This is with reference to the statement (16 Sep) by US Defence Secretary Mr Leon Panetta suggesting that America might take unilateral military action in Tribal Areas of Pakistan against the Haqanqi network and also the statement (17 Sep) by US ambassador to Pakistan Mr Cameron Munter that, “such attacks will no more be tolerated and that evidence links the Haqqani group to Pakistan.”
Before the Americans start pointing their fingers at Pakistan army and ISI, they need to answer some questions that are on everyone’s mind. Why are the Haqqanis and other likeminded groups attacking the American and coalition troops in Afghanistan?
Are not American troops occupying a foreign country? Are the Americans not supporting a weak Afghan government that is corrupt and not endorsed by a majority of people of that country? Is everything that US does or plans to do in Afghanistan geared up to protect the people of that country and win them over?
Do the Afghan people feel protected today? Is not CIA a covert army working in Afghanistan? Has the CIA not recruited people to betray their countries through espionage in the past? Is not CIA reputed to solve foreign policy problems by literally buying a country’s government?
Can the Americans simply kill their way out of Afghan war? Can the Americans justify the purpose and effects of Afghan war today and long after they are gone? Have the Americans been able to disrupt the Taliban? Have they been able to control their momentum? Have they been able to stop them from establishing platforms from which they launch attacks?
If the American forces have been unable to achieve their goals in Afghanistan, the American policymakers need to lay down some realistic and achievable goals and the American military commanders also need to review their military mission statements. This, of course, only if the American end goal in Afghanistan is lasting peace and not everlasting war.
If Americans have not only their national interests but “American interests in Afghanistan”, why can’t America accept that Pakistan can also have its interests? Are we not a nation-state? Are we not sovereign (self-governing) and can take decisions on our own? Don’t we have a right to a competent and patriotic spy agency like the Americans have and that does the same things for us as the CIA does for them? Don’t we have a standing army whose supreme commander and COAS can also vouch to do everything that they can to protect the lives of their soldiers as well as people of their country?
The reality is that Pakistan is at the heart of any solution that Americans wish for Afghanistan. It is also the reason of many problems that Americans face in this war. But the real problem is in the inability of the American administration to understand that after Americans and their interests are long over in the region, Pakistan will still be left to deal with the complexities left behind.
The wise course of action for Americans is to engage Pakistani government, both diplomatically and militarily, to help her extricate from Afghanistan. Yet before doing that it may pressurise Pakistan as much as it can to have its own way. It is up to Pakistan to sustain that pressure and eventually agree with Americans on a solution that best suits its national interests. Poor governance and corruption in Afghan government and lack of competent security forces will never allow Americans to handover Afghanistan to any Afghan government that cannot self-govern and self-rule.
LT COL (Retd) MUHAMMAD ALI EHSAN
Karachi