Asif Haroon Raja
Given the fascist and anti-Muslim agenda of the BJP, a political baby of the RSS, the founding fathers of which had adopted the Nazis ideology and had aspired to cleanse Bharat of the impure aliens and to convert Bharat into a Hindu State, Pakistan’s hope to develop friendship with India based on sincerity amount to living in fool’s paradise.
As long as the BJP presided by Modi is in power, Pakistan’s relations with India will remain unfriendly and hostile.
Any gesture of friendship made by the Modi regime will be deceitful since it’s agenda will remain unchanged.
India has always considered Pakistan a thorn in its flesh and the only obstacle in its way to achieve global power status.
India’s expansionist ambitions received a setback when Pakistan attained nuclear parity and China became it’s strategic partner.
For the first time, India is faced with a viable twin threat at a time when it’s internal situation is in disorder and the economy has slumped.
India is forced to reconfigure it’s force goals and it has deployed forces to meet the threats on its western and northern borders.
Otherwise, India had always deployed two- thirds of forces including the strike corps against Pakistan. All it’s force modernization and upgradation programs including the Cold Start Doctrine have been Pakistan specific.
Bulwark against China story is a gimmick to acquire sophisticated arms from the West.This farce was exposed in the recent military stand off in the Himalayas.
Hindu extremism in India began to surge up in the 1980s when the BJP under Vajpayee and Advani appeared on the Indian political scene and challenged the monopoly of the Congress under Nehru dynasty. Hindu extremism became violence prone after Modi gained power in 2014.
The Western powers and Israel had lost hopes in the Congress and wanted to try out an extremist party which could aggressively deal with China and Pakistan and make India the unchallenged dominant force in South Asia. Since then, the Modi regime has kept the political and security temperatures on the boil. Modi has left no stone unturned to browbeat Pakistan into submission.
India became the strategic partner of the USA in 1990 and Pakistan fell from the grace of Washington. Soon after, Israel teamed up with India in 1992 and the trio together with UK formed a nexus to achieve their global ambitions.
The four jointly conceived the 9/11 false flag operation to justify launching global war on terror. Eight Muslim countries were to be destroyed as part of short and medium terms objectives while Pakistan was to be destroyed at a later date through indirect strategy since it was a nuclear power.
The biggest ever covert war spearheaded by India was launched against Pakistan from the Afghan soil in 2002. Objectives were to destabilise, de-nuclearize, de-Islamize and balkanize Pakistan. Massive funds were spent to make the proxy war successful. Hybrid war was added to exploit the vulnerabilities in Pakistan’s social fabric.
India’s cross border terrorism and state terrorism as well as it’s fake narratives were fully supported by the West. The US signed strategic partnership treaties with India and Afghanistan but not with Pakistan which on papers had been made a frontline state and a non-Nato ally. Pakistan was and still is a target and not an ally.
While the US pretending to be a friend of Pakistan deviously tied up the hands of the Pak security forces to prevent them from giving a tit for tat response to India’s acts of sabotage and subversion.
The US also kept Pakistan under pressure by falsely accusing that it was in collusion with AlQaida and Haqqani network. The US misused the IMF and FATF to keep Pakistan’s economy in the doldrums. India’s minister admitted that it was owing to India’s lobbying that Pakistan is still in the grey list.
Pakistan was also attacked on the cultural plane through media to glorify western and Indian cultures and to demonize Islam. Idea was to loosen the moral turpitude of the youths and to dampen the spirit of Jihad.
Proxies were extensively used to bleed Pakistanis and to detach Baluchistan and Fata from Pakistan.
India helped by the US increased its influence in Afghanistan and it dominated the policy makers in Kabul. India also established defence and strategic ties with Iran as well as with the leading Arab States.
This exterior manoeuvre was undertaken to strategically encircle and diplomatically isolate Pakistan and to be able to launch proxies from the NW and the SW. Media war aimed at projecting Pakistan a terror abetting state and India a victim. The web of intrigue was woven to make Pakistan a failed state.
Unfortunately Pakistan leadership fell into the honeycombed trap laid by the USA in 2001 happily. Sweetness of the honey numbed the good senses of the leaders and the elites. Overpowering glitter of dollars benefitted the upper class only which gladly played the US tunes lauding its efforts to eliminate terrorism and to make the world peaceful.
So powerful was the magic of the untrustworthy USA, which has a history of betraying Pakistan in testing times, that the leadership befriended anti-Pakistan Karzai regime installed by the US, and helped him in getting elected repeatedly by facilitating Afghan refugees votes. Similar cooperation was extended to the unity regime led by Ashraf Ghani and Dr Abdullah.
Matters didn’t end there. Overlooking the ten months military stand off in 2002, Pakistan hastened to sign peace and friendship treaty with India in Jan 2004. Prior to that, six Kashmir focussed Jihadi groups were banned and their accounts frozen. The LoC in Kashmir was silenced and movement across the dividing line curtailed. India was allowed to build a fence all along the LoC. These one-sided concessions were doled out to appease the fuming India and to please the double dealing USA, but in the process the Kashmiris freedom movement was blunted.
There was euphoria over the peace treaty with India, and the people were misled to believe that soon all the core issues including Kashmir would be resolved through people to people contacts, confidence building measures and promoting trade and cultural ties. All proved illusionary and the euphoria crashed after the false flag operation in Mumbai in Nov 2008.
Since then, India is showing its true colours and is constantly bashing Pakistan on unproven charges of terrorism and Pakistan has been bending over backwards to prove that it is not. To appease India, the JuD leaders including Hafiz Saeed were put under trials and jailed without proving their involvement in the Mumbai attacks. After their release by the courts, they have once again been jailed on charges of money laundering in order to appease the politically motivated FATF.
Friendship with India and Afghanistan proved highly injurious since it gave a free hand to RAW and NDS to conduct terrorist activities in Pakistan. It was at the cost of losing whole of FATA and PATA to the TTP and interior Baluchistan to the BLA, BRA, BLF. These lost regions were recovered by the security forces after giving a very heavy price in blood.
Ironically, loss of 80,000 human lives and financial loss of 150 billion dollars didn’t open the eyes of our leaders and the elites. The US, India and Afghanistan were considered as friends. No change was brought in Pakistan’s foreign policy which remained US centric.
Insensitive Pakistani leadership ignored the constant bleeding of ordinary mortals at the hands of RAW and NDS sponsored terrorists and continued to do more to remain in good books of the US.
Anti-Pakistan Ashraf Ghani was extended support till his last day in power. This support was given at the cost of annoying the Afghan Taliban who had caused no harm to Pakistan in the 20 years war. They didn’t want to share power with deceitful collaborators.
While some change came in our dealings with India, desire for friendship never waned. This wish is despite the fact that Modi and his hawks have been openly vowing to break Pakistan into four pieces and have never missed an opportunity to cause pain to the people of Pakistan.
The foundations of one sided policy of appeasement was laid by the PPP and the PML N regimes and given a boost by the Musharraf regime. Fear psychosis hidden under the concept of peaceful coexistence has encouraged India to have its way and get away with it. It is somehow not grasped by our successive regimes that peace doesn’t suit the imperialist designs of India aspiring to establish Akhand Bharat, and appeasement doesn’t provide security.
Notwithstanding the changed attitude of the incumbent govt to expose the ugly face of India, the policy of appeasement has not been wholly given up even after illegal annexation of disputed IOK by India in 2019, and its future plans to annex AJK and GB.
Since Sept 2014, India has kept the LoC hot, and is flexing muscles by resorting to threats of limited war, surgical strikes, intrusions by drones and submarines. RAW is continuing to support the insurgents, fan provincialism, ethnicity, sectarianism, and widen differences among religious factions and is promoting anti-army propaganda to discredit it.
India feels no remorse in churning out fake news and stories to belittle Pakistan. India can afford to indulge in all sorts of crimes against humanity and in evil practices since the US led West and Israel are standing behind it.
How long will our leaders and the elites remain in the wonder land that Pakistan cannot survive or progress without the support of USA, and that it is in the best interest of Pakistan to remain attached with the US irrespective of the damages it inflicts upon the sovereignty and integrity of Pakistan. When will we understand that Pakistan is an eyesore for the US, Israel and India, and it had been discarded out of the US security calculus in 1990.
The only way for Pakistan to earn their goodwill is to accept the Indian hegemony, shed off Islamic credentials and become a secular state, hand over the nukes to the UN, forget about Kashmir and to distance itself from China.
If none is acceptable, than why to entertain false notions of expecting rewards from the USA, which is bracing to lock horns with its chief rival China and in league with India it is busy hatching conspiracies to unsettle the new Taliban regime in Kabul ?
What good change is expected in our foreign policy with dual nationality Mueed holding the portfolio of NSA? How can our economy improve if the Finance Ministry and SBP is in the hands of World Bank/IMF men?
The liberals in control of all the key offices are pro western and are comfortable with imported Westminster democracy and Anglo Saxon laws. They naively consider the maulvis wholly responsible for the existing malaise in the society but never look inwards to see their own frailties.
After the rural terrorism of the TTP and it’s affiliates in the northwest, and Baloch rebel groups in the southwest, and urban terrorism of MQM in urban Sindh, and anti-state activities of the PTM in KP, the TLP in Punjab has emerged as a new threat. It can become a bigger threat like the MQM since it has both street power and political power. It had emerged as the third largest political party in Punjab in the 2018 elections and with this latest deal with the govt in which it has been assured to be revived as a political party, its vote bank in Punjab and Karachi is likely to swell.
A tacit understanding has also been reached with the TTP which was facilitated by Sirajuddin Haqqani. The TTP has agreed to ceasefire and the govt will release some of its prisoners. Ceasefire and peace treaties with the proscribed groups will not solve the problem of radicalism and intolerance as is evident from our past experiences, unless a comprehensive strategy is evolved to doctor the root causes.
Pakistan’s economic lifeline is Karachi which was earlier bled white by the MQM under Altaf Hussain, and now by the parasitic PPP. Most of the money laundering, shipment of dollars abroad, drug trafficking and smuggling of fuel is done from the Karachi harbor and the Mekran coast. Biggest sugar Mafias and hoarders are based in Sindh and in Punjab. Wheat is smuggled to Afghanistan through KP. Corruption has in a way been institutionalised. These unholy practices keep the national kitty empty.
CPEC which is seen as the future lifeline of Pakistan to make it self-reliant is not moving forward on the desired speed.
The politicians, bureaucrats and the law enforcement agencies are in league with the Mafias, smugglers and the underground dons. Judicial inequities have impaired the justice system.
The incumbent govt doesn’t have the requisite majority in the two houses to carryout reforms and bring about improvements. It’s ranks are filled with turncoats and black mailers. The opposition is least interested in reforms and is least bothered about the external dangers since their sole interest is to topple the regime and recapture power.
The paid propaganda brigade is busy tarnishing the image of the army and the ISI under a calculated program since the adversaries of Pakistan know that until and unless these two trunks are made brittle, they cannot achieve their nefarious objectives.
Strains which appeared in civil military relations in the wake of posting of the DG ISI was exploited to the hilt by the opposition and the media. Although the matter has been amicably resolved, one hopes it doesn’t leave behind scars of mistrust to compromise the one page concept.
Given the tense geopolitical environment and frail political and economic situation, the dice is heavily loaded against the PTI govt which is left with only one and a half years time to deliver and get counted in July 2023 elections.
The writer is retired Brig Gen, defence analyst, international columnist, author of five books, Chairman Pakistan Thinkers Forum.
On Sun, 24 Oct 2021, 7:57 pm Gordon Duff, <gpduf@aol.com> wrote:
https://veteranstoday.com/2021/10/24/post-us-withdrawal-from-afghanistan-part-2/
Post US withdrawal from AfghanistanPart – 2Asif Haroon Raja“We are all brothers and sisters under the skin and above it . . . it’s super important that we stop lobbing bombs over the top of the wall and start trying to dismantle it, so that we can say ‘hi’ to whoever is on the other side, whether the divide is religious or nationalistic or politic or economic.” – Roger WatersPunitive actsThe western world is bent upon teaching a lesson to the Taliban for their audacity to degrade the sole superpower and NATO. Calculated steps are being taken to crumble Afghanistan’s economy and to make it a failed state. Apart from freezing their foreign exchange reserve and directing the IMF and World Bank to suspend financial aid, the US is pressuring the international community not to recognize the new regime in Kabul. Without recognition, humanitarian aid cannot be galvanized.Instead of bailing out the new Taliban regime in Kabul from the economic crisis by providing humanitarian assistance and according it diplomatic recognition, it is accentuating its melancholies. It will provide assistance based on conditions that aid will be distributed by its NGOs and 2600 Afghani agents who were evacuated by CIA. Fake news are being spread by Indo-western media and sponsored protest marches for women rights organized in Kabul and other big cities to debase the Taliban.Upset by the growing rapport between Pakistan and Taliban, the US wants to penalize both by using the tools of diplomatic isolation, economic war, proxy war, hybrid war and sanctions. Dollars are pouring into Pakistan to destabilize the political situation, weaken the economy and possibly bring about a regime change.The USA being the biggest war monger and violator of democratic and human rights is demanding from the Taliban not to violate human and women rights, promote girls education and to form an inclusive regime of its choice.Ironically, massive human rights abuses committed by India and Israel against the Kashmiris and Palestinians, and both involved in ethnic cleansing to change the demography have never bothered the biased US leadership.India’s undiminished bellicosityEgged on by the US and Israel to intensify bellicosity against Pakistan, Indian media has intensified fake propaganda by claiming that Pakistan is behind the incidents of target killings of 9 Indian soldiers and some others in occupied Kashmir, as well as the attack by rebellious Sikhs against the RSS thugs in India, who are brutalizing minorities especially the Muslims. Hype similar to the post-Pulwama incident in Aug 2019 has been created and demand for surgical strikes has reached a crescendo. India’s Home Minister Amrit Shah has hurled a threat in this regard.To up the ante, Indian anchors are screaming and straining their lungs over the incident of the Indian submarine saying that Pakistan’s claim of detecting it and forcing it to trudge backwards is false. Another threat was tossed to cancel the India-Pakistan T-20 cricket match due on Sunday. Earlier on, India was behind the cancellation of cricket series in Pakistan by the New Zealand and British teams. These bullying tactics are not new and have always been used to hide the genocide and rapes of the Kashmiris, and to placate Indian masses fed up of price spiral, growing poverty, rising cases of rapes and crimes and groaning under the misrule of fascist Modi regime.Desperate to return to Afghanistan, India is making concerted efforts to win over the new regime in Kabul and is offering extensive humanitarian assistance. Moscow’s help to convince the Taliban has also been sought.IS-K pitched against TalibanThe IS-K which was imported from Iraq and Syria in 2015 has been propelled to carryout suicide and bomb attacks in the major cities of Afghanistan and foment sectarianism to create insecurity. The CIA Director had stated last August that the best way to fuel trouble would be to make the Shias fight against the Sunnis as had been done in the Middle East. Sectarian game is being played with a dual purpose to show to the world that Afghanistan is an insecure country and it is beyond the capacity of the Taliban to control them. Secondly, justify the US air intervention.The two most battle hardened and ideologically driven Sunni groups (Deobandis and Salafists) have been pitched against each other to once again engulf the war-ravaged country into another round of civil war. While the hardline IS-K is war monger, and has an international agenda of change, the reformed Taliban desire peace and friendship with all the countries. They had given ample chance to the militants led by Ahmad Masood in Panjshir to settle the matter through dialogue and when Masood refused, the valley was forcibly wrested on Sept 6. Tajikistan and Iran are feeling uneasy with Panjshir coming under the control of the Taliban.Time is not far when the Taliban would be forced to launch a full-fledged offensive to eliminate IS-K, which is also posing a threat to Pakistan. Earlier this menace is eliminated from the Af-Pak region, better it will be for the overall peace and security of the region.G-7 ConferenceIt was held on Aug 24 by video to discuss the Afghan situation. The EU members were more concerned about the safety and evacuation of their nationals and their Afghan loyalists from Afghanistan. They promised one billion Euros humanitarian aid for the Afghans but so far the amount has not been received.G-20 Extraordinary ConferencePakistan and Iran, the two important immediate neighbors of Afghanistan were not invited to the conference by video held on Oct 12. Although the purpose of the conference was to generate donations for Afghanistan, no tangible results came out since the reps of western countries “wanted to tell the Taliban how to run their country and how to treat the women”, and laid down these terms as necessary conditions for doling out assistance. Russia and China wanted to follow the policy of non-interference. Another meeting is scheduled on Oct 30-31.Russia’s roleRussia hosted a summit at Moscow on Oct 14-15 to discuss the evolving situation in Afghanistan which was attended by reps from China, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, five Central Asian States and India. The US was absent. It was a follow up of the Dushanbe Summit of the SCO. A bombshell was dropped by Russia’s foreign minister Lavrov bluntly stating that the core burden of post conflict economic & financial reconstruction and development of Afghanistan must be shouldered by the USA-NATO occupying the country for 20 years.While India and Tajikistan expressed their grievances, the Taliban PM Abdul Salam Hanafi argued that the current interim regime is already inclusive. 500,000 employees of the former regime have kept their jobs.Vladimir Putin praised the Taliban efforts to tackle the threat posed by the IS-K and he said that there are 2000 Jihadis of this outfit, whose locations are known to the Russian intelligence and can easily snuff them if the Taliban gave a green signal. He also lauded Pakistan’s role, emphasizing that it was among the most important players in Afghanistan. It was decided to convene an international donor conference under the auspices of the UN.NATO SummitThe NATO summit of the defence ministers was held at Brussels on 19-20 Oct. The insensitive participants did nothing to help out Afghans except for giving sermons to the Taliban and holding them accountable for the ongoing acts of terror and alleged human rights violations in Afghanistan.Pakistan’s endeavor for peacePakistan is making hectic efforts to provide relief goods to the stressed segments in Afghanistan and has assured Rupees 5 billion immediate relief, but is itself deeply immersed in a host of internal issues. It has been appealing to the neighbors of Afghanistan as well as the OIC for a collective humanitarian response and is also urging the world bodies including the USA to come out of their materialistic mode and for the sake of humanity, mobilize international assistance for the Afghans who have been living in hellhole for the last 40 years.Their miseries would proliferate in the winter season, but egotism, antagonism, greed and bigotry is coming in the way of humanity. There is an urgent need for global convergence in Afghanistan to avoid the humanitarian crisis and coordinated efforts for the economic uplift of the Afghan people.Pakistan’s challengesPakistan has decided not to play into the hands of global powers like a hired gun to fight their wars and has opted to become a strong proponent of peace. It is in the backdrop of this change of policy that Imran Khan in reply to the question of the nosy western reporter asking him whether Pakistan will extend airbase facility to the US, had spontaneously retorted ‘Absolutely Not’. His curt response has not been received well in Washington. It is not reconciling with the policy of defiance of Pakistan and wants Islamabad to do as told to do or else get prepared for the consequences. The ruling regime is already feeling the heat of the external and internal fronts.Domestically, the people are getting restive due to rising inflation and uncontrollable price hike. The global economic crunch and Covid-19 have severely hit the economies of the developing world. The energy crisis has soared the prices of oil, gas and coal. Pakistan’s economy which has been in the grip of the IMF since 1990 is tumbling and debts are surging. External debt repayment is $ 14 billion and internal debt Rs 2.7 trillion. Economist magazine has listed Pakistan’s inflation 4th highest out of 42 countries. Pakistan needs gross external financing of $ 51 billion in current and next financial year to fulfil its needs. The IMF is levying tough conditions which if implemented would further enrage the people. FATF has again postponed its decision of taking Pakistan out of the grey list till next February.Under the prevailing grim environment and foreign agenda of a regime change, the possibility of coming out of an economic crisis is getting dimmer. Taking advantage of the unsettling trends, the PDM, PPP, Jamaat-e-Islami and the TLP have started flexing political muscles. They have embarked upon another round of protest marches and are hopeful to dislodge the government which they consider as incompetent. Their target is Imran Khan and they want to pay him in the same coin. Tough times are awaiting the rulers. What is urgently needed is political consensus and economic certainty as well as bridling up of paid media spreading gloom to ride out the brewing storm.The writer is retired Brig Gen, war veteran, defence & security analyst, international columnist, author of five books, Chairman Thinkers Forum Pakistan, Director Measac Research Centre, & Member CWC PESS & Veterans Think Tank. asifharoonraja@gmail.com
—–Original Message—–
From: asif haroon <asifharoonraja@gmail.com>
To: Gordon Duff <Gpduf@aol.com>; JimWDean@aol.com
Sent: Sun, Oct 24, 2021 4:14 am
Subject: Post US withdrawal from Afghanistan -Part 2
Post US withdrawal from AfghanistanPart – 2Asif Haroon Raja“We are all brothers and sisters under the skin and above it . . . it’s super important that we stop lobbing bombs over the top of the wall and start trying to dismantle it, so that we can say ‘hi’ to whoever is on the other side, whether the divide is religious or nationalistic or politic or economic.” – Roger WatersPunitive actsThe western world is bent upon teaching a lesson to the Taliban for their audacity to degrade the sole superpower and NATO. Calculated steps are being taken to crumble Afghanistan’s economy and to make it a failed state. Apart from freezing their foreign exchange reserve and directing the IMF and World Bank to suspend financial aid, the US is pressuring the international community not to recognize the new regime in Kabul. Without recognition, humanitarian aid cannot be galvanized.Instead of bailing out the new Taliban regime in Kabul from the economic crisis by providing humanitarian assistance and according it diplomatic recognition, it is accentuating its melancholies. It will provide assistance based on conditions that aid will be distributed by its NGOs and 2600 Afghani agents who were evacuated by CIA. Fake news are being spread by Indo-western media and sponsored protest marches for women rights organized in Kabul and other big cities to debase the Taliban.Upset by the growing rapport between Pakistan and Taliban, the US wants to penalize both by using the tools of diplomatic isolation, economic war, proxy war, hybrid war and sanctions. Dollars are pouring into Pakistan to destabilize the political situation, weaken the economy and possibly bring about a regime change.The USA being the biggest war monger and violator of democratic and human rights is demanding from the Taliban not to violate human and women rights, promote girls education and to form an inclusive regime of its choice.Ironically, massive human rights abuses committed by India and Israel against the Kashmiris and Palestinians, and both involved in ethnic cleansing to change the demography have never bothered the biased US leadership.India’s undiminished bellicosityEgged on by the US and Israel to intensify bellicosity against Pakistan, Indian media has intensified fake propaganda by claiming that Pakistan is behind the incidents of target killings of 9 Indian soldiers and some others in occupied Kashmir, as well as the attack by rebellious Sikhs against the RSS thugs in India, who are brutalizing minorities especially the Muslims. Hype similar to the post-Pulwama incident in Aug 2019 has been created and demand for surgical strikes has reached a crescendo. India’s Home Minister Amrit Shah has hurled a threat in this regard.To up the ante, Indian anchors are screaming and straining their lungs over the incident of the Indian submarine saying that Pakistan’s claim of detecting it and forcing it to trudge backwards is false. Another threat was tossed to cancel the India-Pakistan T-20 cricket match due on Sunday. Earlier on, India was behind the cancellation of cricket series in Pakistan by the New Zealand and British teams. These bullying tactics are not new and have always been used to hide the genocide and rapes of the Kashmiris, and to placate Indian masses fed up of price spiral, growing poverty, rising cases of rapes and crimes and groaning under the misrule of fascist Modi regime.Desperate to return to Afghanistan, India is making concerted efforts to win over the new regime in Kabul and is offering extensive humanitarian assistance. Moscow’s help to convince the Taliban has also been sought.IS-K pitched against TalibanThe IS-K which was imported from Iraq and Syria in 2015 has been propelled to carryout suicide and bomb attacks in the major cities of Afghanistan and foment sectarianism to create insecurity. The CIA Director had stated last August that the best way to fuel trouble would be to make the Shias fight against the Sunnis as had been done in the Middle East. Sectarian game is being played with a dual purpose to show to the world that Afghanistan is an insecure country and it is beyond the capacity of the Taliban to control them. Secondly, justify the US air intervention.The two most battle hardened and ideologically driven Sunni groups (Deobandis and Salafists) have been pitched against each other to once again engulf the war-ravaged country into another round of civil war. While the hardline IS-K is war monger, and has an international agenda of change, the reformed Taliban desire peace and friendship with all the countries. They had given ample chance to the militants led by Ahmad Masood in Panjshir to settle the matter through dialogue and when Masood refused, the valley was forcibly wrested on Sept 6. Tajikistan and Iran are feeling uneasy with Panjshir coming under the control of the Taliban.Time is not far when the Taliban would be forced to launch a full-fledged offensive to eliminate IS-K, which is also posing a threat to Pakistan. Earlier this menace is eliminated from the Af-Pak region, better it will be for the overall peace and security of the region.G-7 ConferenceIt was held on Aug 24 by video to discuss the Afghan situation. The EU members were more concerned about the safety and evacuation of their nationals and their Afghan loyalists from Afghanistan. They promised one billion Euros humanitarian aid for the Afghans but so far the amount has not been received.G-20 Extraordinary ConferencePakistan and Iran, the two important immediate neighbors of Afghanistan were not invited to the conference by video held on Oct 12. Although the purpose of the conference was to generate donations for Afghanistan, no tangible results came out since the reps of western countries “wanted to tell the Taliban how to run their country and how to treat the women”, and laid down these terms as necessary conditions for doling out assistance. Russia and China wanted to follow the policy of non-interference. Another meeting is scheduled on Oct 30-31.Russia’s roleRussia hosted a summit at Moscow on Oct 14-15 to discuss the evolving situation in Afghanistan which was attended by reps from China, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, five Central Asian States and India. The US was absent. It was a follow up of the Dushanbe Summit of the SCO. A bombshell was dropped by Russia’s foreign minister Lavrov bluntly stating that the core burden of post conflict economic & financial reconstruction and development of Afghanistan must be shouldered by the USA-NATO occupying the country for 20 years.While India and Tajikistan expressed their grievances, the Taliban PM Abdul Salam Hanafi argued that the current interim regime is already inclusive. 500,000 employees of the former regime have kept their jobs.Vladimir Putin praised the Taliban efforts to tackle the threat posed by the IS-K and he said that there are 2000 Jihadis of this outfit, whose locations are known to the Russian intelligence and can easily snuff them if the Taliban gave a green signal. He also lauded Pakistan’s role, emphasizing that it was among the most important players in Afghanistan. It was decided to convene an international donor conference under the auspices of the UN.NATO SummitThe NATO summit of the defence ministers was held at Brussels on 19-20 Oct. The insensitive participants did nothing to help out Afghans except for giving sermons to the Taliban and holding them accountable for the ongoing acts of terror and alleged human rights violations in Afghanistan.Pakistan’s endeavor for peacePakistan is making hectic efforts to provide relief goods to the stressed segments in Afghanistan and has assured Rupees 5 billion immediate relief, but is itself deeply immersed in a host of internal issues. It has been appealing to the neighbors of Afghanistan as well as the OIC for a collective humanitarian response and is also urging the world bodies including the USA to come out of their materialistic mode and for the sake of humanity, mobilize international assistance for the Afghans who have been living in hellhole for the last 40 years.Their miseries would proliferate in the winter season, but egotism, antagonism, greed and bigotry is coming in the way of humanity. There is an urgent need for global convergence in Afghanistan to avoid the humanitarian crisis and coordinated efforts for the economic uplift of the Afghan people.Pakistan’s challengesPakistan has decided not to play into the hands of global powers like a hired gun to fight their wars and has opted to become a strong proponent of peace. It is in the backdrop of this change of policy that Imran Khan in reply to the question of the nosy western reporter asking him whether Pakistan will extend airbase facility to the US, had spontaneously retorted ‘Absolutely Not’. His curt response has not been received well in Washington. It is not reconciling with the policy of defiance of Pakistan and wants Islamabad to do as told to do or else get prepared for the consequences. The ruling regime is already feeling the heat of the external and internal fronts.Domestically, the people are getting restive due to rising inflation and uncontrollable price hike. The global economic crunch and Covid-19 have severely hit the economies of the developing world. The energy crisis has soared the prices of oil, gas and coal. Pakistan’s economy which has been in the grip of the IMF since 1990 is tumbling and debts are surging. External debt repayment is $ 14 billion and internal debt Rs 2.7 trillion. Economist magazine has listed Pakistan’s inflation 4th highest out of 42 countries. Pakistan needs gross external financing of $ 51 billion in current and next financial year to fulfil its needs. The IMF is levying tough conditions which if implemented would further enrage the people. FATF has again postponed its decision of taking Pakistan out of the grey list till next February.Under the prevailing grim environment and foreign agenda of a regime change, the possibility of coming out of an economic crisis is getting dimmer. Taking advantage of the unsettling trends, the PDM, PPP, Jamaat-e-Islami and the TLP have started flexing political muscles. They have embarked upon another round of protest marches and are hopeful to dislodge the government which they consider as incompetent. Their target is Imran Khan and they want to pay him in the same coin. Tough times are awaiting the rulers. What is urgently needed is political consensus and economic certainty as well as bridling up of paid media spreading gloom to ride out the brewing storm.The writer is retired Brig Gen, war veteran, defence & security analyst, international columnist, author of five books, Chairman Thinkers Forum Pakistan, Director Measac Research Centre, & Member CWC PESS & Veterans Think Tank. asifharoonraja@gmail.com
Brig. General Asif Haroon Raja is on the board of advisors for Opinion Maker. He holds an MSc war studies degree. A second-generation officer, he fought the epic battle of Hilli in northwest East Bengal during 1971 war,
He served as Directing Staff Command & Staff College, Defence Attaché Egypt, and Sudan and Dean of Corps of Military Attaches in Cairo. He commanded the heaviest brigade in Kashmir. He is tri-lingual and speaks English, Pashto, and Punjabi fluently.
Currently, he is a defense analyst and columnist and writes articles on security, defense, and political matters for numerous international/national publications. He is chairman at the Thinkers Forum Pakistan, Director Measac Research Centre, & Member CWC PESS & Veterans Think Tank
He is also the author of many books; ‘Battle of Hilli’, ‘1948, 1965 & 1971 Kashmir Battles and Freedom Struggle’, ‘Muhammad bin Qasim to Gen Musharraf’, and Roots of 1971 Tragedy’. His latest book is ‘Tangled knot of Kashmir : Indo-Pakistan antagonism: vol. 1 and vol. 2″
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Very disturbing article. I could not get to sleep last night because of the question’s it raises & the answer’s to more than a few “suspicions”. Remember when see eye A head Tenant flew to PK 2 wks B4 big event and how head of ISI was in DC during it. Then there is the strange ire with China. Oh, they make some of their Weager inhabitants whom they suspect are radicalized work and attend re-educatiom… Not very nice, but compared to Guantamino and water boarding, being attack & by biting dogs, forced Sodomy, nobodies held for 15 years with no charges, it’s a holiday. But the real stunner from my perspective is that the big target is PK and DUH.. the Islamic bomb. Gee, who would have thought that all the China problems were most likely due to our due our our little buddy and Pks N-fangs which bigC protects? Geting the picture…?? Questions?
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