Dear Kasrkin:
You really made me feel proud of being a Pakistani. “”He is our country-man, we have to try. Like it or not it is the likes of him PA is fighting for””
I am a minority here with my contrarian views. Pakistan Defence is a specialized forum focused on military interests. Numerous members have ties to the Army in one form or another; the majority represents a mindset that conforms to the politically correct views of Pak Government and the Army.
But I am not a minority as far as the views of the Pakistani public are concerned. In fact in my own ethnic backyard these are the polite and moderated views of an overwhelming majority.
The key issues are as follows:
1. Majority of Pakistanis are not willing to take the ownership of WoT. It is not our war. The US has invited itself into Afghanistan, first to take on Al-Quaeda, later Taliban, later to do Nation building and “restore peace”. There is no clear objective as to what constitutes “mission accomplished and victory”.
2. Pak Army has been tasked with fighting the so-called American War on Terror on its soil against its own citizens. This is a shameful desecration of the primary National Defense mission of the Army; betrayal of the trust that Pakistani public invested in this institution.
3. Pakistani nation has embraced a life of chronic poverty and malnutrition for decades, nourishing the Army with 7% of the GDP. In return for Heavy investments in Strategic deterrents Pakistani nation deserves a minimum level of dignity.
4. Pakistan Government claims to be an “Ally” in the WoT, which it is not:
a. The Gold Standard of being an Ally is membership of NATO. Whereas basket case ex Warsaw pact countries like Poland and Bulgaria are members, no one touches Pakistan with a 10-foot pole.
b. Pakistanis were bundled with 25 other nationalities into National Security Entry-Exit Registration System (NSEERS) in the USA. Indians were excluded.
c. Which allied nation has its territory bombed by the US as an entertainment?
d. Which allied nation abducts its own citizens and hand them over to the US for torture and imprisonment (Dr Afia case plus several hundred others).
e. Every allied nation saw a material change for the better in its economic fortunes. Look at Korea, Thailand, Egypt, and Israel. None of them ever fired a bullet in anger for the US. We are being asked to “perform” for paltry reimbursable worth a bit more than US$ 1 b per year, our real cost being about US$ 10 b / year.
f. India got the 1-2-3 nuclear deals, we were declared “unqualified”.
5. The most absurd logic for our support to the US is the Threat of being bombed into the stone age!. This is probably the longest “holdup” in human history and deserves a place in the Guinness Book of World Records!.
The unfortunate reality is that Pak Army has the same status as Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) circa 1973. Gen Musharraf was the equivalent of Air Vice Marshall Kao Ki.
The end game will finally depend on an act of US Congress to cut spending on misadventures. Who will be left to cry on the rubble, we Pakistanis?
You really made me feel proud of being a Pakistani. “”He is our country-man, we have to try. Like it or not it is the likes of him PA is fighting for””
I am a minority here with my contrarian views. Pakistan Defence is a specialized forum focused on military interests. Numerous members have ties to the Army in one form or another; the majority represents a mindset that conforms to the politically correct views of Pak Government and the Army.
But I am not a minority as far as the views of the Pakistani public are concerned. In fact in my own ethnic backyard these are the polite and moderated views of an overwhelming majority.
The key issues are as follows:
1. Majority of Pakistanis are not willing to take the ownership of WoT. It is not our war. The US has invited itself into Afghanistan, first to take on Al-Quaeda, later Taliban, later to do Nation building and “restore peace”. There is no clear objective as to what constitutes “mission accomplished and victory”.
2. Pak Army has been tasked with fighting the so-called American War on Terror on its soil against its own citizens. This is a shameful desecration of the primary National Defense mission of the Army; betrayal of the trust that Pakistani public invested in this institution.
3. Pakistani nation has embraced a life of chronic poverty and malnutrition for decades, nourishing the Army with 7% of the GDP. In return for Heavy investments in Strategic deterrents Pakistani nation deserves a minimum level of dignity.
4. Pakistan Government claims to be an “Ally” in the WoT, which it is not:
a. The Gold Standard of being an Ally is membership of NATO. Whereas basket case ex Warsaw pact countries like Poland and Bulgaria are members, no one touches Pakistan with a 10-foot pole.
b. Pakistanis were bundled with 25 other nationalities into National Security Entry-Exit Registration System (NSEERS) in the USA. Indians were excluded.
c. Which allied nation has its territory bombed by the US as an entertainment?
d. Which allied nation abducts its own citizens and hand them over to the US for torture and imprisonment (Dr Afia case plus several hundred others).
e. Every allied nation saw a material change for the better in its economic fortunes. Look at Korea, Thailand, Egypt, and Israel. None of them ever fired a bullet in anger for the US. We are being asked to “perform” for paltry reimbursable worth a bit more than US$ 1 b per year, our real cost being about US$ 10 b / year.
f. India got the 1-2-3 nuclear deals, we were declared “unqualified”.
5. The most absurd logic for our support to the US is the Threat of being bombed into the stone age!. This is probably the longest “holdup” in human history and deserves a place in the Guinness Book of World Records!.
The unfortunate reality is that Pak Army has the same status as Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) circa 1973. Gen Musharraf was the equivalent of Air Vice Marshall Kao Ki.
The end game will finally depend on an act of US Congress to cut spending on misadventures. Who will be left to cry on the rubble, we Pakistanis?
.
