A Reply to the New York Times
The New York Times in its 25th May edition writes: “The United States has for years held off targeting senior Taliban leaders while they were inside Pakistan’s Balochistan Province, where Pakistan’s powerful army has long protected them. But President Obama crossed that line by authorising the drone strike that killed the Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Muhammad Mansour on Saturday. Calling the killing an important milestone, Mr. Obama said he had acted because Mullah Mansour was preparing attacks on American targets in Afghanistan and had resisted peace talks.”
Comments:
The attack was a sign of American exasperation of the duplicitous games Washington is always playing with Pakistan. Pakistan is facing combat terrorism only because of America while sheltering the American policy for Afghanistan since long. While commenting on the Pakistan army, American government as well as their critics should never forget that it was the Pakistan Army which helped them all the time in the region – especially in Afghanistan.
Geographically, Pakistan has a very strategic position. To approach Afghanistan through land, Pakistan was the only way which has been used by Washington very thanklessly, all the time. Afghanistan is sandwiched between many countries, but can’t be reached by land except Pakistan. All Pakistani governments, civil or military, have always helped US and Afghanistan for the transportation of their food and other commodities providing them passage through the country. I regret to say that both the countries have never appreciated this very distinguished favour, rather they have always criticised Pakistan and raised a number of problems which have not only shaken the country’s peace but also the economy.
Pakistan has very deficiently been involved by US, in a war which was purely of American interest and still it’s in the interest of US to remain in Afghanistan for their own interests in the region. Pakistan has always suffered a lot because of the treacherous role of US though Pakistani leadership has constantly favoured Washington and its policies while facing terrible difficulties towards internal administrative problems and number of killings of its innocent citizens.
Taliban are an American creation, some time back they were considered very helpful and as close allies of America, they helped America to put Russia on back foot and they also helped in the disintegration of Russia, Washington should never forget this. Now, when the task is over they suddenly became terrorists for US, what a disparity of Washington administration. Its Taliban or Haqqani network, US and India, both are feeding them against Pakistan to protect their interests in Afghanistan as US wants a strong hold in the region while making Afghanistan its base.
After Mullah Mansour replaced Mullah Muhammad Omar, the Taliban leader who died in 2013, Pakistan had consistently been trying to negotiate with the US and Indian fed leaders of Taliban for the peace in the region, especially in Pakistan. Pakistan has suffered a lot because of terrorism which has only been created because of US and which has also been joined by India to create “all time” disturbance in Pakistan through American created Taliban network. Pakistan expected that the US and Afghan governments would persuade the Taliban to help negotiate a political agreement with Afghanistan, which remains the only viable solution to the war. Mullah Mansour, as per the American’s report was in Iran and then enters in Pakistan as per American statement and is killed by a drone attack. Question is, when he was in Iran, why didn’t the American take any action at that time and why was the land of Pakistan selected for this purpose. Actually, they were unable to control Mullan Mansur, who was very clearly on Indian payroll and India never wanted any peace talks to ever start in the region. India is always planning to create all sorts of disturbance in the region which could hurt Pakistan.
The fact that Mr. Obama ordered an attack in Balochistan, rather than the border region where Pakistan has tolerated previous American operations, raises a big question. Was Obama afraid of Iran or was he intending to expand the American mission in Afghanistan, now focused on training and advising Afghan forces and ensuring that Al Qaeda cannot rebuild? But how will he control Indian interference and feeding the various factions of Taliban?
There are 10,000 American troops in Afghanistan, a number that is scheduled to drop to 5,000 by the end of the year. Military commanders appear likely to recommend against such a reduction. In Vietnam on Monday, Mr. Obama insisted that “we are not re-entering the day-to-day combat operations” that he already had declared an end to in 2014. But he is under pressure in Congress and elsewhere to significantly step up the fight. That would be a questionable choice for which he has not yet made a case.
The New York Times writes: “Mullah Mansour’s taxi was obliterated from the sky as he returned to Pakistan from Iran. News reports said he went there for medical treatment, but one expert told The Times that Iran has been quietly helping the Taliban for several years, as a hedge in case the militants regain power in Kabul”.
Pakistan complained that the strike had violated its sovereignty. But much like the American raid that killed Osama bin Laden in 2011 in a Pakistani garrison town, the attack was all the time in consultation of the then Pakistani government.
Washington must remember one thing: Pakistan’s armed forces are not so weak that they can be intercepted by any other army – they are considered one of the best armies in the world. Whatever America had been doing in Afghanistan for long, Pakistan’s army has always helped the American troops, and had it not been Pakistan’s support, American army would had ran away since long.
If Pakistan had favoured the Taliban – as was alleged in the New York Times – the American forces would not have been able to stay for a single day in Afghanistan. In fact US should always be thankful to Pakistani governments, because they have always favoured American interest and helped them in Afghanistan.
The killing is certain to worsen relations between Pakistan and America. Pakistan’s annoyance is justified, all US needs, is to control Indian interference and feeding to the Taliban. India has very cleverly created internal divisions in the Taliban groups and has signalled them to continue in their aggressive ways. Killing terrorist leaders does not mean an end to the violence.
If Mr. Obama is sincere to a strategy to drive Pakistan, America’s supposed ally to help to bring Taliban leaders to the peace table, he should control the Indian interference in Afghanistan and ask the Afghan government to help to bring them on the peace table. Pakistan and its policies are at all times very clear towards PEACE in the region because Pakistan has already paid a huge price for its friendship towards Washington, who, in return have always played a deceitful role.
