Time for a policy change

Pakistan is at a crossroads. It can either support the US or continue to facilitate the Afghan-borne militancy.

As the US plans its exit strategy from Afghanistan after a highly contentious nine-year war, there is a major decision that the Pakistani leaders must take. In the battle against terrorists, the US has, more often than not, demanded Pakistani alliance.

Pakistan has complied. Diplomatic manoeuvrings almost made it possible for the Pakistani leadership to fool both the US and the Afghan militia in this convoluted intertwined political wedlock, where India has played an indomitably fundamental role.

Back in the day, Pakistani intelligence was fuelled with the golden currency to provide ‘hush-hush’ training to the Afghan guerrillas to fight the Soviet Union. The US, exogenously, ensured a fruitful and amicable relationship between Pakistan’s government and army and the Afghan mujahideen. One of these groups was later to become the Taliban and fight the Pakistani soldiers who had once trained them to fight the Soviets.

Ironically, the training bolstered and equipped the Afghan insurgency to insurmountable success. The result: An oppressive Afghan government where terrorism finds its breeding grounds.

Meanwhile India has been shaping most of Pakistan’s foreign policy decisions. Pakistan agreed to support the ‘mujahideen’ in 1979 and the decade which followed, keeping the arch-rivalry of India in mind. Pakistan aligned itself with the US, firstly because the US really didn’t give Pakistan an option and, secondly, because Pakistan has since independence been in search of an ally on its western border against a ‘potential’ threat from India.

During the war on terror, the Pakistani leadership was faced with a difficult time: Turn its back on Afghanistan and lose a potential ally and military support or fight America’s war. Pakistan surprised everyone. While some factions supported the US, allowing them to use our naval bases and soldiers, and permitting drones strikes, others continued to protect the safe havens for the terrorists in the region. No one was fooled.

Now, as the deadline approaches for the Obama administration to begin withdrawing its forces from Afghanistan, senior US military commanders are pushing for an expanded campaign of special operations ground raids across the border into Pakistan’s tribal areas. At this time the US will be looking to do all it can to make a lasting impact of its highly unpopular war. This will require unparalleled support from Pakistan.

Pakistan is at a crossroads. The leaders must decide where their alignment lies. Either they can support the US and sever all ties with the militants, risking a long-term threat from both the eastern and western borders or they can continue to facilitate the Afghan-borne militancy and sustain an amicable relationship, which they ‘think’ will come in handy, if India ever decides to attack. The latter decision will bear the cost of the security of their country and the world, but it might just pacify our Indian paranoia.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 29^th, 2010.