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Tuesday 13 August 2013

Why a strong Pakistan is in America’s interest By SM Zafar-Express Tribune

Let us begin with the recently raised question by some American intellectuals and writers viz whether America is merely a powerful nation-state or an empirical power. According to this theory, since the fall of Berlin Wall and of the collapse of the USSR in 1991, there has been a shift from the past, and wittingly or unwittingly, the US has emerged as an empire like the past empires of Rome, Ottoman or the British Empire. I tend to agree with the broad proposition that unintentionally, the US has become and behaves as an empire.
Due to its military, economic and hard or soft power, America and its policymakers view the world as if it is an empirical power having jurisdiction over a vast territory/states of the world; albeit with the difference that the empires of the past had to occupy and show their physical presence within the colonies under their domain which were run by an administration headed by a viceroy/governor nominated by such power. Modern empires like the US, due to the technological developments in the last century, can achieve the same impact and result due to its capacity for global outreach, air and military power, control of oceans, rapid development forces, surveillance drones and drones carrying lethal missiles and its frightening capacity of surveillance. Instead of a nominated viceroy/governor, the empire now relies on regime change and this has been perfected by the CIA, Pentagon and White House. America has achieved expertise in this field over the years (despite the Founding Fathers warning against any temptation in this regard). It has effectively and obtrusively replaced unwanted regimes with a more favourable one — be it small states in Latin America, Mohammad Mosadiq of Iran/Persia, a democratic government in Algeria or removal of Muhammad Mursi in Egypt. Even the change of some governments in Pakistan can be traced to the same Machiavellian manoeuvres by US governments. According to Noam Chomsky, though regime change is a new term in the lexicon, the US is an old hand at it.
Instead of occupying a territory, informal empire maintains bases close to and around the territory it controls. The US has various air force, army and navy bases in addition to the mysterious communication centres or spying bases all over the world. By official estimates, the number of such bases runs into the hundreds. Since the US empire is based on an informal structure no one state can feel sure of itself, other than maybe Russia or China, if it is not a part of the US empire, watched and controlled by White House.
Yet, there is potential advantage for Pakistan in this new setting. As the interest of every nation-state demands that we must first see the true picture of the world and plan our strategy to advance our interest sans any feelings of comfort or otherwise or even ethics/morality. This calls for deep analysis and study of how the empires behave. History is witness to the habit of an empire whereby to maintain a balance of power, it ensures that no other power/state dominates the other. An empire hates challenges by its ‘colonies’.
In that background, our region consists of Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. Recently, the US wrongly started considering and dealing Afghanistan and Pakistan as if they are one country on account of ethnic affinity between significant portions of the two countries’ communities and also due to their relaxed shared border and named its policy “AfPak”.
However, now that it is trying to leave Afghanistan, though after destabilising it and being aware that it has not been able to replace a force which can control the reemergence of al Qaeda and its affiliates, it has revised — and rightly so — its thinking and is now convinced that stability within Afghanistan is dependant on a stable and strong Pakistan. Many influential US policymakers, civil and military, have expressed the same sentiment. The US administration has realised that if Pakistan is destabilised due to its internal weakness or because of the US pressure to fight al Qaeda while also supporting US forces, the result would be that no number of US troops would be able to control the 200 million combined population of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Furthermore, a truly significant balance of power in the region has to be between Pakistan and India, both of whom are obsessed with each other and are nuclear states. If a destabilised Pakistan disintegrates, India would be tempted to use its resources to dominate the Indian Ocean by increasing its navy. Minus a stable Pakistan, a triumphant India would destroy the balance of power in the region. This is why the primary American strategy, for the coming years, in the region should be to help create a strong viable Pakistan. A strong Pakistan with its professional army will be more successful than the US presence in Afghanistan in controlling (though not eliminating) the Taliban in the area. This is as much a geopolitical reality as the presence of an informal empire which in its interest will be forced by events briefly mentioned above to strengthen Pakistan and its army, boost its economy and support the democratic process.
This brings to my mind the events of the birth of Pakistan. We achieved our independence on August 14, 1947 and Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah was sworn in as Governor General on August 15. Amongst the first countries to recognise Pakistan on August 15 was America, when President Harry S Truman sent a congratulatory message to Mohammad Ali Jinnah, “on its emergence among the family of nations”. The Quaid was courteous enough and with an eye for the future, reproduced the contents of this message later in his speech. It is also reported by some reliable historians that the Quaid in the difficult times of financial crises faced by Pakistan in its initial stages, did ask the US to play a constructive role to ease the country’s financial crisis. At that time, it was not really interested in a new country emerging on the map of the world. Today’s US is strategically involved with Pakistan. The strategy on the part of Pakistani governments should be to fully avail of the new mindset that is present in Washington and to tell it that strengthening Pakistan is key to any forward solution.
To cooperate with a country that you may not like is a patriotic duty if that cooperation results in your own country being strengthened. I hope our leaders have the will and skill to hammer a strategy, which builds up to Pakistan’s advantage. I believe the history of the moment is on the side of Pakistan.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 13^th, 2013.

With an eye on China: India's indigenous aircraft carrier to start sea trials(Express Tribune)

KOCHI, INDIA: India launched its first indigenously-built aircraft carrier on Monday, a landmark moment in the $5 billion project that seeks to project the country’s power and check the rising influence of China.
When the INS Vikrant comes into full service in 2018, India will become the sixth nation to have designed and built its own aircraft carrier, pushing ahead of China to join an elite club that includes Britain, France, Russia and the United States.
Japan designed and built aircraft carriers till World War II. Post war restrictions in their Constitution did not leave space to build and maintain an aircraft carrier for their defence forces. Germany too had designed and partially built an aircraft carrier prior to World War II, but it was never made operational.
“It’s a remarkable milestone,” Defence Minister AK Antony said as he stood in front of the giant grey hull of the ship at a ceremony in the southern city of Cochin.
“It marks just a first step in a long journey but at the same time an important one.”
The ship, which will be fitted with weaponry and machinery and then tested over the next four years, is a major advance for a country competing for influence in Asia, analysts say.
“It is going to be deployed in the Indian Ocean region where the world’s commercial and economic interests coalesce. India’s capability is very much with China in mind,” Rahul Bedi, a defence expert with IHS Jane’s Defence Weekly, told AFP.
On Saturday, India announced its first indigenously-built nuclear submarine was ready for sea trials, a key step before it becomes fully operational.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called it a “giant stride” for the nation.
“All these are power projection platforms, to project India’s power as an extension of its diplomacy,” Bedi added.
New Delhi is spending tens of billions of dollars upgrading its mainly Soviet-era military hardware to bolster its defences.
Successes in its long-range missile and naval programmes have been tempered by expensive failures in developing its own aircraft and other land-based weaponry, leaving the country highly dependent on imports.
INS Vikrant is two years behind schedule after problems in sourcing specialised steel from Russia, delays with crucial equipment and even a road accident in which vital diesel generators were damaged.
Overall, India lags far behind China in defence capabilities, analysts say, making the success in beating its regional rival in the race to develop a domestically-produced aircraft carrier significant.
India already has one aircraft carrier in operation – a 60-year-old British vessel acquired by India in 1987 and renamed INS Viraat – but it will be phased out in the coming years.
India’s ally Russia is also set to hand over a third aircraft carrier – INS Vikramaditya – later this year after a bitter row over the refurbished Soviet-era warship caused by rising costs and delays.
The INS Vikrant, which means “courageous” or “bold” in Hindi, is a 40,000-tonne vessel which will carry Russian-built MiG-29 fighter jets and other light aircraft.
While its hull, design and some of its machinery is domestically made, most of its weaponry will be imported as well as its propulsion system, which was sourced from GE in the United States.
“Its primary role will only be to defend our naval fleet and it will not be used for ground attacks,” retired rear admiral K Raja Menon told AFP.
“It’s a defence carrier so it will attack platforms that are coming to attack our (naval) fleet …without air defence our fleet just cannot survive,” Menon said.
C Uday Bhaskar, a retired naval officer and former director of the National Maritime Foundation in New Delhi, said the ship would “enhance India’s credibility” – but it “would not alter the balance of power with China”.
“China’s nuclear expertise and ship-building capabilities are of a higher order,” he told AFP.
The Indian navy is currently working on 39 ships and has begun planning to make another two aircraft carriers, Bedi said.

Monday 12 August 2013

August 14 Pakistan Independence Day

Independence Day (Urdu: یوم آزادی‎; Yaum-e Āzādī), observed annually on August 14, is a national holiday in Pakistan, commemorating the day when Pakistan achieved independence and was declared a sovereign nation, following the end of the British Raj in 1947. Pakistan came into existence as a result of the Pakistan Movement; the Pakistan Movement aimed for creation of an independent Muslim state by division of the north-western region of the South Asia and was led by All-India Muslim League under the leadership of Muhammad Ali Jinnah. The event was brought forth by the Indian Independence Act 1947 in which the British Indian Empire was divided into two new countries—the Dominion of India (later the Republic of India) and the Dominion of Pakistan (later the Islamic Republic of Pakistan) which included the West Pakistan (present Pakistan) and East Pakistan (now Bangladesh).
In the Islamic calendar, the day of independence coincided with Ramadan 27, the eve of which is regarded as sacred by Muslims. The main ceremony takes place in Islamabad, where the national flag is hoisted at the Presidential and Parliament buildings, which is followed by the national anthem, and live televised speeches by leaders. Usual celebratory events this day include flag-raising ceremonies, parades, cultural events, and the playing of patriotic songs. A number of award ceremonies are often held on this day, and citizens often hoist the national flag atop their homes or display it prominently on their vehicles and attire

Election Commission issues polling scheme for by-polls(Express Tribune)

ISLAMABAD: The Election commission of Pakistan has finalized and issued the polling schemes for the upcoming by-polls to be held on August 22, Express News reported.
A total of 1,987 of the 7,622 polling stations in Pakistan have been declared sensitive and 1,657 have been declared most sensitive.
Three districts in Karachi have been declared sensitive. In Punjab, 724 polling stations were classified as sensitive and 287 most sensitive.
By-elections in over three dozen National and provincial Assembly constituencies will be held on August 22.
Most of the seats are vacated by members who were elected from more than one constituency in the May 11 general elections. On some seats elections were not held due to death of a contesting candidate.