Afghan Press Author: Rooh-ul-Amin

Since the Mumbai carnage the clouds of war have been hovering over the heads of the two nuclear states.

With each passing day the war-hysteria was mounting which invited to the foreign influence. From America to the Britain and from China to Saudi Arabia all the countries exerted their influence over the two countries. The issue was bedeviled by the obduracy of India. The media in India, Pakistan and the US fanned the war phobia equally. Especially the electronic media left no stone unturned in igniting the war hysteria. The three media in the countries behaved ridiculously and the US media had already done it in the case of Iraq invasion.

According to Atique Saddique who writes from New York for an Urdu daily being published from Peshawar, says an his column that in the US, the public opinion is fully moulded for the invasion on Pakistan. According to the American media, Pakistan is a plague spot for nursing and importing terrorism on this planet. His prognosis surely is convincing that public opinion in America is leveled for the attack on Pakistan whereas it is debatable that the US will attack. It will never until it hopes that the war on terror is winnable in Afghanistan. If it fails, then beyond any doubt, it will kick back at Pakistan. If it succeeds then also it will try to smother its non-Nato ally. But right in a few months it is premature that such an evil befall on Pakistan.

The US is not here really to combat terror rather it is here to fan it alive. In this regard possibly Russia and even Iran will burry the hatchet and will join hands with the US against Pakistan.

Since the Mumbai mayhem of 26th November 2008, wherever I went the words, which stroke my ears, were whether India will attack Pakistan or not? The answer they received from my side was surely not now. It was their discussion that dragged me towards writing this article. Why it will not? Is Pakistan is cousin to the US? Indeed the answer is no. Then why it is not attacking Pakistan or why it is exerting India not to attack? The reason is not that it is a nuclear state rather the environment is not fertile for the invasion. As a part of the great game the anti-Pakistan hands want to bleed it so profousedly that it will succumb without any invasion.

A few months back when the Tehreek-e-Taliban plundered the trucks of Nato forces in Khyber Pass, the Nato forces refused to attack Pakistan. And the US is also fully aware of the importance of Khyber Pass that it is as important for the Nato and American forces in Afghanistan as a windpipe. In case the US forces attacks Pakistan the Pass can go to the hands of Taliban and the war on terror in Afghanistan is lost. Moreover, destabilise Pakistan means a safe haven for Al-Qaida and other militants’ forces. And destabilise Pakistan means a constant threat for India, for it will be easy for the Al-Qaida and Taliban to expand its area of operations to the revered land of Baharat Matha. Initially India was searing with rage and the smell of possible war was clearly coming from New Delhi towards Islamabad. But the recent statement of its Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee that terrorism is not a bilateral enemy rather it is a global enemy and hence should be fought congregationally, shows the u-turn of Indian aggressive policy towards Islamabad, which was likely to erupt war. It was also alleging Islamabad that New Delhi has provided proofs of its involvement. However Islamabad went on denail and the issue wnet from bad to worse. India intruded its aircrafts into the Pakistani air-bordr but Mr. Asif Ali Zardari tried to avoid the possible clash by calling it an outcome of a technical mistake. Interpol which is a global police agency termed the stance of India unsatisfactory. The Interpol Chief Ronald K. Noble visited Islamabad also after his visit to New Delhi on December 20, 2008. After that the clouds or possible war saw its decline. Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Mehmood Qureshi demanded Indian government to relocate its troops to peace-times position.

Condollezza Rice has been harsh on Pakistan but in today’s visit to India she will exert its pressure on India to tone down its pungent language. What the US all is doing to assign Pakistan the security over the Nato supply. Hence in the US interruption the threat of war is gradually coming down.

The India External Affairs Minister, Parnab Mukargee also discussed the issue with the Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al Faisal durinh his visit to India on 26 December 2008.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is likely to visit Saudi Arabia in coming few months where he would request Riyadh to scotch funding Jihadi outfits in Pakistan. By now India has plying well but it has concerns over the statement of Obama.

When Barack Obama exposed that he will take a keen interest in Kashmir issue the next day, daily “The Pioneer” published an article as a reaction to his statement carrying the headline “Mr. Obama, Kashmir is not an issue”. Here it shws that India is creating obstacles in the solution of Kashmr issue. It is the major hatchet between the two neighbouring countries since partion of india in 1947.

It is Indian obduracy that compels it to make it a part of its constitution.

Indeed in Indian constitution it has been declare “Uttoot Ung—unbreakable organ” but it is the public of Kashmir who has the authority over the fate its land, the UN and the world community to solve the issue. Among the world community the US is the only power, which has the propensity to solve the Kashmir issue, and no doubt a ray and air of hope went over the heads of Kashmiris and Pakistanis that as Barack Obama has shown his interest in Kashmir issue, so a possible solution will come in way. The Mumbai mayhem disillusioned the Kashmiris and Pakistanis that it will remain still a hatchet between the two rival countries. There would be war between India and Pakistan but one thing, which was witnessed that New Delhi drubbed Islamabad in ambassadorial efficiency across the world. The statements and steps taken by our leadership caused us ridiculous and the image of Pakistan received a sever setback. Like the masses of Pakistan, China also is stunned with the attitude of our leadership that how it gave way to Indian pressure and how India succeeded in trouncing it in the UN.

The US and India have been making efforts to lasso ISI since May-June. But they got the opportunity after the Mumbai mayhem.

We are the runner in the war on terror not the US, India and the Taliban or Al-Qaida. The whole fiasco of Mumbai carnage was carried out very deftly and India succeeded in demonising Pakistan and banning Jamat-e-Dawa—formerly Lashkar-e-Tayyeba, which has been operational in Kashmir against the eight lakhs Indian troops. The Mumbai incident also affected the Kashmir freedom movement seroiusly.

India has been crying for it’s banning and found an opportunity now to eradicate this constant thorn out of its path. China has imposed a technical hold on this issue in the UN and had stridden to keep it postponed. But Pakistan heaped to the US and Indian pressure and beseeched Beijing to abrogate the technical hold. Beijing, which is also facing the trouble of Muslim separatist movement but still it tried to veto the UN sanction on Jamat-e-Dawa. The US pressurised Pakistan to soothe China over the issue. After that China accepted the bane on Jamat-e-Dawa. The US and India have been striving to keep such outfits and some of the retired ISI officials including Hameed Gul and three others to keep them in the UN terrorist-list. It was only China that has been trammeling their efforts. But now, Russia, Ukraine, India and even Iran have joined hands against Pakistan. The war on terror proved very dear to Pakistan but still it is in its deep slumber when it will awake to overcome the backlashes it will be too late. The war probably will not erupt but the clouds will remain hovering. Pakistan has a short possible leeway to rethink and re-chalk out its foreign policy before it is destabilised to the extent wherefrom there is no way to come back.