Asif Haroon Raja |
India’s Water terrorism
To multiply pressure, India resorted to water terrorism by building over 60 dams on the three Pakistan specific rivers in order to dry up agricultural lands and make Pakistan a water scarce country.
Losses suffered
Pakistan which was made the frontline state and had to bear the major brunt of the US imposed war has been a loser on all counts. It has been inflicted with tens of thousands of cuts by its so-called friends. In the last 14 years, it has suffered 70,000 human fatalities; 6500 security forces have lost their lives; well over 150,000 were injured. Apart from the extensive destruction of property, the financial loss is to the tune of $123 billion.
Wear and tear
Continuous use of weapons by security forces against the foreign paid proxies have reduced the shelf life and battle worthiness of weapons including artillery guns, tanks, helicopters, transport and jet aircraft. This is beside the wear and tear of the troops operating in combat zones where death stares at them every minute. Units have been recycled over three times and pearls have been lost in fighting the faceless enemy.
Read more: A master plan to balkanize Pakistan – Part I
Societal divisions
Secular-Islamic divide duly sharpened by media heightened religious extremism, intolerance, and hatred. The political polarization of the 1990s between PPP and PML-N has been swapped by PTI-PML-N polarization. An intensified political rivalry has led to a clash between state institutions and rise in civil-military tension.
Domineering Trump regime has been impelled to have a second look at its aggressive policy of outrightly discarding Pakistan
Human values, ethics, good discipline, deference, self-restraint have been replaced by rumor mongering, accusations, character assassination, and use of abusive language, disrespect, greed, and nepotism. All these vices have become a norm.
Role of media
Electronic and social media have given a fillip to these negative trends which have polluted the atmosphere and contaminated the society. Media controlled from elsewhere has managed to control the minds of civil society and educated urban class to an extent that they blindly believe in the perceptions built by conspirators and floated through media. Perceptions are based on falsehood and half-truths. The indoctrinated lot believe in cooked up stories and gossips as gospel truth. It’s war of perceptions.
Read more: The US failed Afghan policy – What should Pakistan do? Part-III
Deprived/frustrated classes
Middle and lower classes that are most affected by the pervading insecurity and multiplying social problems are more susceptible to indoctrination. They hold the elites responsible for their miseries and derive sadistic pleasure whenever an affluent person is netted.
Pakistan is projected as the abettor of terrorism and villain of peace while India, Pakistan is projected as the abettor of terrorism and villain of peace while India, Afghanistan, and the USA are portrayed as victims of terrorism
It becomes an amusement for the deprived class to see a rich person humiliated and targeted. Likewise, the frustrated lot draw a sense of satisfaction to see their political foe in dire straits. The 15-month blazing trial of Nawaz Sharif (NS) and his family by the apex court is one such example. An entire lot of NS haters clapped and cheered the judiciary and their joys knew no bounds when NS was disqualified for life.
Pakistan’s afflictions
Pakistan suffers from political instability, rising debt trap, hard-pressed economy; its people are undergoing social insecurity owing to uncertain conditions. Pakistan has undergone all this because of its fatal decision to join the US war on terror and then kept doing more to please the double-dealing USA.
Read more: The US failed Afghan policy – Part I
Pakistan’s accomplishments discounted
Pakistan’s sacrifices and accomplishments have been ignored and it is wholly blamed for the instability in Afghanistan. Pakistan’s bare minimum defense needs to meet the Indian challenge both in terms of conventional and unconventional threats have been denied/curtailed by the USA.
Pakistan has undergone all this because of its fatal decision to join the US war on terror and then kept doing more to please the double-dealing USA
Procurement of certain defense items from China by Pakistan are censured and its nuclear program demeaned. Pakistan which has sacrificed the most and achieved best results in the war on terror is reproached by the USA.
Narrative against Pakistan
Pakistan is projected as the abettor of terrorism and villain of peace while India, Pakistan is projected as the abettor of terrorism and villain of peace while India, Afghanistan, and the USA are portrayed as victims of terrorism. This narrative was built over a period of time by the trio to hide their crimes against humanity. Trump has repeated the charges of his predecessors against Pakistan while announcing his Afghanistan policy.
Unchanged agenda
A comprehensive plan chalked out by enemies of Pakistan in 2001 to balkanize Pakistan or make it a compliant state remains unchanged. While the nation remained glued to Panama case for 15 months, the enemies derived satisfaction over achieving considerable success in weakening Pakistan from within through covert operations and in reaching the final stages of strategically encircling and diplomatically isolating Pakistan.
Read more: Pakistan’s foreign policy and current challenges-part 1
Middle and lower classes that are most affected by the pervading insecurity and multiplying social problems are more susceptible to indoctrination
They were pleased that another conspiracy to oust Pakistan’s popular leader had succeeded and felt that their goal of humbling Pakistan was within their grasping reach. Fragmentation of PML-N and early elections leading to hung parliament, political logjam and the punctured economy would make it easier for them to humble Pakistan or to deliver the military hammer on nuclear Pakistan. India is itching to put its Cold Start doctrine into use since 2009.
Pakistan’s defiance
Changed Pakistan’s political and regional scenario, and Pakistan’s defiance has poured cold water on imperialist designs of enemies of Pakistan. Domineering Trump regime has been impelled to have a second look at its aggressive policy of outrightly discarding Pakistan.
This change took place when PML-N didn’t fragment as was envisaged, NS re-elected as his party’s president, effective exterior manoeuvre launched by the government under Khaqan Abbasi rejecting discriminatory policy of Trump, dispelling misperceptions and making it clear that Pakistan is not isolated, it has other options to exercise, should not be taken for granted and can respond to surgical strikes and drone attacks with impunity.
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.