Changing dynamics

The Pakistan bashing done by India at the Heart of Asia conference came as no surprise. It seems that India has forgone all the diplomatic norms and rules which are crucial for the existence of neighbours in the same region. The same was done in the BRICS summit where Modi as usual spilled hatred against Pakistan, terming it the patron of terrorists. Is India so blind to see that Pakistan is not the source of terrorism; rather it is a victim of terrorism? The world has seen how Pakistan fought the most dangerous war with the extremists and sacrificed its army personnel, men, women and even children during the process. Pakistan instead of being appreciated for fighting a war is bashed by countries like India and Afghanistan for an allegation which is baseless. India always remains mum on its Kashmir atrocities and its constant meddling inside the territory of Pakistan and fueling extremism. That is called state terrorism which is always denied by India though Pakistan has solid evidences like the RAW agent Kalbhushan Yadav still in Pakistan’s captivity.

Pakistan has finally let go of the US-led-trajectory and is increasing the ties with China and Russia which are the mighty regional powers. CPEC materialised as the biggest trade project of the region and Pakistan became its part due to its strategic location. This close alliance of Pakistan and China is obviously a pain for India, which has a long unfulfilled dream of becoming the regional policeman or hegemon. Pak-China alliance and the growing integration can be a threat to India as China is its traditional enemy and the Chinese presence can sabotage the trade routes of India. China is the second largest economy of the world and is emerging as a global power which is a threat to the sole superpower, the US. With the CPEC, not only Pakistan and China, but the whole region will flourish economically. A US-India-Afghanistan nexus has been established with the purpose of scuttling the Pak-China cooperation. This unholy triad led by US is bent upon destroying the regional integration which CPEC will build. This was very evident in the Heart of Asia conference.

Pakistan has now managed to bring terrorism under control after a long war, and has created room for a constructive Pak-China cooperation to blossom. CPEC is a sign that shows Pakistan is treading successfully towards the road of economic bloom and is shedding the yoke of corporate masters like the US, and on the contrary, India is waging overt and covert wars on its neighbors just to fulfil it nefarious designs in the region. Before threatening to shred Pakistan into pieces, India should have its own house in order where several freedom movements are underway and the minorities’ persecution by the Indian state is no secret. The Muslim, Dalits and Christian minorities are being persecuted inside India along with those Indians who do not join the extremist Modi brigade. India was once a secular and non-aligned country, but now is fast turning into a religious intolerant, bigoted and fascist country under the leadership of Modi. Instead of bashing Pakistan for baseless allegations and trying to corner it, India has multiple issues of its own that need to be dealt with immediately.

In the regional power game that is being played in Asia, Pakistan needs to tread very carefully and we should weigh our options cautiously. Pakistan will be an important regional player in the years to come and every action or policy should be made in light of our supreme national interests. By building a close nexus with China and Russia and slowly drifting away from the US mastership, Pakistan is on the right path till now. It should be clear by now that power hungry states like US along with their puppet nations like India, are actually spawning and spreading terrorism using bands of militants, to spread chaos and anarchy in the states they wish to destabilise. They are doing these crimes also to promote their geo-political ambitions for absolute hegemony and unquenchable greed for power. Pakistan has been a pawn in this game in the past, but now is drifting away and is out to make its own individual identity as an important geo-strategic state which can offer countless resources to boost the regional integration. We should keep up this pace of economic growth and should pay no heed of India’s war mongering statements and actions, as it is known that Pakistan has every ability to give a fitting response to any kind of security threat.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 21^st, 2016.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.