[Reader-list] Dousing the Fires of JIHAD IN PAKISTAN

[Pawan Durani]

Dousing the Fires of JIHAD IN PAKISTAN

By Dr. Ajay Chrungoo

THE new government in USA lead by President Obama has claimed to
create a new regime of thinking to fight Islamic terrorism. The focus
is gradually shifting from Iraq to Pakistan which is being gradually
recognised as the epicentre of global terrorism. Adrian Leve and
Catherine Scott-Clark in their work 'Deception' have reflected the
view now shared by a large corpus of experts on international politics
and terrorism when they say, “when politicians in London and
Washington describe Musharraf as a key ally in the war on terror, what
they really mean is that he is their only Islamic ally in the region.
So with the White House and 10 Downing Street unable to countenance an
alternative, Musharaff's Pakistan remains at the epicentre of terror,
a disingenuous regime with its hands on the nuclear tiller".

The apprehensions in India that Brak Obama links the improvement in
situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan to the solution of Kashmir
problem have not died. But US governments categorical advice
articulated by Obama himself that India is not a threat to Pakistan
and that Pakistan needs to change its views about India creates a
space for a new thinking on the region.

For the first time at least from a very optimistic and theoretical
point of view one can venture to debate now that the problem of
Pakistan is the nature of Pakistan itself. Unless this nature
undergoes a transformation the motor which drives the polity in
Pakistan to virulent anti-Americanism, compulsive hatred for India and
voluntary embracing of Jihad, cannot to turned off. To think that
Obama meant this when he urged Pakistan to change its outlook with
regard to India is perhaps reading to much between and into the lines.

The release of 1.5 billion dollars of aid to Pakistan at this juncture
once again pin points to the fact that USA has not as yet shunned the
suicidal expediency with regard to Pakistan which has plagued its
outlook to contain the global Islamic stridency and violence.  A
former advisor to Bush Regime on weapons of Mass Distruction who lead
researches tracking Pakistan's nuclear progress from its inception
categorically states," Pakistan is top of the list. It is the number
one threat to the world at this moment in time. If it all goes off, a
nuclear bomb in a US or European city. I am sure we will find
ourselves looking in Pakistan's direction."

Without generating a legitimate and vigorous introspection into the
vital and important components of the polity in Pakistan, the
financial bailout by USA only helps to nourish the vicious cycle of
duplicity, deceit and deception which the Pakistani state has
practised. To believe that the Pakistan Government and army have
shunned ambivalence and duplicity and are rallying round to decisively
counter radical Islam and its military might is very premature. To
convey that the consent and compliance of Pakistani state in the war
against Al Qaeda, Taliban and Muslim international is critical to US
lead war on terror is fraught with the same consequences as has been
the patronising of the Zia-ul-Haq regime and eventually Pervez
Musharraf. How many time did President Bush describe Pervez Musharraf
as 'his best friend' and the most important 'ally' in the war against
terror. These dictators always thought that the US alliance with
Pakistan was more critical than the concerns of USA on nuclear
proliferation and the imperatives of global war on terror.

Many believe that USA is fully entrenched in Pakistan, has defanged
the nuclear smuggling network run by notorious KRL from Kahuta and has
taken control of at least that commond centres of the Nuclear Bomb
possessed by Pakistan. A few examples will suffice to make us
re-examine our premises.

Pakistani military continued its nuclear procurements even after the
smashing of the network of Dr Qader Khan. While Musharraf was
negotiating AQ Khan's expulsions and eventual house arrest with Bush
in New York, Pakistani Military establishment was continuing with the
procurement of material related to nuclear proliferation. Asher Karni
of Top-Cape Technology, a Captown firm that imported US electronic
goods to South Africa, was asked by a Islamabad based firm which was
only a front for Pakistani military, to procure thirty-six US
manufactured oscilloscopes for Pakistan, costing $1.3 million Bush
refused to raise the issue with Musharraf at Camp David on 24 June
2003. Three days later the South African company confirmed Islamabad
that they had procured spark gaps in the US at $950 per piece. The
first batch of sixty-six spark gaps arrived in South Africa on 8 Oct,
2004. That very day Richard Armitage and General Pervez Musharraf in
Islamabad were having a discussion to finalise how to settle the A.Q
Khan issue. On October 21,2003 Humayun Khan took the delivery of the
first batch of spark gaps in Pakistan. The shipment was useless
because customs agents and anti proliferation sleuths had switched the
spark gaps for harmless components keeping the whole affair out of
Musharraf's knowledge. The entire affair came to court in March 2005
in USA. Intriguingly the US State Department had closed down many
requests to travel to Pakistan to interview Humayun Khan, who if
extradiled and found guilty could have been jailed. It was openly
reported that 'Suddenly the US government was affraid of offending
Pakistan, its partner in war on terror," During Zia-ul-Haq's time also
the US government had ambushed court cases, sealed them and those
accused in smuggling equipment and material related to nuclear
proliferation were allowed to leave USA.

General Musharraf took over the Khan's mill manufacturing nuclear
components immediately after he had made himself President,
restructuring it and transforming it into a world class facility with
extraordinary input. In 2005 Lt. General Abdul Qayum Khan, the
chairman of the mill said, "It was through Musharraf's daring, honest
and visionary leadership that we have seized the moment". What did he
mean was explained candidly by General KM Arif who had run the nuclear
programme. He said about the nuclear business and the People's Steel
Mill created by Dr Qader Khan as, "We have labs and the industry to
rival the west. Once we sulked around. Now Pakistan is producing
high-frequency invertors. They used to come from the UK and now we are
selling them ourselves. Maraging  steel too. Once we struggled but now
finally we are manufacturing it at People's Steel Mill and exporting
it. It is better than you can get outside". Maraging Steel is used in
high quality centrifuges used in enrichment of uranium. For Pakistan
state to untemalise the view that USA will overlook its national
interests to accommodate Pakistan is not a wishful state of mind the
ground.

Proliferation experts have almost confirmed that Pakistan has
continued to sell nuclear technology even after Musharraf became the
best friend of Bush. Nobody has taken notice of the release of Dr
Qader Khan from house arrest by the Pakistani courts under the
supervision of Zardari government which has been having turbulent
times and which cannot survive without the American support. Release
of Khan is an affront which USA has swallowed as it has done many
times in past to preserve its relation with Pakistan.

During the uncertainty in Pakistan caused by the lawyers long march
the former Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharief said in an
interview to an Indian channel that, "I am not worried about
happenings in Swat. I am worried about what is happening in
Baluchistan." The implications of the statement were ignored. The
statement basically reflected the dominant view in Pakistan that does
not view Isalmisation and consequent radicalisation as a threat to
National Unity and progress but sees the repressed subnational urges
as the threat to Pakistan.

To see army operations in certain parts of Pakistan as a corrective
applied by the Pakistan state to change itself is erroneous and the
new US regime is perhaps committing this error. The army operations
against Taliban and non-state actors is in essence a vicious struggle
for control of power. In essence Pakistani army is seeking only to
tame the non-state actors so that they agree to work within the
discipline and parameters created by Pakistani  state more
specifically the Pakistan Army. The Taliban and other Non State actors
on the othre hand are exerting the pressures on Pakistani army to
conform to the dictates of Pan Islamic vision and act as its sword
arm. If Pakistani Army wins it will seek to play the determining role
not only as a frontline Muslim state but also as a nuclear Muslim
state to shape the politics which will be none other than Islamic. If
Taliban and Al Qaeda win the will of Pakistani army, will be
subassumed into their will. Both ways the space for egalitarian and
moderate politics is either obliterated or exists only as a mirage. US
has been chasing this mirage to its own determinant.
When Brak Obama says Pakistan has to change its outlook with regard to
India does it mean a fundamental change in outlook or is it only
diplomatic assurance to Pakistan that India has been forewarned of any
misadventure while Pakistani Army is grappling with its internal
menace.

If Brak Obama means a fundamental change then we will see
restructuring and recasting of international debate in Pakistan.
Pakistan in such a scenario will have to cease to be a Muslim pocket
created in post War period as a twin brother of Israel to contain or
divide Asia. To help Pakistan to recast its outlook means changing its
character. Pakistan has to emerge as a country where pluralism takes
roots on a principal of equality which cannot happen so far political
Islam takes precedence in its National Vision. Pakistan even if it
wishes to emerge as a polity on the principal of equality, cannot do
so unless it delinks comprehensively from Kashmir. Kashmir is the
cardinal expression of Pakistan being a frontline Muslim state for the
expansion of Muslims power towards east. So Kashmir acts as a motor to
drives the mills of Jihad. Any solution to Kashmir which palacates
Jihad will never help in dousing its fires.It well only act as its
fuel for expanding to new frontiers.

Source: Kashmir Sentinel, May 2009 issue