It is clear to all but the liberals and the jhola brigade that all our security problems are due to Pakistan. They are behind every hot spot either directly or indirectly. They helped misguided Sikhs in the 1980’s to their nefarious ends. Now they are using the Maoists, which was confirmed by Assam CM who is a Congressman. It is also clear to all but the ideologically blind that our government has no clue of how to deal with. Vacillating between hollow threats and repeated and unrequited peace overtures, they are confused.
Instead of threatening a crazy nuclear armed country with no political will to back it, we should strengthen RAW and their dirty tricks department. We used to have an extremely effective RAW but that pakiphile IK Gujral dismantled it. What a mistake that was. It takes years to develop human intelligence capabilities and misguided liberals undid it. A department like that can raise the cost of doing terror for the Pakistanis. It is the old “you send one of mine to the hospital, I will send one of yours to the morgue” adage. A country like Pakistan is rife with fault lines waiting to be exploited. We have written on that topic on this blog. I proposed a division of Pakistan into five parts (of course in discussion with my friends) long time ago. Later on, security experts and journalists after 9/11 expressed the same sentiments. After getting railroaded by the Pakistanis, US lawmakers are now proposing that Baluchistan is a candidate for freedom. That state has been abused and destroyed by the Panjabi dominated Pakistani establishment and military. They have used heavy weaponry against Baluchi insurgents. They have been doing this since the formation of the country. Except for India, the world stood by and did nothing. Eventually we also abandoned them.
The Americans have turned a blind eye to every one of Pakistan’s crimes. Now that they are feeling the effects of it, they are proposing an alternative approach. Dana Rohrabacher, who used to be extremely pro-Pakistani, said the following:
"Baluchistan deserves our attention because it is a turbulent land marked by human rights violations committed by regimes that are hostile to America's interests and values," Congressman Dana Rohrabacher said at a Congressional hearing.
Stating that Islamabad has refused to concede any legitimacy to Baluch nationalism or to engage the Baluch leadership in serious negotiations, Rohrabacher said:"Its response has been based on brute force, including extra-judicial killings." Congressman Ted Poe from Texas said that the current situation in Baluchistan fits into the category of self-determination.
It could be that the Americans are trying to threaten the Pakistanis with the second division of the country hoping to force them into compliance. It also could be that if Baluchistan becomes a free country then that would open another route to Afghanistan, which will bypass the Pakistanis. Of course the Americans are doing it for their self-interest. Now the bigger question is, should we also do the same i.e. do something for our self-interest?
Yes we should. Baluchis (and to some extent the Sindhis) have always been friendlier with us than the Punjabis. There are still functional Hindu temples in Baluchistan but none in other parts of Pakistan. If Baluchis form their own country, Pakistan’s coastline becomes a lot smaller and thus makes them vulnerable to a superior naval force such as ours. Pakistan will lose a lot of their natural resources and thus will become more amenable to trade.
Even bigger question is- what can we do to help the Baluchis? All we need to do is to look at old reports of the RAW. Moreover, if the US does the heavy lifting then we should be there to help them out especially if we can do it with enough deniability. Continued diplomacy with the US, Iran and Afghanistan will also be beneficial. Other than that, I am sure that the IFS guys, who are much smarter than I, can come up with other ways. It is important for our Baluchi friends. It is important for India.
Our old post on the topic can be read at: http://thenethindu.blogspot.com/2011/01/pakistan-problem-division-as-solution.html
The US proposal on the matter can be read at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Pak-using-brutal-force-in-Baluchistan-US-lawmakers/articleshow/11831982.cms
Assam CM's claims can be read at: http://www.rediff.com/news/report/assam-cm-gogoi-sees-maoists-isi-axis-behind-insurgency/20120219.htm
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