BluntSpeak by Irfan Hussain
But I would like to ask Gen Kayani why the army has not demonstrated the same degree of vigilance and sense of duty where the Taliban and Al Qaeda are concerned. After all, militants, extremists, terrorists, drug smugglers and gunrunners have been crossing the Durand Line that notionally divides Pakistan from Afghanistan for years without being challenged or hindered. Had the army been doing its job these last few years, Pakistan’s survival might not have been under threat as it is today.
Even when the army has tried to crack down in the tribal areas, its record has been less than brilliant. It has lost hundreds of troops, apart from the soldiers who embarrassingly laid down their arms. So if our army can’t take on an irregular force like the tribal militants, what makes our generals so confident they can fight the Americans?
The sad fact is that years of interfering in politics have taken their toll on a professional army. Where the high command should have been watching the geopolitical environment for the rising threat from our northwest, it was dabbling in domestic politics. And when our troops should have been training to fight an asymmetrical war in Fata, they were being drilled in fighting yesterday’s battles against our traditional foe, India.
The only people enjoying the rising tension between Pakistan and the US are Osama Bin Laden and his supporters and admirers. Should our army actually kill a number of American troops, the resulting escalation could easily spin out of control very quickly. The Americans currently have two aircraft carrier groups in the Gulf, with a third on its way. Their combined firepower could wipe out Pakistan many times over. So while it’s great fun to fulminate against the Americans before the cameras in TV studios, we do need to get real here.
Clearly, then, both countries need each other, and neither can really afford to alienate the other. This mutual need raises the real possibility of working out an agreement that would satisfy Islamabad and Washington.
But the hawks on Pakistan’s TV talk shows who are stridently urging armed action to counter future intrusions should remember when, just days before the war began in 1971, thousands of Pakistanis drove their cars with ‘Crush India’ stickers. Once the bombs began to fall, their cars were seen hightailing it for distant parts. They also need to consider that whoever wins the American presidential election in November is likely to get much tougher with Pakistan than George Bush has been.
Even when the army has tried to crack down in the tribal areas, its record has been less than brilliant. It has lost hundreds of troops, apart from the soldiers who embarrassingly laid down their arms. So if our army can’t take on an irregular force like the tribal militants, what makes our generals so confident they can fight the Americans?
The sad fact is that years of interfering in politics have taken their toll on a professional army. Where the high command should have been watching the geopolitical environment for the rising threat from our northwest, it was dabbling in domestic politics. And when our troops should have been training to fight an asymmetrical war in Fata, they were being drilled in fighting yesterday’s battles against our traditional foe, India.
The only people enjoying the rising tension between Pakistan and the US are Osama Bin Laden and his supporters and admirers. Should our army actually kill a number of American troops, the resulting escalation could easily spin out of control very quickly. The Americans currently have two aircraft carrier groups in the Gulf, with a third on its way. Their combined firepower could wipe out Pakistan many times over. So while it’s great fun to fulminate against the Americans before the cameras in TV studios, we do need to get real here.
Clearly, then, both countries need each other, and neither can really afford to alienate the other. This mutual need raises the real possibility of working out an agreement that would satisfy Islamabad and Washington.
But the hawks on Pakistan’s TV talk shows who are stridently urging armed action to counter future intrusions should remember when, just days before the war began in 1971, thousands of Pakistanis drove their cars with ‘Crush India’ stickers. Once the bombs began to fall, their cars were seen hightailing it for distant parts. They also need to consider that whoever wins the American presidential election in November is likely to get much tougher with Pakistan than George Bush has been.
posted by temporal at 9/21/2008
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