of security to gulf states, including those where they have bases. Any security assurances given to these Gulf States are only against Iran, which Israel and US have declared as adversaries and foes and not against any real threats by Israel etc. Pakistan made similar mistakes when in the mid-50s it signed defense pacts with US, UK etc. such as SEATO, CENTO etc., which it thought would guarantee its security. The only credible threat Pakistan faced was from India, which had never accepted the creation of Pakistan. These security arrangements with the USA, providing them bases within our country, was part of their strategy to confront the Soviet Union. This was at the height of the Cold War.
Pakistan gained nothing from these security arrangements except the ire of the Soviet Union. The country paid a heavy price, losing half of it in 1971 and earlier in 1965, when the USA, despite guaranteeing security, froze supplies of essential spare parts, grounding most of our fleet. Those instrumental in dragging Pakistan into SEATO and CENTO benefitted personally, rising from rags to riches, while the nation suffered. The global order later shifted with the emergence of a Unipolar Superpower in the USA, which no longer required regional support and openly pursued hegemonic, expansionist dreams of a Greater Israel, stretching from Gaza’s Mediterranean coast to parts of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, and Iraq. Iran remains the main hurdle to this project. Pakistan, too, is viewed as a foe by Israel, which relies on India—with its own vision of Akhand Bharat—to counter it. Eventually, better sense prevailed, and Pakistan fostered close ties with China, sharing both a border and strategic interests. The recent skirmish with India has proven the credibility of Pakistan-China relations, underscoring their significance in maintaining balance and ensuring Pakistan is no longer solely reliant on fragile Western promises.
MAJ had elaborated on the security of Pakistan and threats it faces. In a message to the Editor “Muslim Views” dated 5th February 1945 stated that “Islam came in the world to establish democracy, peace and justice; to safeguard the rights of the oppressed”. In Jinnah’s Pakistan there is no space for extremists like TTP, TLP, or sectarian and ethnic divisions. Nothing is more sacrosanct than the geographical security of our borders to the East and West.
—The writer is contributing columnist, based in Lahore.
