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Our national security ‘prison’
Pakistan failed to gain security because defeat instead of victory was consequence of military action against India.
The writer is Director South Asian Media School, Lahore
Even Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who should be committed to permanent jihad under Islam, thinks that Pakistan has been damaged by the label of “national security state”.
I can’t find a better exposition of the national security state than what General KM Arif wrote in his book Khaki Shadows: Pakistan 1947-1997 (OUP 2001): “Most Pakistanis perceive a threat to their national security from a numerically superior and hegemonic India. The role played by India in 1971 strengthens their thinking. India desires a subservient Pakistan, too weak to defend herself and too fragile to pursue a foreign policy independent of the regional big brother. She wants to be the master of her own destiny but denies this right to her neighbours in South Asia. This raises doubts about her reliability and intentions.
“It is seldom comfortable for a weak country to live with a large and aggressive neighbour…. Pakistan’s location — proximity to the Gulf, Central Asia and South Asia — provides her with great geostrategic importance. Given internal unity, national cohesion and economic stability, this advantage can be a force multiplier.” (p.350)
What is ignored in the above statement are the finer points of the thesis. For example, who is the revisionist in the proposition? If India is the status quo power, then its power projection is for deterrence rather than aggression. It doesn’t want to change the map. Why does Pakistan end up attacking India?
When the nationalism of a state is revisionist — aimed at changing the map — it becomes a national security state, dominated by the army, since the map will change only through military means.
General Arif did not say what happened when the military replaced the politicians in power. Pakistan failed to attain security because defeat rather than victory was the consequence of military action against India. Not even the 1998 nuclearisation of Pakistan satisfied the generals: in 1999 another adventure at Kargil by them damaged Pakistan’s security more than the past aggressions. Prickly weak states are more seriously endangered by international isolation.
Living next to a stronger state is not an unusual challenge. Afghanistan feels the same way about Pakistan; so do Nepal and Sri Lanka and Bangladesh about India. But the response to the challenge of security can vary. Bangladesh took on India under its military’s influence; but today it is more secure because it has used its geostrategic position in a non-military way. India’s other neighbours have economies growing normally. Pakistan will look like North Korea unless it changes its hair-trigger image.
The security of an anti-status quo or ‘revisionist’ state like Pakistan is complicated by the strain on its resources, leading to internal instability. Chances are that such a state will be permanently unstable, especially if the state it seeks to challenge remains free of internal contradictions. The strong status quo power simply has to remain stable to destabilise the “revisionist” state. The strain on the weak revisionist state will show in its lack of internal cohesion.
Security doctrines come packaged in the process of nation-building. State-sponsored nationalism may strengthen the strategic elite but it may become more and more coercive through textbooks and legal sanctions against dissent. State security is endangered internally while the strategic elite continues to think of it as mere distraction to the pursuit of defence against external danger.
A weak state can face the neighbouring hegemon much better with economic strength. A strong economy — often not possible in a revisionist challenger spending too much on the army — paradoxically achieves better military defence because it can spend on it without going broke.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 27th, 2012.
Reader Comments (41)
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Mr Khaled Ahmed, as usual, is right.
Ii am sure Pakistan army knows the answer to this question …
“How many square inches of Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Burma has ‘hegemonic’ India taken ” ?
In fact, India hardly has any army along the border with any of the smaller, militarily weaker states. That’s because India does not seek to terrorize them nor take any of their territory. Indian army is stationed along the borders with China and Pakistan for deterrence only. India does not seek to change the map by force. That’s the definition of a status quo, civilized state.
Pakistan’s problems with India is largely a creation of its own ideology.
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Amazing write-up. Can it get better then this?
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You at least have the integrity to say the truth i.e. Pakistan is the revisionist state. Most people in Pakistan celebrate September 6 as Defense day because they think India attacked Pakistan
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Why should PAK be worried about economic well being of the people. They can eat grass.
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I found the article to be unconvincing with weak arguments and twisted facts
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Imagine 20 crore Pakistanis eating grass. Does anyone have any idea of the cataclysmic climate changes that will occur as a result ? I don’t think the rest of the world will allow it and they are sure to come to Pakistan’s rescue.
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Wow.
Mr.Ahmed, you actually wrote Pakistan attacked India.
You are brave indeed.
The latest proof for pakistan punching above its weight is scuttling the visa
relaxation pact. Apparently this has been done to bargain on Siachen!
Hilarious.
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@Babloo. OK how about the island of Goa, if I recall correctly Indian Army took it by force without the consent of the local population. Moreover creation of Bangladesh by military might is not going to be forgotten that easy by Pakistanis. How many Kashmiris has been killed in the State of Kashmir by Indian security forces, why are you afraid to have a free plebiscite there like your PM Nehru promised in the UN.Talk about civilize nation, it is laughable.
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As always – such a pleasure reading your brilliant and outstanding analysis. More power to you. Keep up the great work, Sir.
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Even though,enough materials already written are available on the possibilities and impossibilities of holding plebiscite, even though Pak never fulfilled conditions for plebiscite, what amazes me is Pakistanis get never tired of asking for Plebiscite. Why dont they go to UN or ICJ or any international body and ask for it. They may, they may then realise the ground level truths.Goan population never wanted to join pakistan anyway. The option was only to join India, With many little pockets of Independent states within India, like Pondicherry, Hyderabad, Goa etc, India could have never been a full fledged proud country, that it is today. But India never tried to take over Bangladesh or Srilanka etc.
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@Naeem Khan Manhattan,Ks:
theres something called wikipedia…i think u shud go n see what it is…
goa liberation was similar to bangladesh liberation…only thing being different is that goa is a part of india n bangladesh is not…
y dint pakistan retreat its forces as promised in resolution 47??…
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@Naeem Khan Manhattan,Ks: Mr. manhatten. did you say Goa? Dear Goa is in India. not in USA. Now tell me something about local Goa population comprise of. They are not red indians. What is the status and population of red indians in USA? As a US citizen what you feel about red indians? Is there Zaid hamid school in USA?
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@Naeem Khan Manhattan,Ks:
Read the article about status quo and what not. India wants to maintain status quo, which means retaining all the areas under its control.
Some people even after reading an excellent article just talk the opposite of what it means. Weird.
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@Naeem Khan Manhattan,Ks:
Manhattan may be an island; Goa is not.
As for your point that the Indian army intervened there, the fact is that the Portuguese were a foreign power and had no business to be there.By your logic then, even the British should not have been asked to leave India.As for the consent of the local people, you may not be aware that there was an ongoing insurrection against the Portuguese even then. By the way, did your army take the consent of the Balochs when the army was sent repeatedly to crush their will? and when you say they are your own people?
As for Kashmir, again Pakistan messed up. Did you not send your tribal and army regulars in the valley without any provocation, to which the Indian army had to respond?
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@Babloo: pak does not have army on other borders except India. This explains everything. They have Indian phobia. Only difference is today they have outsource the aggression part to non-state actors.
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Khaled saab, your wisdom and scholarship is wasted on/in Pakistan. Best wishes.
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good article
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@Naeem Akhtar of Manhattan
OK how about the island of Goa, if I recall correctly Indian Army took it by force without the consent of the local population.
Sir, you recall incorrectly. Goa was taken at the will of the local population and against the will of the colonial power i,e, Portugal.
Moreover creation of Bangladesh by military might is not going to be forgotten that easy by Pakistanis.
There are good memory enhancing medicines in the market, but you will need Forein Currency to buy some.
Now a quiz for you, Find out How Manhattan and the rest of America was taken from the natives?
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How trueee …Mr Khalid … we have to admire that u have gone and actually made a statement against all the pakistani history books taught in Pakistan … Hope all the parents will read your writeup and learn a lesson themselves and teach there kids too …Recommend
Very clearly articulated.
However, can you make a majority of Pakistanis understand this?
You know, sir, you just make Zaid Hamid understand this, and your country will progress.
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@ Naeem Akhtar
Indian troops moved into Goa to free one of the last parts of its territory still under colonial control. As Krishna Menon told the UN Security Council, India vacated aggression, since colonialism was a form of “permanent aggression”. All third world countries, were supportive of India’s move. Even Mao Zedong, in spite of Sino-Indian differences at the time, was quick to endorse India’s action. Surely, surely, as a Pakistani you would never doubt the wisdom of China!
As for Pakistan’s reaction, as the “most allied ally” of the US and member of US sponsored defense pacts, the less said about it the better. Perhaps you should read Ayub Khan’s letter to the UN Secretary General at the time.
On Kashmir, please revisit the UNCIP resolutions which called for Pakistan to vacate the areas under its control (before any plebiscite). Kofi Annan has termed those resolutions as irrelevant and Pakistan itself, at least for a while, was prepared to “think out of the box” – in fact the only time there has been any real movement on the issue.
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@Naeem Khan Manhattan,Ks:
OK how about the island of Goa
Goa is not an island, it is on the Indian mainland. You should look at a map before writing such stupid comments in public.
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@Naeem Khan Manhattan,K : before harping about the UN referendum my dear pakistani friends forget the preconditions that says pakistan remove its troops from kashmir , secondly its the act of terrorism supported by pakistan in kashmir which led to the killings of innocent in the valley , as a consequence the army had to be sent to intervene, so blaming india for the violence in the valley is a unjustified and unrealistic .
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@Naeem Khan Manhattan, Recently Ejaz Haider, noted Pakistani security expert was talking on tv, blaming youth of Pakistan for not being well read or not interested in reading. He clarified, they creatures are willing to die for Kashmir but ask for UN resolution on Kashmir but never bother to read that UN resolution. YOu are committing the same error. Please read the resolution that Nehru promised. That entire Pakistani army needs to be taken back from Kashmir, now idd Pak army ever did it?? NO, Another one is that demography won’t be played around with, you know the facts on that one too…
So, dont parrot things, go and read first then talk.
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@Naeem Khan Manhattan,Ks:
Keep laughing dude and see who will laughing in another 10 years.
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Nice article. In summary – Pakistan, chill.
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Pakistan’s problems arte ideological/psychological and as such very dificult to find remedy.
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In last article Mr Khalid rightly quoted saying of Tipu Sultan which is our nation paradigm. When we wana live for one day like a tiger, why should we plan for next 100 years like a jackal. Other neighboring states of India want life of a jackal which has no room in our national security prison.
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@Naeem Khan Manhattan,Ks:
Even in 1971 it was Pakistan who declared war on India by opening front in Sindh border. India after that declared to go in openly and crossed international border
If you can watch Asgar khan interview on net where he says ,every single time it is Pakistan who attacked India.
We have to think of well being of our people not of army and civilian beaurocracy. Only peace with neighbors brings prosperity.
When I was young there was land dispute in our area between 2 cousin families. That went for 17 years. Finally it was settled and in next 5 years they built new houses, bought cars started to send their children to cadet colleges. Feuds even at smaller level is drain on every thing.
I remember those families will borrow money in advance from business for their crops, maintain dozens of people with weapons . They will not leave houses without guards. Often outside influential people will takes sides and that always costed the local parties ans so on.
So peace is the only alternative
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Khaled saab, salam.
Admirable clarity of vision.Plain speaking at it’s best.
It is not difficult to see through the maze around us, if we don’t keep our head buried in the sands.
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Lets revise facts & figures:
1) As per UN 44% of Indian population lives below the poverty line (This makes three Pakistans – as Total popultion of India is above 1billion. So 03 pakistans are living below the poverty line in the world)
2) As per UN 31% pakistani population lives below poverty line
3) Pakistan’s defence budget is 5b$ whereas India’s defence budget is 40b$.
4) 44% of pakistani budget goes in debt servicing. So remaining is 55%.
Sqeeze it whatever you can.
3D triangle for paksitan is defence-development-debtservicing
Conclusion: Both countries needs to concentrate on their peopleRecommend
@Naeem Khan Manhattan,Ks:
About kashmir plebiscite:
Do you know the first condition of UN on the matter if Kashmie? Pak needs to withdraw forces FIRST. NO LIES.
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@Aseem:
And your facts say what? Nothing.
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How all indiano crows get together on poor little bird naeem shame on u guys.
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@Ali Tanoli:
well said.
We should make our clarity about history ourselves using unbiased facts rather than anee minee mana moo writers…..
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@ Ali Tanoli – I feel rather sorry for you. In hundreds of comments from you, I have yet to see one that is cogent, intelligent, or more than barely legible.
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@Ali Tanoli:
You are right!! poor naeem of manhattan tried to act smart and got trashed by the indians! He should have realised that he sounded exactly like how pakistan sounds to the world namely “obsessed by india/kashmir, and living in the past century”. Unfortuntaely for naeem, world has moved on!
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@Naeem Khan Manhattan,Ks:
You are wrong on so many levels about Goa.
1. Goa is not an island.
2. There was an internal movement by Goans to merge with India prior to Indian invasion, which was suppressed by Portugal.
3. United Nation and all major international nations have requested Portugal to hand Goa to India to no avail.
4. There was no major criticism of India for this action in International fora.
5. Portugal did not have any legitimate right on Goa. If they thought Goans did not want to be part of India, then they should have made it an independent nation.
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@Naeem Khan Manhattan,Ks:
Dear,
Portugal can be in the centre of India,you can not justify the the colonial power. Every muslim majority state can be “Pakistan in India”. See the rise of Muslim population in India after the Indendence and decline of Hindu minority in Pakistan. Flexible and tolerant state will grow but see the your country. Yes it is truth that Pakistan attacked India ,Whether 1972 or Kargil (see the Wikepdia). YYou are facing the music created by Intolerance.
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@Naeem Khan Manhattan,Ks:
Wow !!! Goa is an island !!!!. Goans celebrated their independence from Portuguese rule. There is not independence struggle in goa. Check wikipidia. Island hahaha. Un resolution requires Pakistan to vacate pok first. Secondly, get back part of Kashmir ceded to Chinese in the 1960s . Hillarious. Cheerio every one
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As usual brilliant article from Khalid! Anybody listening or are we are going to be next North Korea? Sadly our Khakis are totally out of touch with reality.
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