East to West

Happy Debacle Day

2011-09-06T10:39:00.002-04:00

September 6th is celebrated in Pakistan as 'Defence Day'. It is designed to be a day where the country's armed forces are lavished with praise and hailed as the nation's saviors. While the countless soldiers or jawans who have died since the country's inception are indeed worthy of respect, the lies that have been used to manufacture this so-called day of celebration continue to generate a false and misguided sense of pride among many.

So what exactly happened on September 6th? The year was 1965, and on this day, Indian forces crossed the international border along Pakistan's western border. This is what is repeated ad nauseum in Pakistani textbooks. In fact, the actual wording I remember is "India attacked Pakistan like a thief in the night". What is conveniently ignored in these textbooks are the days and months leading up to the events of September 6th.

Pakistan's self-proclaimed savior - the first of many - General Ayub Khan had an idea in his head of liberating Kashmir. This took the form of Operation Gibralatar where hundreds of Pakistani soldiers disguised as locals would infiltrate the defacto Kashmiri border and incite a revolution against Indian rule. This didn't quite work out as planned. The Indians discovered what was happening launched a counteroffensive. To divert Pakistani forces and relieve the pressure in Kashmir, India decided to open another front by crossing the international border in Punjab. Consequently, on September 23rd, the United Nations stepped in and mandated a ceasefire. Of course, Pakistani textbooks would have us believe that Pakistan inflicted a crushing defeat on India. Then again, I'm sure Indian textbooks aren't quite the bastion of unbiased education either.

Nations manipulate and subvert history at their own peril. Failure to tell the truth and hiding our own misadventures and follies prevents us from ever correcting ourselves. We do grave injustice to those who have laid down their lives for their country by not acknowledging that they were sent to do so for an unjust cause. Pakistanis should celebrate this day by reflecting on the debacle that took place 46 years ago and by erasing the propaganda that would place them atop a fictitious pillar of pride.

What Pakistanis Think

2011-06-22T14:27:00.007-04:00

1. National Conditions

The 6% are probably dual-nationality holders.

The 12% likely belong to political parties, the military, or mental institutions.

Illegal drugs? Kashmir? Emigration? What are these people smoking?

2. Leaders & Institutions

Good news for Imran Khan's fan-club, or is it?

The military's marketing efforts are paying off. If only they were as competent in milatary matters as well.

Just blame it on America, afterall ours is a 'pure' army.

3. Battle Against Extremists

Let's just label the 10% CIA-agents, end of discussion.

An additional 4% to reckon with; atheists perhaps.

Most people just don't know; at least their honest.

If close to half just don't support any action against extremists, are they really extremists?

Perhaps people realize the army is better at running bakeries and housing schemes.

4. USA & President Obama

How would this graph change if the Americans started issuing free visas?

Pakistanis carry the burden of the entire Muslim world.

Will the real enemy please stand up?

Again, the army public-relations machinery at work...

5. Views of Extremism

More suicide bombings, more intolerance, more instability, but less concern? Extremism goes mainstream.

Threat is for only half the country. The other half is having a ball.

Good extremists, bad extremists...attack others: good, attack me: bad.

Too many questions, we're getting confused.

Suicide bombings are bad, but extrmism is good? Huh?

6. Pakistanis' and Indians' Views of Each Other

We are good, our neighbors are bad.

Insecurity complex.

Another kudos to the military's communication maestros.

Some hope.

Let's just move on, please!

(Ref: http://pewglobal.org/2011/06/21/u-s-image-in-pakistan-falls-no-further-following-bin-laden-killing/1/)

Will the Real Enemy Please Stand Up

2011-05-25T22:33:00.009-04:00

In this war, who is Pakistan's real enemy? Is it the violent extremists in the form of Taliban, al-Qaeda, LeT or any other lashkar or jaish? Or is it America? I'd venture to say that it is neither. Our real enemy is the collective confusion that has blanketed the entire nation and acts as a catalyst towards further ruin and disaster. Ghosts from our past have come back to haunt us, and we are still disgustingly debating whether this is even our war. The relationship between Pakistan and the United States is a rather complicated one. While it was Pakistan's founder, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who declared the newly-created nation to be firmly in the American camp, those following him have been less forthright in their views and intentions. As a result, at some point over the past sixty years, the leadership's and the public's perceptions about America began to diverge. The military - which has ruled Pakistan directly for most of its existence and has always controlled foreign and defence policy - has frequently inflamed anti-American sentiment at home to gain leverage abroad, primarily for monetary benefits. Weak civilians too have lied to their electorate for cheap political advantage. The CIA's drone campaign along the Afghan border is a perfect example of this charade. While privately the generals not only allow but encourage the attacks, publicly they condemn them and scream that the country's sovereignty has been violated. Street sentiment now is such that America is seen as the root of all evil. Common beliefs are that this is a war against Islam, a conspiracy to destabilize Pakistan, a plan to rob the country of its nuclear arsenal, and the list goes on. Meanwhile, the real threat from within is largely blanketed. Much like the Taliban that were created to fight the Soviets and guarantee a 'friendly' Afghanistan, the Pakistani public seem to be turning into a Frankenstein monster as well. It is high time that the country's leadership, both civil and military, start telling the truth. They should tell the people that the baby-monsters the army created in the ISI-incubators in the 1980s have grown up. They should tell the people that it is these religious fanatics that are bombing mosques and markets. They should tell the people that it is these extremists that have infiltrated the security establishment and spread their tentacles far and wide. They should tell the people that even if India and America are the enemy, all they have to do is sit back and watch as Pakistan implodes all by itself. We must realize that this is our war, that it is our people that are being killed and our economy that is being bombarded. We must stop pointing fingers outward and realize that the enemy is within us. It is time to confront the ghosts and tell the truth.

Pakistan's Collateral Damage

2011-05-06T18:22:00.013-04:00

http://www.thestar.com/opinion/letters/article/986645--justice-or-just-vengeance Re: Pakistan’s relations with U.S. badly frayed by bin Laden killing, May 3

It is completely justified that the Pakistani government and military be asked to explain the collusion or incompetence that led to bin Laden’s presence deep inside the country, but the accompanied undertones of resentment and anger aimed at the country are not. While it was the murder of 3,000 Americans in New York City by a group of Middle Eastern men led by a Saudi hiding in Afghanistan that led to this conflict, it is Pakistan that has paid the heaviest price. More than 30,000 of its citizens have died in terrorist attacks since 9/11; the country’s army has been in a constant state of war along the Afghan border for the last seven years; more of Pakistan’s security forces have been killed fighting militancy than all fatalities of NATO forces in Afghanistan combined; and the nation’s economy has been battered ruthlessly due to this turmoil. In our search for answers, let’s then also spare a thought for the millions of Pakistanis who had nothing to do with this war and yet find themselves squarely in the middle of it, constantly spiraling toward a state of lawlessness, poverty and victimization.