Pakistan: Trapped In The US Game

[Abu Basit]

The Nation

Pakistan: trapped in the US game plan
Published: October 21, 2009

Shireen M Mazari
There is a dangerous pattern connecting the events happening in and around Pakistan today. Unless we can see this larger picture, we will be overwhelmed by the fallout and our detractors like the US will have fulfilled their agenda for this nuclear capable country. The roots of this US agenda go back to Musharraf’s hasty embrace of the US “war on terror”. What was not realised at the time was the psychological trauma the US had undergone as a result of 9/11, which had led to the bolstering of the already suspicion-tinted view the US had of the Muslim world. Of course, some pliant Muslim leaders were reluctantly embraced as “allies”, but always on a tight leash, but by and large nationalist Muslim leaders and their nations were something the Americans never felt comfortable with. If these nations were also militarily or economically strong, the US felt even more uncomfortable. In this context, Mahathir’s Malaysia, Revolutionary Iran and nuclear Pakistan certainly stood out as irritants in one way or another. So when 9/11 happened, even though it was Saudi citizens who were responsible for the actions, Pakistan was brought centre-stage and the US saw this as the opportunity to cut the country down to size and finally gain control of its nuclear assets.

That Musharraf proved excessively compliant from the beginning came as a shock even to the Bush Administration, but they realised his limitations in terms of compromises at the tactical level because of the military - which often put a spanner in the US agenda for Pakistan. Hence the constant critique of the Pakistan military and its intelligence outfits - especially once the CIA fell out with the ISI two years ago over whom to target in FATA!

So what is this US agenda that bodes ill for Pakistan? An article published in the US Army Journal entitled “Blood Borders” captured the broad outline a few years earlier. The main components that can now be identified are: One, to restructure Pakistan and its state institutions according to US wishes; two, to take control of its nuclear assets since they cannot really be “taken out”; and, three, to move it towards accepting Indian hegemony in the region and to distance it from its strategic partnership with China.

What has been the strategy for implementing this agenda? To create enough chaos and violence in Pakistan so as to be able to justify coming in and seizing control of the nuclear assets, restructuring a new state model for the country, which would include bringing it under Indian hegemony. How would this agenda be implemented?

First, through shifting the centre of gravity of the war in Afghanistan to Pakistan. This has finally been accomplished through a number of interesting tactics. The beginning was made by allowing the Al-Qaeda and Taliban to escape from Afghanistan during the Tora Bora bombings. Then the internal destabilisation of Pakistan began through drone attacks, which caused the traditionally highly patriotic tribal population of FATA to gradually turn against the state especially when the US pressured the army into moving into this area. Also, India was given a free run in Afghanistan so money and weapons for terrorists flowed in from Afghanistan into Balochistan and FATA as well as NWFP. In addition, a new entity emerged with its own violent agenda - the TTP with a huge stock of weapons that clearly had come from across the border since some of them were of US origin. Meanwhile, the US gradually increased its covert presence in Pakistan - beginning with Tarbela and the so-called “trainers” as well as the private US security concerns that have traditionally worked as mercenaries for the US government in places like Iraq. Balochistan also saw an increase in the US presence, especially as the US also sought to operationalise its covert operations against Iran through this province and the bases Musharraf had so generously handed over to the US. There was also the Bandari air base in an area 78 kilometres south of Kharan, near a place called Shimsi - not Shamsi base which is on the border with Iran near Dalbandin - from where the drones have been flying. This is the only airport that is not listed as being under CAA control.

All along, the US at the diplomatic and political levels was continuing with its “do more” mantra and undermining the credibility of the military in terms of its intent vis-à-vis fighting extremism and terrorism. The ISI especially was singled out for attack while the nuclear assets kept coming in for periodic targeting by the US media. As the US became more bogged down in Afghanistan, it sought to shift its failures on to Pakistan so that in the end many assume that it is this reason that has forced the US to shift the war to Pakistan.

However, that may only be an offshoot of the larger original game plan to destabilise Pakistan from within by taking the war to the heart of the country - which is where the situation stands poised right now. The Musharraf-US alliance would have continued, but for the people of Pakistan’s desire for justice and freedom which spurred the judicial movement when Musharraf overplayed his hand. But once again the nation was short-changed because the US cleverly managed a new partner linked through the NRO. In Zardari they found an even more cooperative leader - and with democratic credentials to boot! If Musharraf had begun the granting of unfettered access to the US, the Zardari regime has taken it beyond all limits.

The second phase of the US implementation strategy has now begun to be operat-ionalised - that is, to destabilise Pakistan from within by increasing acts of terror carried out in Pakistani cities through well-trained and well-equipped groups centring on TTP - which finds no mention in the Kerry-Lugar Act. Alongside, the military has been tied down in military operations, first in Swat and now in SWA - which has its own fallouts in terms of terrorism and displacement of the population. It has also become necessary to isolate Pakistan from its neighbours and hence the extensive terrorist attacks on Iran’s security forces in Sistan province bordering Pakistan’s Balochistan, so that Iran-Pakistan relations are destroyed - Iran being the only friendly neighbour apart from China. The US covert presence in Pakistan has also now been put in place like a web - beginning from Sindh and Balochistan in the south and southwest, to Punjab to the Capital to Peshawar. There are now US armed covert operatives along with overt marines surrounding the Pakistanis and their nuclear assets. The Kerry-Lugar Act merely gives formal recognition to what has already happened in practice - submission to US diktat.

Only one last phase of the US agenda has to be operat-ionalised, but that will be the toughest. This is to push the country into a civil war-like situation by threatening to target Quetta and southern Punjab as well as Muridke. First there was pressure on the army to move into Swat; now it is SWA and the new mantra of moving the army into southern Punjab has already begun! Overstretch the military and create civil-military fissures so as to totally destabilise the country. When there is a state of total chaos, the US can pressure the UNSC into allowing it to takeover Pakistan’s nuclear assets - what will euphemistically be termed “under international control”. But the big problem now is that too many in the corridors of power in Pakistan are beginning to see the light while the people have also woken up to the lethal American agenda for Pakistan. Unless we can see the whole US game plan, and connect all the dots we will continue to fall prey to this destructive design.

[Slides]

Mashallah, here comes another terrorist sympathizer using the cyber terror method of article bombing.

[Fracker]

Originally Posted by Slides

Mashallah, here comes another terrorist sympathizer using the cyber terror method of article bombing.

yeah right, you clear the meaning of terrorist

i.e. who speaks against USA is a terrorist.

@topic

I wont say trapped, but i will called it Pakistan knowingly jumped into the well.. While shaking hands with USA!!

[FireFighter]

Originally Posted by Slides

Mashallah, here comes another terrorist sympathizer using the cyber terror method of article bombing.

The author mentions one interesting fact in the Kerry-Lugar bill is that there was no particular mention of fighting the TTP which is Pakistan's biggest enemy atm. however other jihadi groups were mentioned that threaten India and the Karzai govn't. Do you see the irony?


I dont think the auther is a terrorist sympathiser by any means. He rather exposes the TTP terrorist thugs that are working in the interest of the US.

For you to label anyone a terrorist sympathiser that doesn't agree with your version of events is akin to the neo-cons calling the anti-war movement 'terrorists' for not agreeing with their game plans.

This war is ours now but we must realize its imposed on us as well.


Think outside the box mate.

[WarProfessor]

Originally Posted by Abu Basit

The Nation

Pakistan: trapped in the US game plan
Published: October 21, 2009

Shireen M Mazari
There is a dangerous pattern connecting the events happening in and around Pakistan today. Unless we can see this larger picture, we will be overwhelmed by the fallout and our detractors like the US will have fulfilled their agenda for this nuclear capable country. The roots of this US agenda go back to Musharraf’s hasty embrace of the US “war on terror”. What was not realised at the time was the psychological trauma the US had undergone as a result of 9/11, which had led to the bolstering of the already suspicion-tinted view the US had of the Muslim world. Of course, some pliant Muslim leaders were reluctantly embraced as “allies”, but always on a tight leash, but by and large nationalist Muslim leaders and their nations were something the Americans never felt comfortable with. If these nations were also militarily or economically strong, the US felt even more uncomfortable. In this context, Mahathir’s Malaysia, Revolutionary Iran and nuclear Pakistan certainly stood out as irritants in one way or another. So when 9/11 happened, even though it was Saudi citizens who were responsible for the actions, Pakistan was brought centre-stage and the US saw this as the opportunity to cut the country down to size and finally gain control of its nuclear assets.

That Musharraf proved excessively compliant from the beginning came as a shock even to the Bush Administration, but they realised his limitations in terms of compromises at the tactical level because of the military - which often put a spanner in the US agenda for Pakistan. Hence the constant critique of the Pakistan military and its intelligence outfits - especially once the CIA fell out with the ISI two years ago over whom to target in FATA!

So what is this US agenda that bodes ill for Pakistan? An article published in the US Army Journal entitled “Blood Borders” captured the broad outline a few years earlier. The main components that can now be identified are: One, to restructure Pakistan and its state institutions according to US wishes; two, to take control of its nuclear assets since they cannot really be “taken out”; and, three, to move it towards accepting Indian hegemony in the region and to distance it from its strategic partnership with China.

What has been the strategy for implementing this agenda? To create enough chaos and violence in Pakistan so as to be able to justify coming in and seizing control of the nuclear assets, restructuring a new state model for the country, which would include bringing it under Indian hegemony. How would this agenda be implemented?

First, through shifting the centre of gravity of the war in Afghanistan to Pakistan. This has finally been accomplished through a number of interesting tactics. The beginning was made by allowing the Al-Qaeda and Taliban to escape from Afghanistan during the Tora Bora bombings. Then the internal destabilisation of Pakistan began through drone attacks, which caused the traditionally highly patriotic tribal population of FATA to gradually turn against the state especially when the US pressured the army into moving into this area. Also, India was given a free run in Afghanistan so money and weapons for terrorists flowed in from Afghanistan into Balochistan and FATA as well as NWFP. In addition, a new entity emerged with its own violent agenda - the TTP with a huge stock of weapons that clearly had come from across the border since some of them were of US origin. Meanwhile, the US gradually increased its covert presence in Pakistan - beginning with Tarbela and the so-called “trainers” as well as the private US security concerns that have traditionally worked as mercenaries for the US government in places like Iraq. Balochistan also saw an increase in the US presence, especially as the US also sought to operationalise its covert operations against Iran through this province and the bases Musharraf had so generously handed over to the US. There was also the Bandari air base in an area 78 kilometres south of Kharan, near a place called Shimsi - not Shamsi base which is on the border with Iran near Dalbandin - from where the drones have been flying. This is the only airport that is not listed as being under CAA control.

All along, the US at the diplomatic and political levels was continuing with its “do more” mantra and undermining the credibility of the military in terms of its intent vis-à-vis fighting extremism and terrorism. The ISI especially was singled out for attack while the nuclear assets kept coming in for periodic targeting by the US media. As the US became more bogged down in Afghanistan, it sought to shift its failures on to Pakistan so that in the end many assume that it is this reason that has forced the US to shift the war to Pakistan.

However, that may only be an offshoot of the larger original game plan to destabilise Pakistan from within by taking the war to the heart of the country - which is where the situation stands poised right now. The Musharraf-US alliance would have continued, but for the people of Pakistan’s desire for justice and freedom which spurred the judicial movement when Musharraf overplayed his hand. But once again the nation was short-changed because the US cleverly managed a new partner linked through the NRO. In Zardari they found an even more cooperative leader - and with democratic credentials to boot! If Musharraf had begun the granting of unfettered access to the US, the Zardari regime has taken it beyond all limits.

The second phase of the US implementation strategy has now begun to be operat-ionalised - that is, to destabilise Pakistan from within by increasing acts of terror carried out in Pakistani cities through well-trained and well-equipped groups centring on TTP - which finds no mention in the Kerry-Lugar Act. Alongside, the military has been tied down in military operations, first in Swat and now in SWA - which has its own fallouts in terms of terrorism and displacement of the population. It has also become necessary to isolate Pakistan from its neighbours and hence the extensive terrorist attacks on Iran’s security forces in Sistan province bordering Pakistan’s Balochistan, so that Iran-Pakistan relations are destroyed - Iran being the only friendly neighbour apart from China. The US covert presence in Pakistan has also now been put in place like a web - beginning from Sindh and Balochistan in the south and southwest, to Punjab to the Capital to Peshawar. There are now US armed covert operatives along with overt marines surrounding the Pakistanis and their nuclear assets. The Kerry-Lugar Act merely gives formal recognition to what has already happened in practice - submission to US diktat.

Only one last phase of the US agenda has to be operat-ionalised, but that will be the toughest. This is to push the country into a civil war-like situation by threatening to target Quetta and southern Punjab as well as Muridke. First there was pressure on the army to move into Swat; now it is SWA and the new mantra of moving the army into southern Punjab has already begun! Overstretch the military and create civil-military fissures so as to totally destabilise the country. When there is a state of total chaos, the US can pressure the UNSC into allowing it to takeover Pakistan’s nuclear assets - what will euphemistically be termed “under international control”. But the big problem now is that too many in the corridors of power in Pakistan are beginning to see the light while the people have also woken up to the lethal American agenda for Pakistan. Unless we can see the whole US game plan, and connect all the dots we will continue to fall prey to this destructive design.

Very informative article. May I also add, by jointing USWOT together with the later development of joining the British CommonWealth, China has found herself in an awkward situation on how to help Pakistan should later in need together with the later development of joining the British CommonWealth.

It's a matter of Pakistan independent free will and soreignty, there is nothing China can say to the General or Zardari other then: we understand, and we stand firm for Pakistan. But the recent development seems China has shown signs of willingness to crawl out of her own web of her own woven of the so called Chinese 5 diplamatic principles, and when Gillani was in Beijing a few days ago, the published statement is Hu is advising Pakistan to review her own security strategy. Hu's statement is absolutely a very big deal to me, and new.

It is also a very sad indication to me that Pak maybe really in a very bad shape.

[SeaGull]

Originally Posted by WarProfessor

Very informative article. May I also add, by jointing USWOT together with the later development of joining the British CommonWealth, China has found herself in an awkward situation on how to help Pakistan should later in need together with the later development of joining the British CommonWealth.

It's a matter of Pakistan independent free will and soreignty, there is nothing China can say to the General or Zardari other then: we understand, and we stand firm for Pakistan. But the recent development seems China has shown signs of willingness to crawl out of her own web of her own woven of the so called Chinese 5 diplamatic principles, and when Gillani was in Beijing a few days ago, the published statement is Hu is advising Pakistan to review her own security strategy. Hu's statement is absolutely a very big deal to me, and new.

It is also a very sad indication to me that Pak maybe really in a very bad shape.

Ah! another Taliban sympathizer here, I can see....

Watch out for the pack of wolves behind you WarProf......

Hu is absolutely right and he needs to be more assertive in steering this country from the obvious doom it is heading for. There is nothing the Pakistani people can do about it.

[Abu Basit]

Originally Posted by Slides

Mashallah, here comes another terrorist sympathizer using the cyber terror method of article bombing.

look who's talking~an american boot licker

u guyz need to get u'r heads fixed. the so called "america" might be u'r Qibla not ours. Criticising America in no way means that anybody support TTP terrorists.
Simply going after TTP terrorists will not solve Pakistan's problem. The solution is simply Show middle finger to ****** american, throw out the american boot lickers from our society and kill each and every single TTP terrorist.

[SeaGull]

That Musharraf proved excessively compliant from the beginning came as a shock even to the Bush Administration,

[AZADPAKISTAN2009]

Well I don't know what the , issue is all about

Both our future new province (Afghania) and , Pakistani ppl need some peace and quiet like in 80's

No drugs and opiume form Afghanistan

Why would America even attempt a iditotic move to take away nukes, we can always get more from China

Nuclear bombs are like Tadoori chicken recepie now to us, you come in our home eat our tandoori chicken guess what, in morning I will make more ... lol

I mean all that is happening is USA is stuck with wars and economy is bad , and we all agre that Taliaban and all the lovers have to be put down under 6 feet ...

In return we will get good from US , and end of story.

[WarProfessor]

Originally Posted by Abu Basit

look who's talking~an american boot licker

u guyz need to get u'r heads fixed. the so called "america" might be u'r Qibla not ours. Criticising America in no way means that anybody support TTP terrorists.
Simply going after TTP terrorists will not solve Pakistan's problem. The solution is simply Show middle finger to ****** american, throw out the american boot lickers from our society and kill each and every single TTP terrorist.

If I were Pakistani, I would vote yes.
Unfortunately, I am also trapped in my own 5 principles of diplomacy.

[Javed3]

Bravo Shireen M Mazari

You have hit the nail on the Head.

Excellent analysis by a learned, mature and patriotic true boot Pakistani.

[r3alist]

brilliant article and a triumph for pakistani democracy against us censorship, long live marzai!!

[Javed3]

WarProfessor

It is truly regrettable that Pakistan pandered to the US Central Asia Strategy, facilitating its entry into a very sensitive zone and spread potential destabilization in the neighborhood, including China.

Destabilizing events in Tibet and Xingjiang are directly traceable to the US presence in Afghanistan. 75 kms snout of Pamir Afghanistan, a very leaky 4000 kms Central Asia stretch and from Indian Ladakh, Aranuchel Pradesh and Sikkim.

[pakdefender]

We are no doubt trapped in the US game but we have to win this game by any and all means!

[Abu Basit]

Originally Posted by pakdefender

We are no doubt trapped in the US game but we have to win this game by any and all means!

and how wud that be?