Asif Haroon Raja |
The drama of 9/11 provided a ready-made excuse to George W. Bush and his team of Neocons to wage wars against targeted Muslim countries, accomplish their geostrategic and geo-economic ambitions in Eurasia as envisaged in New World Order and to rule the world for next 100 years. Bush initiated the war on terror on October 7, 2001, to rid the world from terrorism and make it secure and peaceful.
Fortified Pakistani media, bloggers and shady organizations like Aman ki Asha and SAFMA funded by CIA, RAW and Mossad supplemented Indian efforts to stimulate liberalism and secularism, and demean Islamic culture in Pakistan
He decided to crush terrorism through the use of brute force. 48 countries of the world including 28 countries of NATO and Pakistan joined the war. The first target of USA in this regard was Afghanistan which was occupied in November 2001 and converted into the permanent military base. Iraq was occupied in May 2003 to capture oil, change the boundaries of the Middle East and pave way for creation of Greater Israel. Obama changed the regime in Libya in 2011 and harnessed its oil resources.
With the help of Arab Spring in 2011, chaos was fomented to change regimes in Tunisia and Egypt. Sudan was bisected into two. He also destroyed Syria, Yemen, and Somalia and sowed the seeds of discord and sectarianism in the entire Middle East.
Read more: Pakistan’s foreign policy and current challenges-part 1
Progress achieved
16 years have passed, but terrorism instead of getting controlled has increased manifold and has spread far and wide. The Middle East is in the vortex of chaos. Flames of terrorism have entered Europe and USA. Hundreds of militant groups have mushroomed and most are used as proxies by big powers to serve their mercantile interests. Afghanistan ruled by Northern Alliance is a divided country since 50% of the territory is in control of Taliban.
India is a shareholder in the lucrative drug business in war-torn Afghanistan, which after the downfall of Taliban regime in 2001, has become the biggest narcotic state
Iraq has virtually been divided into three states into sectarian lines; Kurds in the north, Shias in south and Sunnis in the west, which till recent was in control of ISIS. South Sudan is an independent state but lived in a civil war. Syria is a divided country where too many foreign powers are meddling. ISIS had gained control over most of eastern Syria. The Greater part of Yemen is in control of Iran backed Houthis. Libya has two parallel governments engulfed in civil war.
Somalia has turned into a failed state owing to the militancy of Shabab militant group and constant interference of foreign powers since the early 1990s. The war has bled Pakistan profusely. An attempt for a regime in Turkey was made in 2016, but it failed. The Iran-us honeymoon is almost over, while Iran-Saudi Arabia ideological rivalry is still on. 70 years old Palestinian and Kashmir disputes remain unresolved.
Read more: The US failed Afghan policy – part 2
Lose-lose situation for the USA
The US has failed to achieve any of its declared and concealed objectives and has lost the war but is not admitting it since it wants a face-saving formula before it exists. Despite pumping in $1.3 trillion in Afghanistan, the US has neither achieved a military victory over the Taliban, nor improved the social conditions of Afghans, or trained and motivated the ANSF to deal with Taliban. It has lost its prestige and élan, has no roadmap for the future and finds itself in a blind alley. It is caught between the devil and deep sea; it cannot win the war nor can it afford to call it a day because of selfish interests of corporate, military, drug barons, Israel and India and puppet Afghan regime.
India has cleverly kept the war on terror confined to Afghanistan and Pakistan. In the 16-year war, not a single suicide attack or explosive-laden attack has taken place in India. No foreign proxy is involved in terrorism in India
All are minting money out of this war. It cannot recover the 50% space in Afghanistan occupied by Taliban. It’s often repeated excuse of blaming Pakistan for its failures is hard to sell in the face of outstanding achievements of Pakistan military duly acknowledged by the world. Above all, Trump has become unpopular and all his moves are backfiring. China, Russia, North Korea, Ukraine and Syrian crises are the disconcerting USA.
India’s role in war on terror
War on terror came as a blessing in disguise for India. After cutting Pakistan to size in 1971 through covert and overt means, its future plans to further splinter Pakistan were forestalled when Pakistan became a nuclear power in 1998. The option of open war became an impossibility. RAW was no match to ISI in covert operations and more so, it had much more exploitable vulnerabilities than Pakistan.
Without committing a single soldier in the war, it has succeeded in inflicting many times more casualties upon its archrival Pakistan that it caused in all the Indo-Pak wars and conflicts
Kashmir had become a bleeding wound for India where it has deployed 750,000 security forces to quash the freedom movement. Over 800,000 security forces are battling 17 major insurgencies in various parts of India and so far none of the insurgency has been quelled. The rise of Hindutva is further alienating the minorities. Under the depressed environment, the war on terror initiated by the USA provided a way forward to destabilize, denuclearize and balkanize Pakistan using covert means.
Read more: The US failed Afghan policy – What should Pakistan do? Part-III
India is a gainer
India is in a win-win situation in the 16-year war on terror. Without committing a single soldier in the war, it has succeeded in inflicting many times more casualties upon its archrival Pakistan that it caused in all the Indo-Pak wars and conflicts. It has also succeeded in destroying/damaging high-tech military equipment like SAAB and PC-3 Orion and causing immense wear and tear to soldiers and defense equipment and social trauma to people of Pakistan.
The option of open war became an impossibility. RAW was no match to ISI in covert operations and more so, it had much more exploitable vulnerabilities than Pakistan
In order to organize and execute covert war from Afghan soil against Pakistan at a massive scale, India has been receiving goodies from USA, Europe, and Israel in heaps. Dozens of economic and defense deals worth billions of dollars were inked by Bush and Obama. Indo-US civil nuclear deal signed in 2008 and access to nuclear suppliers group enabled India to upgrade its nuclear and missile capabilities.
Logistics, strategic communications and maritime security in Indo-Pacific oceans agreements signed in 2016 amplified intimacy of India-US militaries. India has been provided latest state-of-art technology and weapon systems by US, Israel, and European countries which include the anti-missile systems to modernize its armed forces and be able to militarily compete with China. Russia has also been regularly supplying defense items to India.
India has cleverly kept the war on terror confined to Afghanistan and Pakistan. In the 16-year war, not a single suicide attack or explosive-laden attack has taken place in India. No foreign proxy is involved in terrorism in India.
The US has failed to achieve any of its declared and concealed objectives and has lost the war but is not admitting it since it wants a face-saving formula before it exists
Few terrorist attacks that took place in India were either stage-managed or executed by home-based Hindu extremist groups to blame Pakistan’s ISI, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Muhammad, Kashmiri groups and Indian Muslims. By keeping the flames of terrorism outside India, the country has ensured political stability and economic growth.
Read more: An overview of Pakistani politics from 1947 to Gen. Zia
Being a lucrative economic market for the developed world, its political, economic and military strengths has further improved its diplomatic clout. As a result, the world powers including the UN turn a blind eye to its massive human rights violations and perpetration of state terrorism against Kashmiris and minorities in India. No eyebrow has been raised on Indian military’s constant firing across the LoC in Kashmir.
Drug business
India is a shareholder in the lucrative drug business in war-torn Afghanistan, which after the downfall of Taliban regime in 2001, has become the biggest narcotic state. 90% of world opium is produced in Afghanistan. Warlords and Taliban have a share in this business. Profits earned from the drug trade are utilized by CIA, RAW and NDS to run the covert war. Drug money is also used by US-NATO to meet part of expenses of the war and to pay $ 8.1 billion to Kabul regime annually.
India’s cultural invasion
After initiating covert war from the western front in FATA and Baluchistan in 2003, India launched a cultural invasion from the eastern front in 2004 under the garb of confidence building and people to people contact. Mass contacts promoted by both neighbors helped India in infiltrating agents, positioning them as informers, handlers, facilitators, and financiers. CIA and FBI assisted them in establishing a network of RAW.
Hundreds of militant groups have mushroomed and most are used as proxies by big powers to serve their mercantile interests. Afghanistan ruled by Northern Alliance is a divided country since 50% of the territory is in control of Taliban
Free interaction of film and TV artists, singers, musicians, painters, and liberals helped India in promoting Indian culture in Pakistan. Fortified Pakistani media, bloggers and shady organizations like Aman ki Asha and SAFMA funded by CIA, RAW and Mossad supplemented Indian efforts to stimulate liberalism and secularism, and demean Islamic culture in Pakistan. Obscenity and vulgarity under the veil of modernism were glamorized by electronic and print media.
The writer is a retired Brig Gen, a war veteran, defense and security analyst, author of five books, Vice Chairman Thinkers Forum Pakistan, Director Measac Research Centre. Takes part in TV talk shows, delivers talks and take part in seminars. The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Global Village Space’s editorial policy.