Why Western Countries Put Blind Eye On Terrorist Grown On Pakistani Soil
Some time I wonder why western countries avoid taking any firm stand on terrorism grown on Pakistani soil though in private conversation they accept it as a stark reality.
Former Indian High Commissioner in UK J Bhagwati wrote some time back that a senior British Official said in private conversation with him that 'if Pakistan knew Osama Bin Laden was hiding only few kilometre from Pakistan's Military Academy in Abbottabad then it is a rogue State and if it did not know Osama was living at this location for over five years than it is a failed state.' Despite such no nonsense observations and realisation in private, USA, UK and other Western Governments have never demanding of Pakistan in public. In contrast, West is on-off arming dissidents and bombing Iraq, Libya, Syria and Afghanistan's area bordering with Pakistan to stop covert and overt involvement with terrorism. Indian analysts are often exasperated and even apoplectic about why they perceive a wilful condoning of terrorism emanating from Pakistan.
To my mind, it is because of the high stakes the West has in maintaining reasonable relations with a strategically located Pakistan, and more widely with the Muslim Ummah. Also let us not forget that when Russia entered into Afghanistan and managed pro Russian Government there, the Western powers created Talibans with the help of Pakistan to fight a show war to flush out Russians, West provided weapons, training, logistics to Talibans using Pakistani soil. Pakistan had encashed this opportunity. But the religious fanatic monsters created by Western Powers with Pakistani help are now beyond anybody's control, probably 9-11 is culmination of that only.
Now let us talk about Muslim Ummah. Ummah is an Arabic word meaning supra national community with common history. Pakistan is one of the largest country in terms of population in the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), in fact it is the onlyIslamic Republic with nuclear weapon and a large professional army thus it has substantial clout with in OIC, especially with West Asian and Gulf countries. Most of the Western nations have sizeable Muslim minority and thus are sensitive about Pan Islamic sentiments. Take the case of Britain, out of it's 28 Lac Muslim citizens, many are unemployed for generations and have come under influence of radicals also complicit in terror related activities.
On the other hand, American thought leader Thomas Friedman wrote in is book World is Flat that it is India's flawed but vibrant democracy that has resulted over time in overwhelming majority of Indian Muslims thinking of themselves first and foremost as Indian. India has also it's own vulnerabilities vis a vis Gulf countries, where about 50 lac of it's citizens are working in the region.
In the year 2013, six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations having only 4.4 Crore population earmarked annual defence budget of US$ 105 billion, which is almost double of the size of India's defence budget while their military is only 21% of India's. India imports most of it's weapons from Russia while GCC nations source almost entire defence supply from Western countries thus keep Western defence factories running. Pakistanis an influential member of the OIC thus exercises influence on the member countries, and use OIC platform fanning anti India propaganda.
So it is the economic, strategic, security interests of Western countries,which fuels selective amnesia about Pakistan based elements abetting terrorism in nearby countries especially India. Gradually, they have also started understanding that flames of terrorism emanating from Pakistan will affect them but their business interests obstruct them to take some concrete steps. Western countries are likely to add to the number of dead and wounded, and incur haemorrhaging expenditures in never ending conflicts in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and more widely in the region. We should complement quiet urging with some plain talk that reaches their electrorates.
Former Indian High Commissioner in UK J Bhagwati wrote some time back that a senior British Official said in private conversation with him that 'if Pakistan knew Osama Bin Laden was hiding only few kilometre from Pakistan's Military Academy in Abbottabad then it is a rogue State and if it did not know Osama was living at this location for over five years than it is a failed state.' Despite such no nonsense observations and realisation in private, USA, UK and other Western Governments have never demanding of Pakistan in public. In contrast, West is on-off arming dissidents and bombing Iraq, Libya, Syria and Afghanistan's area bordering with Pakistan to stop covert and overt involvement with terrorism. Indian analysts are often exasperated and even apoplectic about why they perceive a wilful condoning of terrorism emanating from Pakistan.
To my mind, it is because of the high stakes the West has in maintaining reasonable relations with a strategically located Pakistan, and more widely with the Muslim Ummah. Also let us not forget that when Russia entered into Afghanistan and managed pro Russian Government there, the Western powers created Talibans with the help of Pakistan to fight a show war to flush out Russians, West provided weapons, training, logistics to Talibans using Pakistani soil. Pakistan had encashed this opportunity. But the religious fanatic monsters created by Western Powers with Pakistani help are now beyond anybody's control, probably 9-11 is culmination of that only.
Now let us talk about Muslim Ummah. Ummah is an Arabic word meaning supra national community with common history. Pakistan is one of the largest country in terms of population in the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), in fact it is the onlyIslamic Republic with nuclear weapon and a large professional army thus it has substantial clout with in OIC, especially with West Asian and Gulf countries. Most of the Western nations have sizeable Muslim minority and thus are sensitive about Pan Islamic sentiments. Take the case of Britain, out of it's 28 Lac Muslim citizens, many are unemployed for generations and have come under influence of radicals also complicit in terror related activities.
On the other hand, American thought leader Thomas Friedman wrote in is book World is Flat that it is India's flawed but vibrant democracy that has resulted over time in overwhelming majority of Indian Muslims thinking of themselves first and foremost as Indian. India has also it's own vulnerabilities vis a vis Gulf countries, where about 50 lac of it's citizens are working in the region.
In the year 2013, six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations having only 4.4 Crore population earmarked annual defence budget of US$ 105 billion, which is almost double of the size of India's defence budget while their military is only 21% of India's. India imports most of it's weapons from Russia while GCC nations source almost entire defence supply from Western countries thus keep Western defence factories running. Pakistanis an influential member of the OIC thus exercises influence on the member countries, and use OIC platform fanning anti India propaganda.
So it is the economic, strategic, security interests of Western countries,which fuels selective amnesia about Pakistan based elements abetting terrorism in nearby countries especially India. Gradually, they have also started understanding that flames of terrorism emanating from Pakistan will affect them but their business interests obstruct them to take some concrete steps. Western countries are likely to add to the number of dead and wounded, and incur haemorrhaging expenditures in never ending conflicts in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and more widely in the region. We should complement quiet urging with some plain talk that reaches their electrorates.
Comments
Post a Comment