Pakistan’s Nuclear Terrorism
Brigadier Arun Bajpai
Pakistan squeezed almost $30 billion USD in aid from America, including military aid. However, now America has withdrawn its troops from Afghanistan, leaving behind a token force of 10,000 troops to assist Afghan government in fighting insurgency against Taliban. It is not that Americans did not know that Pakistan is clandestinely supporting the Afghan Taliban and Haqqani network against NATO troops in Afghanistan, but its hands were tied.
As 52% of Afghan population is composed of Pakhtoons, who are also the main component in Afghan Taliban and Haqqani network, America was initially keen to get the Afghan Taliban on the negotiating table with the Afghan Government to share power and bring lasting peace in Afghanistan.
However, Pakistan is not interested in this power sharing concept as it wants Taliban to rule Afghanistan as proxy government of Pakistan. Pakistan got China also in this game. With Taliban refusing to come to the negotiating table due to Pakistan’s perfidy now it appears that America has given up on Taliban and Pakistan is left on a limb.
With India opening another route to Afghanistan via Cha Bahar port of Iran, bypassing Pakistan, and America signing nuclear deal with Iran thereby removing various sanctions against Iran, now Pakistan is not needed by America because in future it can make use of this Iran route being developed.
Last month in June, Afghan Border Guards on the other side of Torkham border shot dead a Pakistani Army Major. Pakistani defence minister, Khawaja Mohammed Asif was all fire and brimstone proclaiming that this death will be avenged. But instead of directly blaming Afghanistan it included India and America also in the blame game.
Problem with Pakistan is that it does not want to change its policy of using non state actors like Afghan Taliban and Haqqani network against Afghanistan and Lashkar-e-Toiba as also Jaish-e-Mohammed against India. Truth is that Pakistani army has become too soft and political to be able to fight any major battle, so basically these non state actors are its fighting arm.
Today these non state actors in Pakistan have become so powerful that neither any Army general nor any politician can go against their wishes. Instead of mending its ways and taking a strong stand against these non state actors, now Pakistan, knowing that it has lost its value to America, has shifted its allegiance to China and is hiding behind the cover of China.
What Pakistan is failing to understand is that after the recent spate of jihadi carnages in France, Istanbul, America, Australia, Bangladesh and the ongoing war between Shia and Sunni sects of Muslims in West Asia, world is slowly but perceptibly coming together against radical Islam and jihadi terror. World is not going to tolerate the jihadi non state actors of Pakistan.
Leave aside India, Iran and Afghanistan even China is worried about Pakistani non state actors. China has Xinxiang province where one corer plus Uyghur Muslims reside. They want freedom from China. Their main source of supply of arms and training lie in Pakistan. These non state actors in Pakistan have also been abducting for ransom and killing Chinese contractors working in the country.
China has recently committed $46 billion dollars investment in Pakistan for China-Pak Economic Corridor, but it is apprehensive of these non state actors. With Pakistani Army and its policy makers powerless against these jihadis, Pakistan will have to seriously rethink its future strategy.
If it still does not act against these jihadis, then it is fast hurtling to become another North Korea, a pariah country with nowhere to go. Time to act for Pakistan is now or else it will be too late.
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