molson4u
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PRESIDENT OBAMA was right when he said" Pakistan and Afghanistan will stay destabilized for decades to come". Call it a warning or White house policy statement but Pakistani government misread and took a serious offense to it. Prime Ministers adviser on foreign affairs Sartaj Aziz gave a fierce response "Whatever the US president said about instability in Pakistan and Afghanistan are his predictions and have nothing to do with ground realities", he added.
Predictions? really !!! For Mr. Sartaj Aziz, Obama maybe a palmist, fortune teller or Tarot card reader but for rest of the world Obama is The President of the United States, a leader of the only super power, who listens to his advisers and policy makers before saying anything publicly especially to the joint session of the US house. Contrarily, PM Nawaz Sherif listens to Mr.Sartaj Aziz with stale thinking and policies. Pakistan however has finest foreign affair bureaucrats with western policy experience ( and I can name a few)but Sartaj Aziz stays the star in the eyes of the Pakistani PM. Sad for Pakistan and its future, if Mr. Aziz stays as adviser to PM Nawaz Sherif, Pakistan surely will see the inescapable outcome of its own war on terror..
May be unknown to Mr. Aziz, Indian lobby have secretly convinced the US administration for its lead role in Afghanistan since 2001 when Pakistani regime of Gen Parvez Musharraf was seeking right to governance and cash assistance in return for Pakistan's assistance in US led Afghanistan war. Slowly but surely, Indian lobby in US achieved success by changing the AFPAK strategy into INAFPAK (India, Afghanistan and Pakistan)policy. India, after securing green signal from US administration became the sixth largest donor to Afghanistan, providing the country with some $2 billion in aid to rebuild its fatally bruised infrastructure.
Since 2001, more than 10,000 Afghan students have studied in India, returning back with an education and technical skills, much needed for Afghanistan’s stabilization and development. India also invested in targets projects like Afghan parliament in Kabul and the Salma Dam in Herat to name a few. India has also lobbied corrupt Afghan leaders with US dollars to gain their support and protect Indian interests for decades to come.
Despicable it may sound, Pakistan policy on Afghanistan relies on its post Russian war relationships with some Taliban armed groups and its historic ties with its neighbor. This primitive approach of Foreign policy is making Afghanistan play in the hands of India while Pakistan has most definitely lost its grip on Afghanistan. Why shouldn't Pakistan lose? when Pakistan Foreign Policy adviser is claiming what Obama said are so called " Predictions".
Like British left disputed Kashmir region for India and Pakistan to fight over, US will leave Afghanistan for both countries to have a proxy war for decades to come. Its not merely a prediction but reality. Pakistan Armed Forces war on TTP terrorist groups in North and South Wazirastan will never bare fruit as long as Afghanistan is standing with India, providing refuge, training and much needed arms to destabilise Pakistan.
How far Pakistan's foreign policy is from reality is visible with latest visit of Indian PM Modi to Afghanistan. Prime Minister Modi received a warm embrace and welcome by Afghan president Ashraf Ghani who called Indian Afghan relationship as “bound by a thousand ties”, Indian PM inaugurated Afghan Parliament building constructed by India at a cost of USD 90 million. With another India foreign affair "victory" in his pocket, Modi spontaneously and sarcastically visited PM Nawaz Sherif with his delegation, on Christmas day, at his residence in Raiwind. Rest assure, the Pakistani PM and his adviser Sartaj Aziz naively claimed it as a great foreign affair victory for themselves.
Soon after, 2 January 2016, a heavily armed group attacked the Pathankot Air Force in India. After 80 hours of military operation, premises were cleared with 7 casualties including a colonel of National security guard. The Kashmir council, headed by Syed Salahuddin, who also heads the Hizbul Mujahiddin aclamied responsibility. Regardless, India government claimed this groups affiliation with groups who operates out of Pakistani-administered Kashmir and are Pakistani military assets. Indian PM Modi called his counterpart in Pakistan and was assured a appropriate action.
Behind the scene, India from the strategic point started a proxy war. Indian sponsored ISIS militant group in Afghanistan attacked Pakistani Consulate through suicide bombers on Jan 13th, 2016. Pakistan was again in bloodbath on Jan 16th, 2016 in Quetta Baluchistan where explosion killed one person and injured another 16, including three women and two children. Indian interference in Baluchistan is world known as just few months back Pakistan gave a dosser to UN and US on Indian involvement within its territory.
India made its policy clear when on Jan 20th, 2016, Indian Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar threatened Pakistan, “those who attacked us will also feel the same pain, the place and type of response would be of our choice. “Our patience at Pakistan’s move against terrorists, who carried out Pathankot and Mumbai attacks, was running thin."
The very next day, Jan 21st, 2016, Indian supported TTP group from Afghanistan entered Pakistani territory and attacked Bacha Khan University in Charsadda, slaughtering 21 innocent students and 1 professor. It is reported in media, India consulate paid 3 million rupees to the group.
Although Pakistani Foreign office refrained from implicating India directly to salvage it's new non substantive relationship with Indian leadership but reality is that after Kashmir and Kargil, controlling Afghanistan will be a new bone on contention for India and Pakistan for decades, as stated by President Obama.
Pakistan however in its own interest and stability, must revamp its Afghan policy to bring lasting peace in Pakistan. The policy must consist Carrot and Stick approach. Pakistan should help Afghanistan's development through reconstruction, small loans, Tuition free education programs and TAPI gas pipeline project in return for not letting their land used by Indian sponsored elements on Pakistan.
If the carrot part fails. All Afghan refugees should be sent back and Afghan government should be warned of any further attack by non state actors from Afghan territory into Pakistan will be consider an act of war by Afghanistan against a nuclear Pakistan. Pakistan can then carry out direct operation in Afghanistan and go behind those responsible for such attacks.
REF: AN EYE ON PAKISTAN