I got initiated to writing for the Turkey Tribune around Christmas of last year and the sole credit goes to two intellectual journalist ladies- Ms Tammy Swofford, who became a professional colleague reading my articles on the release of 54 Indian prisoners of war (POWs) languishing in the Pakistani jails since the 1971 Indo-Pak War over the years and who is a reputed columnist with the Turkey Tribune and Ms Sabria Chowdhury Balland, Political Analysis Editor of the Turkey Tribune. In fact, Ms Tammy recommended my name to Ms Sabria and our association is worth my 13 posts now printed in the Turkey Tribune.
Being a former Indian military officer, most of my articles are India, Pakistan, the US, Russia and China centric. That is the wide spectrum where peace is eluded as India and Pakistan have fought four wars and one of them led to the dismemberment of Pakistan and the liberation of Bangladesh. The Sino-Indian 1962 War was a decisive Indian defeat that gave India a nasty but much needed kick start to shake it from its slumber. Its defense preparation has been keeping its geo-strategic location and the comparative threats to its national security perceived. So out of my 13 posts in the Turkey Tribune, ten must have highlighted how Pakistan has been becoming the mother of all Muslim terrorism around the world, harboring from Sikh terrorists, al Qaida’s Osama bin Laden, Jaish-e-Mohammad head Masood Azhar, Lashkar-E-Taiba and the mastermind of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, Hafiz Saeed, 12 March 1993 Mumbai Serial Bomb Blasts master mind D Company’s head don Dawood Ibrahim, terrorist group Lashkar-E-Taiba, terrorist organization Islamic Revolutionary Front, Islamist Fundamentalist group Al Ummah, leadership and followers of banned Indian Mujahedeen terrorist organization sheltered in Pakistan, several Islamic militant organizations like Bangladesh-based Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami, Student’s Islamic Movement of India hiding in Pakistan besides sheltering, arming, training, funding, motivating indigenous militant organisations like National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), ULFA, and the various splinter groups of the NSCN .
Pakistan, since its inception, has been accused by India, the US and the UK for launching terrorist activities in India and Afghanistan overtly, and Shias’ decimation in Iran and its northern areas covertly. It is also eliminating Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Ahamdias, Bohras and other minorities systematically and surgically. It openly sheltered, trained, armed and funded Sikh militancy, demanding a separate homeland and the ongoing militancy in Jammu & Kashmir, both being integral border states of India as Sindh and Punjab are that of Pakistan. One wonders what strategic interests the US and China have over its compulsive military aid to the failed state of Pakistan. China is an emerging super power and containing India militarily should be its last priority. Mutual Economic development and cooperation would make both countries as Asian giants who can take in their folds smaller Asian nations towards elimination of poverty, hunger, malnutrition and disease, which should be the prime needs of poor nations like Pakistan and North Korea armed with nuclear lethality and military hardware by China. The US, with its compulsive Afghanistan policies in its wisdom, thought arming Pakistan with F-16s stating these aircrafts would be used against combating terrorism nurtured by Pakistan but now is plaguing it adversely.
We need to realize that Pakistan is selling nuclear weapons to Saudi Arabia to counter Iran but must also understand that they can fall in the hands of terrorists and pro Baluchistan independence elements furthering dismembering its fragile geography. While China needs to realize that the development of the Gawadar –Xinjiang Economic Corridor will provide easy routes of ingress to Uighur militants, the US must also know the fact that the majority of the 9/11 attackers were Saudi Sunni terrorists that operated hand in hand with Pakistani Sunni militias. The US, China and the EU must recognize that ISIS is being provided liberal support by Pakistan and Saudi Arabia and would be threats to the EU and Muslim dominated provinces of China neighboring Pakistan, Afghanistan and CARs . India has constantly ridiculed but the massive humanitarian issue of the Muslim refugees created by the ISIS led war in Syria and Iraq that has forced millions of refugees in the EU alarmingly, disturbing their security, culture, demography, economy and way of life.
Nothing thrilled me more than reading in the Times of India, a leading Indian daily dated 29 May 2016 that Pakistan seems to have failed to seal the deal for purchasing eight F-16 jets from the US due to issues over financing. The leading Pakistani paper had reported the previous day that $699 million deal faced resistance from the US Congress and Senate. The US also believes that Pakistan’s nuclear weapon delivery capability would increase tremendously not to fight terrorism, but India. Such aircrafts are rather used in conventional war rather than counter-terrorism. PM Sharif’s adviser, Sartaj Aziz has predicted earlier that if the US deal failed, Pakistan would endeavor purchasing similar aircrafts from China or Russia. Also, Turkey has been contacted by Pakistan to upgrade its 74 F-16s but the US consent would be needed for the deal to mature. It is here the Indian, the US and the EU pro-active diplomacy need to prevail up on not only both China and Russia but Turkey as well not to entertain such commercial military transactions that would create imbalance in South Asia. No wonder, the Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump would never let the deal be finalized if elected as the US president. PM Modi, during visit to the US next month, needs to discuss this issue to ensure no such a deal never takes place. Pakistan needs to be economically strong to fight hunger and poverty and its democratic institutions. The army and the ISI should earnestly delink from terrorism to uplift Pakistan from a failed military state to a progressive democratic state. The world community needs to gear up to persuade and help Pakistan in fighting poverty, ignorance and terrorism BUT vehemently oppose fighting its neighbor(s) or sponsoring terrorist attacks on them.
Last but not least, and I do not like chest thumping BUT it is the media, both print and electronic, big and small papers and news channels, that highlighted the immorality of the sale of F-16s and articles written by writers as insignificant as I am that shook the conscience of the superpower such as the US for negating the deal of the F-16s sale to Pakistan. That is the power of the fourth estate after all!