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[-
IKRAM SEHGAL -] |
 A
Failed
"Civilian" Coup
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Timed to go into effect before the
PM reached the US, the bizarre government notification
at 9pm Saturday night putting both the ISI and the
IB under the “administrative, financial and
operational” control of the Federal Ministry
of Interior was no accident, it was deliberately intended
to viz (1) demonstrate grandly to the US while the
PM was in the US that the civilian govt had “brought
the ISI to heel” and (2) enhance and solidify
Asif Zardari’s control over the country. With
both ISI and IB already reporting to the PM, the perception
of creating “civilian control” was not
simply for US consumption, the gamble was no one would
react while the Pakistani PM was in the US, the inadvertent
tacit US approval would have made it fait accompli.
It took only 6 hours for those who control the democratically
elected govt to see light, an urgent press release
at 3 am on Sunday by the Press Information Department
(PID) “clarified” the notification as
having been “misunderstood”.....more
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The
Afghan Cauldron |
In the aftermath of 9/11 it was necessary
for the US impose a government in Afghanistan to replace
the Taliban. Governance must eventually relate with
the aspirations of the people, one perceived evil
cannot be replaced by another, and/or be sustained
indefinitely. The UN-supervised elections allowed
corrupt elements to become the arbiters of Afghanistan’s
destiny under the garb of democracy. There is considerable
difference between the democratic rhetoric of leaders
like Hamid Karzai and what they actually practice
in real-life. Good governance is presently selective
in its implementation, in any case possible in less
than half-a-dozen cities. With corruption rife in
the upper echelons of the Afghan hierarchy, their
pursuits are mostly counter-productive to the war
effort. It is no secret that the Taliban are financing
their campaign against the Coalition through drugs.
In a recent article in New York Times (NYT), Thomas
A Schweich, who recently resigned as the acting Assistant
US Secretary of State for Bureau of International
Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) and Coordinator
for Counter Narcotics and Justice Reform in Afghanistan,
wrote, viz “fighting is unlikely to end as long
as the Taliban can finance themselves through drugs
– and as long as the Karzai Govt is dependant
upon opium to sustain its our hold on power”
unquote. As the senior US Counter Narcotics official
in Kabul he was very impressed with Hamid Karzai’s
strong words against the drug trade when he first
visited Afghanistan accompanying the US President’s
delegation to Kabul on Mar 1, 2006. Schweich writes”,
this was my first mistake”, unquote.....more
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The
Afghan Odyssey |
While rendering enormous sacrifices, Pakistan’s
“war against terrorism” has been subject
to major shortcomings. Other than deficiencies in
the political and military fields, there has also
been gross dereliction in failing to pursue practical
economic initiatives. The root causes of poverty in
the border areas of Pakistan adjoining Afghanistan
is unemployment, enduring frustration at lack of opportunities
has been used by religious extremists to foment violence
in furtherance of their own particular agenda. Because
of extenuating circumstances, the tribal fabric had
frayed considerably. By failing to reinforce the tribal
system we denied the tribals a position of strength
from which to negotiate with the militants. Before
venturing into FATA militarily we should have not
only war-gamed the consequences but trained our troops
in the type of counter-insurgency being faced by Coalition
troops across the border. Frontier warfare or guerilla
warfare as taught in Command and Staff College is
outdated. Air mobility and electronic capability that
the Coalition possesses is a critical necessity for
us, this we have only partially. In this type of terrain
it is virtually impossible to counter an insurgency
without exploiting the heliborne potential.....more
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Stand
Fast or Stand Aside
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With
the Zardari-Sharif make-or-break talks entering Day
Two, we are still waiting for white smoke to come out
from the chimney. One is hoping they don’t burn
the house down! Though they are not responsible for
the multiple crisis now besetting Pakistan, the aftermath
of the Feb 2008 “free and fair” elections
are ominous. Our major political players do not seem
unduly concerned, indeed they may have aggravated the
problems. In a modern version of Nero fiddling while
Rome burnt, our principal political leaders prefer to
troop off abroad to Dubai, London, etc to wherever is
what they now consider home. For some mysterious reason
they feel time is on their side, at the rate money is
flowing out we should be bankrupt by December. Time
is certainly not on the side of Pakistan, we are only
five miles from midnight!....more |
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