US-Pak | Real Pak Nationalists

March 4, 2010

Pakistan Gets Laser Guided Bombs

Filed under: Defense — Tags: F-16, laser guided, Military, military supplies, munitions, night-vision, strategic relationships, US-Pak, USA, weapons — admin @ 9:05 am

The US Air Force plans to deliver 1,000 laser-guided bomb kits to Pakistan this month to help Islamabad in its offensive against militants on the Afghan border, a spokesman said on Tuesday.

The Air Force is providing the kits after having delivered 1,000 MK-82 bombs last month to Pakistan’s military, Lieutenant Colonel Jeffry Glenn told AFP.

The US military assistance underscored Washington’s role in backing Pakistan’s months-long campaign against Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants.

The Pakistani air force was playing “a big part” in operations against the extremists, Air Force Secretary Michael Donley said.

“As they had ramped up operations, they’re looking for ways to get additional capability,” he told a gathering of defence reporters.

Pakistan’s air force chief had visited Washington last year and made additional requests for US military assistance, he said.

Donley said the Pentagon had arranged for “expedited” delivery of the MK-82 bombs, which weigh 500 pounds each.

The United States also was due to deliver 18 additional F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan in June, outfitted with sophisticated night-vision equipment, Glenn said.

Confirmation of the arms deal came as Pakistan on Tuesday revealed a vast Taliban and Al-Qaeda hideout dug into mountains near the Afghan border, captured in an offensive against militants.

Source.

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October 22, 2009

Are Pakistan’s Anti-US Hawks Indian Trojan Horses?

Filed under: india — Tags: Afghanistan, Ahmed Quraishi, Baitullah Mehsud, East Pakistan, Hamid Gul, india, Indian lobby, Jamaat-e-Islami, kerry-lugar, Khurshid Kasuri, Maududi, Musharraf, Pakistani Nationalism, PML-N, PML-Q, Prime Minister Vajpayee, RAW, Shahid Masood, Tariq Azeem, Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, United States, US-Pak, Zardari — admin @ 12:39 pm

Are Pakistan’s anti-American hawks – those constantly attacking the Americans and standing against close ties between Pakistan and the United States – Indian Trojan Horses? After all, at a time when India’s close relations with Washington are bringing it billions of dollars in investment and trade, sophisticated defence equipment and a civil nuclear deal, Pakistan’s anti-American turn can only benefit India.

The term “Trojan Horse” dates back to the Greek civilization and basically means “any trick that causes a target to invite a foe into a securely protected bastion or place.” We now know that even Baitullah Mehsud was an Indian agent as he received lots of funds from the Indian intelligence agencies. But for years Pakistan’s Jihadis and their media advocates built Mehsud up as an anti-American hero.

Indian support for Mehsud is no surprise. As we proved in the first part of this series, only India stands to gain from the destabilization of Pakistan’s government and from worsening Us-Pakistan relations. The question for this part of the series, then, is who are the Pakistani anti-US hawks that are intentionally or inadvertently acting as Indian Trojan Horses?

A daarhi does not a patriot make.

The meddling by Indian intelligence service RAW in Afghanistan and support for the destabilizing religious militants there is also no secret. Of course they do not want to see a strong and independent Islamic republic in Afghanistan that has normal relations with Pakistan, and they know the most effective way of ensuring that Afghanistan is unstable – and by that effect, sapping Pakistan’s resources – is to support militants.

Likewise, it has been well documented that Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan and Baitullah Mehsud received substantial funding and support from RAW. And this should come as no surprise, really – after all, should Mehsudis prevail, it will be India that gains the most.

This use of religion to confuse and manipulate the ummah is a most diabolical act, but there are just as many civilian Trojan Horses also. Let us take a look at all those people who in the last one year have been attacking the attempts by the elected Zardari government to build better ties with United States.

Hypernationalists, Anti-Americanism, and India’s Prospering

Hypernationalists are often specifically targeted by intelligence agents who manipulate their passionate loyalties. We must not forget that, despite his support for Musharraf, Ahmed Quraishi’s anti-American rants created problems between the Americans and the Musharraf administration. Could it be that he is manipulated by India as what in intelligence parlance is known as “an unwitting agent?”

An inadvertent agent is often more valuable to intelligence agencies than intentional ones because they can easily pass lie detection devices and do not give themselves away so easily. After all, if Ahmed Quraishi believes he is being a nationalist, he will be more believable.

Let us also look at people like Hamid Gul and Shahid Masood. Again these people are well known anti-Indians, but their pitch has always been more anti-American. Why does Shahid Masood live in Dubai? Whom does he meet in Dubai? There are lots of Indians in Dubai and do any of them finance or influence him? Should that not be the subject of some analysis or concern in Islamabad?

Trojan Horses in Parliament?

Jamaat-e-Islami’s founder Maulana Maududi was opposed to the creation of Pakistan from the beginning and since independence the JI’s chief goal has been to grab power in the name of Islam. The overall effect of the Jamaat-e-Islami’s policies –whether in erstwhile East Pakistan or in Pakistan today—has been to weaken the Pakistani state? The Jamaatis constantly divide Pakistanis along religious lines. They make us think of each other as Kafirs or bad Muslims or unpatriotic. There is no difficulty visualizing that RAW is creating Trojan Horses from Jamaatis with the objective of not letting Pakistan live in peace.

If we turn to the Pakistan Muslim League (Q) are there any persons there who could be Trojan Horses? During Musharraf’s era they wanted to normalize relations with India and were content with being US surrogates. Both Tariq Azeem and Khurshid Kasuri who these days are screaming at the top of their lungs about the Kerry-Lugar bill were championing the opening of ties with India.

Pakistan Muslim League (N) is no better. Its hostility to the Pakistan army resulted in the 1999 coup d’etat and the party has no lost no opportunity to control the army or to put down the army top brass. While in power PML (N) initiated the bus diplomacy with India and even invited Indian Prime Minister Vajpayee to Pakistan against the wishes of the military. It maintained good relations with the United States. But out of power it is happy to push the anti-India, anti-US button as if destablising Pakistan is its real objective.

So what have these Trojan Horses tried to do?

One, engineer a clash between the civilian government and the military to make Pakistan unstable and weak.

Two, tried to also create a clash between US and Pakistan to ensure that India is not whipped by the superpower and US interests in America continue to expand while Pakistan’s ability to lobby the US continue to weaken.

Three, launched an attack campaign to discredit the reputation of those in the government who are well liked by Americans like President Zardari, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Ambassador Husain Haqqani and others to make Pakistan appear weak and childish in front of the world. If the hawks are the only Pakistani faces for Americans, the US will continue to turn against Pakistan thereby strengthening the Indo-US relationship.

Four, it is very interesting that this debate on Kerry-Lugar is the first debate in Pakistan where there is no mention of India, only anti-Americanism. Since when have we heard so little about the RAW involvement in such an issue?

Trojan Horses weaken Pakistan

Pakistan has been a nuclear power for over 20 years and yet doesn’t seem to have obtained the security it sought. Why? This is because the Indian lobby and RAW has worked nonstop to interfere with our relations with other world powers. It was India that helped create a clash between Nawaz Sharif and the United States over the nuclear weapons program while making sure that India obtained a nuclear deal as well as supply of nuclear fuel. Today, this interference with Pakistan’s security continues through the manipulation of Kerry-Lugar debate by these Indian Trojan Horses.

REAL Pak Nationalists

Pakistanis know that in order to stand up to the Indian threat they need support – military and economic – from the Americans and need American understanding to make sure India does not throw its weight around in South Asia. Causing a clash between Pakistan and its oldest ally, United States, cannot be the work of true Pakistani nationalists. It has to be the work of Indian Trojan Horses who claim to be acting in Pakistan’s interest while actually undermining it.

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July 26, 2009

How Do We Fix This Love Affair?

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: 9/11, Afghanistan, aid, cooperation, foreign relations, Taliban, United States, US-Pak — admin @ 1:58 pm

Diving into the history of US-Pakistan relations may seem to be a good platform to initiate the conversation of this paper. However, I personally feel that consistently reminding ourselves of the roller coaster relationship we have had with the United States is not in our interests at this point in time. Focusing on the future with our national interest as our foremost priority should be the stance the Pakistan government needs to uphold. Meanwhile, the United States is also required to re-evaluate its strategy towards Pakistan in order to successfully gain the respect of Pakistani citizens.

The United States has always seemed to be Pakistan’s best friend when it only serves their own purpose. This is the common perception that Pakistani’s have of the US and has only been reaffirmed with the quick withdrawal of US assistance after the Soviets left Afghanistan, the placement of sanctions after testing the nuclear bomb and the billions of dollars of aid that Pakistan received after 9/11.

Many journalists in the US media argued against Pakistan’s acceptance of the Taliban and how this country of a 170 million people was sympathetic towards their radical cause. This constant reminder has made Americans grow wary of Pakistan and her citizens. However, this should not be the case. Pakistan has taken the war to the militants, and has gone to great lengths in order to root out those very terrorists who threaten Pakistan’s peace and security. The United States needs to acknowledge the work of the Pakistan Army and citizens. And in order to reduce the trust deficit, the US media community needs to stop portraying Pakistan in a dark image, especially in terms of leakage of nuclear weapons to terrorists and
the government falling to the Taliban.

First and foremost, the United States needs to not only successfully complete its mission in Afghanistan, but also more importantly, be a vital player in the rebuilding of this war torn nation. The United States is required to invest heavily in the Afghan infrastructure that has been bombarded while also focusing on basic human needs such as food, shelter, clothing, health and education for the Afghan people. The US needs to show serious commitment and firmness once the military offensive has completed, which must reciprocate into action as this would greatly benefit both Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Secondly, the United States needs to show its commitment towards Pakistan through long-term goals and put to rest the perception of only short-term gains. No doubt, the United States has helped Pakistan greatly over the years. Since Pakistan’s inception, billions of dollars have been given in aid for both, military and non-military assistance. What we as a nation have to show for this aid may be difficult but surely the effects are not absent. Many private industries within Pakistan have US investors, whereas various sectors such as electrical energy, agriculture and development have also been given US assistance and logistics.

Although the United States has clearly helped Pakistan over the course of the past 62 years, more is required. But it is also Pakistan’s responsibility to not ‘expect’ aid merely for providing assistance.

We need to work on our internal political concerns in order to create a safe and secure democratic Pakistan. It is difficult to stabilize our democratic institutions primarily due to the years of military dictatorship that we as a nation have endured. Many assume it is the easier route to blame military dictators for the political and economic problems we face today but we as citizens are required to look at ourselves first before pointing the finger of blame upon others. It is here where I repeat Quaid’s words “united we stand,
divided we fall”.

We must as a nation start giving credit where it is due. We need to accept that the United States has been our ally and has provided assistance to us over the years. We Pakistanis have this tendency of often picking on the criticism and pointing out the flaws of a relationship. This style of criticism is not healthy nor is it constructive and with the roller coaster relationship we have had with the United States, it has provided much fodder for the hard line critics.

By correcting its foreign policy and making it more Pakistan friendly, the US may be doing itself more of a favor, while it would be protecting the national interest of both countries. It is difficult for any government to conduct business if it has dissatisfied its citizens. If the United States enjoys labeling itself as the beacon of democracy, it must represent itself through actions as well.

Championing for democracy requires that one promotes accountability, liberty and justice, freedom of speech and religion for all. President Obama today, is arguing the cause for health care reform but most importantly he is not acting unilaterally and is exhaustively attempting to bring republicans and democrats on board. This approach of acting in the interests of all parties involved should also be extending when determining foreign policy. The US and Pakistani governments need all the political capital they can gain when clearing our world of the menace of terrorism. This is a multilateral fight that requires trust, cooperation and understanding from both countries.

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