India’s Dangerous Games
By Dr Shireen M Mazari • Mar 4th, 2010 • Category: Politics, Worth A Second Look • 13 CommentsIt is fascinating to watch the Indian propaganda machine come into full play as it is a field in which India excels unlike in the realm of dialogue and peace where India has always been found wanting as the neighbourhood will testify - from the small neighbours to China. Once again, instead of seeking to move towards substantive peace through resumption of dialogue with Pakistan, we are witnessing the propaganda machinery in all its full glory with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Washington.
The visit comes at a time when Pakistan’s leadership is finally getting over its “India-shyness” and admitting to Indian involvement in the terrorism in Balochistan and FATA. Indian weapons have also been found and the link between Indian covert activities from Afghan soil and the violence in Pakistan is now well established by any rational assessment. Since Pakistan is also raising the Indian issue with the US, the Indians are countering by a massive propaganda offensive against Pakistan on all fronts. The Indian defence minister is once again targeting Pakistan’s nukes - something for which there is always a ready market in the US; and Manmohan Singh has taken it upon himself to hold forth on issues which have nothing to do with India but are purely Pakistan’s internal affair. He has declared his doubts over whether President Zardari has any control over the military and has complained that he does not know who to deal with in Pakistan. This is ridiculous since inter-state dealings are done through proper channels and state institutions. So South Block should be clearing up any confusion that may be clouding his mind these days in terms of who to talk to in Pakistan.
Of course, the terror mantra is a favourite of the Indians and they have picked up the US jaded refrain of “do more” and now declare that Pakistan is not doing enough on the Mumbai terror attacks issue. This merely hides India’s own reluctance - for whatever reason - to provide all the relevant material on the case. So Pakistan has had to proceed without much cooperation from India. Despite this, there has been a surprising degree of transparency from the Pakistani side. But the Indians want Pakistan to arrest and punish suspects without India having to give any concrete proof from its side. Perhaps that would open a Pandora’s Box for India. As it is, India is also strangely reluctant to move on the Samjhota Express carnage despite knowing who the guilty are. It is all about keeping a lid on India’s Hindu extremists and their links to the political elite. But that lid has been blown open with the inquiry report on the Babri Mosque’s demolition, since the report has indicted the leadership of the BJP in the shape of Vajpayee and Advani. It is indeed worrying to know that such extremists have and can again have their finger on the nuclear button in India. Perhaps, it is time for the US and its allies to seriously re-examine their nuclear cooperation with India given how militant religious extremism reaches to the very top of their mainstream political elite. For Pakistan, this should also be an issue to be raised internationally as questions now arise about the safety and security of India’s command and control structures which have every chance of falling into extremist hands if the BJP was to have electoral success again. Surely, Manmohan Singh should be particularly concerned about this pathway to nuclear access the Hindu extremists have.
What makes this Hindu extremism-nuclear access issue particularly worrisome is the latest statement coming from the Indian military leadership about the possibility of a limited war within the nuclear umbrella that exists in the subcontinent. Earlier this week, the Indian Army Chief, General Deepak Kapoor declared that a limited conventional war was a possibility “under a nuclear overhang.” In fact, India has been seeking ways of rationalising a limited war doctrine in a nuclear environment and one such strategy was the Cold Start one where India would seek a rapid strike inside southern Pakistan, with air and ground forces, on a dangerous assumption that the international community would step in before Pakistan could put in place its nuclear threat. Both Pakistan and India know that the nuclear environment does allow them tactical freedom in that the other side would be loathe to escalate a limited conflict lest it lead to a nuclear exchange. But such adventurism has an inbuilt instability with brinkmanship in a nuclear context being highly volatile. India is therefore deliberately seeking unstable strategic doctrines within a reckless military mindset. This has been apparent in General Kapoor’s view that a state can intervene in another state “on purely humanitarian” grounds if, as he put it, “the diaspora is under threat” and sovereignty is threatened by subnational groups that target missions abroad and so on. Basically the Indians now are seeking to rationalise first strikes against states when threatened by subnational/non-state actors anywhere across the globe. This is as open-ended a doctrine of aggressive military action as the US neocon doctrine of pre-emption embodied in the Bush policies and not yet retracted by the Obama Administration.
It is no wonder then that India is not willing to talk peace and stability with Pakistan. Encouraged by its strategic partnership with the US, which has allowed India all manner of leeway to continue its hostile Pakistan posturing, India is in a new muscle-flexing mode which one has not seen since the days of Indira Gandhi. Pakistan would do well to remember what happened when India was allowed, by our ruling elite’s own follies, to find the space in what was then East Pakistan to fulfil its hostile agenda towards Pakistan. Let us not allow India the same space again in either Balochistan or FATA - especially now that India has a military-strategic partnership with the US which has a nuclear component also. If India is unwilling to dialogue let us not plead for the same. But we need to continue pressing the US to ensure that the Afghan government under its occupation does not continue to allow India the use of its territory for covert operations against Pakistan. Even more important, we need to ensure stability in Balochistan by removing the un-monitored US clandestine activities in that province, and by reaching out to the Baloch people and delivering on their political and economic demands. India’s aggressive designs have never been clearer. Are we as clear, not only in our counter strategies but also in devising some proactive policies to counter this threat from the eastern front?
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The writer is a defence analyst.
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http://www.facebook.com/l/6ea14;www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MWhFqzbmDI&feature=player_embedded
Dear madam,
You have the Nukes and why fear India? East pakistan was turned into Bangladesh by your Pakistani Army and not India as per Dr.AQ Khan.If balochistan is going to be independent then it is General Musharaff who should be held responsible for killing the Khan of Kalat in his cave.As you fish in Indian troubled waters, we Indians also will fish in your troubles.
No offense at all but each time I come across any article by Dr. Shireen Mizari, I just know that it would be about unveiling yet another conspiracy against Pakistan. Either India would be secretly planning to destabilize Pakistan or some other internal fracas supported by the ‘Foreign Hands’. With so much knowledge one can definitely fight the sadness and gloom which prevails through writings.
Pakistan and India both faces the menace of extremism, Dr.Mazari’s desire for conflict is in no one’s interest as ultimately both the countries will have resolve all disputed issue, if war could be a solution we would have gained something after 3 wars. However Pakistan needs to demonstrate that its soil will not be used to either harbor or launch any terrorist activities and India can take a step to address the grievances of their Pakistani counterparts.
@shireen mizari. Seems like u have nothing better to do. Propaganda machine and that’s all. All the time you have to write against India and just give oxygen to the rivalry flames between two countries. Both India and Pakistan face terrorism so there is only one solution to become UNITED and fight this menace rather than increasing gaps which will only lead to more suffereing!! You guys should check out this balance article though.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/print1.asp?id=226900
Oh Boy: Capt. Johann On the Contrary: What about Indra Gandhi popular statement regarding Deliberate Interference at East Pakistan Internal Affairs plus the preparation of peculiar Mindset of “MUKTI BHANI” Element plus along with the same what about those Hindus who are recognized as yet today part of 15 to 17% of entire East Pakistan Population at that particular time & among 30 to 35% of the same percentage wise they were associated with Ministry of Education e.g. School Teachers, Lecturers & Professors who were the most actively involved in Segregation of East Pakistan subsequently turned into Bangladesh?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKiQboyDMUo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qh17ea-COnY
*CBM = Confidence Building Measure
*ISI/MI = Civil & Military Intelligence Services
*Muntaqim Mizaj = By Nature Believe in Comprehensive REVENGE
*Mustanad Tarikhi Hawalay = Undeniable Historical Facts & Figures
Hein Yeh *Mustanad Tarikhi Hawalay Issay Bhee Kiya Aap Inkar Karien Gay?-
Kiya Khial Hay Kay Pakistani *ISI/MI Yeh Sub Bhool Kur *CBM Pur Tawajuh Dein Gay-
Yeh Qaum Baree *Muntaqim Mizaj BUDLA Lee-ay Baghair Tumhay Nahee Chorein Gay-
I don’t know why Dr. Mazari is always pessimist and shows the dark side of the moon to the readers. Look at China, their scientists, academia and political leaders damn cared about dirty games played by their enemies (specially USA). They kept their head down and marched ahead. Today, every Western Country is shivering with China’s economic power. Our academia is just unveiling conspiracy theories and expecting appreciations from us. So sad.
Somebody is greatly mistaken if they think India would play a fair game. There is nothing like “fair game” in politics. They have played dirty and they would keep on playing the same in the best interest of theiir country. They are born politician, their political system is in tact from word go, their economic system is sound enough and they dream to be super power and they have every right to do that way. They fight each other on petty matters but they are solid united on national issue. Sorry if my sportsman spirit irks some - but we are not ostrich, we should observe the ground reality such that we could do something better for our country. The composite dialogue drama is India’s necessity. Just look this dialogue with the fact that India wants to be permanent member of Security Council which was rejected in the past on the sole ground that India had Kashmir dispute with Pakistan and secondly forthcoming visit of Manmohan Singh to USA. The whole game would automatiically come into mind of an average intelligent person.
As for General Deepak’s hoax claim that in 90 hours or so Indian Army would destroy China and Pakistan, I think no sane person would give it a second thought. Let me tell General Deepak loud and clear - we are ready. We are muslims, may be we all die - but NOT before annihilating the whole India.
@sadia. So what do you really tell 160 million people who do not have food, shelter and clothing. Now they are facing a huge water crisis partially due to our neighboring country attitude towards us. Pakistan is already doing a lot to curb extremism and we have many lives in doing that. People need to realize and appreciate that!
The author’s name from today has been changed to immediate effect Dr. Shireen Bizzari.
AA Mansoori. you are like a Donkey carrying alot of books.
Dr Shireen,
WIth all due respect to your views and the freedom to express them. But let me remind you a little about our history, which you seem to forget. The 1971 War of Bangladesh was not something India desired. India had 1 million East Pakistani refugees on its soil.
A major chunk of them continue to be problematic in Assam, West Bengal and other Eastern states of India. Feeding a million people, you will acknowledge, is no joke. What about the 1 million plus intellectuals that were slaughtered by Pakistani army in East Pakistan? The Mukthi Bhani was trained by India, which is true. But only after the refugee population became a burden. So was India responsible for the slaughter?
Now to the present… The daily bombings which are killing lakhs of your people every day are your own doing. After the Soviet withdrawal, Jehadis fighting in Afghanistan suddenly found themselves fighting without a cause. Having nutured the Taliban for nearly 20 years to ensure strategic depth in the power play, you now have the typical situation of the snake biting its own handler. Is India too responsible for this predicament?
Let’s talk about your democracy? Since 67 years of independence, can you tell me how many years your country has enjoyed true democracy? Where are women in your society? Most of the farm lands in Pakistan is owned by army men or the rich Punjabis. Where are minorities or their rights? Can you show me one Christian /Hindu or Sikh Minister in the cabinet? Why do Punjabis hate the Sindhis? Why do Balochis hate Sindhis and Punjabis? Why can’t the Mohajirs stand the sight of Punjabis? Can you tell me why today Pakistan is in deep debt and is heavily dependant on foregin aid even to pay their government servants? Is India responsible for all this mess?
Several blogs have offered you the same advice madam, I do the same. Stop your vituperative comments against India. It serves no purpose. Successive Pakistani governments have fanned the flames of extermism in India. Sadly, they have now engulfed your own country. Its time your countrymen fight the fire at home rather than setting alight the neighbour’s home.
The Laskhar’s self-destruct mode is pretty evident. They will take Pakistan and its people on one-way path of doom. Save your country from those fanatics. God save this subcontinent!
@ 11: Are you Fakir or FAQIR from wisdom of Muslims own Identity & thereafter utmost required Unity under the light of Quran & Sunnah?
Utha Kar Phaink Dou Kay Maghribi Tehzeeb Kay Ganday Hein Anday-
Hamara ASAL Aur KHUDI Hay Kiya Nahee Deikh Sakta Abay “O” Andhay-
http://publicmb.wordpress.com/2008/12/31/hsbc-bank-party-in-karachi/
[...] An article by Dr Shireen M Mazari published at The Pakistani Spectator [...]