Fantasy Frontiers of Jammu and Kashmir

Once new countries are born or trampled by warring armies, many problems sprout that have far reaching ramifications. Kashmir is one such area on the world map which has become a jumping pad of wars between India and Pakistan since the British left their Empire to two independently carved out states from the British India. 

Much has been written on the genesis of the problem, but the fact remains that there was a foul play when demarcating boundaries on the very night of the independence against the agreed upon formula between the British and the leaders of the Indian National Congress and Pakistan Muslim League.

Pakistan and India thus went to a war soon after the Independence as both countries justified their legal rights over the area of Jammu and Kashmir. The dispute is not restricted to Pakistan and India alone - China is yet another contender who claims a portion of the disputed territory as her own.

Jammu and Kashmir - the Fantasy Frontiers [ Map: The Economist ]

I recently came across an interesting article on the status and frontiers of Jammu and Kashmir as it is claimed by China, India and Pakistan. The interactive map shows the status and extent of claims by each country along with commentary on the disputed territory.


The post also throws light on the disputed territory of the Arunachal Pradesh, presently under Indian control, but largely claimed by China.

Read details / see interactive map: The Economist

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How US can improve its image in Pakistan?

[ via Opinion Maker ] 

by Brig Nadir Mir

Regardless of US, Pakistan remaining allies or not, they were never destined to be enemies. Yet anti Americanism grows in Pakistan and frustration with Pakistan increases in America. Even though 'disenchanted allies' for long, the last decade, post 9/11 has resulted in a growing animosity. This is a result of American geopolitical naiveté, Pakistani wishfulness and Indians deceit creating an explosive brew. Yet there is a clear distinction between US and Pakistani global perceptions. US being a global albeit sole super power has to worry about a long list of geopolitical rivals, allies, surrogates and fence sitters.

Pakistan's case is much simpler. Its geopolitical world is limited. Indian threat, Afghanistan issues and American relations are key subjects for now. Afghanistan the geopolitical square on the global chessboard for testing both! 

American stock in Pakistan has plunged to the lowest depth. America needs Pakistan, while it is in Afghanistan. But Washington will need Islamabad even more ....

Read full post here...

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Bonn conference to yield nothing: Musharraf

[ Pakistan Today ] 4 Dec

While there is much uproar of Pakistan's decision not to attend the Bonn conference on Afghanistan as a consequence to deadly NATO attack on Pakistan's military check-posts, leaving 24 soldiers dead, the former President of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf says that the Bonn Conference will not produce any magical results that could solve the Afghanistan issue. 

Expressing his views in a television interview he said that no one knows who is leading the Taliban and who holds sway over them. 

“Who is the real commander of Taliban? This is an important question. Mullah Umer or Gulbadin Hikmatyar or Haqqani? So who should be talked to? ”

[ via Imposing Headlines ]

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NATO toning down the Deathly Air Attack on Pakistani check post “Grammatically”

It is just appalling and awesome – you kill people deliberately then “mince” your response in a manner that few can understand, thus confusing a majority.  The Saturday morning’s air attack on a Pakistani check post by NATO helicopters that left 26 dead and 14 wounded was a gruesome act by the so called “allies on the war of (t)error.”

Now instead of out rightly being apologetic of this shameful act of stabbing friends in darkness, the NATO is trying to use words that may confuse the readers and make them feel as if nothing much has happened. The ISAF spokesman uses the first confusing word of development of a “tactical situation” on ground, calling for close air support. Then it says it is “highly likely” that the air support “that was brought forward” caused the incident.

Brigadier Jacob, ISAF spokesman adds that he regrets the loss of life but cannot offer any apologies until the probe is completed.

On the other hand, US spokesman, quoting Ms Clinton and the US Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff adds: "These US diplomatic and military leaders each stressed -- in addition to their sympathies and a commitment to review the circumstances of the incident -- the importance of the US-Pakistani partnership, which serves the mutual interests of our people," the US statement said.

If we recall, in a similar air raid in September last year, the same very words were used, and a “full investigation” was vowed by the US, NATO and ISAF, when Pakistan threatened to cut of LOC of NATO. But nothing conclusive came out and a mere apology was aptly worded to close off the case. Like was the case of notorious Raymond Davis, who brutally and cold bloodedly killed three Pakistanis in broad daylight in Lahore and was siphoned off the country with tacit deals and yet no inquiries were conducted against him. And even if some questioning was made, it was not made public.

The Saturday raid has left 26 families lamented for the rest of their lives. God knows how many women have been widowed or how many children, may be some unborn, have been orphaned. Even those who are injured must be in pretty bad shape. May be many of them have lost their limbs forever or have deep scars, never to be healed.

This confusing War of (T)error continues with more casualties in Pakistan than in Afghanistan or of NATO and ISAF troops. While Pakistan has done much more than it should have, it is still being pressed to do more, even more and still more every day. How can a force fight on when its own ranks are being killed by the forces they are supporting?

The outrage by Pakistan is very obvious and logical. The rise of Taliban is a direct outcome of the NATO invasion of Afghanistan. The US having found its inability to achieve its objectives in Afghanistan is already packing off and in a hurry to leave war torn Afghanistan before it becomes another Vietnam for the USA. And when US exits, it leaves behind a more shattered and unstable Afghanistan than it was before US involvement in the region.

Its time now that our politicians sit down together and work out a clear cut approach on our involvement in this nonsense war and give its armed forces a clear cut mandate to retaliate if such like incidents happen again. There is no fun of calling emergency meetings every time such incidents take place and then hurriedly buy an apology from a low US official and start helping the NATO again. Let us for the sake of our future generations take decisions that are taken keeping in view the aspirations of our people and ensuring integrity of our country.

Let not mere words, articulately worded, tacitly framed, fool us every time an incident involving the national integrity of Pakistan takes place.

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The Day US Customs Found A Bullet In My Pocket

Just today, I read this post "The Day US Customs Found A Bullet In My Pocket" and I would like my readers to read this interesting post at: Wandering Earl

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Has Pakistan Declared Independence From US?

.....analysts among them are also divided. Some are of the view that the US has reached the end of its tether and the current ‘face-off’ is the final card, preparatory for the final divorce. This category of analysts is of the view that by threatening a pro-India position in future Pak-India debates over the status on Kashmir; the US is telling Pakistan to come to heel or face this, among other consequences!

Read the full post at: Has Pakistan Declared Independence From US? by Shaukat Qadir

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Why should Pakistan Army start operations in North Waziristan?

Recently there have been reports of the growing US pressure on Pakistan to ask its army to expand operation in the North Waziristan, after its success in the south. So far Pakistan has not responded positively and naturally for obvious reasons. Pakistan has been drawn into this War on Terror or may I say War of Error for the sake of US interests. People in USA are of the opinion that after 9/11, invading Iraq and then Afghanistan was a flawed strategy as it did not yield anything. Even the very pretext to invade Iraq to find and destroy the WMD turned out to be fake and a hoax. Rather the overthrow of the Iraqi government has increased Iran’s influence in the region, which is biting back the Americans now.

Coming back to Pakistan, the so called “safe havens” seems to have been created because of the US operations in Afghanistan. Due to the very porous nature of the Pak-Afghan borders over the rugged mountain terrain, it was easy for the militants to cross over to Pakistan and get “absorbed” in the local population due to similar appearance, language and aspirations. The Pakistan Army’s operation against these militants was a huge success, but it was undertaken at the cost of thousands of IDPs who had to leave their homes to clear way for the military operations. Some say that the move of IDPs was the largest ever move of people within one’s own country to save them from the collateral damages.

The operations in the North Waziristan would have a similar displacement of the local population, who would suffer, lose their houses and property as these would be destroyed in the operations. Doing so in the severe winters would further increase their woes as living in the open in tents would be miserable and deadly. And like the South Waziristan, the militants who infiltrated to the North would now move to another agency and this would go on and on. One can really be not sure as to who is a militant and who is not due to their appearance.

And the expansion of operation would not only be confined to the North Waziristan, the collateral damage will be felt all over the country in the form of bomb explosions and suicide bombings. The pattern has been the same ever since the army started taking action against the militants. So many civilians and innocent people have been killed since the army’s operation who didn’t even know where South or North Waziristan was.

And by the way who are these militants? The American officials claim that “Al-Qaeda” Is out there to weaken Pakistan and snatch its nukes. Who is Al-Qaeda anyway? Many in Pakistan believe that Al-Qaeda is in fact a US funded organization, which is taking operations not in Afghanistan but in Pakistan at the behest of the US to ultimately find an excuse to take over Pakistani nukes in US custody and ultimately de-nuclearize Pakistan. And this may be right too. Otherwise how can these militants continue to get state of art weapons, explosive devices when these are actually been cornered? Who is providing them funds to sustain? Don’t tell me the Saudis are doing it.

Now there is news of moving in the US forces into Pakistan to “wipe out” the safe havens. The presence of Black Water personnel is already raising concerns. With the moving in of the US forces, the hidden agenda seems to be getting exposed. Such actions are based on similar assertions as were presented before invasion of Iraq. Now moving into Pakistan is “on cards” and is really troublesome. Many fail to understand in Pakistan that if it was beyond the capability of US to wipe out Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, why it came here in the first place. Now with the defeat in sight, the US administration want to exit by 2014 and is having cold feet how to.

While the drone attacks inside Pakistan have had a margin of success, as claimed by the US, but never substantiated by free media, it has been more damaging and deadly for along with the suspected militants, many more civilians have died. Recently there has been a lot of hue and cry by the relatives of the slain civilians against the US. The CIA head in Pakistan is said to have been “called back” recently, but many believe that he was hurriedly called back when his covert identity was compromised. The operations by the so called Counterterrorism Pursuit Teams inside Pakistan have also been viewed with concern and instead of winning hearts inside Pakistan, US with its flawed strategy is making people in the FATA more hostile to it. Instead of allowing progress in the area to let people get busy in business, the continued harassment is making them more volatile rather than friendly.

There is a saying in Afghanistan that no external power has ever been able to subdue the Afghans. The Russians tried for ten years but failed. The present venture by the US which was totally uncalled for, is also nearing its own demise. There are indigenous dynamics of each region, specially the Afghanistan and the Pathans / Pathans. The present government in Afghanistan consists of non-Pashtuns, which the majority Pashtuns would never accept. I think time has come that in order to deflate the situation for an honourable exit, the US should talk to the Pashtuns and bring them to power in Afghanistan to alleviate the grievances of the majority people to end the conflict

Any action into Pakistan is going to have far reaching ramification from which it would be difficult for the US to disengage honourably and save its face. It would be far better to find a political solution to the muck already created due to which more than anyone Pakistan suffered the most. Let there be no more bloodshed due to flawed US policies in the region.

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Prosecuting Wikileaks

These days all types of media is hysterical about the Wikileaks, and so is the US officials. Having made public the already “hiddenly known” the Wikileaks have removed all barriers and raised the curtains of overt diplomatic channels. I do not know whether it was a calculated risk by Mr Assange or not, but he must have weighed its pros and cons on his person before electing to leak the hidden news.

While the leaks have embarrassed many across the globe, these have also brought to fore some biting realities in relation between countries who otherwise have never bitten each other publically. The leaks may even hurt the political and diplomatic relations of countries (or are these already had?). The debate whether such act on part of Assange was heroic or treason would be taken care of by the law makers and law enforcers. But a harm or good deed has been done; I wonder which of the two Mr Assange had intended.

As for now, Mr Assange seems in trouble as the US prosecutors are trying hard to indict Mr Assange on charges of espionage and may be treason. How far would they be successful, only time will tell. But beside Mr Assange, many scapegoats will be sacrificed for the sake of face saving. Merely indicting a private in the scandal and a link between Mr Assange and the secret vaults seems to be cover-up as a simple private cannot be holding key to such “valuable” information.

And if the assertion comes true that a private was “the” man supplying the critical information, one can only sympathies with the US authorities for handing over the charge and keys of such a pandora’s box.

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Fallout of Wikileaks – Shouldn’t we wake up?

It is Wikileaks everywhere around the world as no one seems to have been spared in this dirty game. Everyone who is someone is listed in the leaks. Even something said informally has been “noted” and conveyed to the appropriate agencies and authorities for their impact and analysis on future relations.

As for Pakistan, the feared connections have been unveiled. People in the streets always had reservations on the growing number of guests from USA visiting Pakistan very frequently and “holding bilateral talks and discussing matters of mutual interests.” Now we know what these matters of mutual interests are. Those who matter the most convey their feelings, obsessions, fears and reservations not to the concerned person, but to the US ambassador, who in turn graciously reassures the complainant with support and help.

This amply highlights the fragile government in place and the concerns about the future of the power players. The move of US ambassador inside the country is more than the president and the prime minister. The ambassador is seen holding talks with anyone who is someone every other day. Even the visiting guests are seen attending briefings on projects even in the remotest areas of the country.

The military-civil relations seem to be on their lowest level as both seem to fear each other or have reservations on other’s actions. Due to the mistrust and credibility status of the present government, the military still seems to be holding on to the actual reins of the power and “guiding” the democratic government on every issue. While such moves may be a blessing in disguise as the government doesn’t seem to be holding on firmly on the routine affairs, what to talk of matters of national security and concern.

The leaks also expose what others, especially our trusted friends think of our leaders. Their concerns also expose their concerns for us and tell us more than what a common man otherwise thinks of. The statements attributed to the rulers of some of the Arab countries look like warning shots, made with concern in view of the future progress and prosperity of the country. These statements have exposed the hollowness of our relations internationally.

I wonder if our politicians are going to learn a lesson from all what is in the air today. Most of them seem to be engraved in their own obsessions and do not seem to be much concerned except putting the blame on the other. And if God forbids things go out of their hands to handle the affairs of the country, they would simply vanish from the scene and would be found living in the palatial palaces and resorts in foreign lands, leaving the country in a state of chaos.

I think, and am sure most of the people would also be thinking the same way, that time has come that we have to choose a future course of action for us. Our over-tilt towards the unipolar world needs to be redefined. We cannot go on towing the lines and dictation from others blindly anymore. We need to assess our weaknesses and vulnerabilities passionately, logically and in the best interest of the country and not in the interest and future of the dynastic political parties and their political survival. We need to draw our future road map now based on ground realities rather than misconceptions which have led us to this abysmal state.

Related Reading: Wikileaks – the teller of inside stories

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Wikileaks – the teller of Inside Stories

Whenever there is a war, the victors have tales of gory atrocities committed by the vanquished. The aftermath of first and second world wars had stories of German and Japanese atrocities, the torture to the Allied PWs and mistreatment of the civilian population of the “liberated” areas. Since the vanquished were subjected to such a harsh treatment with complete censorship on the media, no one could say a word about what the visitors did.

We grew up watching films on WW-II, mostly made by Hollywood that showed angry and barbaric Japanese and German soldiers and their inhuman acts. None of the movies showed what the Allied did to the Germans and the Japanese in captivity. They were instead shown being hugged by women and cheered by crowds as their liberators.

But thanks to the independent media and bold journalism that has now started to unravel the atrocities by the forces of the so called civilized world. The treatment meted out to the Iraqi soldiers when they were stripped stark naked and subjected to humiliation by a female officer is still fresh in our memories. The world also now knows how Palestinian children are killed deliberately by the Israeli soldiers or the Kashmirs fighting for their freedom are being maltreated and tortured by the government forces.

Now there is yet another emerging voice that is exposing the inside stories – Wikileaks. Now unhidden moves, dirty tricks and behind the scene moves are being exposed. Today all newspapers had headlines of Us efforts to take away the enriched uranium from Pakistan “to save it from falling in the hands of the terrorists.” There were other news of Arab states calling for attacks on Iran and the Saudi monarch labeling the Pakistani president being the stumbling block in the progress of Pakistan. Another "leak' describes Pakistan's president Zardari as dirty but not dangerous, while it labels Mr Nawaz Sharif (the ex prime minister) as dangerous but not dirty.

And that is not all. The recent “leaks” reveal that American officials were also told to spy on the United Nations’ leadership and get biometric information on its secretary general Ban Ki-moon. It adds that Washington asked for credit card numbers, email addresses, phone, fax and pager numbers and even frequent-flyer account numbers for UN figures and “biographic and biometric information on UN Security Council permanent representatives”. The secret “national human intelligence collection directive” was sent to US missions at the UN in New York, Vienna and Rome as well as 33 embassies and consulates, including those in London, Paris and Moscow. The leaked memos also disclose how American diplomats compared Iran’s President Ahmedi Nejad with Adolf Hitler and labeled France’s President Nicolas Sarkozy as the “emperor with no clothes”.

Such is the impact of the disclosure by the Wikileaks that Robert Gibbs, a White House spokesman, has been quoted as saying, “When the substance of private conversations is printed on the front pages of newspapers across the world, it can deeply impact not only US foreign policy interests, but those of our allies around the world.”

This is the opening of the pandora box which may not only embarrass the US and its allies, but would also expose the many hidden secrets, the cruel game that is being played around the world in a uni-polar scenario. It will not be surprising that one day Al-Qaeda turns out to be a secret US plot and the 9/11 event a brilliantly articulated cover-up to unleash yet a long drawn War of Terror mainly at the behest of the world leading arms dealers and robbers of natural treasures of the countries presently being reigned by the terrorists (or hired merceneries?).

Having said this, I may also caution the readers that the so called leaks could also be a part of plot to mislead the world on many burning issues, create dissent in relations between countries (specially Pakistan and Saudi Arabia) and cause bitterness, hatred, and mistrust. "Leaks" of sensitive nature can not come out of the safeguards applied by the CIA / FIB and many high level espionage and spy agencies unless so allowed. We thus need to be very careful while analysing these "leaks", lest we fall in the trap laid so very cleverly for us.

Related Links:

Waiting for Wikileaks | Waiting for Wikileaks in Pakistan

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Biased Policy Paradigm

Pakistan is fighting a war of terror or I may say war of error at the behest of the USA since the shady 9/11 event. And in doing so, many fine officers and men of Pakistan Army and countless innocent and humble civilians have succumbed to this erroneous war for the sake of someone else. The USA in return has pumped in billions of dollar to boost the military muscle of the Pakistan army that is required for the success of the war and easing pressure on the ISAF, and more so the US troops in Afghanistan.

The USA despite many claims and promises has yet to draw a road map to industries the troubled northern areas where militancy germinates because of poverty and lack of job opportunities. The unemployed youth are thus recruited by the militant organizations and made to die in suicide attacks and fight their own brethren.

But when the US president visits India, it announces deals worth $10 billion to India which will provide jobs to some 50,000 Indian workers. I don’t envy that since the USA has long lasting friendly relations with India, being the biggest democracy in the world and an old pal. My only disappointment is that had similar, even smaller gestures, made for Pakistan, specially in the recruitment areas of the militants over the past ten years, the situation would have been far different and better today.

The battle of winning the hearts and minds of the people through economic reforms is much easier to win rather than firing missiles and making people more hostile and angry, rather than being made friendly. Perhaps the USA wants to keep Pakistan embroiled in this war for its own long term goals in the area. That is why instead of making friends, it is making more enemies here. Our policy makers and those sitting in the comfortable air-conditioned offices in Islamabad, who get to visit USA very often on official visits, fail to raise their voice to fight the menace with a different strategy rather than that of dumping explosives on the “suspected targets.”

We have already run short of time to review our policy paradigm and to insist on USA to change it for better rather than for worse. Let us not have different and biased policies for an old bigger friend and a fragile small “friend” being used in own interests only. If we continue to sit idle and keep getting aid that has its indirect use for the US, there would be no let up in incidents like suicide bombings and drone attacks inside Pakistan.

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