Pakistan a victim of Geopolitics
Since
independence Pakistan has remained the focus of global and regional powers. The
country is termed a natural corridor for trade ‑ including energy products ‑
gateway to Central Asia and landlocked Afghanistan. There is a perception that
often regimes are installed and toppled in Pakistan by the super powers to
achieve their vested interest. This is evident from cold war era to occupation
of Afghanistan and from love and hate relationship with India to creation of Taliban
(phantom now having many offspring).
At present
Pakistan is facing extremely volatile situation, which has become a threat for
its own existence. Fighting a proxy war for United States in Afghanistan for
nearly four decade has completely destroyed the economic and social fabric of
the country. Pakistan is suffering from the influx of foreign militant groups
getting funds and arms from different global operators.
Analysts say over the years Pakistan has been towing foreign and military policy of the United States, which has often offended USSR, China, India and Iran. Therefore, one needs to analyze Pakistan’s relationship with Afghanistan, India and Iran, enjoying common borders with the country. It may not be wrong to say that at present Pakistan doesn’t enjoy cordial relation with none of these countries.
Pakistan
helped Afghans in averting USSR attack. After the pullout of USSR forces
Afghanistan plunged into civil war. It was often alleged that Pushtoons were
supported by Pakistan and Northern Alliance was highly annoyed. After 9/11
Pakistan was made to fight Taliban under the US dictate. As the time for
withdrawal of Nato forces is getting closer Pakistan once again faces a
precarious position.
When British
Raj left the subcontinent in 1947 it left a thorn, Kashmir. Since independence
India and Pakistan have been living in constant state of war, spending billions
of dollars annually on the purchase of conventional as well as non-conventional
arms and have also attained the status of atomic powers. However, both the
countries suffer from extreme poverty. There seems no probability of
reconciliation between the two countries because of presence of hawks on both
the sides. Even the trade relations could not be normalized due to Kashmir
dispute as Hindus are not ready for another division of Hindustan on the basis
of religion.
Pakistan and
Iran have enjoyed the best time till toppling of Shah’s rule as both the
countries were under the US influence. Iran has been persistently enduring
economic sanctions for more than three decades after the Islamic revolution.
Pakistan is suffering from severe energy crisis but not allowed to construct
Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline or even buy Iranian crude oil under food for oil
program. Iran has often complaint that certain outfits, most notorious being
Jundullah, having its base in Balochistan province of Pakistan, are involved in
cross border terrorism.
Pakistan also
faces a difficult situation when Saudi Arabia, under the US pressure asks it to
do or not to do certain things. One such example is Saudi Arabia promising to
meet Pakistan’s oil requirement if it opts not to buy Iranian oil. There are
also allegations and counter allegations that Saudi Arabia and Iran are
supporting Sunni and Shia factions in Pakistan. This point is being highlighted
by referring to sectarian killings. However, Pakistanis have no doubt that
killing is being done by those who are neither Sunni nor Shia. This point got
credence when it was discovered that Taliban involved in attack on Peshawar airbase
had tattoos on their bodies.
Till today,
Pakistan offers the shortest and cost effective route to landlocked
Afghanistan, leading to Central Asian countries. Gwadar deep seaport has been
constructed in Balochistan province with the financial and technical assistance
of China. India often raises its concerns on Chinese presence along Pakistan’s
coastal belt. However, India is not only constructing Chabahar port in Iran but
also road and rail links up to Central Asia via Afghanistan.
Pakistanis
completely fail to understand the duality of US policy. India was asked to
withdraw itself from Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project and also rewarded
nuclear technology in return. On top of that it has not been stopped from
building port and supporting infrastructure in Iran. Some experts say all this
is being done to construct an alternate route once the objective of creation of
greater Balochistan is achieved. This new country will be created taking one
slice each from Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The level of
US pressure on Pakistan can also be gauged from the fact that President, Asif
Ali Zardari, on the eleventh hour, cancelled his visit to Tehran and went
straight to UK. The new date of his visit to Iran has not been announced as
yet. This reminds Pakistani’s of a similar cancelled visit of Prime Minister
Liaquat Ali Khan to USSR and he instead went to United States.
It is also on record that Chinese experts working in Pakistan have often come under attack to make them leave Pakistan. Chinese experts working on Gwadar and Thar coal projects have been repeatedly attacked. At one stage it was feared that Chinese will completely withdraw their support for Thar coal mining and power plant.
China has
also complaints that some extremist Muslim groups are trying to create
disturbance in one of its province bordering with Pakistan. It seems these
attempts are made to disrupt trade being done through this land route.
This article
was published in eurasiareview on December 27, 2012
In response following
comments have been received:
Ram Iyer
I am an
Indian and to be honest met many Pakistanis and very nice people/friends.
Similar life, culture, thought process and history. May be some difference in
some aspects, which can happen within India between Tamilian and Punjabi
(different food, practices, interests) but same nation.
Pakistan
needs a deep breath to bunk its 60 year old thinking and re-think. It will have
short term pain but absolute long term gain. Wean away from US gradually using
nation first policy using calibered adjustments. Build silent bridge with
India, Iran, CIS, Russia and ramp up China relationship. Silence on India
border and some consistent visit to India from broad spectrum and be
blunt/frank on sincerity of change.
If India don’t
want another Western invasion of life, then it need to bring that good big
brother steps to give sustained multi-year multi-billion dollar aids to all
nations around India to grow and grow together. Else, it will be more like
nation lost in dreamland than a big growing nation along with China.
Syed Karim
Pakistan is a
victim of misguided policies by its rulers. Until recently, Pakistan used
terrorism as instrument of state and resorted to asymmetrical warfare against
its archenemy India.
Mr. Kazmi
stated that “fighting a proxy war for United States in Afghanistan for nearly
four decade has completely destroyed the economic and social fabric of the
country”. The reverse is true; Pakistan continues to provide logistic support
to the Afghan Taliban and is engaged in a proxy war against the United States.
The duplicity of Pakistan was exposed to the world when Osama bin Laden was
killed in 2011 in a raid by the US Navy Seals in Abbottabad near a military
garrison; Pakistan was caught sheltering and harboring the al-Qaeda leader.
Pakistan played with fire and is now suffering the consequences.
Mr. Kazmi alluded
to “some extremist Muslim groups” in Balochistan harassing Chinese experts in
Balochistan. Actually, these are Baloch nationalists fighting for autonomy;
rulers of Pakistan are dismissive of their demands and call them “miscreants”
or “misguided elements”.
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