For years, we were repeatedly told that no American military trainers were present on Pakistani soil. But General Ashfaq Kayani told us on May 29 that all of the American trainers, as well as 18 British military trainers had been sent back. In the latest tryst, we are being told that the US-Nato attack on the Salala checkpost in Mohmand, was an ‘unprovoked aggression’ that lasted for over two hours. The director-general military operations told journalists that Pakistan did not fire back in order to prevent deadly escalation with the potential of a high number of casualties on both sides. But doesn’t it sound strange that an intermittent ‘enemy aggression’ went on for more than two hours without any response from the Pakistan army, the FC, the air force, or the rapid reaction force? The air force might take up to one hour to scramble jets, but the rapid reaction force is supposed to move within minutes. A surprise attack for a few minutes might go unchallenged but not an activity that inflicts heavy human and material losses for 130 intermittent minutes. That is why, we are being told that the chain of command system has been abolished. Area commanders are being empowered to take action on their own, whenever challenged, and all border posts are being equipped to repel not only foreign aggression, but also fight militancy. This is perhaps why the communication broke down.
Strange indeed; despite several border violations by the US-Nato troops in the last decade, the border posts were still equipped only to fight militants. This is, at least, the logic being peddled right now. But the entire logic, and the incident itself, raises crucial questions. If the ‘aggressors’ knocked down the communications system, where and what was the back up? If we accept the official explanation, we can safely imply there was no back up. Does this mean that any enemy wanting to occupy a piece of land might easily do so by first taking out the communications facilities at a key installation? In such circumstance, can an enemy, equipped with sophisticated technology, not do the same to our strategic installations — the nuclear warhead storage locations?
The May 2 raid on the bin Laden hideout most probably should have removed any doubts whatsoever and made the military leadership realise that attack from all sides was possible and thus required comprehensive preparedness including multiple back up options.
For decades, romance with phrases such as ‘Pakistan’s unignorable strategic location’ or ‘the need to ensure strategic depth to the west’ has shaped our foreign policy responses. This obsession has also led to a certain complacency that has blinded and obstructed our ‘strategic thinkers’ from charting a strategic policy framework that takes on external factors with a long-term strategic view, rather than with a tactical mindset that is given more to the immediate benefit than the long-term implications.
Demonstrations by banned outfits like Jamaatud Dawa, Jaish-e-Muhammad and their social apologists — Jamaat-e-Islami and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam — both in the aftermath of bin Laden’s elimination and the Mohmand attack must also be viewed in the same context. So does the cable operators action against the BBC merit mention here; why should all these actors, particularly the outlawed groups, have the courage to take to the streets and agitate on an issue that relates to Pak-US or Pak-India relations. The very groups constitute the core of contention between these countries, and activating them to underscore ‘our national interest’ clearly flies in the face of official claims that the state has nothing to do with these banned organisations. Nobody — either in or outside the country — takes official denials seriously and rightfully accuse the state of being duplicitous. Unless this duplicity ends, acrimony and mistrust will mark Pakistan’s relations with India and the US.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 8th, 2011.
COMMENTS (17)
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@Somy Seems like someone really knows the history!!
@Rizwan: Great reply. Yes, you are right.
Excellent article based on real facts on the ground. How long our establishment is going to lie to the poor people of Pakistan? For God sake think about the future generations who are fed lies, hatred, religious intolerance and hatred for others.
Dawood Ibrahim is a figment of Indian imagination and he lives in Mumbai, not Karachi. Who says Lakhvi is directing terror operations from his cell phone in jail, nonsense. The Taliban is being financed by RAW, we have eliminated them from FATA and Waziristan. Saleem Shahzad, who is he, where is he ? BBC should be banned as they are hurting peoples sentiments. Of course we will fight terror till death, not in neighboring countries though.
@Mekaal Ahmed How about 1432 years!!
In spite of all the rational articles and thinkings including the above one, I wonder how the deep state manage to keep the civilians under its belt. Either the deep state is that much smart or the civilians are so dump.
Curiously, the Americans claim that the air assault lasted 15 - 20 minutes, not the 130 minute figuire put forth by Pakistan. The investigation will play the command centre tapes and transcripts that deal with this incident in real time, so lets see where all this takes us. The problem for Pakistan and the US is that any report that does not support the pakistani line will be condemmed as fraudulent by the Pakistani establishment and media. That may explain why Pakistan refused to participate in a joint investigation, which would have interviewed the Pakistani officers on duty and involved with this incident at the joint command centre! Those offficers will now no doubt be "unavailable" to prevent their questioning!
"Nobody — either in or outside the country — takes official denials seriously and rightfully accuse the state of being duplicitous."
I hope Pakistanis believe at least this statement above and not spin this as yet another conspiracy theory.
The ISPR's own statements contradict each other and yet no-one asks them which of the statement is a lie. Example: Army said that they kept pleading to IAF forces to stop the bombing since it was a Pak checkpost but ISAF ignored the please and continued bombing for 2 hours.
ISPR also says that PAF would definitely have responded. What prevented retaliation was the fact that communication infrastructure was broken down.
If the communication infrastructure was broken down then how did they find out about the incident in time to plead ISAF to stop bombing?
You mean to say that our soldiers of Islam have been lying to the nation who pays them? Pakistani generals never just lie to the nation, they do not discriminate. They lie the whole world. No terrorist was ever present in our army base. The Abbottabad, GHQ and Mehran Base attacks were lies of West. Our brave soldiers always take the nation into confidence. They are open and transparent, just like the SC including the current PCO SC. It is the naive people who still get deceived by the generals. "Deceived me once shame on you deceived me twice (many times in this case) shame on me"
The last paragraph by the author is the HEART of Indo-Pak confflict.
@faraz
Agreed 100%.
Fed on lies? How about 64 years?
No matter how much truth you say.. people will still like conspiracy theory..
Generals are laws unto themselves. The country had been prostituted and pimped to the highest bidder almost since the inception. There are no authorities or media members who could ask questions on the earlier misinformation spread by the Khakis. US is partly responsible for current dire situation as it courted Pakistan regardless of who is in power and how they got that power.
I know diplomacy is the art of telling lies wrapped in truth. But even then there is certain basic minimum logic involved - for instance lies donot contradict each other and may even be aligned to a large extent to actions. But the establishment in Pakistan takes lying to a whole new level!!
By inventing conspiracy theories to explain terrorism inside the country, the state has deliberately kept people in a state of denial. Powerful militant networks have survived despite wreaking terrible violence, and have developed deep roots in the society. Every now and then, you will find a terrorist attack in the world with roots traced back to Pakistan. This policy of denial will eventually lead Pakistan towards global isolation. All pro or anti Pakistan networks must be dismantled at all costs, whether through military operations, negotiations or police action