Pakistan is an unfortunate
country whose destiny is intertwined with treacherous India in the east which
lets go no opportunity to harm Pakistan, and Afghanistan on its northwest which
is wild and unreliable. Afghanistan prefers Hindu India over Muslim Pakistan in
spite of the fact that it doesn’t share border with India and is not in sync
ideologically. Except for Taliban regime from 1996 to 2001, all regimes in Kabul
were anti-Pakistan and pro-India. India and Afghanistan both patronized by USA
are now strategic partners since October 4, 2011 and are jointly engaged in
subversive activities against Pakistan.
While India was instrumental in blocking the economic and political growth of
Pakistan and in subverting Awami League led Bengalis and truncating Pakistan in
1971, (refer to B Raman’s book ‘Role of RAW in Liberation of Bangladesh),
Afghanistan was the only Muslim country which opposed Pakistan’s membership in
UN in 1947. In collusion with former Soviet Union and India, Afghanistan
supported Baloch insurgency in Balochistan in 1973. Since 2002 it is engaged in
covert war in FATA and Balochistan in concert with USA and India. The trio is
aspiring to detach the two regions from the body of Pakistan and establish
Greater Pakhtunistan and Greater Balochistan.
Tutored by India, Northern Alliance heavy Karzai regime installed by Washington
has been consistently blaming Pakistan for supporting Taliban and allowing cross
border terrorism. However, it refuses to fence or mine likely crossing places
along the border as suggested by Pakistan to prevent alleged infiltration. It
ignores the fact that Pakistan has deployed over 1000 border posts while only
200 posts are established on its side. Following in the footsteps of India which
has been persistently levying allegation against Pakistan of cross border
terrorism into occupied Kashmir since 1990; Afghan regime too is singing this
song to hide the secret war going on at a massive scale from Afghan soil to
destabilize Pakistan. Kabul is looking the other way to Pakistan’s protests that
Maulana Fazlullah and his group that had fled to Afghanistan in 2009 after the
launch of Operation Rah-e-Rast were provided sanctuaries in Kunar and Nuristan
by Afghan government. The group backed by ANA, RAAM and RAW is involved in cross
border terrorism in Mehmand, Bajaur, Dir and Chitral since 2010.
The ruling regime in Kabul has behaved offensively all these years despite being
landlocked and dependent upon Pakistan land routes and seaport for its imports
and exports. It ignores that three million Afghan refugees are being hosted by
Pakistan since 1979 at a very heavy cost. They were not confined to refugee
camps under strict watch but were given full freedom to move about, indulge in
politics and buy properties. These refugees besides being a heavy burden on its
fragile economy for the last 33 years are also a social and security nuisance.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is worst affected since the biggest concentration is in that
province. CIA network operating in Pakistan hunt agents from among the Afghan
refugees. But for their assistance to terrorists trained in training camps in
Afghanistan by RAW in the form of shelter, intelligence and guidance, Pak
security forces by now would have overcome the scourge of terrorism. Recent
Uzbek heavy attack on Peshawar airbase was in all probability facilitated by
them.
As against its ingratitude toward Pakistan, Afghanistan is indebted to India for
having invested about $2 billion for various development projects and is bending
over backward to express its undying gratitude. One reason for being so obliged
is that Northern Alliance leaders were well looked after by India when they were
out in the blue during Taliban rule and their foot soldiers were trained and
equipped by Indian Army in Iran.
They are so much beholden to India that they fail to perceive that India with
typical Bania mentality never spends a penny in a failing project and where it
has no scope of making handsome profit. India’s increasing influence in
Afghanistan helps it in encircling Pakistan and in making Afghanistan a captive
market. It wants to have a share in the riches of Central Asia stretching up to
Caspian Sea by making Afghanistan a jump off point. This desire impelled India
to develop Chahbahar Port in Iran and to connect it with Road Dilaram-Zaranj. It
is now developing a railway line to connect Chahbahar with Hajipak in
Afghanistan. This road/rail connectivity will not only help Afghanistan in
reducing its dependence on Pakistan but would also benefit India for its own
trade with Afghanistan and beyond in case the shortest route via Wagah is
unavailable. Having invested in Afghanistan, India is now looking forward for
socio-politico-military-economic returns. It is greedily eying at Afghanistan’s
vast reserves of iron, copper, cobalt and gold and Indian companies have already
been invited by Kabul to tap one trillion dollars worth of minerals. Indian
military is training Afghan security forces and is striving to make ANA
dependent upon Indian defence products.
Karzai also forgets that he is a highly unpopular leader even within his own
clan and his two-times election as president was largely made possible because
of Pakistan’s cooperation. While Karzai has forgotten that he was treated as a
guest in Quetta throughout the Afghan war against the Soviets and the civil war
in Afghanistan. He and his colleagues have also forgotten the sacrifices
rendered by Pakistan in pushing out Soviet forces and bearing the brunt of
fallout of Afghan war to this day.
Among the Afghans, seculars have traditionally opted to either flee to other
countries whenever Afghanistan was invaded or to become collaborators. Even now
they refrain from using offensive language against the occupation forces
involved in heinous crimes against Afghans. They desire prolonged stay of US
military in their country. However, their stance against Pakistan is venomous.
Likewise, the non-Pashtun Afghan Tajiks, Uzbeks and Darri speaking Afghan
Pashtuns also harbor rancor against Pakistan. Northern Alliance leaders and
warlords carry a deep grudge that Pakistan had helped the Taliban to gain power.
Their hatred has intensified as a result of sustained brainwashing by RAW
managed cultural programs. Emphasis of indoctrination is on the youth in schools
and colleges. India is providing 2000 scholarships to Afghan students annually.
To show its soft face and to win over the population, India has been offering
free medical care and medicines in clinics to the poor Afghans across the
country.
The character traits of educated Afghan seculars and Northern Alliance warlords
are similar to Brahman and extremist Hindus in India. They view Pakistan with
abhorrence and are in the habit of blaming Pakistan for the sins committed by
their countries. They are adept in throwing wool in others eyes by pretending to
be innocent and victims of terrorism espoused by Pakistan. They pretend to be
bosom friends when in need and once their purpose is achieved they become
cold-blooded. It will not be altogether wrong to deduce that both are two sides
of the same coin, or as mentioned by Zafar Hilali, ‘birds of a feather’. That is
why both are flocking together.
Indian leaders have been religiously following the script left behind by their
Guru Chankya. They have passed on some of the Chankyan recipes to Northern
Alliance leaders to badger Pakistan. With such antagonist mindsets of the power
wielders in India and Pakistan, one wonders how our leaders have jumped to the
conclusion that trust deficit between Pakistan and India and Pakistan and
Afghanistan has been bridged and all is well. India has not moved an inch closer
toward the resolution of core disputes despite Pakistan having forgotten and
forgiven grievous wounds inflicted by India. Afghanistan has also not
reciprocated Pakistan’s magnanimity by way of accepting all the four demands of
Chairman Afghan High Peace Council. Fazlullah has not been handed over, his safe
havens not closed and Pakistan has not been given any role in peace
negotiations. Unilateral concessions and policy of appeasement will lead us
nowhere.
Two sides of the same coin
Asif Haroon Raja
The writer is a retired Brig and a defence analyst. Email: [email protected]