It’s a confusing situation
Ever since the last US drone attack violating Pakistan’s territorial sovereignty killing Taliban leader Mulla Akthar Mansoor an intense debate is on on whether Pakistan has a foreign policy or not. And so far it seems that we are six blind men trying to figure out the elephant in the room. In the absence of a foreign minister—as succinctly put by an eminent academic Yasmeen Ali—we don’t know who is screwing it up?
It is an interesting proposition and one finds oneself lost in a maze of confusion. We are traditionally supposed to be an American ally standing by it through thin and thick—be it Jihad against erstwhile Soviet Union or war on terrorism in which we are the worst sufferers– and yet we are not taken into confidence by Washington when it comes to an important decision pertaining to our sovereignty. Whether it was the American visitation to Abbotabad to kill Osma Bin Laden or droning of Mulla Mansoor in Balochistan, both the incidents underscore our helplessness to safeguard our territorial sovereignty.
Read in the light of Mulla Mansoor’s incident more pathetic was the tearful lamentation by Prime Minister’s NSA Sartaj Aziz in a press conference. In so many words he put it straight that Pakistan cannot do much about when it comes to United States. “US approaches Pakistan whenever it needs it, and abandons it when it doesn’t need Pakistan.” He could not be blunter in accepting Foreign Office’s dismal failure. Some newspapers modestly captioned the story as “selfish US relations” while the general perception was not that charitable—it described our rampant use by the Americans as a condomed strategic device for a marriage of one-sided convenience.
After having treated us most shabbily Washington sent a delegation to wipe our tears post Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visit. DC whole heartedly supports Indian bid to be in the Nuclear Suppliers Group while not giving us any good news. Not only that the US delegation—while appreciating our efforts in eliminating terrorism—repeated American mantra to do more.
Obviously, DC wants Pakistan to stop supporting Haqqani Network considered as the main hurdle in restoration of peace and stability in Afghanistan. Notwithstanding our protestations, the message conveyed to us was that such drone strikes may not be the last one and that any Taliban based in Pakistan and Afghanistan involved in attacks on US and allied troops in Afghanistan will not be spared. Pakistan has been told to root out terrorists who allegedly enjoy safer sanctuaries in Pakistan.
In their joint statement President Obama and Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged to bring to justice the ‘perpetrators of terrorism anywhere in the world and the infrastructure that supports them’. It also urged upon Pakistan ‘to bring the perpetrators of the 2008 Mumbai and 2016 Pathankot (though India says Pakistan had no hand in it) terrorist attacks to justice’. It specifically called for action against ‘Jaish-e Mohammad, Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, D-Company and their affiliates’ among others.
One has no reason to doubt that NSA Sartaj Aziz must have forcefully put across Pakistan’s concerns to the US delegation over the latest issues in the bilateral ties including the US volte face on F-16 fighters’ sale—that Pakistan needed to carry out its air operations against terrorism. While that being that, Army Chief General Raheel Sharif was blunter in conveying to the delegation that another drone attack could be the last straw and that no further violation of Pakistan’s territorial sovereignty would be tolerated. The question rightfully raised was why US does not use drone to eliminate Mulla Fazlullah responsible for terrorism in Pakistan. Both GRS and NSA conveyed the anger in national sentiments.
No doubt American attitude is a manifestation of unilateralism in its policy with Pakistan. However, it does not mean that Pakistan should not have a policy vis-à-vis the Americans at all. It needs to get its act together and reframe it on the pattern of its China policy. In that it shall have to stop its running with the hare and hunting with the hounds—the so-called strategic assets or non state actors.
Former President Asif Ali Zardari who has been recently speaking up on foreign policy issues is right in advising the government not to let its masterly inactivity fritter away the advantages of its strategic placement in the region. It indeed needs to be recalled how skillfully Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had veneered away Pakistan from being an apron string of the United States, develop ties with China that have come to be higher than Himalayas and deeper than the seven seas.
Pakistan needs to get out of its in-depth strategic cliché vis-à-vis Afghanistan—that has at long last proved to be neither here nor there. How fallacious it was can be seen by the fact that first the Taliban terrorists used Pakistan as their strategic depth and now India has found its strategic depth in Afghanistan to negate Pakistan’s regional importance.
Let’s leave Afghans to be on their own, let them decide whatever they want. To secure ourselves we should do fencing of our Afghan-Pakistan border like the Indians did on the LoC. As a pre-requisite to a pragmatic policy the Jehadist syndrome of the 70/80s that has ingrown tentacles in Pakistan’s nook and corner in the mosques/madressahs and security institutions–shall have to be uprooted.
Americans should also need to understand that after 15 years of 9/11 they have failed to find an answer to their own multifaceted failings including domestic terrorism. They can bomb Iraq, they can destroy Afghanistan but they can’t counter a suicide bomber or a young man like Afghani American – Omar Mateen–who gunned down 50 innocent people in Orlando. The billions they spent on war had they invested substantively in winning the hearts and minds of the people who are victim of their policies acroos the globe—it would have been different world together.
No doubt CPEC is a game changer for China, Pakistan and other countries in the region. Gwadar is destined to be the gate way to trade and economic development ushering in well-being and prosperity for millions. We must understand that Iranian port of Chahabar in collaboration with India would not undermine Gwadar. Both would facilitate greater economic activity in the region and globally. Let them be complimentary to each other.
Pakistan’s relations with India have been on the snake and ladder mould since last 67 years. We need to give up India-centric approach and be a David to the neighbouring Goliath. Lack of trust between the two countries and failure to resolve Kashmir issue is the main stumbling block. There have been three wars and the third one could be nuclear boom to doom. The Chinese have shown great wisdom in dealing with India and their border dispute. They don’t talk of war or conflict, their language is that of trade and more trade.
Foreign policy of a state is an extension of its domestic policy. We don’t have the first as we don’t have a clear domestic policy in view of the fundamental ideological contradictions. In order to overcome the fallacious contradictions we shall have to revert back to Quaid’s vision of secular Pakistan and translate his dream of an egalitarian state into reality. Those institutions that had used theocratic elements as a means to superimposing the idea of a garrison state-shall have to find their strength in a democratic Pakistan.
