Asif Haroon Raja
The sole super power priding to be the strongest nation in the world with all its economic indicators in the positive was viciously hit from within by 19 Arab hijackers on fateful day of 11 September 2001. Two hijacked Jumbo aircraft struck Twin Towers in New York in quick succession. Later on, the third aircraft hit part of Pentagon building and the fourth one was shot down short of Pennsylvania. 2973 Americans died in the process. The whole American nation sank into state of shock, fear and nervous breakdown. Dignity of the strongest nation lay shattered. Once the clouds of fright dispersed, those at the helm of affairs fumed with anger and put their heads together how to wreak vengeance on the perpetrators of incomprehensible and unforgivable crime.
Zionist controlled media upped the ante to stimulate hatred against Islam and its adherents. Within hours of the tragedy, Israeli former PM Ehud Barak blamed Osama Bin Laden (OBL) and prompted American administration to invade Afghanistan. The whole world went into mourning and termed the terrorist acts as the biggest catastrophe ever happened. All officials, writers and anchors of print and electronic media of the world comity shed copious tears of sympathy over the loss of lives and trauma caused and condemned the terrorists and their patrons severely.
Based on hearsay and assumptions, OBL led al-Qaeda based in Afghanistan was nominated as the accused even before carrying out investigations and accordingly war preparations were unleashed with frenetic speed and urgency. The US took no time to build an international coalition for the crusade. In order to make the military adventure appear compelling and purposeful, George W Bush led neo-cons coined the theme of ‘war against global terrorism to make the world safe and secure’. On 28 September 2001, the UNSC passed a resolution sanctioning invasion of a sovereign country with a view to combating terrorism.
The US then bluntly demanded physical support from all those willing to be with the US in its hour of crisis instead of offering mere sympathies. Option of staying neutral was ruled out and term ‘you’re with us or against us’ brandished. Gen Musharraf declared as a pariah by USA and western world because of his military coup against a democratic government in October 1999 was put the same question on the night of 12 September by Colin Powel. He had already been briefed by the then DGISI Lt Gen Mahmud who was on a visit to Washington about the ugly mood of American leadership. He had been warned by Richard Armitage that the US would send Pakistan into Stone Age if it refused to cooperate. When Musharraf said that he was with the US, he was given seven demands which he promptly accepted. Subsequently he did bring the requirements of Washington to the notice of civil and military policy makers and all agreed with him that he had taken the right decision. It enabled US-NATO military to mount an offensive as early as 7 October 2001 which changed the complexion of world dynamics.
Bugles of war were sounded and forces of destruction let loose on a hapless and impoverished nation which had no connection with 9/11. Whole range of destructive weaponry like daisy cutters, cluster bombs, stealth bombers, cruise missiles and depleted uranium were brought into play to rain molten lava from the air. The only fault of Mullah Omar and his Shura was that they refused to hand over OBL without providing them proof of his complicity. The US couldn’t oblige since it didn’t have any and had engineered the whole drama for altogether different motives. Its ranting and raving was a put up show. It is now widely believed that 9/11 attacks were engineered by Zionists under the framework of Dragon policy, framed by Mossad and RAW in 2001 for carrying out false flag terrorism
New rules on terrorism were formulated which envisaged punishing the terrorist networks and those who harbored, supported or aided them in any form. Thin line between terrorism and freedom struggle was also washed out to benefit Israel and India. Pakistan was a target prior to 9/11 and remained so subsequently but was treacherously made to believe that it was an ally of USA. The proposal of ‘with us or against us’ was a coercive call meant to frighten the military ruler to submit to America’s plan and facilitate its invasion.
Occupation of Afghanistan and formulation of new rules on terrorism gave a godsend opportunity to India to punish its arch rival Pakistan on account of its venture in Kargil and its overall policy of defying Indian hegemony in South Asia. While the US military and NATO got busy in mopping up operation in Afghanistan, India had its own set of priorities. It was desperate to regain its influence in Afghanistan and to bash Pakistan. While the US had politely declined India’s advice that Indian military would attack Pakistan from the west in concert with US-NATO attack on Afghanistan from the north, it agreed to its suggestion to deceive Pakistan by pretending to be its close ally and then forcing it to become frontline state, severing ties with Taliban, sharing intelligence, making available its airbases, airspace, Karachi Port and land routes via Chaman and Torkham for logistic support.
Behind the ruse of helping Pakistan in fighting terrorism nabbing runaway terrorists, CIA and FBI opened outposts in selected regions of FATA and Balochistan and also gained control over immigration department on all major airports. In short time, CIA started dominating ISI in matters of intelligence acquisition since it had superior means at its disposal.
Indian leadership then tasked RAW to chalk out a comprehensive covert war plan to destabilize and emasculate Pakistan’s institutions. In concert with Israel, Dragon Policy was put to use. This highly sophisticated operation is multi-faceted cohesion between intelligence, military, media and politics aimed at fragmenting nations which pose a threat to global agenda of international Zionism.
In order to gauge the reaction capability of Pakistan armed forces after its 70,000 troops had got deployed along western border and also to take the steam out of Kashmir movement,India stage managed a terrorist attack on Indian Parliament in Delhi in December 2001. In return for defusing highly volatile situation after ten-month military standoff, the US pressured Gen Musharraf to let India fence the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir, stop infiltration across LoC, ban Jihadi groups supporting Kashmiri freedom fighters and give a written commitment that Pakistan would not allow its soil to be used for terrorism in neighboring countries or for supporting freedom struggle in occupied Kashmir.
India also decided to bring Pakistan on its knees by building dams and controlling water in three rivers of Jhelum, Chenab and Indus. It had already heavily bribed regional political parties in Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to prevent construction of Kalabagh Dam at all cost since it had the potential to meet future agricultural and energy needs of Pakistan.
In order to subvert Islamic values and to divide the society, India and USA first helped Pakistan in increasing TV channels and then penetrated chosen channels to promote liberalism, secularism and obscenity. Media was also used to spread misgivings and despondency among aggrieved segments and to then instigate dissidents and quislings to pick up arms against the state forces.
RAW didn’t find any difficulty in giving final shape to the plan to destabilize Pakistan covertly since all it had to do was to dig out old files of 1980s in which RAW in collaboration with KGB and KHAD had carried out cross border terrorism against Pakistan using Afghan soil for a decade. KGB’s file on Baloch insurgency in 1970s was also consulted to revive old contacts among Marris and Mengals. RAW teamed up with CIA, Mossad, MI-6 and its own creation RAAM to carryout similar operations in FATA and Balochistan since all had common objectives. CIA facilitated entry of RAW agents in Pakistan and over the years the two agencies established an extensive network all over Pakistan.
Concurrently, Indian military planners started rehashing war plans and speeding up force modernization program. Latest state-of-art weaponry was purchased from advanced countries for all the services and missile and nuclear capabilities were upgraded. Israel not only became the biggest arms supplier of India but also helped India in up-gradation of its nuclear and missile programs and in fighting freedom fighters in Kashmir.
To reciprocate Musharraf’s generosity in defusing Kashmir movement, India agreed to ceasefire along the LoC in Kashmir and signed peace treaty with Pakistan. This was yet another ruse to make Pakistan lower its guards. Once the momentum of freedom struggle waned, Indian planners then began to give final shape to new doctrine of Cold Start which was Pakistanspecific and accordingly trained its mechanized battle groups supported by mechanized artillery and air force. Tactical nuclear weapons were manufactured to support independent battle groups. Indian Navy was geared to affect a naval blockade in Arabian Sea at an opportune time.
While India got down in real earnest to prepare its armed forces for the fourth round, Pakistan Army was pushed into the inferno of war on terror in which it was pitched against own people in FATA and Balochistan. In order to keep it embroiled irreversibly, all the five aligned intelligence agencies started funding, training, equipping and launching terrorists fromAfghanistan. TTP in FATA, TNSM in Swat-Malakand and BLA-BRA-BLF in Balochistan are foreign supported militias. Members of these outfits belonging to tribal areas are among the best fighters in Pakistan. These assets were bribed and turned into anti-state elements. Drones were also introduced by CIA to further stir up terrorism. Flames of terrorism initially lit inSouth Waziristan and interior Balochistan were gradually spread inwards towards other parts of Pakistan. Foreign hands keep pouring kerosene on embers of terrorism. Consequent to sustained psychological war, Pakistan has been charge sheeted with multiple crimes without providing shred of evidence to substantiate allegations.
Resultantly, Pakistan today is a scene of violence, death and destruction. Whereas Pakistan has suffered the most in US dictated war on terror and is the biggest victim of terrorism, the sponsor of the war instead of sympathizing has declared that Pakistan is the most dangerous country in the world and nursery of terrorism. According to Adm. Mike Mullen, Pakistan is exporter of terrorism and aligned with Haqqani network based in Miranshah, a bustling town of North Waziristan (NW) and epicenter of economic activity. ISI has been directly accused that it had a hand in recent attacks in Kabul. A case has been cleverly built up on the pattern of endgame of Vietnam War in which story of safe havens was played up and Cambodia made a scapegoat to cover up US military’s failure.
The US leaders embarrassed from series of debacles in recent weeks are trying to make Pakistan a sacrificial lamb in order to hide US military’s failures. They are trying to enact 9/11 like situation and have given an ultimatum to Pakistan that it is either with the US or with the Haqqani network. Obama, Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, Mike Mullen, Petraeus and Panetta who are firing threatening salvos should be realistic and try to understand that the American public as well as the world today is no more ignorant and will not get duped by psychological war again and again. They should know that neither the military and economic situation of USA is as strong as was in 2001, nor Pakistan is under a military dictator who could take decisions on behalf of the nation unilaterally. Rather, the US has become economically impoverished because of global economic meltdown and US excessive defence spending, and militarily weak and timid owing to the beatings it is receiving at the hands of Taliban in Afghanistan. Moreover, after the US lies about WMDs in Iraq were exposed, who would believe its Haqqani network story?
Judging from the barrage of accusations and threatening posture, it can be assumed that the US has finally decided to stick out its neck into North Waziristan where the neck choppers are impatiently waiting. If the US Special Forces opt for another unilateral action, it will undoubtedly add to the woes of Pak security forces, but repercussions of the venture would be unbearable for USA since it would amount to digging the last nail in the coffin of adventurers in Afghanistan. Any hostile act by US forces would greatly help in unifying the otherwise divisive nation.
For a change PM Gilani and FM Hina Rabbani are giving bold and sensible statements and are not showing any signs of weakness. A call for an All Parties Conference has been given by Gilani to solicit support of all political forces. Religious parties and groups are getting restive and have expressed their resolve to stand behind armed forces in case of US physical intervention. As opposed to juvenility displayed by US military leaders, Gen Kayani remained cool, calm and collected and gave measured and sensible statements. Consequent to last Corps Commanders Conference, the Army has readied its response actions in anticipation to all possible options the US could exercise with or without India and has expressed its full determination to face the challenge squarely.
Even the militant groups currently fighting Pak security forces in all probability would turn their gun barrels outwards, as they had done in 2009 when Indian forces were rearing to attack. In short, every Pakistani is firmly of the view that the US is unreliable, double-dealer and a cheat. They agree with Gilani that America and not Pakistan should do more since Pakistan has sacrificed a lot to help USA but the US instead of being grateful is leaving no stone unturned to degrade Pakistan. They say with one voice that enough is enough and it is high time thatPakistan should distance itself from fair-weather friend and get rid of deceptive US aid tied to harsh conditions. They say that time has come to throw away the crutches provided by unpredictable USA and that Pakistan should learn to stand on its own feet. They also suggest that our policy makers should takeout its eggs from the US basket and shift them into the basket of China who has proved by its deeds to be trustworthy and an all-weather friend. We should also strengthen our backyard by developing very intimate relations with Iran which is in the firing line of USA.
ThinkTank
