Rightly pointed by Mr Ikram Sehgal in his article 21st century great game is the fact that Pakistan, despite being a key US ally, was not included in the three-day summit held in Lisbon in which Afghanistan was an integral part. The discussion that began was called the Revitalization or Retrenchment in the Alliance which can, in other words, be read as; Pakistan is no more a US ally (key or otherwise) or, the US friends list has undergone a reappraisal after realizing that it is Pakistan that was the enemy after all, thus redirecting the guns towards Pakistan.
A visible change is apparent in the US conceptual framework through internationally circulated political rhetoric which has gradually and subconsciously paved the way for a different strategy to be adopted by the Nato forces in Afghanistan as well as in Pakistan by extending its scope into the Balochistan capital to add it into their operation map after being given a free hand in the Tribal belt.
Despite the painfully futile rounds of talks between Pakistan and the US, the entire fiasco remains a zero sum venture for Pakistan (which is actually the only interest that we should be concerned about). Every plan, policy and strategy seems to be revolving around natural minerals and resources that both Afghanistan and Pakistan are laden with.
This backdrop warrants an immediate and appropriate change in the Pakistani security policy and strategy as well, that can enable us to face the increasing foreign pressure that is coming our way which can only be achieved by curbing all sorts of movements of foreign individuals that are either part of private developing companies or security agencies and are pouring at an alarming rate into the Pakistan territory, especially in the Balochistan province where the stakes are much higher.
A recent report stating that the GHQ has approved a US office of defence representative and coalition presence at the HQ 12 corps in Quetta reveals the weakness of both our civil and military leadership. Furthermore, the Pakistan borders need to be sealed completely in order to ward off any additional cross border infiltration, at least till our country is at war with both militancy and a heightened foreign intrusion that has the potential to transform into a major threat in coming times.
DR OMAR
Islamabad