Civil war rages. The good neighbours are getting sucked in. The bad neighbours are looking for a fight. The cast comes with the territory: professional soldiers, mercenaries aping those soldiers, career criminals aping the mercenaries, and everyone killing everyone in between. Local currency is skyrocketing, life expectancy is in freefall. Kids are bombed every day. Rape is a weapon.
There’s not been much press. Or at least, press beyond experts with accents feigning concern twice a month. It doesn’t help that the US has forgotten about the whole thing, after making the standard gargling noises.
A former doctor serves as president, a black joke to anyone in the healing business. He’s a walking foreign policy trap: a man who massacres his people, but wears business suits and smiles a lot. The West’s sort of embarrassed — he’s a noisy anti-American, but also the only secularist in sight. The Russians are less sensitive, plying him with guns and flag-pins, because they can. Russians don’t blink.
Then there’s the resistance. They’re scrambling for funds. Their PR is only slightly better than the state’s — they’re not above ‘atrocities’ of their own, they hunt down minorities and upset the wider world. They have a million different ideas of how to run the war, and zero planning for what happens next.
And then there’s the nutjobs — zombies who speak of paradise and smell of petrodollars, lopping off hands all the way to the capital. They’ve sprung up out of nowhere, these foreign-sounding, alien-looking gentlemen. Talking heads tell us they’re not Native to The Soil, but they’re busy planting black-and-white flags all over said soil anyway. There’s not a lot of them, but they’re harder than the lot. It now dawns on everyone that, as far as candidates go, the crazies are a great fit for running hell. By then, it’s already too late.
Welcome to ’90s Afghanistan, where life is cheap and the world doesn’t care. If it checks out for Syria, chances are it checks out for Pakistan’s Last Big Proxy Project.
Like Syria, there were plenty of proxies to contend with: as was mentioned in an earlier offering, the Iranians backed Mazari. The Indians backed Massoud. The Saudis liked Sayyaf. The Russians stuck to Najib, the hammy ex-communist. The Afghans waited. The Afghans, whose country it was.
Dostum turned on Najib, but Najib survived. Tanai turned on Najib, but Najib survived. Pakistan lost its cool and tried to take Jalalabad from Najib, in a manic attack that saw thousands die. Najib survived. In a long line of policy disasters, Jalalabad stands out as utterly shameful.
What we did later, of course, requires little recap. Massoud took Kabul. Gulbuddin began rocketing Massoud. A brand new outfit calling themselves the Taliban grabbed Kandahar. And as far as covering blood in blood goes, they were better at delivering than anyone else. They killed Najib. They killed Mazari. They — or their friends — killed Massoud. It doesn’t take war theory to figure out who won. Just Gulbuddin was left, and he was busy fighting Armenia (Armenia won).
Yes, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar Engineer was a born loser, and Pakistan decided to cut its losses and bet on winners. That bet has stayed with us over 18 years later. A generation of Pakistanis has come of age knowing only war. Jumping into Syria will damn the next one.
Pakistan required no justification for siding against the Soviets during the ‘80s — it was that or hailing Comrade Lenin like the other —stans, which continue to read Gorky. But it sadly has no justification for what it did afterwards in the ‘90s. And it has no justification for what it may do in Syria. A better exchange rate doesn’t cut it.
Syria is one big, blood-splattered mess. Assad is mowing kids down. The Free Syrian Army has lost the plot. And ISIS — i.e., the usual al Qaeda boys — have started stoning girls in Aleppo. Fresh from managing mayhem in Iraq, ISIS is tripping over bodies to take down Northern Syria. The Turks are reeling, Iran and Hezbollah are tag-teaming the Gulf, and everyone’s pushing the Kurds over. And we’re supposed to pick a side?
Though the Bhuttos and Assads have long been too close for comfort, the PPP’s distancing itself from the war was exactly the right move — for a wounded army, a worried people, and a Pakistan bombed weekly. Mightn’t Nawaz League understand that?
In typical N-League fashion, it says it does, denies everything, and goes off to repeat the same with Bahrain. It’s called IR 101, the N-Leaguers say, give-and-take. Lots of money for a bad economy means a stronger stomach… for arming Arab concerns. Pakistan’s being bailed out by its Old Friends, but don’t forget that Pakistan’s bailed out its Old Friends too. It stationed troops in Saudi Arabia to fend off another brutal Ba’athist (Saddam before Assad).
But that cannot go on, not anymore. The world’s gotten much messier since then. Mr Nawaz Sharif in Bahrain will not be Brigadier Zia in Jordan, the defender of the Kingdom. What’s crucial is that he stop trying to be, and reasons abound.
One, Pakistan cannot become an exporter of sectarian thought, when that exact narrative is what feeds sectarian blackness in southern Punjab. Two, it cannot be dishing out military might when it’s fighting tooth-and-nail along its own frontier. Three, it cannot become a meddling middle power when it screams itself hoarse over foreigners playing Great Games in Quetta and K-P (not to mention a native population that blames milk prices on Masonic conspiracy).
The President of Pakistan recently said that all diplomacy is hypocrisy. While this makes for some sound Kissinger-for-Kids, Pakistan is in desperate need for actual statesmen. Either we bring Mr Yaqub Khan out of retirement, or get ourselves a foreign minister. Devoid of either, let’s not begin to think of touching Syria. Pakistani peacekeepers enjoy a cherished history, at times with more active UN personnel than any other place.
It is that side — not the dark, desperate one we showed in Jalalabad — that needs nurturing.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 25th, 2014.
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COMMENTS (26)
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News reports mention that Pakistani's (non-state actors!!!) are already in Syria, and therefore, a slight lull in the attacks on home ground. Pakistan should make sure they never come back, good luck Syria, good luck Saudi Arabia, good luck Iran, good luck all the players, Pakistan's contribution to world peace.
@ali:
you are funded by isreal saudi and amercia.
@antanu:
The reason why what you say is not true is because pakistanis are already going to syria to fight and the gov is doing nothing.
@TUNG: India was willing to walk away from economic benefits that come from picking a side - be it US in 60s and 70s; Saudis and US in 80s; Saudis in the 90s and US. And Saudis since 2901. The first 5 decades Pakistans had a better standard of living on average than India - not because India was producing less than Pakistan but because Pakistan was receving freebies for renting out its state and later non-state actors.
You can choose the same path as India as long as you are willing to pay the economic price that India has paid.
@antanu: it is funded by Iran!
I think Al-Saud's rule will end much sooner before Pakistan actually turns up to help them because the east and west both have in fact found the real axis of evil from within their allies.
" Either we bring Mr Yaqub Khan out of retirement, or get ourselves a foreign minister." The learned author may or may not have made a credible suggestion but the fact remains that people are the ones who do and are to suffer the consequences of bad policies. It is no one else than the people themselves who are responsible for everything they endure. We need to give serious considerations to the commands of our most wonderful well wisher, Lord Creator. Lord Creator commanded us to steer clear of the path of Shaitaan repeatedly yet we follow the forbidden path to bring miseries upon us. The Syrians have done exactly the same so have done the Egyptians, Libyans and the tragedy is just about waiting to visit Saudi Arabia unfortunately for what they are planning. We shall not remain aloof for bringing more trouble upon us for ignoring the commands of Lord Creator. We the people need to come together to work to bring peace everywhere starting from the localities where we live. This is the command of Lord Creator. Failing that we can be sure that our inaction in obeying the Lord in coming together to join hands with each other, to foil the deadly plans of Shaitaan and his disciples, will not stop the tragedies visiting us the way it is visiting the Libyan, the Egyptians and the Syrian people. You have been warned. Everyone must come out of their homes to organise Peoples' Union to bring about the rule of justice and consequential PEACE. Yes, illah qeelun salaamun salaamah.
@oton Millions are dying of hunger in Somalia, don't you care for humanity out there in Somalia?
The Saudis should think twice about enlisting Pakistan's help on Syria.
As Afghanistan proved, anything Pakistan puts its hands on rots.
Our behavior is reminiscent of a weak character. All hollow beating and nothing to show for. . In fact we are always looking for somebody to depend upon . First it was America, like a suckling we breastfeed-ed upon her, now it is Saudi Arabia and looks like Turkey is also in the line.Great nations are never like that. They are able to stand on their own, even if they are poor, without looking at anyone for alms.
-And then there’s the nutjobs — zombies who speak of paradise and smell of petrodollars...
I think the author is referring to the gift of petro dollars by SA to pakistan in lieu of pakistan's support for SA and anti-syrian rebel. However, the author is being a bit too harsh on pakistanis
Another foreign policy apologist
Since the lion of Punjab is incapable of forming a foreign policy, or has the acute wherewithal to conduct one, why can't this country rent a foreign a foreign minister. simply there are no capable people here to take the post of Foreign minister. We could rent Clinton. Or Former PM Brown. or Major,..even Blair. Seems like a good idea.
When a prince of the ruling Saudi royal family calls our PM ' our man in Pakistan ' .......... is there any room left for day dreaming.
@Alam: We wish he could!
very thoughtful....its is already too much on our plate......nations which do not learn from history are doomed.....nawaz sharif please stay out of the dirty arab politics....even if means some dollar gains.
The same foriegn minister who once said i wish we were not neighbouring the afghan iran ha haha
Then don't blame others poking their nose into your affairs feeding you with the same poison.
Their is enough sectarian violence already! thousands of pakistanis have died from the hands of sectarian animals being funded from saudi nationals!we should distance ourselves from these barbarians as much as we can
Sadly they are so short-sighted they would still go on on project syria!why on earth cant we be neutral like INDIA!why do we always have to pick sides!the arabs just look at their self interest and nothing else,so should we
why dont you become foreign minister?
A little late. We committed ourselves to be Wahhabis a long time ago. We back Saudis over Shia Iran in the past and we will be on their side in the future. The billions in gift does not hurt our siding with our Sunni brothers.