Monthly Security Review

August 2010
Volume: 1 Edition: 3

Contents
Editors Note On the Question of National Media Policy Provincial Autonomy and Pakistan BrassTacks Security & Political Analysis Giving India Trade Route or Crossing Red Lines? 01 04 09 19 29 33 42

Zaid Hamid

Patron-in-Chief

Editorial Board

From Indus to Oxus Pakistans Spiritual Dimensions

Shehla Zafar Noureen Akhtar

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The Ideological Battlefield

Dear readers, Assalam oAlaikum 14 August and Ramadan Mubarak! This day reminds us that Pakistan is an ideological Islamic state and we are proud of it. But under the threat of 4th Generation War, not just the geography, but also the ideology and identity of the country is under attack. A critical analysis of Clash of civilizations theory by Samuel Huntington, one of the most provocative as well as thought provoking thinkers and writers of the Western world, suggests that the West is trying to maintain its dominance through:

Maintaining weapons superiority through non-proliferation regimes:

Despite massive qualitative and quantitative Western superiority in conventional weapons, the emerging hostile civilizations can radically bridge the gap of military imbalance by deploying WMD's and their delivery systems. This explains the western obsession with WMD's in the hands of Muslim and Chinese civilizations.

Promoting western political and cultural values:

These include democracy, free sex, women empowerment, Western sponsored education and amoral Western secular cultural values in non-Western states, particularly Muslim States.

Protecting Western values and culture from diluting under Islamic ideology:
Restricting immigrations to West and stopping influx of Muslims and Muslim

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Indian Hydro War Against Paksitan

values through legislation, social pressures and media. The raping of thousands of Bosnian Turk Muslim women to produce Serb offsprings, banning of Masjid Minarets in Switzerland, banning of head scarves and veils in France, racial profiling of Muslims and demonizing Islam and Islamic values in media, are just a few of the means towards that goal. We witness all these strategies being implemented very aggressively in the Muslim world, particularly in Pakistan. world, which after decades of moral degeneration, stands on the verge of total collapse in terms of human and social values: Increase in anti-social behaviour such as crimes, drugs and violence.

Plans, Impact & Consequences the present state of the Western Huntington further, in general terms, defines

By: Farzana Shah teenage pregnancies, single parent families and now homosexuality as an
accepted social norm. Decreasing commitment to social contribution in the form of reduced charity, minimal social work and personal sacrifice for larger moral or spiritual objectives. Decreasing commitment to learning and intellectual activity and generally slipping standards of scholastic achievements. General weakening of work ethics. It is because of this moral and social decadence that even the best sociologists in the Western world feel that the future would belong to nations which stand on higher ideological, moral, ethical and spiritual plane than the West and who could offer an alternate code of life to the world other than the degenerated life style, produced by the materialistic and blind amoral values of the secular, liberal Western civilization. Islam is the fastest spreading religion in the West. Islam, and particularly Pakistan, remains the biggest threat for the modern Zionists, which must be diluted at all costs in both military and ideological terms! In the previous issues, we have discussed the 4GW against Pakistan and its derivatives. In this issue, we shall discuss the ideological axis of the same ruthless

Breakdown of family unit, including increase in divorce rate, illegitimacy,

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war. The double pincer is being delivered by combined Western and Hindu civilizations on our ideology in the following manner: 1.By totally controlling/destroying the education system in Pakistan. 2.By waging a ruthless media and information war aimed at diluting the Islamic identity, ideology, and language of the nation. A massive psychological operations campaign, through liberal and secular media, is being bombarded upon Pakistan these days. The softening up strategy is obvious to shake the faith of the youth in our Islamic identity, ideology, founding fathers and philosophy, in order to render it vulnerable to an imperceptible invasion by Hindu ideology and liberal, secular values that are directly in conflict with Islamic ethos. Urdu language is being disfigured a tragedy in the making of mammoth proportions for Islamic civilization. However, this axis of 4GW against Pakistan can be reversed; it already has been to a great extent. Protecting Pakistan's ideology, identity and language is as vital as defending the geographical frontiers of the state. It is a war we cannot afford to lose. InshaAllah, never.

Farzana Shah

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Cover Story

On the Question of National Media Policy

Fight for the Heart and Soul of Pakistan

By: Zaid Hamid

Making a media policy is far more complex than dos and don'ts of administrative nature or forming legal contracts for private channels. There are two major aspects of a national media policy. 1. The Philosophical Vision, Mission statement, goals and objectives to be achieved. 2 .The BrassTacks the actual details involving technical, human, administrative, legal and financial aspects of the policy to achieve the defined vision and goals. This paper only deals with the first aspect the Philosophical part of the Media policy. Once this aspect is accurately defined, all energies can then be channelized to achieve this objective through the deployment of the second aspect of the media policy. The vision and goals decided must be protected by a comprehensive media strategy, which defines the parameters of journalism, rules for electronic media, methods of monitoring and surveillance of fifth columnists under the garb of journalism, as well as media force projection capabilities, ensuring much more than just issuing licences for tens of uncontrolled channels which act as enemy artillery on our social, moral, religious and national defenses. This is war and we must respond on war footings. There is no such thing as freedom of expression,
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unbiased media or free media. Let's not get too carried away blindly with this notion. Not even in US, UK or the so-called best democracies, have anything like that. Either strong State control for national security is exercised on media, or there is strong selfregulation by the national media, which collaborates with the national security and development strategy. FOX, CNN, BBC, ZEE TV, Door Darshan, Star Plus etc, all follow the macro agenda of their governments and are either directly controlled by the mega cartels, having vested interests and influence in their country's policy formulations or are ideologically motivated to promote their strategic vision. Bollywood, in India, is acting as an extension of Indian foreign policy, with the strong political and sexually explicit movies they are churning out, while keeping Pakistani audiences, particularly youth, in focus. The compromised and incompetent government's media policy ensured that these movies end up in Pakistani theatres. Pakistani media managers and information ministry remains ridiculously complacent in this regard as well. While making an apologetic attempt to project to the world that media is free in Pakistan, the government unabatedly allowed vulgarity and ideologically poisonous views to be strongly promoted in the country, which are actually worse than the Indian artillery and nukes pointed at us. Can we allow these amoral values to be promoted in the country in the name of freedom of expression? Let's draw the line and do not be fooled by the twisted notion, which we

have accepted hook, line and sinker without questioning. Also, the media cannot be above the law nor have the authority to operate outside the ambit of national legal, social and moral limits. Freedom of expression has its limits and they must be understood, written, applied and enforced in any media policy, which the country wishes to deploy. It has to be forcefully asserted that without Islamic ideology and identity, there is and will be no Pakistan. Our ideological frontiers must be guarded as jealously and responsibly as our geographical frontiers and nuclear assets. Anyone not guarding these frontiers would not be sincere to this nation and the country.

Indian sub-continent and their application of psychological warfare, information war, education strategies and literature in creating a colonised society. The process remains equally relevant even today and must be understudied when we formulate our own media policy. As has been noted by numerous scholars of British rule in India, the physical presence of the British in India was not significant. Yet, for almost two centuries, the British were able to rule two-third of the subcontinent directly, and exercise considerable leverage over the Princely States that accounted for the remaining one-third. While the strategy of divide and conquer was used most effectively, an important aspect of British rule in India was the psychological indoctrination of an elite layer within the Indian society, who were artfully tutored into becoming model British subjects. This English-educated layer of Indian society was craftily encouraged in absorbing such values and notions about themselves and their land of birth, that would be conducive to the British occupation of India, and furthering British goals of looting India's physical wealth and exploiting its labour. In 1835, Thomas Macaulay articulated the goals of British colonial imperialism most succinctly: "We must do our best to form a class who may be interpreters between us and the millions whom we govern, a class of persons Indian in blood and colour, but English in taste, in opinions, words and intellect." As the architect of Colonial Britain's Educational Policy in India, Thomas Macaulay was to set the standards for what educated Indians were going to learn about themselves, their civilization, and their view of Britain and the world around them. An archracist, Thomas Macaulay had nothing but scornful disdain for Indian history and civilization. In his infamous minute of 1835, he wrote that he had "never found one among them (speaking of Orientalist, an opposing political faction) who could deny that a single shelf of a good European library was worth the whole native literature of India and Arabia. It is, no exaggeration to say, that all the

We must never allow Allama Iqbal to be sidelined, degraded or bypassed by the media as it launches direct attacks on his thoughts, visions and role for Pakistan and Ummah. He is the most dangerous man for the anti-Islamic forces due to his revolutionary and inspiring beliefs, therefore, he is the topmost priority for the enemies to be destroyed. Iqbal must be jealously guarded, lovingly projected and patronised as his views and beliefs fit the new role for Pakistan as the leader of the Muslim world. Know thy enemy --- The Colony and the Colonials: At this point it would be very appropriate to learn from history and refer to the British attempts of colonizing
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became more Romans than Gaul or Italians.." That this was no benign process, but intimately related to advancing British colonial goals, was expressed quite candidly by Charles Trevelyan in his testimony before the Select Committee of the House of Lords on the Government of Indian Territories on 23rd June, 1853: "..... the effect of training in European learning is to give an entirely new turn to the native mind. The young men educated in this way cease to strive after independence according to the original native model, and aim at improving the institutions of the country according to the English model, with the ultimate result of establishing constitutional selfgovernment. They cease to regard us as enemies and usurpers, and they look upon us as friends and patrons, and powerful beneficent persons, under whose protection the regeneration of their country will gradually be worked out. ....." Much of the indoctrination of the Indian mind actually took place outside the formal classrooms and through the sale of British literature to the English-educated Indian, who developed a voracious appetite for the British novel and British writings on a host of popular subjects. In a speech before the Edinburgh Philosophical Society in 1846, Thomas Babington (1800-1859), shortly to become Baron Macaulay, offered a toast: "To the literature of Britain . . . which has exercised an influence wider than that of our commerce and mightier than that of our arms . . .before the light of which impious and cruel superstitions are fast taking flight on the Banks of the Ganges!" However, the British were not content to influence Indian thinking just through books written in the English language. Realizing the danger of Indians discovering their real heritage through the medium of Sanskrit, Christian missionaries such as William Carey anticipated the need for British educators to learn Sanskrit and transcribe and interpret Sanskrit texts in a manner compatible with colonial aims. That Carey's aims were thoroughly duplicitous, is underscored in this quote cited by Richard FoxYoung: "To gain the ear of those who are thus deceived, it is necessary for them to believe that the speaker has a superior knowledge of the subject. In these circumstances, a knowledge of Sanskrit is valuable. As the person thus misled, perhaps a Brahman,
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Thomas Macaulay historical information which has been collected from all the books written in Sanskrit language is less valuable than what may be found in the paltry abridgments used at preparatory schools in England". All manner of conscious (and subconscious) British (and European) agents would henceforth embark on a journey to rape and conquer the Indian mind. Within a matter of years, J.N Farquhar (a contemporary of Macaulay) was to write: "The new educational policy of the Government, created, during these years, the modern educated class of India. These are men who think and speak in English habitually, who are proud of their citizenship in the British Empire, who are devoted to English literature, and whose intellectual life has been almost entirely formed by the thought of the West, large numbers of them enter government services, while the rest practice law, medicine or teaching, or take to journalism or business." Macaulay's stratagem could not have yielded greater dividends. Charles E. Trevelyan, brother-in-law of Macaulay, stated: "Familiarly acquainted with us by means of our literature, the Indian youth almost cease to regard us as foreigners. They speak of "great" men with the same enthusiasm as we do. Educated in the same way, interested in the same objects, engaged in the same pursuits with ourselves, they become more English than Hindoos, just as the Roman provincial

deems this a most important part of knowledge, if the advocate of truth be deficient therein, he labours against the hill; presumption is altogether against him." Elaborating on the phenomenon of cultural colonization, Priya Joshi (Culture and Consumption: Fiction, the Reading Public, and the British Novel in Colonial India) writes: "Often, the implementation of a new education system leaves those who are colonized, with a lack of identity and a limited sense of their past. The indigenous history and customs, once practiced and observed, slowly slip away. The colonized become hybrids of two vastly different cultural systems. Colonial education creates a blurring that makes it difficult to differentiate between the new, enforced ideas of the colonizers and the formerly accepted native practices." The Impact of Language on National Character and Ideology: Perhaps the greatest damage done to Pakistan in the last few years is that Pakistan is fast tracking its way to lose its language and subsequently its identity. Urdu is obviously not on the priority list of the present rulers who now want to introduce English from class one, against all basic laws and norms of basic education, local culture, availability of resources and teachers and capacity of the target student body. In a population where children are even unfamiliar with Urdu due to local ethnic cultures and local languages, now English will be introduced as a subject, overburdening the rural children who are already struggling with Urdu. In private schools, Urdu is a non-entity anyway, having given way to broken and poor English long time ago. Already from road signs to most basic routine state and private business, Urdu has been abandoned entirely or replaced with Roman Urdu or English words written in Urdu script symbolic of a disintegrating civilization. It is a devastating state of affairs that an entire Muslim civilization is on its way out, just as 800 years old Turkish history was lost to new Turkish generations when Mustafa Kamal destroyed classical Turkish to be replaced with Romanized Turkish. At the present rate of decimation of Urdu in Pakistan, we fear that in next five years, the damage would be irreparable.
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Here it would be appropriate if we turn the pages of history to see what has gone by already to predict what will happen in the future if we maintain our present course. It can be seen that the debate on educational policy, medium and the long- term political and social implication is not new and has been raging since the times of East India Company and the British Empire. This is what our founding fathers stressed upon in order to create an identity for us: The all India Muslim League calls upon all the Urdu speaking people of India to make every possible endeavour to safeguard the interests of their language, in every field of activity, with which the Central and Provincial government were concerned, and where ever the Urdu language is the language of the area, its unhampered use and development should be upheld, and where it is not a predominant language, adequate arrangement should be made for teaching it as an optional subject, and in all government offices, courts, legislature, railways, and postal departments provisions should be made for its use. Efforts should also be made to make Urdu the universal language of India th (All India Muslim League 25 session, 15-8-1937.) We will speak and write Urdu, educate our children in Urdu, never call our language by any other name except Urdu (Liaqat Ali Khan 9-4-1939, Educational conference at Aligarh.) What the Colonial Masters had planned for the natives via the education policy: Endeavours should be made to form a class of persons Indian in blood and colour, but English in

taste, in opinion, in morals and in intellect (Macaulay 1835, Education Commission of India) The great objective of the British government ought to be the promotion of European literature and science among the natives of India and that all the funds appropriated to education would best be employed on English education alone (Committee of Public Instruction,1835,under Macaulay) Consequently, the question arises that how is language critically associated with identity, imperialism, mental slavery, cultural invasion and national unity? A question, which our myopic leaders, interested only in false notion of economic growth, do not understand but the British colonizers did: All language is ideological in the sense that it encodes certain conception of life. As such, language always wields ideological, often covert power (Connolly 1983, page 139-50) The battle for identity of Central Asia, whether it was to be Islamic and Turkic or Marxist and Soviet, was also fought partly through language policies and corpus planning. Soviets changed the Arabic based script of the Central Asia languages to Latin in the 1920'sand then to Cyrillic in the late 30's to cut them off from their Muslim past (Shorish 1984) Today with their autonomy, these States give their languages symbolic status as a measure of their national identity (Rashid 1994) Ben Yahuda's dream of preserving the Jewish identity through the revival of Hebrew made him the father of nationalistic language planning in Israel. (Fellman 1974) Linguistic imperialism is also central to social imperialism, which relates to the transmission of the normal and behaviour of a modal social structure, and these are embedded in language. This occurs whenever a socializing influence is exerted (Phillipson 1992: 54) Language is an important tool of Imperialism, defined as the domination of one collectively over another (Galtung 1980:107)

The (language controversy) began in 1780 and in a sense has never ended. It was not only an educational matter but was indeed connected with the political domination of India by the British (Spear 1938) The abolition of the exclusive privileges which the Persian language has in the courts and affairs of the court will form the crowning stroke which will shake Hinduism and Mohammedanism to their centre and firmly establish our language, our learning and ultimately our religion in India (Letter of William Bentinck 9th April 1834 -- Philips 1977, 1239) While the British colonial masters westernized the natives, their own government understood the need to learn and understand local languages by the rulers themselves, for better communication between the rulers and the ruled. A strict policy to learn local languages especially Urdu, Persian and Hindi, was adopted by the Imperial British officers: So seriously these examinations taken that the suggestions of the Commander in Chief, Sir

Fredrick Roberts, that army officers should be allowed to write Hindi in Roman rather than in Devanagri letters, was not accepted by the secretary of the board of examiners. (Letters no 2523, 27-August-1886, India office library, London) Even history forgets the nations who do not jealously guard their identity. Enemies always attack the identity of any people to cause their final and total annihilation. The most unfortunate aspect is that the battle to annihilate Muslim identity and culture from India, which had started after the battle of Plassey, in 1757, continues even today. The British first decimated Arabic and Persian from India to break away the connection of Indian Muslims from the Arab and the Persian- speaking world. Then they began destroying Urdu as well, but could not finish the job; it was obligingly taken up by Pakistan's westernized elite, as well as the Education and Information Ministries.

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The National Media Policy, Philosophical Outlines: Objective Mission Statement: To create and deploy a proactive, visionary and strong media policy to propel Pakistan into the 21st century, creating and galvanizing a unified and ideologically proud nation -- with a glorious history and uniquely dignified divine code of life -- with strong transnational associations within the Ummah. The policy should be protective of ideological and geographical boundaries of the State, Government and Nation, as well as a powerful information and psychological warfare weapon, to act as an extension of national security doctrine, rising up to the challenges faced by the nation in the internal, external and global arenas. Minimum recommended Goals of the Media Policy: 1. To set the limits, terms and framework for responsible and mature media, acting as an extension of national security doctrine working within the ambit of law, respecting the social, moral and religious values of the State, nation and Ummah and challenging the attempts by the enemies to attack so as to redefine Pakistan's ideological, moral, social and national values. Azad media but not Awara Media! To project the concept of mature, responsible and value friendly media which would assist in r e p r o g r a m m in g t h e n a t i o n a l a n d international psyche about human, moral and Islamic values in the modern times. 2. To create a nation knowledgeable and proud of its history, heritage, ideology and values and galvanized to take up the challenges of 21st century. 3. To give voice to global Muslim and Human issues for balanced and alternate
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viewpoint from the perspective of Pakistan and Muslim world today. 4. To project Pakistan as leader of the Muslim world and as the model ideological Islamic Welfare State. 5. To project Pakistan as the bridge between the civilizations based on Sura Kafirun and also to block the efforts of extremists to create a clash of civilizations to destroy the Islamic Ummah. 6. To project Pakistan as the technology and military leader of the Muslim world and as the only nuclear and missile power, representing the Islamic block. 7. To counter the attempts by foreign hostile media to encircle Pakistan and to prevent the foreign powers and states from exploiting the national laws and media in order to deploy the Pakistani media to advance foreign hostile agenda. 8. Urdu language to be jealously guarded, protected, promoted. Any media policy, which can keep the above parameters in close perspective and respond to the above mentioned challenges in a dignified manner, would be a sound investment into national security and would serve the nation and state very well. It is a do-able job. Once the vision guidelines are incorporated, the next step would be to devise laws, vehicles and tools to achieve the defined objectives. That is the easier part, once the vision is clear and the goal is sharp and focused. ......................

Provincial Autonomy and Pakistan

By: Shahzad Masood Roomi
The Constitution of Pakistan has been broadly reshaped under the 18th amendment by the present political elite of the country. Allowing provincial autonomy to the provinces is one of the major amendments made in the constitution. Provincial autonomy has been a buzz word in Pakistan since the time of its independence. It means a system of provincial government, independent and free from any external influence or reliance in governance, administration, legislation and management of provincial affairs. Complete provincial autonomy means absolute independence of provincial government, with an absolute right to secede from the state at will. Politically and administratively, Pakistan is a federated state with a center holding major policy and decision making institutions in the realm of national security, finance and foreign policy. Provinces have some other subjects under their jurisdictions. Just like any classical federation, the state also has some subjects managed both by center and provinces at different levels. The debate on provincial autonomy in Pakistan stems from the fact that socio-economic progress and development is not uniform among all provinces due to various natural factors and management issues. According to provincial autonomy campaigners, this assorted social development among provinces is a culmination of disallowing complete autonomy to the provinces. What these provincial autonomy aficionados do not tell the nation is how socioeconomic uplift in the provinces would be ensured while every state institution is indulging in unparallel corruption, mismanagement and incompetency. Usually it is believed that the center has seized all the powers, however, the truth is that every political party makes this allegation against its opponents when they are in the government but as soon as these politicians themselves come into power, they make new amendments in order to grab more powers while sitting in Islamabad. Recent amendments in constitution have opened up a Pandora's box of this kind of autonomy and its implications on Pakistan's stability once again. Does Pakistan really need provincial autonomy? Did the Pakistan resolution promise something like provincial autonomy? What the founding fathers have said in this regard? What is the difference between provincial rights and autonomy? What is the real source of sense of deprivation in masses? What is required to be done to ensure socio-economic uplift of masses? This paper examines all these aspects of provincial autonomy and attempts to find some answers. At this point it would be prudent to take a look at the origin of this particular political dogma of provincial autonomy.

ProvincialAutonomy in Pakistan Resolution:

The promise of provincial autonomy in Pakistan rd resolution of 23 March, 1940, is used as the strongest argument in favor of provincial autonomy. This view point stems from an objective analysis of the 1940 resolution, according to which, since Muslim struggle for independence was to gain states with autonomous
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units in united British India, hence autonomy must be given to provinces in Pakistan as well. One must keep Pre and Post World War II political landscape of British India in sight, before making any judgment about the 1940 resolution and its demands, in context of provincial autonomy in an independent Pakistan. Below is an excerpt of Pakistan resolution: "No constitutional plan would be workable or acceptable to the Muslims unless geographical contiguous units are demarcated into regions which should be so constituted with such territorial readjustments as may be necessary. That the areas in which the Muslims are numerically in majority as in the North-Western and Eastern zones of India should be grouped to constitute independent states in which the constituent units shall be autonomous and sovereign". Last two lines of the given excerpt make it clear that in 1940, One Pakistan was not the demand rather separate Muslim states were demanded; One in North West of India and other in Eastern zone. This resolution was adopted by Muslim League later in 1941 as part of its constitution. An important fact is overlooked often, that during the debate of demand of autonomy in the 1940 Resolution, there were reasons for using the word autonomy in that specific resolution by the drafters, as any word like independence or separation were strictly banned in any public procession by the law known as Defense of India Rule, introduced after the start of Second World War. Furthermore, it was mentioned in the last paragraph of 1940 Pakistan Resolution that a mechanism for final assumption of powers will be formed afterwards in new Muslim states which All India Muslim League demanded at rd that historic occasion of 23 March 1940. In these circumstances Indian Muslims were desperate for retaining their participation and representation in state affairs at that time. So another major reason behind calling for autonomy was to get justice in representation of Muslims in legislative bodies in Muslim majority provinces. The British had curbed the real representation of Muslims in legislator elections in two majority provinces: Punjab and Bengal. In Punjab Muslims were 56% of the total population with a representation of just 42% and in Bengal Muslims were 45% of legislator bodies despite having a majority population share of 57%. So in these circumstances the demand of autonomy makes complete sense in United India where Muslims were
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Different Muslim States envisaged in the 1940 Resolution

deprived of their legitimate legislator representation; but by looking at the intentions of British Raj and Hindu conspirators, soon it was realized by the founding fathers that the demand for autonomy was no solution to this problem. This fact is evident from the Quaid's speech at the conclusion of Muslim League Legislator convention held inApril 1946 in Delhi:

There are those who say to us what is the good of you talking of Pakistan when you cannot form ministries in your majority provinces? I say to them this is the very reason why we want to get rid of India Act of 1935 and establish Pakistan. Look at the spirit how they are forming Ministries in Mulsim majority provinces and hindering us from forming Ministries in our majority provinces.
Post 1940 political developments are instrumental in understanding the shift of demand from autonomy to a sovereign separate homeland for Muslims; the fact is that by 1943 Quaid-e-Azam had demanded Divide and Quit, this makes it clear that demands of autonomy under 1940 resolution had very much reallocated towards complete independence and sovereignty by then and this fact becomes more evident after 1945 elections, when Quaid-e-Azam called for Direct Action if Indian Muslims were not allowed to have their own independent state, Pakistan. To make the shift in demand more clear, All India Muslim League held its historic legislator convention,

But still supporters of complete provincial autonomy insist that Pakistan was intended to be a loose federation, comprising of completely autonomous provinces/states or in other words it was deemed as a confederation rather than a federation. The most absurd part of this whole drama is the way completely autonomous provinces are presented, as if it were promised to the nation by the founding father himself. To thwart this misconception once and for all, below is an excerpt of Quaid's historical speech at Quetta th municipality on 15 June, 1948 (Just 87 days before his death) where he demolished any concept of provincial autonomy: While, however, one must love one's town and work for its welfare--indeed because of it--one must love better one's country and work more devotedly for it. Local attachments have their value but what is the value and strength of a "part" except within the "whole". Yet this is a truth people so easily seem to forget and begin to prize local, sectional or provincial interests above and regardless of the national interests. It naturally pains me to find the curse of provincialism holding sway over any section of Pakistan. Pakistan must get rid of this evil. It is a relic of the old administration when you clung to provincial autonomy and local liberty of action to avoid control--which meant--British control. But with your own Central Government and its power, it is a folly to continue to think in the same terms, especially at a time when your State is so new and faces such tremendous problems internal and external. At this juncture any subordination of the larger interest of the State to the provincial or local or personal interest would be suicidal. The Quaid also appealed to the nation for an unshakable Pakistani nationalism to overcome the menace of provincialism: Baluchistan is the land of brave independent people and to you, therefore, national freedom, honour, and strength should have a special meaning. These whisperings of mulki and non-mulki are neither profitable for the land nor worthy of it. We are now all Pakistanis--not Baluchis, Pathans, Sindhis, Bengalis, Punjabis and so on--and as Pakistanis we must feel, behave and act, and we should be proud to be known as Pakistanis and nothing else. I ask you always to pause and consider before taking any step whether it is conditioned by your personal or local likes and dislikes or is determined by consideration of the good of the State.
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Quaid presiding over All India Muslim League's historical Lahore session of 1940 at Iqbal park April 1946, in Delhi, in which not only the earlier resolution of 1940 was amended but a new draft was also formulated making it clear that Muslims could not live with Hindus in 'One India' and any oppression and force will be resisted in the toughest possible way. This was the first time that Muslim League decided to shift its decisive struggle towards crafting one Muslim state (i.e. Pakistan) in Indian subcontinent instead of previously envisioned two states (one on North West and other in Eastern zone). The Quaid's speech on this occasion makes it clear that autonomy was no more a demand of Muslims and also that Muslims were not interested in being part of any government in united India:

We cannot agree to a single constitutionmaking body, because it will mean we are signing our death-warrant and we cannot agree to consider any agreement unless Pakistan scheme is accepted as sine qua non.
Despite the fact that provincial autonomy was introduced in India Act of 1935, when it came to protection of social rights, political identity and ideology, the only solution Quaid envisaged was the creation of Pakistan and not the provincial autonomy within united British India. Below is another excerpt of his speech at the conclusion of Muslim League legislator convention:

If there is any safeguard known in the world for the minority provinces, the most effective safeguard is creation of Pakistan. The present constitution also has safeguards but are paper safeguards any good?

ProvincialAutonomy in Pakistan:
Soon after the death of Quaid-e-Azam, political parties started to deviate from Pakistani nationalism that was eagerly desired by him. Rhetoric of provincial autonomy started once again and results were devastating for national security.Awami League, in East Pakistan, started to demand complete autonomy under 1940 resolution. Politicians, in both East and West Pakistan, treacherously played ethnolinguistic cards to push their own political agendas. Though heinous political blunders were committed by Islamabad at times as well but chiefly it was the demands of Awami League which resulted in the severance of East Pakistan. The 6 points presented by Mujib-ur-Rehman, including demands like two currencies, two paramilitary forces, two separate accounts for foreign exchange were a clear declaration of secession of East Pakistan and all of these were based on pure ethno-linguistic politics to gain power. Never, during his whole political career, did Mujib come up with a practical approach for uplifting the socioeconomics of East Pakistan. He rather used problems like poverty, linguistic polarization and ethnic disparities to work in his favor to pursue his agenda of separation. Unfortunately political parties demanding provincial autonomy now in Pakistan also have same desires and designs. No political party ever demanded something like provincial autonomy after the debacle of 1971, until very recently when sudden uproar was seen in Pakistan for this cause in pretext of deprivation of provincial rights and local control over various natural resources. Leaving military dictators aside, even elected civilian governments always try to clutch maximum powers in the center to plunder unabated. The 18th amendment is a clear example of this tragedy in Pakistan. People of Pakistan demand the resolution of their problems with feelings of participation in governance. The sense of being deprived by the center or a majority province must be nullified. Realization of social problems and provincial right is the first step in that direction.

result of two things, both are mutually exclusive. 1. Power grabbing by political elite 2. Corruption Every political party after coming into power tries its level best to grab maximum powers to have absolute control. This flawed political practice only generated absolute corruption, with no accountability to the nation. Like it is said, Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Instead of solving problems, the corrupt politicians and sub nationalists are using social and public issues to further their agenda to have more powers by presenting provincial autonomy as a divine remedy for these crucial problems like water management, food shortages, energy and terrorism. Granting legitimate rights of legislation and governance, to the provinces can reduce the sense of deprivation among masses in smaller provinces but that would only work if Pakistani political culture undergoes a radical change.

ProvincialAutonomy versus Provincial Rights:

Sub nationalists and small ethnic political parties are more vocal for complete provincial autonomy without realizing the fact that it is not possible in a federated state like Pakistan. In a federation there are some enabling mechanisms between the two layers of governance and administration: One at federal level and the other at provincial level. A federation, in its true sense is very different from what sub nationalists and parities are demanding i.e. a confederation. Contrary to all the propaganda, a federation has no concept of imposing the will of the center on any province, while at the same time it is directly in contradiction of complete provincial autonomy. There must be a balance of power between center and provinces among all pertaining issues of governance and management and this is something we don't see in Pakistani federation. This imbalance of power between center and provinces gave birth to problems like corruption, inadequacy of resources, lagged progress and social chaos. In a multi ethnic country like Pakistan, with its diverse demography, it is imperative to maintain a sense of

Provincial autonomy and Social issues:

All the major problems and crises in Pakistan are a
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uniform development and progress among all the ethnic communities and groups within and among the provinces. The smaller the ethnic group or community, the more sensitive it would be towards its growth, progress and development. Baluchistan is mere 4% of Pakistan's total population and the province is further divided into multiple ethnicities. In such a diverse and complex, cultural and social landscape every small ethnic community would feel insecure socially, economically and politically if the government fails to ensure uniform socio-economic progress among all ethnic communities. This is something that is agitating the Baluchis and other communities in Baluchistan. Does size matter? Some analysts supporting provincial autonomy are of the view that disparity between size of Punjab and other provinces is a major bone of contention for gaining provincial harmony; so Punjab must be split into two to three smaller provinces to dissipate the other provinces' sense of insecurity. It would help in improving management and governance in newly formed smaller provinces. Another group has similar views about Baluchistan, which, according to this group, must be divided into two to three smaller provinces so that social uplift in Baluchistan can be ensured. Apparently, these proposals seem to be very realistic and practical. In its pure management and governance

incarnation this is what must be done as well, but along with these proposals there are some important questions, which must be answered: 1. How smaller provinces, consisting of Punjabi population, will solve the problem of provincial disharmony and how will they promote ethnic cohesion in the state of Pakistan? 2. How provincial rights would be granted with this divide of larger provinces into smaller ones? Dividing larger provinces into smaller ones is not something equal to provincial autonomy. So provincial autonomy is a subject directly between the center and provinces, regardless of how big or small they are. 3. How diverse ethnic demography in Pakistan will be managed in this new setup? How equal representation of all ethnic blocks will be ensured in Senate with split of larger provinces? This arrangement can lead to a calamitous situation; as with this division, Punjabis and Baluchis will have more than one province of theirs while Pukhtuns and Sindhis will have just one. This will destroy the existing political and ethnic harmony and balance in national institutions like Senate. 4. How just and fair resource division and allocation would be ensured? This is already a serious and critical issue among center and

A proposed plan for dividing Pakistan into multiple provinces for administrative purposes would not solve the critical problems like provincial autonomy and provincial harmony rather it would further complicate existing governance issues in the provinces.

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provinces. Dividing provinces would further complicate this issue. So it is clear that dividing larger provinces is not a solution to any challenge, neither governance nor provincial autonomy rather political situation in context of ethnic harmony will become more fragile. 18 Amendment & Provincial Autonomy: 1973 constitution of Pakistan described the role of both central and provincial governments along with their roles and mandates. There were 47 items in the constitution (Concurrent List) enlisted in schedule IV of constitution which were shared among center and provinces. This list was to be abolished within the ten years of formulation of constitution but it remained there till
th

while denying sense of complete provincial autonomy. To ensure this, a careful evaluation of each subject enlisted in concurrent list was compulsory before passing these subjects over to provincial level. Lack of capable and experienced bureaucratic work force in smaller provinces is a big issue to deal with after the eradication of concurrent list. As now these departments would function under provincial control so every province would employ its own people in these departments. Baluchistan and KPK have real difficulties in bridging the demand of experienced, local managers and bureaucratic staff for newly shifted departments. It's surprising that no advocate of provincial autonomy ponders upon these issues as how provincial rights must be exercised while enhancing the capacity of provinces in management and governance areas to give local people in provinces some sense of ownership and participation in resolution of their local issues.

Provincial Autonomy in context of National Integrity:

The curse of grabbing absolute political powers by amending the constitution not only caused stagnation to national progress but also ruined the concept of federating state by providing opportunity to hostile states and agencies to use this demand to launch severe psychological operations to create mistrust, friction and drift among various ethnic communities. the 18th amendment. In the past, concurrent list (in schedule IV of the constitution) remained a cause of contention between center and provinces. It has been eliminated by the current government through the 18th amendment under the catchphrase of giving complete provincial autonomy to the provinces. All 47 subjects in concurrent list, have been shifted to the provincial legislative list. As this decision was made without th proper forethought and parliament passed 18 amendment in clumsy haste, now provincial governments are up against a mammoth challenge of managing all the departments moved from center to provinces. Elimination of concurrent list was necessary but this was supposed to happen in a manner that ensures maximum possible provincial rights to provinces
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The demands of complete provincial autonomy along with corruption, mismanagement, incompetency and disastrous policies can potentially pose a serious internal threat to the national security, the likes of one the nation faced in 1970s, when Awami League demanded the same, taking advantage of poor socioeconomic situation in East Pakistan due to poor management by the then government in Islamabad. As Pakistan armed forces have crushed insurgency in Swat and Malakand, it has now become evident that these insurgencies are not just the fall out of Pakistan's decision to support US in war on terror rather are part th of the 4 generation warfare tactics being employed against Pakistan by forces like CIA, Mossad and RAW. Multiple insurgencies, of varying strengths, have

(Women protestors in Quetta 2010) erupted in the country, particularly in Western and North Western provinces, so the environment is conducive for sub nationalists to push demands of complete provincial autonomy. Taking advantage of the situation, Indian backed BLA and BRA activists are killing non Baluchis. Sub nationalist political parties have got unprecedented power and the streets of Quetta are presenting similar scenes that were once witnessed on the streets of Dhaka. The current government in Pakistan is almost fatal for the nation. This government has failed miserably in reading the security dynamics of the region and allowed an unprecedented level of foreign meddling into state affairs through continuation of failed policies of previous government. A weak center is unacceptable in a federation from the security point of view and unfortunately the nation is living with a politically feeble center, without any real power of

(Women protestors in Dhaka 1971) taking corrective measures in governance and national security policy formulation. Resultantly, sub nationalist and separatist elements have become stronger political players on the national canvas. The government was hoping for a decline in separatist th tendency in restive provinces after passing the 18 amendment but it got messier. The situation in Baluchistan is already very fragile as people responsible for socio-economic plight of the masses are sitting in the government of Baluchistan. NWFP was renamed as Khyber Pakhtunkhawa (KPK). As renaming was carried out on ethnic basis, this triggered a chain reaction in the country by various communities demanding separate provinces for themselves. This trend will divide the whole country on ethnic and linguistic basis. Violence and clashes erupted among different communities within NWFP in which many lives were lost. Aggressive campaigns for establishing Hazara province were carried out and the situation is deteriorating with each passing day. Angry and grieved Hazarawals have put up illegal road signs and billboards are displayed along various roads in Hazara, showing the region as a separate province, whereas the government and parliament has not decided anything like that. The situation between Punjab and Sindh is getting tense by the day over water issue.
Punjab and Sindh are in head-on collision on water distribution and Chashma-Jhelum Link canal power project announced by the government of Punjab recently.
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After shifting water to provincial government, Punjab can initiate KBD (Kala Bagh Dam) project, which is vital for its energy and agriculture needs but it would widen the trust deficit which is already reaching a critical threshold. By: Shehzad Masood Roomi Issues like water crisis are not made up by provinces but are culmination of sheer mismanagement and treacherous policies at federal level, by both current and previous governments in Islamabad. Provincial autonomy will not solve, rather it would deepen the crisis which is already in the making, as India has stopped the flow of Pakistani rivers by building dams on these rivers and violating IWT of 1960. History has taught a very tough lesson to the Pakistani nation that provincial autonomy is a tool of propaganda warfare used by India, successfully throughout the 1960s and Pakistan had to pay the price in 1971. The situation is once again similar. Pakistani nation is under attack by Indian and Western media, who are using provincial autonomy, objective analysis of history and exaggerated facts as their weapons in this media war. Pakistan needs to take some serious steps to combat evil of provincialism.

i-Azam has told. In this regard, given below is another excerpt of the same speech he made on 15 June 1948:

If each individual, thus scrutinizing himself and forces--for initially it will require a certain amount of force--upon himself the principal of honesty to others as well as to himself, regardless of fear or favor. I see a very bright future ahead. If individuals, both officials and non-officials play their part thus and work in this spirit, the Government, the Nation and the State will immediately bear their stamp, and Pakistan will emerge triumphantly as one of the greatest nations of the world.
Here the Quaid called for pure Islamic concept of self accountability so that no individual can be allured by any kind of corruption. It is corruption at different levels that has put Pakistan in the current state of affairs. As said by the Quaid at the end of Muslim League legislator convention in 1946;

Proposals:
There are few proposals to combat this evil of provincialism: 1.Elimination of Corruption: Pakistan has only one way forward on the subject of provincial autonomy and that is to follow what QuaidBRASSTACKS 17

We have lost the fullness of our noble character. And what is character?- Highest sense of honour and highest sense of integrity, conviction, incorruptibility , readiness at any time to efface oneself for the collective good of the nation.
Pakistan is facing the same dilemma once again, and the only solution to get out of this is to curb corruption at every level, at any cost. Had Pakistan a strong accountability system, the situation would have been very different in every field of life, including uniform progress for all ethnicities and communities. Absence of accountability and speedy justice have shrouded the

masses with a sense of deprivation and hence it must be eliminated. 2.Islamic ideology and Pakistani Nationalism As it was said by the Quaid some 63 year ago, it is Islamic ideology blended with Pakistani nationalism that can keep Pakistan united under all circumstances. Pakistan must protect its ideology jealously. Education and Language are two sensitive areas in this regard in any country and Pakistan is no exception. These areas will overlap between center and provinces. Neither provinces nor center can cope with these subjects alone. Center must provide the provinces with a broad framework of education, built around the theme of defending and safeguarding the ideology of Pakistan. Also, center must do everything possible to save Urdu in the education system by adopting it as a medium of instruction in institutions and universities at higher education level, while provinces must do the same at secondary and primary levels. Language and Education are two most important pillars against the curse of provincialism and must be cultivated into the nation's interests. Another major area in which government must work on war footing is media management in context of ideology of Pakistan, so that propaganda of provincial autonomy can be thwarted. India and US are investing in Pakistani media to initiate complex psychometric media wars on ideological axis. 3.Provision of Provincial Rights: While drafting the 1973 constitution, an interim period of ten years was given before elimination of concurrent list. The wisdom behind this delay was the realization that provinces would not be able to run so many departments without proper capacity building. The present government has eliminated concurrent list but has failed to solve the problems. Giving provincial rights is imperative but how this will be done is a subject where most of the brains in intellectual community of Pakistan must start pondering. Provinces in Pakistan are highly interdependent and also rely on the center for various resources.

There are federating states, like Pakistan, with more than two legislative lists sharing some areas and subjects. In India, some of the subjects from provinces have been put into federal list. Eliminating concurrent list or moving everything to provincial legislative list is not the word of Gospel. Pakistan needs some kind of enabling bodies that can work with center and province at the same time on issues which are inter linked, like security, higher education, revenue etc. 4.Capacity Building Many problems that smaller provinces are facing are direct result of lack of adequate experience and skill man power in public offices and not having capacity to cope with challenges of modern age management issues. Capacity building is important and provinces must form specialized academies so that new managers and administrators can be trained to take responsibilities in new departments, which would be handed over to provinces separately. Conclusion: Corruption and mismanagement over the decades have distorted the social fabric of the Pakistani nation. Nation and state have also suffered from lack of leadership due to corruption. This has caused a deep sense of deprivation in the masses, particularly in smaller provinces. Pakistan has to overcome this corruption in its political system and must also get rid of elements that always seek more and more power while sitting in the center. On the other hand Pakistani nation must reject any ethnic or linguistic appeal by any political party or group in order to show Pakistani nationalism rather than provincialism. Quaid-e-Azam gave principles of leadership and nation building and it is time for Pakistani state to put these principles into practice, while also devising policies for the future. ..............................

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Synopsis of the Month

By: Zaid Hamid

Eastern Front: Regional security dynamics are changing rapidly. Afghanistan remains the battleground for the regional countries to fight high intensity proxy wars against each other. There are only enemies or temporary allies here but no friends. There are multiple counts where Pakistan is now openly defying US, much to the frustrations of Indians as well. 1. Pakistan signed the IP gas pipeline deal despite threats from the US. Indians have been left out of it. 2. Pakistan has so far refused to send troops to North Waziristan despite demands by the Americans. 3. Pakistan has signed the nuclear cooperation deal with China despite reservations by the US. 4. Pakistan is increasing military cooperation with China simultaneously and also going for a full SCO membership despite strong US reservations. 5. Pakistan defied US and helped Iranians to track and trap the Jundullah head Abdul Malik Regi, breaking the back of CIA operations in Iran. These are unprecedented developments in recent times and show a major shift in Pak-US relations. Indians had been counting upon US pressure on Pakistan. Here the tables seem to be turning against them as well. The Afghan situation is at a very critical moment for the US now and they simply cannot afford to have Pakistan on the wrong side of the fence. Exploiting this weakness, Pakistan is now exerting
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itself openly. US knows that Pakistani military as well as the patriotic elements in the government and establishment are going to protect Pakistan's interests and US betrayal in the last nine years has made Pakistan bitter. There is a desperate scramble in US to regain Pakistan's trust. US and NATO are now facing a defeat in Afghanistan and some elements are quick to find scapegoats, blaming Pakistan for their failures. They acknowledge that Pakistan is already fighting a bloody war in the tribal region but are never satisfied as Pakistan selects its own targets despite pressure from the US/NATO. US and NATO know that Pakistan has capacity, capability, will and the experience to bury the ISAF dreams in Afghan mountains and gorges if Islamabad or GHQ wills, hence keeping Pakistan on their side remains their topmost priority. In defiance to the US and UK, Pakistan this month also persisted with the new aggressive Iran policy. Pakistan's forging a strategic alliance with Iran would have long term regional implications in Afghanistan also. Bilaterally, Pakistan and India tried to initiate the media faade of peace talks under the umbrella of SAARC conference but the suspicions and mistrust remain too deep-rooted to make even the basic start on any contentious issue. Americans continue to insist, hence the formality of meeting between Pakistan and India was carried out. But even while these photo ops were being conducted, tensions and frictions continue to simmer between the two hostile neighbors from the Arabian Sea to the Himalayan ranges of Kashmir. As we have said, the peace talks remain a definitive non-starter except that Indians would be extracting more and more concessions from the weak and over inclined PPP government. Indians blame Pakistan for all the violence in Kashmir and losses of the Indian forces in the restive valley. Indians' frustrations on Kashmir are now reaching their peak. For the first time, it is the Indian army which is demanding that government should resolve the matter through talks and politics. This is a clear sign that war fatigue is now setting in Indian army in a valley which is called the largest prison in the world with over half a million Indian troops to contain less than 4 million civilian population demanding their freedom. Over hundred thousand civilians and freedom fighters have died in the last 20 years of struggle with thousands of Indian troops killed or

wounded as well. It is a simmering sore which just does not heal. Indians obviously blame Pakistan for supporting the Kashmir cause. Since 9/11, Indians had been counting upon US pressure upon Pakistan to gain regional and strategic advantage. Indian presence in Afghanistan and their ability to exploit the moment to wage ruthless insurgencies in FATA and Baluchistan also depend upon keeping Pakistan out of Afghanistan. But as Pakistan continues to gain ground in Afghanistan, it is frustrating for Delhi. Indians are definitely not amused over the possibility of failure of their geopolitical trump card. Americans are now also forcing them to come to talks with Pakistan as well but the Indian foreign office maintains its hard line despite some initial contacts. The levels of distrust, anger and hate is so high between India and Pakistan that no talks are possible under these circumstances. Indians especially continue to harp on some make belief terrorist threat from Pakistan especially in Kashmir. Kashmir was bad enough. Now an even more ruthless and bloody insurgency is threatening the Indian federation Maoists. We can visibly sense panic in the Indian security establishment as the Maoists launch more and more daring attacks on Indian federation in the Red Corridor of Indian mainland. Indians cannot blame Pakistan for supporting the Maoists as

A training camp of Maoist insurgents in some remote forestland they are a known homegrown rebellion and now Indian army is being asked to develop plans to counter the growing threat. With Kashmir already boiling to dangerous levels, Indian army is understandably
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jittery about opening another unwinnable protracted war front within the mainland. Indian federation is under great stress and federal government has no plan or strategy in hand to handle these threats except to delay and defer or use reactive force to contain a threat which is driven through a powerful ideology. Indian strategy is hopeless to start with. But even in India now, the Indian stance that Pakistan is involved in supporting the Kashmiri resistance is beginning to lose currency. Indian army, political brokers and even moderate Kashmiri leaders now acknowledge that it is a home grown intifada and Indians have a serious internal unity crisis. The issue is getting international attention, causing more embarrassment for Delhi. Also, Indian army finds itself unwilling and unable to fight on multiple major counter insurgency fronts especially now when Maoists too have emerged as major national security threat to Indian federation. Kashmir is now a global embarrassment for India. Their own armed forces are demanding that government should decide the issue politically as 22 years of military threat to quell the resistance has not eroded the crisis. Now, even the UN seems concerned. Last thing Indians want is Kashmir being debated at the international forums. Pakistani FO remains incapable to embarrass Indians despite the opportunities. But the positive axis from Pakistan's perspective is the fact that China has started an aggressive partnership with Pakistan to counterbalance threats from US and Indian axis. The US vulnerabilities in Afghanistan are now being fully exploited by Pakistan and China. Last week, we gave the following snapshot of the emerging regional developments. A new security and power paradigm is emerging with China taking the lead role and Pakistan and Iran exerting themselves more against US. Chinese are in no mood of entertaining any US concerns over their cooperation with Pakistan. This is very discomforting for Indians as well where the restive Himalayan valley Kashmir is giving them serious geo-political nightmares. Both Pakistan and China have fought wars with India over Kashmir and Indians are always nervous over Pakistan-China military co-operation especially in the region around Kashmir. For the first time in years, we find Indian seriously trapped in internal security issues and facing a setback in blaming Pakistan for their ills. Pakistan and China are now regrouping and exerting themselves in the
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region, shifting the geo-political security balance somewhat in Pak-China favor. US is still strongly committed to keeping Indians as the 21st century ally but its own follies in Afghanistan are now making US very vulnerable, incapable to support Indians against Pakistan and China in the short term at least. If US decides to leave Afghanistan, that would be great geopolitical setback for the Indians and a net gain for Pakistan, Iran and China. The battle field for South Asia is now shifted to Afghanistan and the war is on big time with CIA, ISI, RAW, MI6, Iranian and Chinese Intelligence battling it out in the Afghan gorges. There is real anger in Indian Foreign Ministry and the government against ISI. Pakistan's spy agency is the nightmare of Indian security establishment. While, ISI has begun neutralizing Indian covert operations from Afghanistan, its Indian counterpart spy agency RAW remains paranoid about the reach and capacity of ISI. This factor too contributed its share in the outburst of Indian government official against ISI, resulting in the collapse of talks and Afghan transit trade agreement. Indian Foreign office is petrified of the concept that ISI has penetrated the organization. Pakistan and India can never be at peace with each other but only have ceasefires. The disputes, conflicts and hatreds are so severe that the only threat of a massive war maintains peace. It has remained like this for the past 63 years. It shall remain so in future as well until one day when a showdown would decide the fate. In reality, diplomacy, politics and talks are only meant to delay that final showdown as long as it can be, not for peace between the two countries. That's the reality. The reality has also dawned on the country's leaders while they try to hide this bitter fact under the jargon of diplomatic niceties. As expected, the so called peace talks between Pakistan and India fizzled out even before they started. The weak and compromised PPP government wanted to bend backwards to appease India but the national mood was against giving any concessions to India especially when Indians were not willing to talk on Kashmir, water, Indian support to terrorism or any other issue of dispute. In the end, even the weak FM had to present a harsh face to India. When both countries so seriously distrust each other, peace talks without any external or bilateral pressure remain meaningless. But despite the total and chaotic

end to the talks, it was Hillary's job to get India the concession of transit trade through Pakistan to Afghanistan and she almost did. The compromised PPP government was all set to sign the controversial and unprecedented Afghan Transit Trade deal to benefit India unilaterally but the mistake by Indian Foreign service officer of accusing ISI of terrorism flared the tempers in media and brought the issue in the limelight, creating a crisis for the PPP government as well as Indian Foreign Minister, making it impossible for them to go ahead with the agreement. Indian Foreign Minister is rightly angry over his officer. A historic opportunity for India was lost though they have not given up hope. In the presence of this corrupt and compromised PPP government, Indians feel their best chance to subdue Pakistan diplomatically. It was the Indian government officials who harmed Indian interests, not Pakistani Foreign office which had bent backwards to appease Indians. There is now a genuine panic in Pakistan over looming water crisis and Indian blockade of Pakistani rivers. With the failure of political government to take up the issue at any international forum, military has now taken it upon itself to press the issue in strategic dialogue with US. The issue is sensitive enough to trigger a war between Pakistan and India. US should be genuinely concerned as such a scenario would st throw the entire US designs in the region for the 21 century into a tailspin. The government has now also been forced to act under duress. The much delayed dams are now being approved but still no one is willing to talk about Kalabagh Dam, the real need of the country. Indians have been pulling all global strings to make sure that Pakistan does not get the dams. The complacency of the government and the water wars by India has indeed created a dangerous situation for Pakistan. The mood and sentiments in Pakistan are running high at all levels. Freedom and Water are two issues which can trigger another war and it would in the midterm. In the Indian controlled Kashmir, resistance, civil disobedience and unrest continues for the last 22 years and does not show any sign of slowing down. The intensity of the resistance varies but it continues to flare up despite almost half a million Indian troops in the valley. In the coming days, US may just be able to contain the rising frictions between the two countries but there would not be any peace process, talks or dialogue between the two hostile neighbors. Despite US desire,

3rd generation of Kashmiris has joined the struggle of freedom from Indian clutches. Restive valley witnessed unprecedented freedom processions and uproar by civilian population during the last two months. Indians would not allow them to interfere in Kashmir affairs. If Pakistan was counting upon US help to tame India, that's not happening either. US has flatly refused to mediate between Pakistan and India and are only working on the strategy of bribing Pakistani leadership into compliance. Pakistan is now affectively on its own to deal with Indians, who are fully backed by US, Israel, EU and even Russia. Hillary and Mullen spoke what the Indians wanted to hear. Also, blaming LeT as the master terrorist organization in place of Al-Qaeda is also a strategic shift in US stance which is more geared to please Indians and has nothing to do with the reality on ground. This is a serious development against Pakistan and shows the strategic relationship between India and US. The frictions between Pakistan and India are so high even today that both countries can go to war on a short notice as they almost did after the Mumbai incident. Under these circumstances, peace talks were a faade anyways. Now even the US is realizing the gravity of the situation. Pakistanis and Indians are being told to calm down. US was particularly upset when Indians leaked secret US-India understandings and accused ISI of being involved in the Mumbai attacks. Pakistan could afford to delay Kashmir for 63 years. But it cannot afford to delay water dispute for even next five. A major war with India is inevitable now as there is no external pressure on Indians to give concessions or
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back off from their present stance of blocking Pakistani waters. Kashmir is Pakistan's jugular were the words of founding father of the country Quaid e Azam. Back then in 1947, not many could understand this. Today, it's clear as daylight. Both countries know this and continue to prepare for a final showdown!! Indians have an upper hand at the moment as they support multiple insurgencies in Pakistan, political government in Islamabad is slavish, Pakistani water is being blocked and Indians ride the tide of strategic partnership with US. Pakistan is desperate to re-gain the foothold but in the presence of this government, the task is much more uphill and difficult for the patriots and the armed forces. Rest of the peace process is all media stunts and facades. Western Theatre: It is a witch's brew which the US is cooking in Pakistani politics to salvage its Afghan debacles. US want to take control of Pakistani armed forces through the corrupt and sold out government of PPP. This is the ultimate US strategy and desire which has been failing ever since they installed Zardari as the President and PPP as democratic government. But it's not happening as army continues to exert itself to protect Pakistan's national security interests. US now want to fight to the last Pakistani!! After failing to subdue the Afghan resistance, now US administration officials want Pakistan to do their fighting. This is not going to happen as Pakistan is already busy fighting the CIA/RAW backed TTP terrorists and does not have the appetite, resources and the will to fight the Afghan resistance who are not at war with Pakistan. US are desperate to gain control of a fast spinning out of control war in Afghanistan. The civilian military differences have lead to the sacking of the US commander of the theatre already. New General is now equally desperate to show results but is frustrated by Pakistan, Taliban resistance and abandoning of the difficult war zones by their British allies. The pressure is now mounting on US army and they are in panic mode. The statement of DG ISI has given cold feet to the CIA and US/NATO and explains the underlying friction between the power players in the region. Pakistan is now on way to charting its own course of national security. This is the ultimate US nightmare.
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While Americans insist that Pakistan should squeeze the Haqqani group in North Waziristan, behind the scenes, US and Karzai government are now talking to Afghan Taliban and Haqqani group, even if they deny it on the surface. This is utter humiliation for the Americans but now as they continue to take losses in a protracted bloody war, all the options are open. In reality, the Afghan situation is fast turning a war between CIA and ISI, with Indian RAW acting as scavengers. In fact, pressure is again being mounted upon ISI and Pakistan that militant outfits are being sent from Pakistan to fight the US/NATO forces. LeT or JuD as they are called are not present in Afghanistan and this latest US information war is only meant to

General McChrystal was released by Obama on openly expressing his frustration. increase pressure on ISI and Pakistan army. This US DoD's statement on LeT is totally and completely rubbish. As we have said, US desperation is now on its peak. US strategy remains to blame make belief Al-Qaeda for all their failures in Afghanistan. The fact that so called Arab fighters are no more than 100 desperate men in Afghanistan does not seem to bother the spin doctors of US government and army. US is not being defeated byAl-Qaeda but by 7 million strong Pashtuns in Afghanistan, led by Mullah Umar, Haqqani and Hekmatyar. TheseAfghans are NOTAl-Qaeda!! But the disinformation continues and US would try to bring Pakistan on its knees by blaming army and ISI of

supporting the mythical Al-Qaeda. US wants Pakistan to go to war with Haqqani group in North Waziristan but to make the case for it, Al-Qaeda has to be reinvented. Suddenly we find flurry of news reports and allegations that all global terrorism is originating from Pakistan and under the banner of Al-Qaeda. This is massive psy-ops, disinformation and propaganda war. Instead of fighting against the Haqqani network themselves, US want Pakistan to do the dirty job for them. Even today, US has not declared Haqqani's group as a terrorist organization and only now proceedings have started for the same. There is no major US offensive in Eastern Afghanistan where Haqqani operates. This is farcical as well as ironical. The US game plan is so obvious that only the blind cannot see it. US do not want to risk its own assets and resources to tame Haqqani's group. This clearly indicates that Haqqani is not as bigger a threat for US interests as they project him to be. But if Pakistan goes to war with Haqqani, Islamabad and GHQ would lose all their goodwill in the Afghans and Pakistan would not have any foothold in the future of Afghanistan when US leaves or reduces their influence. US do not want to hand over Afghanistan to Pakistan!! US, Indians and Israelis are too upset about it. Pakistan is now firmly selling the idea of national reconciliation to the Americans to guarantee them a safe exit from Afghanistan. That means offering an olive branch to the Taliban and the Afghan resistance to bring them on board in a national government in Afghanistan. Despite the fact that US know that they have lost, the ego of a super power resist the humiliation of shaking hands with the rag tag militia which have humbled a super power in the gorges of Afghanistan. This is the dilemma which is now seriously threatening the unity of the US armed forces and the government. The Taliban and the anticoalition militia have sensed this weakness of the foreign forces and have upped the pressure lately. While Karzai denies, Obama and CIA acknowledges. British army chief also supports the idea making it the mainstream strategy to end the war or to find an exit strategy. Now it's an open secret. Pakistan is sure to have a greater role in the Afghan affairs now as this new strategy gains currency. In fact, this is a historic moment for Pakistan to re-establish its foothold in Afghanistan and displace Indian and foreign forces. But while US pursue the strategy of trying to buy or win over Afghan resistance, it also plans to maintain

pressure on the opposition through the controversial drones strikes strategy in Pakistani tribal regions. Pakistani government or the military have not taken a firm stance on this issue yet and allowed the US to get away with this so far. Sooner or later, GHQ will have to take the matters in its own hand on this aspect as well. These strikes are causing Pakistan army to lose lots of goodwill within the local population. If the intelligence is correct and the control is with Pakistani forces, these drones' strikes are a cheaper and affective way to wage a war against an elusive enemy but in the hands of the ruthlessAmericans, these are more part of the problem than being part of the solution to the scourge of terrorism in those regions. Every drone strike causes civilian deaths creating more enemies for Pakistan. Resistance within the Pakistani civil society is now also increasing against these attacks. Even the government is now coming under pressure from within their own ranks to review the policy as PPP rapidly lose public support and draw flak. By: Farzana Shah US policy and objectives contradictions become glaringly obvious when they spit out the real deal they plan for Afghanistan dismemberment of Afghanistan. The Lebanon option has now been floated where Hezbollah controls the south and a separate government runs in Beirut. We have always been saying that actual end game planned by US for Afghanistan and Pakistan is redrawing borders on blood lines, separating the countries on various ethnic lines. The exit plan of US envisages a bloody civil war as in Yugoslavia and then division of the land with new maps. The same game plan it has for Pakistan also. It is up to Pakistan and Iran to decide what future they want for Afghanistan. Pakistan having a bigger say as

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Pashtuns resistance maintain a soft corner for Pakistan. What US desire is a perpetual recipe for a civil war, an option the region cannot afford to implement. The US endgame is as ruthless as their failed war for the last 10 years. The contradictions and confusions within the US war planners are glaringly obvious. The sacking of former US General McChrystal was a sign of critical differences between civil and military leadership. But even within the political leadership, we find those who seek reconciliations with all Afghans including the resistance. Holbrooke has perhaps seen the futility of US war adventures and now seeks a path of least resistance. Not many in Obama administration would tag along this line. After sacking of General McChrystal, the new US military command is not just hawkish, they are delusional as well. We are seeing a visible hardening of stance by the US army against Pakistan. Also, the plans of an exit strategy are being revised to a long haul stay a psychological war tactic to demoralize Taliban into talks. The levels of mistrust and bad taste are going to increase between Pak and US armies now. US is trying to bully Pakistan now once again, though US are on such a weak turf in Afghanistan that any firm stance by Pakistan can take the wind out of the entire US strategy. There is a reason why US cannot push Pakistan beyond a certain degree. Their lifeline passes through Pakistan. Right now it is the militants who attack at the targets of opportunity. If the Pakistani state decides to choke the vital route, that would be the end of US/NATO Afghan war days. In reality, the cost of war already is rising exponentially for the occupation forces. The stress is increasing and so are the suicides. War is truly ruthless in the country as both sides try to gain upper hand in the summer offensives. Now the Taliban resistance is even spreading in North of the country which had remained safe till now. This year is going to be very rough in Afghanistan. Taliban are sensing victory and are not going to lose the initiative this time. Despite the bravado, US do not have the capability or the will to carry the war for more years. It is either an exit for them or a total defeat and decimation. But even if it is an exit, US would want to prevent a Taliban return and would be doing a fair bit of killings to achieve that objective. Pakistan remains the key player in this scenario. Apowerful government in Islamabad can turn the tide in its favor. For now, the ship in Islamabad remains rudderless though the GHQ
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tries to steer it to sanity. To sum it up, US is facing following fatal and grave issues at hand inAfghanistan: 1. US is not winning the war. Taliban and anticoalition Pashtun militias are gaining more strength. 2. Cost of the war in terms of material and human losses are rising exponentially. In the latest statistics, number of suicides has increased than the number of battlefield deaths in a month! Morale of the troops is all time low and no end of war in sight. 3. NATO is not willing to do the difficult fighting and only British, Canadian and American troops are taking major casualties. 4. Karzai regime is failing and falling rather rapidly. 5. Zardari is an equally failing regime in Islamabad, making Pakistan army and ISI more dominant and in control of policies. Bad news for US. 6. With a withdrawal timetable given early, Taliban have hardened their stance towards any talks. Now a back peddling is required by US and NATO to give a perception that they are not quittingAfghanistan. 7. Pakistan is not willing to do the fighting for theAmericans against Pashtun resistance. 8. Indian presence in Afghanistan has made it very difficult for US to balance their relations with Pakistan. Pakistan is clearly angry over US patronage and protection of Indians. 9.Pakistan continue to hold influence over Pashtun resistance making it clear that in the absence of US and NATO forces, Pakistan would once again control theAfghan future. 10. There is no defined objective of war now for the US. There is total confusion. Al-Qaeda is now being replaced with LeT as the next bogey. Osama and Mullah Omar have not been caught. In short, US do not know how to get

out or what to do next. It is confusion galore. 11. NATO came into Afghanistan to maintain their strategic presence to counter Islamic, Russian and Chinese threats. There is no way they can forego these grand strategic objectives even if some kind of peace deal is reached in Afghanistan. NATO is making this clear now, finally. So after earlier giving an exit date, by 2011, now we see another confused policy announcement by US and NATO. But all these US plans and announcements donot affect Taliban who remain ruthless, cunning and resolute. Major embarrassments continue to come US way. In the coming days, frictions will increase between Pakistan and US/NATO as well as the occupation forces' casualties would mount in the coming war season. Pakistan is rightly not willing to fight the dirty war for the US/NATO. There is not much US/NATO can do about it except fume, bluff and threaten. Political / EconomicAxis: It can only happen in Pakistan! A huge percentage of legislators and MP's are now known to have fake educational degrees and have defrauded the nation and the judiciary to win their seats. But they remain shameless! Instead of supporting the law, even Mr. Zaradri is upset and sees this as a conspiracy. This has now become the biggest scandal in the country which can actually disqualify a majority of the MP's making the parliament non-functional. The entire political system is so corrupt and decadent that it is futile to expect them to deliver. The government and its cronies continue to make laws, rules and policies to grab billions in windfall profits, commissions and kickbacks. This is staggering and unprecedented levels of corruption and financial embezzlement without any shame or fear. While the SC is trying to resist the autocratic corrupt rule of the government, the PPP government continues to declare their war against the judiciary as well. Chief Justice SC continues to give a tough time to PPP government. Every trick known to crooks and thieves is now being deployed by the government to wriggle out of the legal grip of the Supreme Court. The clash is breathtaking as well as shameless. The entire leadership is mired in

billions of dollars of corruption and is now fighting tooth and nail to salvage their sinking ship. PPP government is most disturbed by the fierce attacks on it by the media. Now, in the name of national security, they are going to draw dictatorial laws to check the media blitz. Government would try to bring the army on board as well to get the muscle behind it. While there is no doubt that Pakistan needs a solid media policy as the present media is almost an untouchable holy cow, causing massive anarchy in the state, the way PPP wants to do it would cause more mayhem than good. It seems that the realization is there in the PPP ranks as well despite the desire to go ahead with the idea. Meanwhile the corrupt politicians continue to divide the provinces over water and resource allocations, increasing the provincial disharmony and weakening the federation. Power crisis also continues to get serious all over the country with no end in sight. This sorry state of affairs is deliberately orchestrated to justify rental power plants by the government. Railways are collapsing and all major trains which have been running for many decades are now being ceased to operate. This is a horrible state of affairs or national governance and is almost touching the limits of a failed State. The PPP government is already on a suicide path. Now PML (N) has also joined their ranks and has picked up fights with almost all power players PPP, Media and the army. This is bad news for Nawaz Shareef and his political future. But PML (N) was quick to back track and do damage control over their stance towards media and terrorism. The inaction and failure of Punjab government to nab and nail the terrorist outfits has brought them under immense pressure and have led to panicked response against media and the government and defying the military's national security strategy. Now PML (N) is desperate and trying to limit the damage. The political fiasco is so total and complete that it is breathtaking. It is not just the government but also the so called opposition which is equally comical, confused and disorientated.
The PPP government is also under immense pressure from religious scholars and organizations as well. The failure to control terrorism is now haunting the PPP government more than the corruption they have been doing.

As Pakistan continues to face water crisis, the government work on multiple axis to aggravate the shortage. The government is creating a major crisis
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through following means. 1. New dams are not being built. In fact, the government is blocking all projects. 2. New storage reservoirs and canals are not being created. 3. Water disputes increasing due to corrupt and incompetent decision makers. This is increasing friction between provinces. 4. Issues not being taken up with India over Indian blockade of Pakistani water. What the government is doing is plain and simple treason. This may seem a harsh word but the corruption and incompetence of the government is pushing Pakistan towards a famine and food crisis. The only aspect where we find this PPP government aggressive is the borrowing from IMF and World Bank on terms which surely are to break the national economic back, if it is has not already. The massive loans are being siphoned back into accounts of the leaders while the country continues to sink deeper into bottomless pit. The system cannot last. It is just a matter of time now. We only hope the change is not a bloody one. Prime Minister Gillani extended the tenure of the powerful army chief for next 3 years, a full new term. This is perhaps the best thing that PM has ever done. General Kayani is a fierce patriot and a professional soldier and is respected in the army. He has handled the war within the country well and his extension is a good omen for the country. But not so much for the government or the US plans in the region. But if the PPP government thinks that General Kayani would remain loyal to the government despite their blatant betrayals of national interests and corruptions then they are sadly mistaken. Chief Justice and the Army Chief are the two people who can put some fear of God into the hearts of the rulers. With already a head-on collision between SC and the government, army's taking sides would be decisive and this is what the PM wanted to avoid. But we know for sure that the loyalties of the General are with Pakistani State and its ideology and any deviance by the government on these counts would not be taken lightly by the army and its powerful chief.
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On inter provincial axis, the disputes and frictions continue to increase between provinces creating a dangerous fault line for the Federation. This government is making sure that Pakistani federation is weakened beyond repair in the coming months and weeks. The passing of the 18th amendment is the biggest crime of this government. War on ethnic lines in Karachi by two separatists' parties MQM and ANP is alarmingly out of control. Both parties have great sympathies with Indians and reject creation of Pakistan as a State and tacitly work to create environment to cripple Pakistan. Both are in government in Sindh and NWFP and are aggressively

working on the agenda of weakening the federation in cohorts with the PPP regime. A gang war between MQM and ANP has crippled Karachi since last month or so and it still continues and getting intense by the day with dozens killed in targeted assassinations just over the past week. Baluchistan is also in real crisis now as multiple separatists' groups are fighting for independence. The Baluchistan issue can be resolved in no time but the CM and his provincial government are themselves separatists and are known criminals and no one can expect any good from them. Such is the irony and shamelessness of this PPP regime. If the corruption and mismanagement of the government was not enough, the country is hit by the worst flooding in its history, creating more havoc and destruction in the country. Over 2000 have died already in the first week of August and property worth

billions of rupees have been damaged. Major cities of NWFP like Nowshehra and Charsadda are completely submerged and Peshawar areas are without electricity for days now. It is undoubtedly the most horrifying collapse of state management by any government in national history. This time, military wants the Supreme Court to do the cleaning of the sick system. How long the SC would take, one cannot say at the moment. But the fact remains that PPP government and the SC are now locked in a mortal combat and the country bleeds in the process. Army watches on the wings and so far is resisting the temptation to intervene. Let's see, how long they wait and see the nation bleed profusely? Internal Security: As the TTP terrorists continue to take hits in the tribal areas, they are moving deeper into the mainland hitting softer targets, causing much mayhem and bloodshed. But the positive outcome is that these attacks are uniting the nation against their terror and forcing the government to shape up or be prepared to ship out. The nation has refused to buckle down under the terror. Operations continue in the tribal areas both by the Pakistani forces and the US drones. It's a long slog to victory. In the absence of political will and in the presence of a failed judicial system, army has to do the dirty job of cleaning the mess on all fronts. The TTP militants also want to expand the axis of war into a sectarian conflict as well. The Shias in Parachinar are almost blockaded for more than a year and their road passes through the TTP areas where ambushes are routine. It is a complex and dirty war in the FATA and tribal regions. Multiple axis of threats, violence and conflicts rage with various intensity. 1. Sectarian. 2. Swat. 3 .Drones and CIA's own war. 4. Pak army's operations against TTP. 5. TTP's revenge against the State.

The positive side is that the TTP has taken mortal hits and number of suicide attacks against the people and the security forces are decreasing steadily, almost none last month. Military operations continue in FATA and militants are taking regular casualties and have not been able to react as frequently as they used to previously. The tide has now decisively turned against the militants and the morale within the security forces and army is very high. It's a long haul war as the source of the insurgency lies in Afghanistan which is still volatile and hostile to Pakistan. In Baluchistan, campaign of violence continues as well where violence levels are lower but targeted assassinations and attacks on the forces continue to challenge the State writ. With a most corrupt and incompetent government in Quetta as well, there is no possibility of any improvement in the security situation as long as this government remains. An internal fight for turf is rocking Baluch separatists. Baluchistan witnessed violence and protests over assassination of a sub-nationalist leader. The BLA attacks against the State have gone down but exist on regular basis. Present government of Baluchistan is unwilling as well as unable to contain these threats. The more severe damage is being done on the political front where the local population feels alienated and distanced from the federation due to corruption and bad governance of the provincial government. Recent flooding has also done severe damage in the province but army came to help once again in Marri and Bugti regions. Karachi remains a city of concern where MQM and ANP have turned it into a war zone with Police and Rangers incapable of controlling the marauding mobs. With MQM and PPP in the government, police and security forces are under their own control and their gangs have been set lose on political opponents with shameless audacity. ............................

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Giving India Trade Route or Crossing Red Lines?

By: Farzana Shah
In a country that has been affected by low and high intensity insurgencies, entrapped in a vicious debt trap of IMF and World Bank, indulged into economic mismanagement and political corruption at all levels; constituting a foreign policy which can protect its security interests is really a cumbersome job but even then some red lines are drawn by nations on all fronts of national defense and economic security which are not meant to be crossed at any cost under any circumstances. Right after 9/11, US helped India to establish her political and economical foothold in Afghanistan by overlooking Pakistan's geo-political and geoeconomic interests. US policy towards establishing Indian hegemony in SouthAsia is in full swing and it is getting its objectives met, one after another, thanks to another US supported and sponsored government in Islamabad just like the one they have in Kabul. Present government is willingly crossing red lines just to protect artificial democracy in Pakistan by appeasing Americans and Indians. The only way for US and Indian plans to succeed in the region is to get sway over all the trade routes and corridors to Afghanistan through Pakistan. This is something Pakistan cannot afford politically, economically as any such concession to India would undermine vital national geo-strategic interests. On July 18 2010, both countries signed a framework for final transit trade agreement between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Actual agreement for Afghan Transit Trade would be based on this framework. Efforts and work for this framework were underway for the last
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th

two years. Earlier during the last year, on May 6 , 2009 Pakistani and Afghan ministers signed an MoU in US to renew transit trade agreement, of 1965, to give India a transit facility for trade with Afghanistan through Pakistani land routes from Wagah to Khyber surrendering its 43-years-old stance on not allowing India to use its soil for trade with Afghanistan till the resolution of all outstanding issues including Kashmir. The decision by government to sign a bilateral agreement with Afghanistan on a foreign soil and giving India unilateral concessions on transit trade met with severe criticism and skepticism by Pakistani intelligentsia and military establishment as government was to concede Pakistan's economic and security interests to India through this agreement. Some of the terms agreed upon by both countries in MoU in 2009 were openly against Pakistans economic hand strategic interests. Under the second clause of the MoU not only could Afghanistan get access to the sea route; it could also find new avenues to India and China for similar purposes. The clause titled "Objectives of Pak Afghan Transit Agreement", in the MoU, elaborated that the future agreement would emphasize the easiest routes for international traffic (also including access to a third country). The need for establishing a transit corridor connecting Pakistan's border areas with Afghanistan, and to give

th

3. In future, India would be allowed through a side-letter by Islamabad to use Pakistani land routes for moving its goods directly to Afghanistan via Wagah Khyber route.
Pakistani intelligentsia and patriots reacted strongly over this precarious framework which now has become binding for Pakistan to follow while finalizing final agreement for Pak Afghan transit trade. Reacting to this outrage, the government tried to do some damage control by giving some absurd and twisted explanations and reasons for the need for new agreement like; the previous agreement, signed in 1965, had become obsolete, there was no mechanism to prevent smuggling, the new agreement would enable all Pakistani ports to be utilized for Afghan transit trade etc. These reasons given by commerce minister have no answers for the following critical questions;

the two countries access to each other's neighbouring countries was also emphasized in the MoU. US secretary of state Hillary Clinton was jubilant and declared the MoU a landmark memorandum of understanding but that was last year. This year, she traveled all the way to Islamabad to supervise signing ceremony of framework that will be utilized while formulating the final agreement which would be signed in future after approval by cabinet. Though the transit trade agreement is completely a bilateral matter between Pakistan and Afghanistan but there is an unprecedented level of US interest and interference, since 2008, in this agreement and that is something raising eyebrows in some circles in Pakistan. According to media reports, Pakistan has conceded following to Afghanistan; 1. To provide, for the first time, Afghanistan with facility to use Pakistani land routes of Wagah-Khyber for exports to India. 2. To continue providing sea-port access to India for her exports to Afghanistan. Not only Karachi port would be used but Gawadar and Bin Qasim ports would also be available for Indian exports to Afghanistan. This may not sound turbulent as Pakistan is bound to provide transit trade to land locked Afghanistan but there are more concessions from Pakistan in this framework for future Afghan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA) and these concessions are primarily for India.

I) If an agreement between Pakistan and Afghanistan was becoming obsolete why did US intervene? Pakistan and Afghanistan are two neighbors which have a history and they can talk to each other directly. II) Why Pakistani government has allowed Washington to hijack the whole transit trade agreement? Why US diplomats are so much involved in a regional matter that has nothing to do with any foreign country? III) Why Americans are so worried for Indian access to Afghanistan through Pakistan? Which US interests would be served or protected by facilitating India inAfghanistan? The only answer to these questions is that actual deal is to protect US interests in the region and not the trade. Americans want Indians in Afghanistan, US wants to leave Afghanistan but wants a reliable partner in Kabul and some regional player as a babysitter for that partner. On the other hand Indians want access to Central Asia and Middle East, something that is only possible via Pakistan. Indians also want to corner Pakistan from its Western border (which they are already doing by supporting multiple insurgencies in Pakistan but after getting land access via Pakistan the noose around Pakistan will be further tightened). Indo-US regional plan can move forward only in the presence of a completely compromised, complacent
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and sellout government in Islamabad, which the current regime has proved itself on multiple accounts.

and FATA is going to be proved disastrous for Pakistan. b. The accord will allow India to use Pakistan as a road contributing towards its military buildup and intelligence network in Afghanistan which is being used against Pakistan. c. Once gates are opened it would be difficult for Pakistan to distinguish between traders and Indian intelligence and military personnel. Trucks loaded with RAW operatives, Indian military personnel or weapons pretending as trade convoys will be a new aid to Indianbacked insurgents in Pakistan. d. India would be in a position to support Baluch insurgents more affectively once it has a direct road access from within Pakistan. e. It would provide an excellent opportunity for Indian intelligence operatives to conduct ground surveillance and espionage operations of sensitive installations and infrastructure, while traversing between Wagah Khyber trade corridor. f. Safety of Afghan / Indian trucks on Pakistani soil will be a problem and Pakistan will have to allocate extra resources for the protection of trade convoys through new routes along with those which are already used for Afghan transit. Banned Jihadi outfits can attack these convoys while they travel through Pakistan. This would create another security situation. Economic Implications:

So, all the ingredients are there to cook a very nasty recipe to undermine Pakistans economic and strategic interest. This agreement with above mentioned provisions, when materialized, would be a bigger favor to India by US than the nuclear deal between Washington and New Dehli. India had been trying her level best in the past to get this transit route through Pakistan which will easily give her a license to expand her footprints from Myanmar in the East to Afghanistan, the Central Asia and to the Middle East in the West. Apart from that, allowing transit route to India has some other grave implications for Pakistan as well, ranging from security issues to economic ones. Security Implications: Pakistan and India both have long and outstanding issues. India never missed any chance to harm Pakistani interests unlike Islamabad where a deepening leadership crisis has encouraged the Indians to form an aggressive foreign policy towards Pakistan. In current circumstances, providing any facility to India or Afghanistan to use Wagah Khyber route would be a strategic blunder for following reasons; a. Giving India transit route despite the clear proofs of Indian involvement in Baluchistan
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Indian involvement in APTTA will be disturbing in its pure economic incarnation due to following reasons; a. It is said that the new framework has strict control recommendations to eradicate the menace of smuggling but in reality there is no industrial base in Afghanistan that can cater to huge Indian market and also there is no huge market in Afghanistan which can provide sustained business to Indian industries. So there is a big possibility that eventually all the goods intended for Afghanistan would end up

in Pakistani markets. b. Pakistan and China invested heavily in Gawadar mainly for using it as a trade hub between countries in Central Asia, China, Russia and rest of the world. Allowing India transit through Pakistan may end up in allowing all Central Asian countries and Russia to sign deals with Afghanistan and India for using Indian ports instead of Gawadar for trade with Far East, Australia and Japan as Indian ports are closer to these countries than Gawadar. c. Currently 90 per cent goods ranging from food to construction material for Afghanistan are being supplied by Pakistani traders and balance of trade is heavily in favor of Pakistan. But it would not remain so as cost of Indian goods will be reduced in Afghan markets once they are supplied via land routes. Currently India cannot accessAfghanistan through roads so cost of Pakistani goods is somehow competitive to Indian goods but after the transit route opened Pakistan will completely lose theAfghan market. d. Currently, Afghan exports are carried to Wagah border by Pakistani trucks. There is large number of agents, workers and crew members employed by Pakistani transporters. After implementing APTTA, these persons would be rendered jobless. Political Implications: APTTA would impact Pakistan on political axis as well due to following reasons; a. Allowing India trade route has always been linked with resolution of Kashmir issue by Pakistani policy makers since last many decades. The sudden U-turn by current government not only surprised Pakistanis but it will send a very disturbing message to Kashmiris as well. b. Pakistan would not get any beneficial concession on reciprocal basis from India. Pakistan would not get trade access to Nepal or Bhutan through Indian land routes, so a

unilateral concession in this regard is flawed geo-politically. Final thoughts: As all the odds are turning against NATO and US forces in Afghanistan, a panic and urgency is visible in US efforts to secure its strategic interests in the region.US administration also feeling pressure from local masses to end this war. So for US and NATO, leaving Afghanistan, sooner or later, is inevitable. US found India to do its dirty work but Indians have their own plans for the region. Pakistan is caught in between and this is where both India and US have found common grounds vis-a-vis Paksitan. Putting all the above into perspective it becomes clear that Pakistan has found itself caught in a vicious conspiracy due to some grossly treacherous policies by US backed governments in Islamabad since last nine years. Pakistan offered Indians a unilateral ceasefire on LoC (Line of Control) in 2004 and India responded this confidence building measure with her aggressive water policy, support to multiple insurgencies in Pakistan and diplomatic offenses. How Pakistan can hope for any return of generous concessions offered in Afghan Pakistan Transit TradeAgreement? In a situation like this, Pakistan cannot risk its own interests and security while signing treaties like APTTA especially when the country is facing a gross mismanagement in every statecraft due to leadership crisis. Judiciary is one institute that can bail out Pakistan from this death trap completely and this agreement has already been challenged in the court of law. Final agreement hasn't been signed yet so Pakistan still has an opportunity to limit Indian economic and strategic interests in the region by reviewing this agreement. Indian and Afghan governments, on the behest of US, would urge Pakistan to finalize the agreement as soon as possible but they can urge only as long as US is in the region. Once US quits, tables will be turned in the region and in Afghanistan as well. The question is, can patriots in every institute get together against foreign pressures for this agreement along with thwarting attempts by conspirators within Pakistani government till US taste ultimate defeat in Afghanistan? ..............................
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Zaid Hamid

Into the killing fields!

Since I was an amateur young man in the books of Afghans, my first stop was also planned at a training camp in Warsak, near Peshawar. After an hour long drive across the black top road and a diversion into the hills, we reached Warsak camp, a bustling training camp of Afghan resistance, accommodating a few hundred fighters at a time, in an ongoing cyclic schedule. The camp commander received me in his tent and after a few cups of light black tea, which was to become my staple drink for the next few years in Afghanistan; we set about touring the camp. Various weapon-training sites were scattered all over the planes and hillocks. There were small groups of 15-20 men sitting around a specific weapon, with an instructor briefing them about how to use it and later allowing them live fire practice. Though this camp belonged to Hizb-e-Islami, Hekmatyar group, which is a dominantly Pashtun party, the trainees came from various ethnic backgrounds Pashtuns, Uzbeks, Tajiks. Most of these trainees were young men but some were also elderly, who had chosen to take up arms and liberate their homeland from the oppression of one of the mightiest armies in the world back then. To be honest, I was surprised at the simplicity and limited variety of weapons at the camp. My perception of fighting a high intensity war was with heavy artillery, armoury and jet fighters. I had no clue about how a guerilla war was fought and with which weapons. I needed to correct my mental bearings in quick time. The array of weapons at the camp included:

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1. Anti aircraft 14.5 mm single barreled guns called Ziguyags. 2. Anti aircraft 12.7 mm heavy gun called Dashekas. 3. Heavy Machine Gun 7.62 caliber called Grunov. 4. Light machine gun 7.62 mm with belt or drum magazine. 5. Rocket propelled grenades RPG 7. 6. Light Cannon shoulder or tripod fired recoilless 82 mm. 7. Light Cannon shoulder or tripod fired recoilless 75 mm. 8. Mortars of various calibers like 82mm to 120 mm. 9. Single barrel rocket launcher 107mm. 10. AK-47 Kalashnikov.

are good, he replied with an amusing smile under which I detected a subtle taunt. When we started, we only had homemade guns, First World War bolt actions and even shot guns, he seemed happy at the progress made in six years of resistance. I was still not so sure. Which weapon would you like to fire? he asked. The offer was tempting but I only settled for the Kalashnikov; all other weapons seemed fairly simple, and with a surge of over confidence, I felt I did not need to use them here and preferred an on-the-job training in the battlefield. Later, when faced with the enemy, my apprehensions proved true, and even though the resistance was giving some serious, tough time to the Soviets with these light, transportable and shoulder carried weapons; the war had actually begun to swing in the favor of the Soviets due to their much modified tactics, superior air power as well as their use of high technology weapon systems, especially the feared MI-24 gunship helicopters and the modified armoured plated Sukhoi bomber. These weapons, which had somehow managed to carry the war thus far for the resistance, were not going to be enough if the Soviets were to be driven out of Afghanistan. Within the next few days, fate was to present me with the opportunity of experiencing this phenomenon first hand. On a wooden target, placed at a distance of 200 yards, I prepared to fire my first shots of the AK-47. One of the instructors tried to brief me on magazine loading but I declined the offer. It was my time to make an impression. First, while standing and then sitting and taking aim, I fired 5 rounds each, hitting the bull's-eye. Then lying down on my stomach, turning the selector switch to full auto, I fired short bursts into the target, generating some serious excitement in the small group of onlookers who had gathered to see the guest try his luck. Finally, it was time to really fascinate them. I flamboyantly fired a full magazine, in small bursts from the hip, without aiming into the target. Though not all shots struck home, it was impressive enough an attempt to draw a round of applause. Where did you learn to fire like this? The camp commander could hardly conceal his amazement, At my university, in Karachi, I replied with a smile, handing over the gun to another instructor. I could sense the commander's disbelief, as I walked away triumphantly. ********************** Finally on March 27, 1986, the moment of truth arrived. I was asked to carry my rucksack and join a
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RPG-7 Training In Warsak That's it? I thought, with some dismay, after completing my quick tour of the training posts. My confidence in the Mujahideen's fighting ability, as well as my own chances of survival in the battlefield began to frizzle away. Are these weapons enough? Are we supposed to fight the Soviets with just these? I could not resist asking the camp commander. These

Enfield 303 bolt action rifle with about 30 rounds. I was quite disappointed at not being given an AK-47, but then I convinced myself that in any real engagement, I would be able to take down quite a few enemies, even with this weapon. Plans had been made to attack a Soviet convoy as well as a nearby enemy post the next day, therefore, we were told to take an early rest. The next few days had some shocking experiences in store for me and served as a tough initiation process into what was to come my way during the next six years. I had maintained a small diary, taking down brief notes as the perilous adventure unfolded itself. It makes fascinating reading and gives first hand insight about life on a typicalAfghan battlefield during those days. (Diary notes are in Italics and I have added extra commentary underneath now for clarity). Date: 28.3.86: From Mujahid camp to close to enemy positions, 5km long tiring walk through mountains with heavy load of shells and guns. It is nearly mid-day now and we plan to attack the enemy with multi barreled rocket launchers. I have not seen enemy so far but, inshaAllah, after a couple of hours.. The Mujahideen attacked the Soviets with multibarreled rocket launchers from across the hills into the plains, where the convoy was stuck. 12 thunderous 107 mm rockets would form a typical barrage onto the enemy positions, creating a fearsome onslaught of artillery for the enemy. The Soviet response was swift and even more ruthless. For the first time, I saw the dreaded MI-24 Gunships, hovering at a safe distance and firing salvos of rockets into the hills where MBRL was dug in. The action lasted for about 2 hours and then we started the retreat back to base. The earth shook beneath our feet as bombs and rockets were fired at us from Gunship copters and jets, which kept on chasing us as we tried to make our way back from the battle front to the base carrying our dead, wounded and weapons. We had taken casualties and the MBRL position had taken a direct Soviet rocket hit, knocking out the launcher and killing a crew member. As we started the retreat, the Gunships gave chase. With only one single barreled 14.5 Ziguyag at the base to keep the fearsome MI-24's away, we had little chance of survival but darkness became our ally. And then the jets arrived, dropping light flares and

A group of Arab and Afghan Mujahideen after ambushing a Soviet Convoy group of about 20 Arab Mujahideen moving towards Paktia inAfghanistan via Parachinar, the last Pakistani town on Afghan border in Kurram agency, tribal region. It was reported that fighting had broken out there as a Soviet military column was bogged down while traveling through the province towards Khost. Ambushing convoys was a favorite pastime of the resistance. Arriving in Parachinar just after midday, we moved on to cross the border by afternoon, and then made a long trek through the mountains towards the closest Hizb base in the village of Chamkani inside Afghanistan, arriving there just after dusk. The Arab group, of which I was a part, was escorted by a local Afghan guide, armed with an Ak-47. None of the new recruits carried any weapons at this stage, which made me feel somewhat vulnerable while entering the war zone empty handed. But, Chamkani base was the closest to the Pakistan border and the Mujahideen had controlled the region fairly well thus far, as hundreds of fighters and vehicles crossed both ways almost daily, despite threats of Soviet bombers and Gunships. For the first time, I experienced a surge of tension, seriousness and excitement building up. This is for real, I told myself, as I took stock of the battle hardened Afghan and Arab men surrounding me, wearing their battle gears and carrying weapons, discussing exploits of the bygone battles and preparing plans for the next day. One could hear the thunder of artillery in the distance and the reality began to sink home that now there was no turning back. I was in the battle field now. We were led into a small brick room, lit with kerosene lanterns, a typical example of local architecture; the ambiance created a mystifying aura about the place. Many such rooms dotted the harsh mountainous base, occupied by Arab and Afghan fighters. I was given a first world war
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again all hell broke loose. Heavy bombardment from enemy with mortars, missiles, Gunships and Jets. Enemy suffered great losses due to Mujahideen's rocket attack. We were hiding behind rocks with shells falling all around us. Only Allah protected us. A brother from Afghanistan was Shaheed. One Arab was wounded. He was taken to Pakistan. At night jets bombarded the place in flare lights. We were hiding in a cave. Allah saved us again. For the first time in my life I have experienced something like this, but this is Jihad Date 29.3.86: Heavy bombardment again by jets, rockets fell close to us. We kept hiding behind the rocks. It is midday now and we are at a Mujahideen outpost close to enemy. We can see enemy camp and jets bombarding Mujahideen positions in different areas. We can see white mountains around us. Early morning the next day, we were forced to leave camp by the Mujahideen even before day break and a column of about 20 men dashed out towards a forward post, but we were trapped in a small ravine when a squadron of Soviet jets attacked us, diving low, firing rockets and strafing right into the column. The column consisted mostly of young Arab fighters who had not seen much action before. They panicked. The group, including myself, desperately tried to take cover behind rocks and stones with Soviet jets diving in waves, releasing flares to prevent any SAM attacks. The roaring, whistling sound of aircraft, slicing through the wind was uncannily familiar, perhaps from the movies we had seen, and then panic and fear began to set in almost immediately. I stared, horrified as three fighter jets formed a line and entered into a dive straight at me, strafing with bullets whizzing past me and hitting the ravine floor kicking clouds of dust. I was frozen in fear, almost into a trance of disbelief as the jets released their loads. The planes dived so low that I could see the helmets of the pilots when they flew past me. Luckily, bombs and rockets exploded on the hill slopes, missing the terrified young fighters in the ravine below, who lay there, hugging the ground as bullets whizzed past, miraculously missing the targets. This was my first ever experience of coming under a hostile fighter jet attack and made me freeze in sheer terror.

A Mujahideens anti aircraft 14.5mm gun Till today, I regret not having shot at those aircraft, for I am sure that if I had, even with a bolt action rifle, I wouldn't have missed. I had often gone duck hunting with my dad, and in retrospect, seeing those fighter jets sailing though the air, I could not help but compare them to fast teals and mallards that could have been shot down without much effort. But, at that point in time, I was too frozen with fear to even consider the possibility. Till that time, advanced surface to air missiles had not arrived in Afghanistan and Soviet planes released decoy flares but those were more of a precaution than due to a real threat from an advanced SAM. We finally managed to move out of the ravine and into the observation post closer to the Soviet base in the valley below. We came back to our own base at night. For the next few days, our group used to move out to our outpost, OP, in the morning and return at night. Those days were of relative calm for me as I saw the war unfolding around us while we waited and observed Soviet positions and tactics. It seemed like watching a movie, only with real, deadly action taking place around us, without the rewind or pause buttons. Enchanting, snowy, mountainous landscape and the stillness of the serene environment, did not betray the immense bloodshed and butchery those valleys had witnessed. The Soviets had used brute and ruthless force to decimate almost every village they even suspected of hosting the resistance. Miles after miles, abandoned villages dotted the hills and valleys, their occupants having migrated to Pakistan with only fighters returning to continue the struggle. We were also lodged in one such vacated, mud and stone, double storied house. It was here, for the first time, that I was properly introduced to the Arab fighters as well. I was the only
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Rag-tag Afghan resistance militia Pakistani in the group and could speak English, a fascination for the Afghans and Arabs alike. My Arabic, Pushto or Dari was almost non-existent at the time and only Abu Hajir, from Iraq could speak English. We became good friends immediately. He had not met any Pakistani on the battle front before and was keen to know about Islamic movements in Pakistan. This small band of Muslim fighters comprised of young men from at least 10 different nationalities from various social and educational backgrounds, almost all meeting each other for the first time but united by the bond of a common sacred cause. Afghan Jihad was truly a Pan Islamic movement. I last met Abu Hajir briefly after 4 years on my way to Takhar, towards regions of Ahmed Shah Masood in Northern Afghanistan in 1990. Abu Hajir was trekking back towards Pakistan from Takhar on that grueling journey. Just before sundown, on a dusty, narrow dirt track in the Farkhar valley, he recognized me riding a horse, nursing my lacerated feet after days of walking. We embraced each other with excitement, shook hands, introduced each other to the comrades. He even offered me his own boots when he saw that mine were hurting me. I then rode into the wilderness, as Abu Hajir hastened on the opposite dusty track,
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disappearing into the darkening shadows. I never saw or heard about him again. People just seemed to vanish in those killing fields. Date: 30-3-86: Not much happened yesterday after midday. We came back from OP after dusk. Today we pushed off very fast from our base and reached OP. Jets bombarding surrounding hills, probably our HQ as well. Came back late in the evening, saw enemy movements and Mujahideen firing rockets on enemy positions with enemy retaliating and us in the middle with shells flying over our heads. Sent a letter to Mom Date: 31.3.86: Not much action for us all day except usual sights of jets bombing and rocketing. At night enemy attacked us with rockets. It was a surprise attack. Thank God no one was hurt. Date: 1.4.86: Early morning left for Parachinar. Not much action here for a Kalashnikov. Decided to leave for other fronts. Arabs also coming back. Date: 2.4.86: Back in Peshawar.

These first four days on the front line were to change my entire perspective and outlook on life. Despite its harshness and ruthlessness, it was a surreal experience, almost mystical in intensity. The experiences of trials, human brutality as well as sacrifice, undergone during this span of time, taught me phenomenal lessons about life and death. Those of us who were alive did not know why they were spared and those who died, we did not understand why they were chosen. This dangerous, but extremely mystifying life was to be my destiny for the next few years. During this first trip into the killing fields of Afghanistan, I was destined to undergo similar experiences in Jalalabad and Paktia. I had maintained a brief diary of these events as well, and this gives more insight into the ways and tactics of war being fought in those days: Earlier it was ambushing convoys, whereas now in Jalalabad, it was joining Mujahideen for attacking a fixed enemy post. Very close to the Pakistan border was the Mujahideen base at Shalman Dakka. It was overseeing the road to Jalalabad from Torkham, Pakistan-Afghan border. It was a very strategic road for the Soviets, heavily guarded and bitterly fought for by the Mujahideen. Ambushing this road was a regular battle strategy. But to get to the road, one had to pass through many security posts or hilltop fortresses dotting the area. Therefore, this area was very suitable for post warfare as well. I landed at Hizb-e-Islami camp in Shalman. The wide valley had a river running through it, with one exit towards Pakistan, hence making it easy for the resistance to cross the border and bring in men and supplies. The smaller side of the valley, where the Mujahideen had their bases was dotted with tents, caves and make shift shanties for all Mujahideen groups, having their camps side by side. Hilltops were manned with anti-air craft guns to keep fighter jets and helicopters away. I was received by a short, stout, well built, very confident middle aged, Mujahideen commander, Kochi Khan. He was a Pashtun from a nomadic tribe and interestingly his name Kochi literally means 'nomad'. I was to spend the next 10 days with Kochi and he was to become my mentor in Dari/Persian, war strategy, guerilla war tactics and observations, lessons in ambushing convoys and in attacking posts. Though he was a Pashtun, he spoke Dari very well, and I

immediately started to take my language lessons. Within a few days, we were communicating reasonably well in Dari, which was to become my second language during all my adventures. Somehow, I could never pick up Pashtu fluently despite my years of association with Afghan resistance and having Peshawar as my second home for this period, perhaps because of my focus on Dari, which was closer to Urdu and easier to learn and speak. Every educated Afghan is at least bilingual and hence Dari became and remained my first choice of language inAfghanistan. Kochi handed me anAK-47 and I was ecstatic. That was to be my personal weapon from now on. I had a small camera with me as well and had been taking pictures all along. In those days, there were no digital cameras and old fashioned films had to be loaded, so one would only know after weeks or often months the results of their photography; but I kept on clicking. In the coming years I was also to become part of Mujahideen propagation department and produce hundreds of thousands of pictures, audio tapes and video films for the resistance. But at that moment, in Shalman, I was on my own, a young Karachi student who had enigmatically decided to abandon an engineering career and join the resistance as a foot soldier. One day, it was decided within the groups, to launch an attack on a post inside the enemy territory. The plan demanded that we cross the heavily guarded Jalalabad highway at night, penetrate deep near the target post, hide in the gorges and natural trenches in the day, dodge the hilltop posts on the way, make an attack in the afternoon and finally come out alive somehow. It was insane to start with but everyone was hyper charged, so I decided to go along silently. Every group contributed men and a total of 50 fighters were assembled for the operation. Kochi Khan was the commander of the combined force. The weapons included AK-47's and RPG's with the troopers and only one 82mm recoilless rifle as softening up artillery, which was to be used by Kochi himself. As per battle plan, an assault team was to attack the post frontally, once it was softened by the 82mm rockets. Kochi wanted me to stay close to him, obviously for my protection. I wanted to go with the assault teams, a high risk proposition. Kochi was visibly uncomfortable about sending me along with the assault group. He was jealously protecting me like a guardian angel. I decided to go with the fighting group
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anyway and let the battle decide my fate. My diary entry reads: Jalalabad 14-4-86: At night going for an attack, inshaAllah. Hope to be back after two days. Saw target post in the day from an OP post. Enemy tanks and vehicles are close to it. About 50 Mujahideen are going. We will stay out at night and reach target area and hide. Next morning we will keep hiding till after noon and then attack and make our way back in the darkness. We are using Kalashnikovs, RPG's, 82 mm shoulder fired recoilless gun. Attack will last one hour. If we fail, retreat. If we succeed, a full assault will be made. The one hour would be decisive. The awe-inspiring, mysticism of that particular night bewilders me even today. After dusk, men assembled at the rendezvous, verses from the Quran were recited, followed by a collective prayer for victory. Men were aware of the risks and were willing to take the chances with courage. It was an audacious plan and if the attack had taken place, many or perhaps all could have perished. There was a full moon, and the column started their march in single file almost in silence, only the rattling of the weapons and sounds of the marching footsteps on mountain stones broke the stillness of the

night. It was my first experience to march with battle hardened Mujahideen on those treacherous mountain slopes and I was struggling to keep pace. Within the first hour, I was exhausted, carrying my load of weapon, about 250 rounds of ammunition, medical pack and some extra clothes. We crossed hills, dirt tracks, ponds, canals, mountain passes, drinking dirty sand infested water on the move, without stopping and then finally reaching the Jalalabad road around 10 pm at night after 3 hours of forced march. We had been observing this stretch of the road for days now and knew it was guarded with tanks and posts. Now came the tricky part: How to cross the road in a bright, moonlit night? The agitation and fear factor began to take over. Mujahideen and Kochi were unnerved. It was decided to send small groups of men across the road one after another. Kochi went first, then another and then another. It was my turn now. Rising from the roadside ditch, I stepped on the blacktop road, precariously visible under the full moon. Crouching low, head down, anticipating hostile fire, I rushed across the road and dived into the ditch on the other side. Now we were officially in the enemy territory. My pulse began to rise. On the face of it, it was insanity what Mujahideen had planned to do. Coming this far into enemy territory

Faith comes first -- Praying in the battle field

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and so close to tanks and posts was bad enough. Now they planned to move deeper, passing many posts on the way and then hide near a selected post and spend the next day there, hoping that no one would see them. If we were to be seen by the enemy during daytime, there would be a massacre for sure, with no escape route. If we were to attack the post the next day and then try to make our way back through this same treacherous path, the probability of a massacre would still be strong. But now, we were across the road and no one was planning a retreat, not now at least. The attacking column re-assembled in a single file once again, the standard marching formation in Afghanistan for fear of landmines. Another half an hour of silent march into the hostile territory and suddenly the leader signaled to everyone to stop and sit. There was trouble. The dogs on the nearby posts had felt the movement of the Mujahideen and were barking uncontrollably, making the Soviet/Afghan army guards alert and nervous about possible presence of Mujahideen in the area. And then, all hell broke loose. All the posts started to fire simultaneously in all directions. It was obvious that they did not know our exact location, but were not taking any chances and multi directional, indiscriminate fire was the best insurance against sneaking Mujahideen fighting patrols. Our column sat in tensed silence as machine gun and AK-47 bullets whizzed past our heads. The tracer rounds were particularly enthralling to watch as they left a trail of light when they passed by. I saw two tracer rounds move at lightning speed towards me and just missed by a fraction. It was close. Very close. While the Mujahideen guide was desperately trying to find alternate route to move forward and the column was tensely ducking the incoming machine gun fire, the incredible happened. I went to sleep!
I was jolted from my deep sleep by an Afghan comrade minutes later and he asked Tufung Kuja ast? Where is your rifle? Panic and fear ran a chill down my spine. My rifle was gone. I frantically searched all around in the darkness, not moving too far from the column for fear of losing it, keeping the head low to avoid the incoming sporadic fire. All my sleep, laziness, tiredness and fatigue vanished in a flash of sheer panic. Seeing me horrified, he reached behind a bush, pulled out my AK47, handed it over to me and gave me a survival lesson of a lifetime in a single sentence This is not our base. Don't ever sleep. I remembered this hard learnt lesson throughout my association with Afghan Jihad and never

became casual on the Afghan killing fields nor separated myself from my weapon ever again and it did help keep me alive. The situation was getting desperate. If we had to get out before daybreak, we had to move out now; else, we would be trapped within the enemy zone and decimated. Kochi took a brave and pragmatic decision despite resistance by the younger, emotional members of the group. He ordered a withdrawal. My diary entry read: 15.4.86: Attack called off. Reached enemy area near the target post but then it was discovered that more enemy posts are present then previously known. Enemy was all around us and we were trapped in the middle. If they had known our positions, some of us would not have returned alive. We made a safe entry and safe retreat. It was a long walk, mysterious but interesting, tiring and adventurous at the same time. At 8 pm we started and reached the target area at 12 midnight. Retreat was immediate and we reached back at 4 am in the morning at base. I was extremely tired and could not even lift my feet properly, desperately trying to find my way back in darkness. I could not make it back to the base by the first light but we were in the safe territory. We forced marched almost the entire night through the mountains and hills. My whole body ached with cramps and pains. Unable to walk any further, I sat between rocks along with a couple of Afghan Mujahideen and we made a makeshift sleeping arrangement. Here, I had no problem sleeping but still, tightly hugged my rifle and dozed off. Kochi had reached the base and waited for me, till I finally joined him just before noon. There was disappointment in Kochi at not achieving the mission but also a genuine satisfaction at pulling the group out alive without any casualty. He had a very sensible head on his shoulders. He knew it was a long war and had learnt the art of staying alive to fight another day. I was fast learning from his cool head, calm composure and brave attitude. It was amazing how a nomadic shepherd had turned into a genuine guerilla fighter against the mightiest army in the world. It was time for me to take leave from Kochi. He was a mentor whose expertise and affection continue to inspire me. The next day I went back to Peshawar to plan my next move. Three years later in 1989, I once again went back to Jalalabad to participate in the bloody fight for the city. After the Soviet withdrawal, Mujahideen had planned to
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A typical mujahideen fighting group !

capture a major city and make it their capital of the free government. The attack turned out to be a disaster of mega proportions on which I shall write later. On way to the battle front on the outskirts of the city, I drove from Torkham to the exact spot on the Jalalabad road where we had crossed 3 years earlier with our small battle group in the moonlit night and were almost killed in the subsequent confusion. Driving past that exact very point of crossing, memories of that night and its nostalgia took me by storm. My mind thought of Kochi. In 1988, almost two years after my return from Shalman front, I was driving through University town, Peshawar and stopped by a house. The poor security guard, sitting on a chair, looked into my eyes and instantly called my name. I was a little surprised, trying to recognize the broken face of a very sad man. mun Kochi astam, I am Kochi, he said in Dari and then I recognized him, a little surprised at why he did not get up to greet me. I was excited, happy and wanted to embrace him but he kept sitting and then it dawned on me: One of his legs was missing! Commander Kochi Khan had stepped on a landmine after I had left the base and had nearly been killed and ever since had been under treatment and now doing a
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part time job of a security guard. He did not have an artificial leg and used crutches. Now I could see tears of desperation and helplessness in his eyes. I was shattered. The Commander Kochi Khan I knew was a tiger of the mountains, taking on the Soviets and charging on their posts. The Kochi whom I was meeting now was from another world. The Soviets had planted millions of land mines in Afghanistan and they continue to kill and maim Afghans even today. It is estimated that it would take 400 years to clear Afghanistan of all the land mines planted and dropped by the Soviets. It is a brutal and indiscriminate way of killing and maiming a nation. Thousands of Afghans have lost lives and limbs till today, and the toll continues to climb higher every week. Kochi was just one more statistic in this brutal war. I wanted to give him some cash as gift. He gratefully accepted. I still remember tears in his eyes when I left him there and went ahead to my duty. I am not sure whether he saw my tears or not. I could not even take his address and later I was told that he had moved with his nomadic tribe to where he belonged. He was a nomad, a free soul and could not do a job sitting in a chair. That was my last meeting with Kochi Khan. May Allah bless you Kochi, always and forever. (to be continued)

14 August Special

Spiritual Dimensions
Translated by: Zaki Khalid
(Left) Qudratullah Shahab, (Right) Mumtaz Mufti. NOTE: Translated excerpts from Mumtaz Mufti s book 'Pyaz ke Chilkey' It was the 14th of August, 1947. For the first time that day, I had a positive feeling for Pakistan. It was nearing midnight. The signature tune was being played on the radio. The echo of the duffs was creating an eerie atmosphere, as if war drums were being beaten. Trumpets were blowing loudly. However, this signature tune held no special importance for me, I was busy, engaged in reading some book. And then it was announced, "Radio Pakistan"... the book fell out of my hands... I felt as if tiny insects were walking all over my body. A gush of air passed over my heart. Colorful stars started to dance inside me. This was my first positive feeling for Pakistan, which unexpectedly penetrated inside each and every vein of my body as if the full moon raises up the tides in the calm sea. After the creation of Pakistan, all hopes for a secure and prosperous life at Bombay seemed vague. The items and collectibles, for which we had gone to Bombay, lost their signifance. And so, Ahmed Bashir and I arrived in Pakistan as we were (without bringing any other thing along).. The only thing that got us anxious after we reached here was to shift our relatives from Gurdaspur to Pakistan. Pakistan had become an abode of peace for us. Pakistan had security for us, Muslims. Now I could really feel with high intensity that I am a Muslim. Though the light of faith was there in my heart or not, whether my lifestyle was in accordance with Islam or not. Whether there were proIslamic sentiments in my heart or not. In any case, I was a Muslim. Eight years passed by. During this time, I got acquainted with a literary figure who was full of Islamic zeal and fervor. Someone in whose life the Islamic codes were practically visible. One day, I went to meet him and saw Khawaja sahib seated there. We were introduced to each other. After this, I had the opportunity to come across Khawaja sahib quite many a times, now and then. Khawaja sahib spoke less. He was used to hearing what others had to say instead of talking himself. He was intelligent and had a keen eye on various affairs. He always felt delight in helping others and the best thing in him was his correctness. One day, I left for the graveyard. There, inside an ordinary square-walled building, I saw Khawaja sahib reciting Fatiha over a grave. I stopped. After he got free, he greeted me with great joy as usual. "So tell me, how are you?" he asked. I replied "Not well really.." "And why is that?" he asked. "Just going through anxiety", I replied. He asked again "Why?Anxiety for what?" I said "Khawaja sahib, what will become of Pakistan? This boat is shaking wildly" I had said this in a bit of amusement. It is true that I could feel Pakistan's boat shaking, but I had no real concern for it in my heart. Khawaja sahib actually turned serious after listening to what I said: "Mufti sahib" he said "Why do you worry for Pakistan
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Pakistans

when there are so many huge entities and personalities worrying for it? Why do you or I have to worry for it?" He paused for a while, then continued "Do you see that old man over there?" I looked towards the place Khawaja sahib was pointing at, where he was offering Fatiha just a while ago. Khawaja sahib spoke up. "That old man had spent his whole life for the creation of Pakistan. This tree was planted by him." "Mufti sahib", he said smiling "Great personalities are working for Pakistan. Why do you worry?" "Then what do I do?" I inquired jokingly. "What you can do is, before you do something, ponder over whether you are working for Pakistan's benefit? Is your step going against Pakistan? Your own interest lies in it. Pakistan will live free and prosper no matter what. People will be stunned by its blossoming. Insha'Allah!" I was quite surprised after hearing Khawaja sahib's talk. Khawaja sahib never talked like this before. He always talked sensibly, rationally. He was not in favour of saint-following, etc. Then who was that old man who had planted the tree of Pakistan? Who were those great personalities who were bent on worrying for Pakistan?... What is so special about Pakistan that great personalities get concerned for it? Pakistan is a small country, no Islamic specialty has developed in it yet. And there are dozens of Islamic countries. All their conditions are pitiable... Khawaja sahib's talk sounded strange... Four years passed on. I got transferred to a special department. I was appointed to a high-ranking official (Qudrat Ullah Shahab rehmatullah alayh). Afew characteristics were prominent in my new officer. He was very intelligent. Spoke less. He was full of patience. Sahib (Shahab saab) called me in: "You may start your work." "Yes Sir," I replied. "There are letters from the week past in this box" he said. "Read all of them carefully, classify them according to their subject and make a summary. Those letters that require special attention, place them
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separately. "Yes Sir," I replied. "The peon will bring the box," he said. "Alright Sir", I said, as I left the room. I opened the first letter, it was written: "Oh Shah! How fortunate you are that you got the honour of ruling Pakistan!" 'What a weird letter!' I thought after I read the whole

letter. I was surprised further when I opened the second letter: "Beware! Don't ever let flour get expensive in Pakistan!" In the third letter, it was written: The day is not far when the residents of Madinah would look at Pakistan and say 'SubhanAllah, SubhanAllah'" French Scorpion Submarine I was worried after I read all these letters. I could not

understand why the writers of these letters even wrote them. What was their purpose?Anyhow, one thing was obvious. The writers had no intent to abuse the rulers, neither did they want to gain attention for themselves. Nor did they ask for personal claims or demands. Most of the letters did not even have the writer's name on it.These letters ended with 'Yours respectfully' or 'Yours faithfully'. Most of the letters were written on chunks of papers. The writing and its expression both were crude. They weren't really effective. Why had the writer's even bothered to write such things? Why did they waste time and money on it? Then I grabbed hold of a long letter. This letter was received from Malayam, a city in South India. The writer was a sub-judge who had been disabled due to an accident 20 years ago. His only work during these 20 years was worshipping. Despite the length, the gist of the letter was 'I am not writing this letter for you, but for Pakistan. Soon, Pakistan will become a great state. A great victory will be achieved and then Pakistan will become a great centre of the Islamic World.' These letters stupefied me. Which world was this? What kind of people were they? What was the reason for them writing such letters? Were they all victims of religious hysteria? Madmen or wishful thinkers? However, a few letters were written by educated people. It was surprising that none of the letters talked of any individual or personality. No one was appraised/criticised in these letters. They were devoid of any appraisals. No "His Majesty" was addressed to in these letters. Their subject was Pakistan. Pakistan's exclusive status. Pakistan's association with RasulAllah sallallaho alaihi wasallam, Allah's Mercy and Blessings on Pakistan... these letters drove me crazy. A weird eeriness engulfed me. What is all this? Who are these people? Which world is this? What is Pakistan? What exclusive status does it have? And why? I am known to be emotional by nature. No event leaves any effect on me under normal circumstances, but when it does, then I am left stunned. Lava starts to boil within me and then, as if the volcano erupts. At first, after reading these letters, I was lost in amazement, I do not know what happened next. It was as if both ends of sanity and rationality broke off; a wave of emotions overtook me and I was drowned in it. For two days, I kept walking around my house like a

madman. When the storm managed to subside for a while, I went into wondering again. I decided to go to sahib (Qudrat Ullah Shahab rehmatullah alayh) and tell him. 'Sir, these letters are beyond my understanding. Please give me some serious work that has got something to do with sanity.' The third day, I was ready that as soon as sahib (Q.U.Shahab) would be left alone, I would go inside and talk to him about this. At that very instant, sahib's peon arrived. I thought it best to tell him to inform me as soon as sahib gets free. The peon came back and said "Sahib is calling" As I entered the room, I waited for sahib to say something and only then will I share what I wanted to. He was busy in writing something at the time. He looked at me and said: "Please go to the security room at the gate. Someone is insisting to meet me there. Please talk to him, tell him I have sent you.If he agrees to talk with you, ask him what the matter is. But if he insists to meet me, then do not let him go, do inform me... I will meet him." "Yes Sir..." I said, as I turned towards the door. "And listen," he said Do not talk inside the security room. Take him outside. In separation, understood?" "Yes Sir"... It was not the time to talk with sahib about my issue. I thought of talking on it during my return. A miserable-looking man was standing inside the security room. I took him outside in the lawn. "Sahib is busy in work, he has sent me. If you can tell me in what regard you would like to meet him, then..." I had barely finished my sentence that he spoke up: "Mister, what do I have to do by meeting sahib? I have nothing to do with him neither do I know him. I was coming from my village. I came across an ox-cart rider near this street. He pointed at me. I went to him and he said 'Mian, go inside this house. Meet the sahib and give him a message of our's' The ox-cart rider was an old man. I did as he told and came here. But these policemen do not even listen to what the other is saying, they keep on blabbering themselves."
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I told him to share the message with me, I will convey it to sahib. (The man said) "The ox-cart rider told me to go and tell him (sahib) that what he is writing is wrong, and what he already wrote and tore, is correct. 'What a weird vague message' I thought. What did an ox-cart rider have to do with sahib's note? And how come an ox-cart rider was travelling here? I had never seen an ox-cart rider in this area. This person must be a fool for sure, I thought. I was sure that sahib would listen to what I would tell him, smile and then get back to work. However, he went into a moment of silence after he heard it all. Then he spoke in a serious tone: "Please pickup this waste-paper basket." I picked up the waste-paper basket up and placed it on the table. He very delicately picked up torn strips of paper from the basket. I was amazed at this sight Had sahib taken the ox-cart rider's message to be true? Sahib handed over the strips of paper to me, "Please join these when you find the time." "Yes Sir", I said. He picked up the new note he was writing, tore it up and threw it in the waste-paper basket. My mouth was wide-open in surprise. This man right here, who is so intelligent and acute, who stands by what he believes in even after so many things others advise him. Who has individualistic thoughts. Who stays away from fake traiditonal rituals. Who has not an inch of relation with any sort of fanaticism... Why is this person accepting an unknown ox-cart rider's advice, as if he has always been in communication with such ox-cart riders? As if he has always been familiar with such messages, what is this mystery? I joined the strips of paper together. It was a clause in the proposed Constitution of Pakistan which had a relation to Islam. At this point, talking to sahib about those mysterious letters seemed meaningless and I was shuffled here and there amidst the brewing storm of the letters. Such letters were received everyday.
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Generally, their subject was the same: Pakistan, Pakistan's status, Pakistan's upcoming Might, bright future...I started to sense this fourth-dimension is a reality after all. Maybe Allah does indeed hold special liking and affection for a country or person. After all, He is the Lord of the Heavens and the Earths, if He wants to say something, who can stop Him? One day, sahib called me to hand over some work and told me to sit there so I may complete it right there. I was working seated at a corner, that the peon entered, "Sir, an uncle of mine went for Hajj this time. He has brought a message for you from Madinah, may I call him with your permission?" Sahib listened with seriousness to what the peon said, then he spoke up, "Call him. He placed his work at one side. He got up and kissed the old man on his hand and started to listen to the old man's message with attention and care. After praising Allah, the old man spoke, "You see, he (the one who has sent the message) is a resident of Jhelum. He was a sepoy in the Army. Had gone to an expedition during the big war. From there he went to Madinah Shareef for Salaam and attendance. And then he stayed there. He is there since then. He is the keyholder now (who takes care of the key to Rauda e Rasul sallallaho alaihi wasallam). It is a very high station." Sahib nodded his head in agreement. The old man shared the message (on behalf of the army officer at Madinah): "In 1946, we saw a dream in which a tree-vine sprout up from the Masjid e Nabwi sallallaho alaihi wasallam and kept going far and wide as it grew. Green leaves appeared on its other end," Sahib nodded his head in agreement. "After about four years, we saw the same tree-vine in a dream. The branch was present as it was, but the leaves had withered... Now again, we have seen that treevine. It is getting evergreen again, bulbs are sprouting up on it again." He (the officer) told me to go and convey glad tidings; also to give this message that shepherds do not sit under the shade themselves.

All the time the old man talked, I could not focus on my work despite repeated efforts. When he said 'Give glad tidings on our behalf', I felt as if the glad tidings were being given to me. That day, I sensed Pakistan's tree to be more greener than before and fresh new leaves coming up from thin branches. I kept reciting 'La hawla wala quwwata'. I tried to control myself but all in vain. There was a mysterious feeling in this magical world. A strange intoxication.. My senses tried to control my mind but I was lost in the magic.. An event occurred after this incident by which every nook and cranny of my body started to jitter and I was shocked with fear. A friend of sahib called up, "A mystic has come, in the beginning he was the IG of Police in Hyderabad, then he was called (to Madinah) after which he put everything aside and went there. He is a very interesting man. Do come to my place if you would like to meet him" Sahib took me along when he went to meet that mystic. The mystic's face was too frighterning. Black colored, a skeloton of bones, terrifying eyes, crude voice; after his friend introduced sahib to the mystic, he had to leave for a while. The sahib and mystic were left alone in the room after this, and the mystic to me looked like a rotten chilli. I was seated in the room next to their's, reading a newspaper and waiting for sahib. Suddenly the newspaper fell out of my hands as I heard that mystic from the next room talking in English "Flay you alive, put bran on you and place you in the Sun!" . Huh? What was this old man telling sahib? Is he a mystic or a butcher? "I have come only for this purpose," his crude voice boomed, "to warn you, you do know that warnings are not given in such cases, those who err are suspended, removed, but Pakistan has a special exception. That is why you are being warned. If carelessness still persists, then you will be skinned, salted and placed in the sun!" The blood in my body froze with shock. I came outside in amazement. The mystic and sahib remained in the room for three hours. When sahib came out, his face was yellow, as if all the blood had been sucked. He was walking with difficulty. It seemed as if his bones were crushed.

Two years later, another event of such magnitude took place. Sahib and I had gone to Karachi for an official trip. One evening, we went to Central Jail. Sahib had some work there. He had just gotten free from work there that a guard came up to him and gave a salute, "Sir, a prisoner is repeatedly calling you by name, he is asking for you." We followed the guard to where the prisoner was. A eunuch was locked inside a small hollowed cell. Sahib took a glance towards him. "Open the lock" said sahib. The lock was opened, he went inside and told the guard, "You may go'. I stood nearby, outside. The eunuch shouted at sahib as soon as he saw him, "We had to get locked up to warn you!" I got in fear as soon as I heard this and ran outide. An hour later when sahib came out, he was in the same state as he was when he met the mystic. Oh Allah, what is this mystery? A pool of wonders floated in my mind again. The next day, I went to the jail alone but he (the prisoner) was not there. I inquired about his whereabouts from here and there and came to know that he was not a formal prisoner. He was ranting in the bazaar next to the jail, because of which the guard at the jail was forced to lock him up. No guard had any knowledge of who had brought him here. These incidents drove me crazy. The mystery of Pakistan's status got even more amazing. In all this, I got convinced of Pakistan's special importance. The fourth-dimension was no more a wonder to me. War broke loose. India attacked Pakistan. News reports of the time were something like this: "RasulAllah sallallaho alaihi wasallam was coming on a horse to participate in Pakistan's jihad, The martyrs of Badr had reached the battle-fields. Hazrat Ali, Imam Hassan and Imam Hussain were seen going towards the battle-field near and around Sialkot sector wearing white clothes. An Indian POW (Prisoner Of War) stated that Pakistani troops dressed in long white clothes were destroying Indian forces one by one. Flames were coming out of their swords. Another Indian POW said that Pakistani troops wearing red caps and short in stature had sealed off intra-Indian
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communication. A captured Indian bomber said that bombardment was useless. A white-clothed elder would catch my bomb and thow it aside. Indian pilots stated that when they threw bombs, then whiteclothed elders caught them in the air and placed them down on the ground in such a way that the bombs did not explode. All of Pakistan was resounding with such miracles. During the war, a colleague of mine came to visit me. I asked him whether he was going home. "No," he said. "I will meet Qazi sahib and then go home" I asked who he is, he replied, "He is a worshipful person, a very nice man." I requested him to take me along too. Pictures of Madinah adorned Qazi sahib's room here and there. Prayer-beads were spread all over his prayer-mat. He met us with great zeal and talked about random affairs. He looked at me and said, "Please do say something. I said, "Uh, please do dua for Pakistan" He turned serious. "I'm a very small man. A very small man, what worth do I have that I do dua for Pakistan? No Mufti sahib, I am not of such a worth" But Qazi sahib, anyone can do dua!" I spoke up. "That is right", he said "But Pakistan is a different matter. You do not know. I also have very little knowledge, very little. I am a small man, very small.

Pakistan has the blessings of elders on it. So many of the top-elders have their hands on Pakistan... they are the caretakers of Pakistan. They look after it, don't you worry about Pakistan. Qazi sahib's statement rattled the hive of hibernating bees once again. Oh Allah, who are these great elders? Are they those who were seen wearing long white clothes in the Sialkot sector? Were they the ones who were catching cannon-balls fired by Indians? Who picked up aerial bombs and placed them far away without them exploding? Was it one of these elders who tricked one of the Indian pilots and he saw six bridges of the river Ravi instead of one? Were they the ones who ordered the Indian pilot 'Bail Out, Bail Out!' and they returned back without fighting Pakistani troops? A naked madman and mystic was talking to himself near a graveyard, "Nothing has happened yet. Rivers of blood will flow. Many will die, many! Corpses and corpses, then a great victory will be achieved and SubhanAllah, SubhanAllah!" He was clapping excitedly as if someone was bothering him. I watched Khawaja sahib offering Fatiha at the tomb in the graveyard and stopped. "How are you Mufti sahib?" he asked. "Stuck in anxiety Khawaja sahib.." I replied. "In whose anxiety are you getting stuck in?" he inquired. I am worried for Pakistan" I said. He got serious; there were indications of anger on his face. He spoke up: Mufti G, leave Allah's affairs to Allah alone. Do not take Allah's affairs into your own hands. Who are you to worry for Pakistan? Think about yourself. Fulfill your obligations. Think of how you can serve Pakistan. Check whether you are doing something that is against Pakistan's interests. Do not worry for Pakistan... RasulAllah's hands (sallallaho alaihi wasallam) are over Pakistan. Wah Mufti G! You could not understand this point till now! ...........................

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