Fareed Zakaria’s poor journalism misguided allegations on Pakistan's Nuke Program

[That Guy]

At some point in time, when the military ruling Pakistan, wanted to soften the democratic aspirations in that country, it encouraged the mullahs to tighten their leash on the people, by narrowing the purpose of Pakistan to just this: Destroying a ‘Hindu India’ and this country’s ageless pluralistic value system. The strongest step in this direction was that of military dictator Zia-ul-Haq who nailed the Constitution of Pakistan to sustaining and promoting a single version of Islam. This came in handy for the mullahs who wanted to get the better of the military.

The consequences are there for all to see. An example is the TTP which has morphed into a multi headed hydra with the twin aims to introduce Sharia in Pakistan and destroy/take over the Pak army. Though these aims seem a trifle farfetched, it reflects the zia doctrine which is alive and kicking.

The chickens have finally come home to roost.

This is misleading.

First of all, we need to understand why Zia did what he did, without all the anti-Ziaism, and propaganda posted by Pakistanis themselves.

The truth is that Zia didn't encourage Islam because of India, he did it for other reasons, a few I'll list here.

1) Ethnic divide. Now, because of Pakistan's various ethnicities, and tensions between them, especially in Baluchistan, there was a desperation to unite Pakistan once and for all. Since 99% of Pakistan was Muslim majority, no matter the ethnicity, Islam was used as a way to help create better cohesion between communities.

2) The communist threat. Communism was Pakistan's greatest threat at the time, even more so than India. Pakistan could militarily handle India (even if it was difficult), but the USSR? The Warsaw Pact? No way. Pakistan wouldn't even last a week. This is one of the reasons why Pakistan kept it's activities covert, and continued it's relationship with the USSR. Pakistan did not want to risk all out war.

What does that have to do with Islamic conservatism spreading in Pakistan, during Zia's time? Well, for one thing, the USSR was known for exploiting internal strife in nations to it's own advantage, to spread communist propaganda. Since the USSR was also an atheist nation, communism and atheism were both lumped together. The idea was that Zia would use the threat of Islam declining in Pakistan, and the spread of atheism, to counter the communists within Pakistan. This is why the communist parties in Pakistan never really took off, and why there was general support for the hanging of Z.A.Bhutto, whom was considered a closet communist, due to his nationalizing various large corporations in Pakistan (this caused massive damage to Pakistan's economy, affects that are still felt to this day).

Now, of course, religious leaders answered his calls, and offered aid. This unfortunately gave them a lot of sway, as they ended up becoming far too powerful to simply disown and disband. With Zia dead, the last real leverage that Pakistan had over them, pretty much disappeared. The army recommendation of shutting down these groups weren't so much ignored, as they were impossible to completely implement without severe consequences (we can draw parallels here with Lal Masjid, and the rise of the TTP).

My final point is that, let us actually be completely honest here; Zia is guilty of many things, but hindsight is 20-20. Blame him for what he's guilty of, but for the right reason. In the end, it wasn't so much as "hindu India" that was the target, rather it ended up being a temporary relief valve. India was really just a target of circumstance to preoccupy the various groups that Pakistan could no longer keep complete control of.

 

[Faiez]

Don't blame the guy. How else could he pay for his expensive gnashers. Bad mouthing pays with shiny smile.

Agreed !