LAHORE – Former Finance Affairs minister Dr Mubashir Hassan, in an exclusive interview with Pakistan Today on Friday, urged people to support Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Pervaiz Kayani and Joint Chiefs of the Staff Committee (CJCSC) Chairman General Shamim Wyne in their efforts to resist the bullying tactics of the US.
The Pakistan People’s Party-Shaheed Bhutto (PPP-SB) leader criticised American interference in Pakistan’s internal affairs and said that the US always had always looked for its interests in Pakistan. While quoting various books and highlighting the relationship history of both the countries, Hassan said, “Despite the enormous fight put up by the military at the cost of its valiant soldiers and civilians, the US is unjustly pressing for more sacrifices for its insane fight against the Afghan nation. America has no business to be in Afghanistan”.
While recognising the affection that Pakistan has for its army he said, “The people of Pakistan are entirely supportive of the military in its great work to defend the borders but the people do not like the fact that Pakistan should join the US for military action in Pakistan and fight with its own people”.
Hassan said that the people are against the missile strikes by US drones on Pakistani soil. “In this respect, the people entirely support the stand of our generals in demanding from America that drone attacks must be stopped forthwith”, he added.
The veteran politician said that the US has launched “full-blooded propaganda warfare” against Pakistan. He said that US President Barack Obama, in his recent report to the Congress, described the civilian government of Pakistan as beleaguered. “Political developments reflect the government’s inability to achieve political consensus on key economic reforms” the report says.
The former minister said that the report highlights that efforts are being made to bring about a change in the Pakistani government. Hassan quotes the report, “Negotiations to bring about a change in the government over prosecution of President Zardari and other top leaders involved in corruption charges”.
He said that this amounts to gross interference by the US in the internal affairs of Pakistan. “It also shows the total subversions on the part of Pakistani civilian leaders to involve America in our internal matters”, he said. “The people of the weak and undeveloped world are aware that the US is the biggest political carnivore of history which seeks to conquer, oppress, loot and plunder nations” he said.
The PPP-SB leader said that by the use of military and intelligence services, the US destroys and attacks national governments and carries out assassination attempts on its popular leaders.
Hassan, highlighting various American interferences, said “William Blum, the most authentic chronicler of American oppression against the nations of the world in his book Rogue State, third edition, second printing, writes that between 1945 and 2004, the US has intervened 60 times in the affairs of smaller countries. Between 1949 and 2003, Washington has helped 41 assassination attempts. Between 1950 and 2004, America has interfered in 30 elections in countries it wants to gain influence in. Between 1978 and 2004, the US has exercised its veto power in the UNSC 152 times against the opinion of the rest of the world”.
“America subverts nationalist governments’ through bribery, corruption, intimidation and covert action, to install puppet regimes in countries to loot and plunder the wealth of the target nation”, Hassan added. He said that presently Pakistan is a net exporter of capital worth Rs 10 billion per annum. The former minister said that the wealth of Pakistan is looted by all possible means and it is forced to borrow from financial institutions of the world and pay back US 3 billion in debt servicing.
“For them, Pakistan is a chicken that lays golden eggs as the saying goes”, he said. The PPP-SB leader said that the US urges Pakistan not to tax the rich elite, which allows their illegal and legal gains to go out of the country. “Today, if Pakistan were to tax its rich people at the rates it did during the days of Ayub Khan and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and impose tax on agricultural income, the net revenue of the federal government will amount to Rs 4,000 billion” he said.
Hassan compared it with the present revenue of Rs 1,200 to 1,300 saying that this allows the rich people, the allies of the US, to get richer and richer against the national interest of Pakistan. The former minister said that the armed forces of Pakistan need the whole-hearted support of the people. He said that the armed forces also need to shift their support from corrupt rulers to the people.
Concluding the conversation, Hassan said, “It is also necessary that the political scenario, during the rest of the year, is properly understood or Pakistan will need to shift 50,000 troops from its western border to its eastern border.”
