| Pakistan, India and America: Religious Extremism | |||
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By: Kishan Bhatia August 20, 2006 Views expressed here are author’s own and not of this website. Full disclaimer is at the bottom. 
FeedbackExtremism, religious or in the form of suppression of citizen rights for free speech is nothing but an exercise of brute force. In the age of digital connectivity, WMDs and technologies to literally and economically flatten the world, the days of ruling a nation with brute force - and an ideological mindset frozen in the past that allows for suppressions of individual rights - are numbered at least for a nation that wants to be identified as a moderate nation, enlightened or not. I quote from TOI Editorial, Time for anger, not sermons by Pritish Nandy, July 15, 2006: There's a difference between bravery and foolishness, between courage and helplessness. ....What do they mean when they say they will not allow peace to be compromised? What do they mean when they say terrorism will not be allowed to win? What do they mean when they say Mumbai will not be intimidated? The truth is: Peace has been compromised. Terrorism is getting away, again and again. Mumbai is intimidated. Tall talk cannot save a city from cunning, ruthless, efficient criminals who know that our systems are vulnerable and compromised, our response mechanisms suck.. But it's silly to boast about 98% attendance at work the day after a series of bomb blasts. It shows as much callousness as it does courage. Other cities mourn their victims. New Yorkers still grieve over 9/11. Londoners still remember with horror the blast in the underground. In Bali, they still light candles and shed tears for their dead. In Madrid, crowds still gather at the site where 192 people died in a terrorist strike. Every city lives with its memories of pain and loss. Every city tries to learn from the experience so it can cope better. They do not gloss over the tragedy and pretend as if nothing happened. They try to hunt down the guilty, punish them, and strengthen their intelligence. They put in place civic safeguards. Bush went one step further. He bombed the hell out of terrorist hideouts in Afghanistan. Here? Here, no one has a clue. I agree with every word Mr. Nandy printed. But he didn't offer a solution; scolding others and delivering a sermon is not an effective solution. The elected officials and bureaucrats - looking to grab headlines - did little to help victims of Mumbai train blasts. Offered below is my proposal for India and Indian leadership to consider and may be proactively implement it to solve terrorist problem India has and continue to face. As for Pakistan time is wasting away if President Musharraf is unable or incapable of choosing between cease and desist on terrorism from or self-destruct. In the Indo-US statement of July 18, 2006, India's top diplomat Mr. Shyam Saran stated that India's "defensive diplomacy" is over and to be a credible candidate for permanent membership of the Security Council, India must adjust its traditional positions. Indian government's response to the Mumbai train blast of July 7, 2006 should offer an opportunity to show India's new resolve. I propose that India should be proactive against state and al Qaeda sponsored terrorism by cooperating with American and NATO forces and by using its influence to enlist Russian military participation in stabilizing Afghanistan to get the upper hand over religious extremism instigated insurgency guided by masterminds in Pakistan. Stupid is what stupid does. President Musharraf and notorious al Qaeda chief Mr. Osama bin Laden are not stupid. So far, President Bush and Indian leadership has been gullible as they have failed to see that Mr. Musharraf has not been trustworthy. Fool me once shame on me, fool me again shame on him! Both Indian and American leadership talked tough against Islamic terrorism each time terrorist struck their nations. Contrary to a perception of America as an invincible superpower, it is time for leaders of each nation - victims of Islamic terrorism - realize that individually they are not capable of eradicating state - Pakistan, Iran, etc - and al Qaeda sponsored terrorism. About seven years ago Musharraf made a connection that unless economy was revived Pakistan was destined to be a failed state. President Zia ul Haq (1978-1988) had shown that religious extremism pays and it pays handsomely if America is a customer! For Mr. Musharraf question was how to duplicate President Zia's performance in reviving Pakistani economy. I use an exclamation point in a sentence, "Religious extremism pays and it pays handsomely if America is a customer!" to emphasize the irony associated with development of mutual interdependence on religious extremism by America and Pakistan. Exclamation points are used to signify humor, horror, sarcasm and a host of other emotions. Exploitation of religious extremism for political and economic gains brings fourth all such emotions including surprise and irony. Saudi Arabian Islamic terrorist putting holes in New York's skyline on 9/11/2001 provided the opportunity Mr. Musharraf was looking for. America made an offer he couldn't refuse and billions in "rent" payments - otherwise known as economic and military aid - flowed in from 2002 to 2006 to revive Pakistan's economy. The irony is not only Pakistan but also America exploited religious extremism to further national interests. America contracted Pakistan for services to maintain its regional hegemony. The data for 1980s and 1990s showed convincingly that Pakistan's economy suffered during periods American "rent" money was not coming in. Pakistan's economy in 1980s was dependent on sustained income generated by renting its services to America. Exploitation of religious extremism had turned two nations mutually interdependent. America and Pakistan viewed political consequences of religious extremism from national perspectives with a limited interest in furthering each others global aspirations and either ignored or justified possible can't be helped syndrome!) collateral damage to other nations in the region. It's a business deal for both nations; one nation seeks other's services to project its regional hegemony in exchange for regular rent payments. America and Pakistan were drawn together to fight communist in Afghanistan in 1980s. Both nations perceived a potential threat from the USSR occupation of Afghanistan. A fear was that through Afghanistan USSR may gain access to warm waters of Indian Ocean, potentially compromising America's regional hegemony and Pakistan's fragile national security. After the event of 9/11 America coerced Pakistan to join NATO and America in the global War on Terrorism in exchange for patronage of military dictator President Pervez Musharraf and billions in "rent" payments. At the height of American attacks on the al Qaeda and Taliban forces in mountainous regions of Northern Afghanistan to shore up political support for Mr. Musharraf America allowed evacuation of an estimated 12,000 fighters into Pakistani across the Durand Line. It now appears that an estimated 10,000 of these fighters were Taliban and al Qaeda operatives fleeing from war zone. Along with the leadership of al Qaeda and Taliban these fighters were provided sanctuaries in Pakistan to regroup recoup and get ready to revive insurgency in Afghanistan. President Bush has repeatedly described Mr. Musharraf as a "moderate" and Pakistan as a "staunch ally." Five years after attacking Afghanistan, America is finding out that Pakistani Taliban and al Qaeda have completed regrouping and re-supply of the forces in Mr. Musharraf"s Faujistan and embarking on an intense insurgency in Afghanistan. During last three years Islamic terrorist have turned Iraq into a quagmire and now Pakistani Taliban appear to be creating another quagmire in Afghanistan for America and NATO-allies. While America is expecting Mr. Musharraf to proactively eradicate terrorist operating from within Pakistani territory, Pakistan has adopted the "yes-but-however" posture against terrorism. It practices radical and revolutionary political Islam by sympathizing with radical causes. The posture starts with "yes" the mass murder of innocent people is horrendous crime followed by a "but" - a claim that the ruling establishments (India, America, etc.) share the blame for the tragedy as they ignore legitimate grievances of terrorists - and "however" - unless the ruling establishment yields to the political demands it could expect more attacks. As long as America and NATO continues to rely on Pakistan in exchange for the "rent" payments to and patronage of the dictator of Pakistan many nations including America, NATO countries, Russia and India are likely to continue to suffer collateral damage inflicted by Islamic terrorist. Victims of terrorist attacks on soft targets are innocent civilians, mostly knowledge workers and financial centers. The putting of holes in New York's skyline by Islamic terrorist was followed by a series of train bombings: 3/11/2004 Madrid, Spain, 7/7/2005 London, UK and 7/11/2006 Mumbai, India. The UK and India train bombings were well coordinated multiple attacks in minutes of each other. These attacks targeted financial centers of each country. Nearly 3,000 knowledge workers perished in the collapse of two World Trade Center towers and 50 to three hundred persons died and several hundred wounded in train attacks in each country. Each of seven bombs that exploded in Mumbai trains was placed in first class compartments preferred by middle-class upwardly mobile knowledge workers of India for commuting to and from work. The location of masterminds for each of these terrorist attacks is traceable to Pakistan. A proactive solution for India, America, NATO nations and Russia to terrorism problems lies in stabilizing Afghanistan without Pakistani participation as Mr. Musharraf has shown over last five years that he is not about to kill the hen - religious terrorism - that has been laying golden eggs all these years. I propose a three point proactive plan of action. India and Russia should join America and NATO forces in Afghanistan's defense by supplying troops. Since America and NATO now have access to airbases in Afghanistan, there is no need to pay billions to Pakistan for airbases and support for War on Terrorism. International community should declare that any aggression, including continued support of proxy wars and terrorism by Pakistan will result in retaliations including attacks by allied forces on its nuclear and missile facilities. Termination of American "rent" payments, a united international force protecting Afghanistan from insurgents infiltrating from Pakistan and India moving its forces along the entire India-Pakistan international border to guard against potential misadventures by Pakistan, it will be for Pakistan to choose to cease and desist or face certain self-destruction. Unless America and other nations that have been the victims of terrorism are willing to unite and get tough, Pakistan will continue to exploit religious extremism to subsidize its limited economic resources heavily burden by its huge army and terrorist infrastructure. It is time for India to join other nations actively engaged in defeating Islamic terrorism by the religious extremist. A stable Afghanistan should be India's and all other nations - victims of terrorism - on the top of foreign policy agenda. Kishan Bhatia
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