Idea of Pakistan: Doomed to fail

Once again, Pakistan and its notoriety as an exporter of terrorism have occupied the centerstage of public debate not only in Bharat but also across the world. Against this backdrop, it becomes important to understand what makes Pakistan what it is – a failed geographical reality. There are two important points that can help develop a better understanding of Pakistan. Firstly, Pakistan is not a country, but an Army with a country. Secondly, it has been fed all through by instrumentalisation of Islam to target its immediate neighbour Bharat, as well as to provide mercenaries-on-hire to whosoever bids the highest.

Perennial Hatred for Bharat

Since its birth, which was a consequence of pressure mounted by Barrister Muhammad Ali Jinnah through his open provocation to violence against non-Muslims through ‘Direct Action Day’, Pakistan has never really functioned like a country. Rather, its policies always revolved around clinical hatred towards Bharat, and adoption of violence as a policy against internal as well as external ‘perceived threats’. May it be forcing its first Law Minister Adv Jogendra Nath Mondal to resign only because he was a Dalit, or fuelling the idea of developing a nuclear programme to make an ‘Islamic Bomb’, or busying itself with making newer plans to ‘bleed India by a thousand cuts’… Pakistan has never ceased from being a geographical landmass ruled by warlords masquerading as politicians and policy-makers and Army generals.

As a result of this characteristic trait, its initial ideals of building a ‘secular’ State vanished into thin air soon after it got sliced from Bharat, and what remained on the scene was a fundamentalist dispensation in which names changed but policies did not. Hence, it could never become a Constitutional, democratic, peaceful and developing country. So, the military dictatorship or military-backed rule was only briefly interjected by democratically elected Governments. But, over the decades, the Pakistani Deep State has mastered the art of pulling strings from the shadows and engaging the entire population into some kind of war against Bharat. But, beyond India also, Pakistan encouraged war against the US, as was exposed when America’s most wanted terrorist Osama bin Laden was killed near Abbottabad in Pakistan by the US marines. Because of the success of successive Pakistani leadership over the decades in steering the people into war zones in the name of religion or cult or Kashmir, Pakistan has reached a stage when it is imploding. It is fully dependent on foreign aid, is unable to secure its own military and nuclear installations and has not been able to make progress on the front of technology. It has failed completely in managing the economic well-being of its own people, and has earned a dubious distinction of being an eternal ‘client state’ to which any external power can pay money and hire mercenaries.

Misusing Islam to Unleash Violence

Now, another element is instrumentalisation of Islam. Since the demand for Pakistan was rooted in Islamic fundamentalism and separatism, this was bound to happen. Unfortunately, it has assumed dangerous proportions for not only Bharat but also the entire world. To evict Russia from Afghanistan, the US encouraged the Taliban, and used Pakistan as a base for anti-Russia operations in Afghanistan. This gave Pakistani political and military leadership an idea that it can extract money for this from the US. But, what would they do with the money? If it came in private accounts, it would be parked abroad gradually. If it came in the form of grants or financial assistance to the Pakistan Government (civil or military), it would be used to raise terrorist training camps, procurement of arms and ammunition, and to fuel separatism in Bharat, especially in the Valley. But, why would the Pakistani youth or those from neighbouring war-torn Afghanistan, or even tribal areas be ready to fight an unofficial war? Here, the policy of instrumentalisation of Islam came in handy for Pakistani leaders, nay, dealers.

Gradually, Pakistan got a bloody nose in all the wars it imposed upon Bharat. On occasions, the US also got weary of the terror-exporting approach of Pakistan. In such situations, the Communist China consolidated its friendship with Pakistan into an ‘all-weather’ one. China wanted to replace the US, and hence it often used veto power to block designation of individuals sheltered by Pakistan as ‘global terrorists’. It even started using the Pakistani political and military establishment’s weakness to raise the Gwadar port project. The idea behind this port project was not to help Pakistani people but to ensure that the Communist China has access to sea route opening ahead of the Indian Ocean Region. It led to a funny situation, when the Pakistani establishment deployed its own military to guard the Chinese investment that had evoked the ire of Pakistani people. In effect, the Pakistani military acted as a mercenary force against its own people.

Unfortunately, while Pakistan engaged in instrumentalisation of Islam and exported terrorists to mainly Bharat, the US and the Communist China still pampered Pakistan with funds and military aid. This emboldened Pakistan.

Then came a stage when Pakistani people got fed up with all this. May it be in Gilgit-Baltistan (occupied illegally by Pakistan) or Balochistan or Sindh or tribal areas, wherever people revolted against Pakistani establishment, the Pakistani ruling dispensation of the day would raise alarm with the US, China, and if required, the United Nations. Pakistan shamelessly sought international aid to guard its own nuclear facilities and to revive its economy and to mitigate damage caused by natural disasters. It was sort of a blackmail of the world that Pakistan resorted to, stating that if the international community did not help it, its nuclear weapons might fall in ‘wrong hands’. Or, if the world did not provide it financial assistance, its economy would cripple and this would mean more terrorists spilling out. It is so ironic that the US, the Communist China, or even the United Nations fell prey to Pakistan’s blackmailing tactics and ignored its instrumentalisation of Islam.

Some years ago, Pakistani Senate gave the world an evidence of this instrumentalisation of Islam when it prepared a report in which it had revealed the sinister design of ‘Islamisation of Kashmir’ and ‘internationalisation of Kashmir issue’. Today, Pakistan has got a bloody nose from India with a never before seen intensity. Still, there is little scope for correction in its attitude. Because, Islamisation of any issue and production of radicals through deep indoctrination is the only strategic culture it has practised all these years. Instead of ensuring welfare of their own people and bettering their lives, the religious bigots have turned Pakistan into a hell for ordinary people there.

Peaceniks On Same Page As Pak

As far as Bharat is concerned, the saddest part is that some of the so-called champions of human rights and politically ill-motivated forces have started speaking the language Pakistan loves–of Aman ki Asha or peace. Some like Yogendra Yadav have even gone to the extent of saying that a peaceful and stable Pakistan is in the interest of India. When the fanatical fighting forces have overtaken Pakistan from within and for a very very long period of time, how can there be peace and stability in Pakistan? Besides, why should it be a responsibility of Bharat to ensure peace and stability in Pakistan when the latter has reciprocated with nothing but terrorism and proxy wars? Post-Pahalgam, India has rightly called the nuclear and other bluffs of Pakistan. ‘Operation Sindoor’ has added a new dimension to Bharat’s response to terrorism. This must continue. The misguided peaceniks need to understand the true character of Pakistan before judging the actions of Bharat from the tinted glasses of bias. Else, they will be convicts of history.