India Wants To Fight In Afghanistan Until The Last American
ZAID HAMID
After months of arrogant behavior, the United States is conceding to some of Pakistan’s demands, like unconditional aid and a check on Indian terrorist activities against Pakistan using Afghan soil. But does Washington know that India wants a war in Afghanistan until the last American soldier?
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan—It sounds strange but the fact is that the United States is now under pressure from Pakistani armed forces, it is pretty clear now. The US dependence upon Pakistan for war in Afghanistan and the passage of NATO supplies through Khyber and Chaman means that US has to remain sensitive to the demands of Pakistani armed forces. We are not saying Pakistani government here, as the government does not exist. Every decision the PPP government takes is either under US dictation or under pressure from Pakistan army. It has no direction, mind or vision of its own.
As far as India is concerned, Pakistan army has its own serious sensitivities despite US desire to change the strategic direction of Pakistan’s security establishment. US desire that instead of India, Pakistan should consider Afghan Taliban as the greater enemy and allocate resources to their elimination. But the Indians presence in Afghanistan, their support to TTP terrorism and Baluchistan separatist forces and their persecution of Kashmiri Muslims in IHK continue to convince Pakistani nation and GHQ that India remains the greater threat than Afghan Taliban. This is highly frustrating for US and this week we saw some really irritated statements from Washington and even western media asking India to behave. This is interesting to observe. Indians are highly offended when US or western media advice them on Kashmir.
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US wants India to trim mission in Jalalabad, act on Kashmir
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NEW DELHI, June 11: Senior US diplomat William Burns gave Indian officials a wish-list on Thursday that aims to revive India-Pakistan peace talks, assures New Delhi of its vital role in Washington’s strategy in the region, and retrieves the hope for Kashmiri people to shape their own destiny. Local reports quoted unnamed sources as saying that the visiting US Under-Secretary of State also asked his interlocutors to trim India’s consulate in Jalalabad, which Pakistan sees as a distraction in the military campaign against Muslim extremists on the Afghan border…..
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India urged to look beyond LoC formula
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LONDON, June 13: India needs to consider a Kashmir solution based on ‘something more than the LoC’ if it is sincere in wanting to establish lasting peace in the subcontinent, said Mark Tully, the BBC fame journalist while speaking at a talk-show organized by the Commonwealth Journalists Association here on Friday. Accompanied by Soli Sorabjee, the former attorney general of India who was the other speaker at the talk show, he presented an analysis of recent Indian poll…….
Last week, we had given following assessment of the Indian thought process.
“Indians are extremely upset with developments in Pakistan and in their neighboring territories with Pakistan – Kashmir and Punjab. Following major developments are seriously irritating the Indians.
- Pakistani High Court released JuD chief Hafiz Saeed on account of no proof against him on charges of terrorism. Indians wanted him for Mumbai terror attacks.
- Kashmir civil disobedience and unrest if once again flaring up.
- Sikhs in the Indian State of East Punjab have rallied once again to demand a separate homeland and freedom from India.
- The Indian assets of TTP operating in Swat and FATA are being badly burnt by Pakistan army’s operation in the region, undoing years of Indian efforts to sponsor insurgency in Pakistani regions.
The unrest in Kashmir is gaining momentum and Indians fear is that any external support by militants or Pakistan can turn this unrest into an inferno. With massive Indian support to TTP terrorists, the idea must be bubbling in Pakistani mind to get even in Kashmir and Indian Punjab.
Despite best US efforts to reduce tensions between India and Pakistan and to initiate a “peace process” between the two especially over Kashmir, this is not happening in any time in near future. Even a pro-Indian Zardari government cannot do much about it against public and military sentiments which see Indians as prime enemies. For now, both countries would remain engaged in diplomatic and proxy wars where Indians definitely have an upper hand as Pakistan is forced to fight a high intensity war within its own borders, courtesy massive Indians covert support to TTP terrorists”
In fact, Indian frustration on the LoC is growing as Kashmir protests continue to gain momentum.
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Indian troops violate LoC, kidnap man
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MUZAFFARABAD, June 11: Indian forces violated the Line of Control four days ago and abducted a Neelum valley resident, an official said on Thursday. Manzoor Ahmed was collecting firewood from the jungle along the Line of Control when he was picked up and taken across by Indian troops, deputy commissioner of Neelum district Attaullah Atta told Dawn…..
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Asiya held amid fresh Kashmir protests
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SRINAGAR, June 10: Police have detained a leading female Kashmiri leader for participating in protests in occupied Kashmir over the rape and murder of two Muslim women, officials said.
Asiya Andrabi, who heads Daughters of Faith, was pulled in during a raid late on Tuesday in Srinagar, a police official said….
Understandably, Pakistan would continue to treat India as the most serious threat, despite best US and Indian efforts. Indians too want to present a soft face to Pakistan, trying to take full advantage of the pliant PPP government and Mr. Zardari, who feels “that there is an Indian in every Pakistani”. But here, both Indians and US are facing serious obstacles as Pakistani forces continue to treat India with the contempt it deserves.
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No change in India-specific defense spending likely
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ISLAMABAD, June 7: Where counter-insurgency operations require a lot of finances, the army says it cannot afford to have India-specific defence budget curtailed.
“If you are suggesting that we should take something out of here and put it in another box that would not be a wise strategy. War on terror does require resources, but it should not be at the cost of something else,” military spokesman Maj Gen Athar Abbas told DawnNews…
While, Indians are disappointed, they will not give up, but without compromising on their defined stance that Kashmir remains non-negotiable and Pakistan should do more to check militancy into Kashmir. This harsh stand is basically destroying all US hopes and attempts to initiate any kind of peace talks between two countries. Pakistan is welcoming US pressure on India.
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Singh sees ‘vital interest’ in peace with Pakistan
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By Jawed Naqvi
NEW DELHI, June 9: Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told parliament on Tuesday that it was in his country’s vital interest to retry to build peace with Pakistan and said New Delhi was prepared to walk more than half way if Islamabad would accept its share of the responsibility in the partnership.
Dr Singh’s unequivocal support for a resumption of stalled talks with Pakistan came in his reply to the customary vote of thanks to the address by President Pratibha Patil…
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US presses India to resume dialogue
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By Our Correspondent
NEW DELHI, June 10: A senior US official on Wednesday pressed India to resume talks with Pakistan but was told that Islamabad should do more first to prosecute the Mumbai terror suspects that New Delhi says are sheltered across the border. According to local reports, Indian Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon and US Under-Secretary of State William Burns met here, and the Indian side is believed to have pointed out that Pakistan had not done enough to curb terror directed against India or to bring to justice the perpetrators of Mumbai attacks….
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Renewed US push for Pakistan-India talks welcomed
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ISLAMABAD, June 11: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will visit India and Pakistan next month and the Foreign Office here sees the renewed American interest in resumption of Pakistan-India dialogue as a positive sign. “We find it encouraging if a country that is friend to both Pakistan and India is helping in the process,” Foreign office spokesman Abdul Basit said at the weekly media briefing…..
Another signal that Americans are now becoming more sensitive to a hard line being taken by Pakistani armed forces is the fact that their aid conditions are being softened up now without any strings being attached to nuke program or pleasing India. This is irritating for both hawks in Washington in Delhi but shows the growing confidence in Pakistani armed forces to dictate their own terms to US.
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US House drops A.Q. Khan, India from aid bill
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WASHINGTON, June 13: The US House of Representatives has dropped an explicit demand for access to Dr A.Q. Khan and another for preventing terrorist attacks against India as conditions in a legislation that triples US aid to Pakistan. In Washington’s diplomatic circles, the gesture is seen as a major concession from a house that has placed other severe conditions in the aid to Pakistan act approved on Thursday…..
But, there is other bad news in the making for Pakistan as the Hawks have not given up as yet, nor would they ever. It is a constant struggle for Pakistan to protect its interests whenever they get into an “alliance” with US. More trouble on the way as new bill is being formulated.
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US amendment seeks reforms in Pakistan to curb extremism
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WASHINGTON, June 10: The objectives of US policy towards Pakistan are to empower and enable Pakistan to develop into a prosperous and democratic state that is at peace with itself and with its neighbours, says an amendment moved in Congress. The amendment, which is likely to be adopted, also requires Pakistan to actively confront, and deny safe haven to Al Qaeda, the Taliban, and other extremists….
Indians want to fight to the last Americans when it comes to defeating Pakistan. While US would also like to see a very contained and docile Pakistan, the fact that US still does not have enough control over Pakistani nukes and NATO supplies pass through Pakistan make them very vulnerable and cautious towards Pakistan’s security demands through the armed forces. Pakistani armed forces are the only wild card for the US and India who remain fiercely patriotic and loyal to the country, making it impossible for the US or the Indians to have it their way despite installing a corrupt and compromised government.
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