Pakistan can be called an open region of interests for external factors involved in national instability. 9/11 reshaped the global dynamics and war on terror centralized Pakistan as a strategic hub in the region. Stability over here is considered as a political one rather than economic, social, ideological, geographical and strategic.
External factors involved in national instability are like complicated puzzles. Alliance with the US in the war against terror has been gravely costly to Pakistan. 9/11 became the watermark of instability in Pakistan. We have been dealing with symptoms of instability with antibiotics rather than complete surgery. Post 9/11 circumstances pushed the country into the ideological conflict of fighting national or American war. The US invasion in Afghanistan provided the external and none state actors’ opportunity of launching terrorism in Pakistan.
Russia got the chance to get revenge from both the US and Pakistan of its defeat in Afghanistan. India got the golden opportunity of triggering and funding non-state actors within Pakistan through Kulbhushan Jadhav and other networks. The anti-Taliban groups joined hands with enemies of Pakistan to destabilize Pakistan.
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Iranians activated their groups with the collaboration of India in Afghanistan. The creation of Taliban empowerment and U.S’ immature withdrawal from Afghanistan cannot be seen as a good omen for regional stability and especially in Pakistan. The Afghan refugees introduced smuggling, illegal weapons, drugs, Kalashnikov culture and above all weakened the social and economic fabric of the country. Al-Qaeda, Taliban and other terrorist groups collectively waged war against Pakistan.
Pak-US alliance and the drone attacks inside Pakistan are contradictory to each other. The U.S pressure to expand the operation to tribal areas created public fury against Pakistan. The west has been trying to create instability in Pakistan to break the backbone of the Muslim world as being the sole Muslim nuclear power. Pakistan is at war with itself. The western deadly South Asian agenda is being implemented through a triangular alliance of the US, Israel and India.
The Saudis and the Iranians are triggering their funded religious groups on name. The US created, empowered, trained and manipulated the Taliban for its vested interests. the USSR, the US, Saudia Arabia, Iran and India are responsible for making Pakistan a troubled state. India as the eternal enemy of Pakistan has always been and is trying to end Pakistan. It has waged many wars but has licked the dust every time. The U.S is not happy with Pakistan because of two major factors: Firstly, the freedom from economic dependency and secondly its alliance with China.
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The US has been dreaming of its hegemony over Pakistan to monitor China, Iran, Russian, Afghanistan, India and Central Asian states. Some Afghan Sections and India has been funding TTP against Pakistan. Iran and India have been triggering BLA and separatist groups. It seems that Pakistan has more foes than friends but we need not worry, Pakistan has come to stay.
The British intentionally left the Kashmir sandwich unresolved between India and Pakistan for their future involvement in the region. Iran aligns with India due to our relations with Saudia Arabia. Iran is funding and empowering Shias in Pakistan as its future power for influencing policies in Pakistan with its created and supported community. Same is done by Saudi Arabians through Wahabis and Ahel e Hadis sections in Pakistan. The external factors are trying to make best use of the internal weaknesses of Pakistan.
The religiopolitical conflicts are majorly sponsored by Iranian and Saudis. The non-religiopolitical factors are supported by the west. The ethnic, provincial and business groups are tapped by internal feudal lords, pseudo nationalists and politicians. In the past we have been flying in four dimensions, firstly, to the US, secondly to Saudi Arabia and thirdly to Britain and lastly to China. In the near past, we have had some flights to Turkey as well.
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Exception of the perceptual notion of Chinese all weather friendship, none have supported us without its vested interests. Rather it will not be unjust to say we have been sandwiched in the hands of these FOURS. The question is why major external factors namely India, U.S, Russia, Israel and Afghanistan are trying to extinct Pakistan? The first reason is our nuclear power. Secondly, India is dreaming of Asian supremacy and world military power and Pakistan is only a hurdle in its way.
The USSR is nurturing its revenge against Pakistan due to its defeat from Afghanistan. Unstable government and economic dependency paved the way out for Al-Qaeda and Taliban association which resulted in nexus of bomb blasts and suicide attacks within Pakistan. Saudia Arabia is trying to align religious wings and pro-Islam political fabric of Pakistan in line with its hegemony.
Iran is doing its job in Balochistan and other parts of the country through its intelligence as well as via the Shia Community which is wholly funded by Iran. India-Iran ties also have a joint mission in this regard. The western powers are clutching Pakistan through the jaws of IMF imperceptibly which is further smothered by our governments by mounting loans.
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FATA and Balochistan are easy targets for these external forces. India is supporting Bloch and Sindhi separatists to weaken Pakistan. The external forces are triggering Shia-Sunni conflicts in Pakistan Much incident is one of the examples. Iran and Saudi Arabians are fighting their proxy war in Pakistan through their supported groups.
India which has been reluctant to join hands with the U.S has started a strategic alliance with the help of Israel. Israel aims to control the Middle East while India dreams of Asian hegemony. The three wolves the U.S, Israel and India are trying to weaken Pakistan which is the only hurdle in achieving their targets. Pak-US love-hate relations have always been transactional and now the ties are getting weaker due to Pak-China alliance.
Central Asian states though have never shown their grudge openly against Pakistan, but inwardly, they are not favoring Pakistan due to Pakistan’s support to Taliban regime in Afghanistan.
The Writer is a Professor of English and Freelance Columnist, based in Lahore, Pakistan. The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Global Village Space.