Cost of our failed Kashmir policy.
By: Tarique Khan Javed
President, Overseas Pakistani Investors Forum.
                           Dated 16 Dec 2008

On the somber day of 16th December, as we remember the event of dismemberment of the country, in  1971, thoughts turn to our failed Kashmir Policy which was partly responsible for the debacle. Kashmir policy has costed the Nation a lot and was one the biggest failure of our collective wisdom and judgment.
 
We have spent on the average USD 4 billion on our defense during the last 60 years or a total of USD 240 billion. At least half of this expenditure related to our effort to capture the occupied Kashmir. Implying that if we had not adopted the failed Kashmir policy we would have saved USD 120 billion and today instead of USD 40 billion external debts we would be sitting on deposits of USD 80 billion.

Now as trade has resumed from two trading post between  Azad and Occupied Kashmir, our President has declared that there is no enmity between India and Pakistan and he would like to see Passport and Visa formality go between India and Pakistan. While saying so he was reflecting the feeling of people of Pakistan.

However it is painful to note the entire so called “Kashmir effort” of last 60 years seems has gone waste. The waste includes, besides money, missed trading opportunities, loss of large number of civilian and military personnel lives and dismemberment of the country and its trauma.

If we consider what we could have done in the Health and Education sector and other poverty elevation initiatives with USD 120 billion, one feels like crying! If all that money was spent on the people of Pakistan, by now the poverty level would not be more than 5-10% compared to 33% that exist now. By now we would like other nations have 80-90% literacy rate and a much healthier Nation with little unemployment. We would not be a Nation on the brink of being declared a failed and terrorist sponsor State,rather a very respectable member of World community.

War mongers in control against the will of the people:
War mongers and dreamers took control of Pakistan from the beginning. They developed an extended network to spread their propaganda and misled people to think that we can take whole of Kashmir by force and even capture Delhi. Crush India, punish India become their slogan. The main force behind this move was off course the defense establishment but religious parties like Jamat e Islami played a crucial role in promoting these stupid lies. Despite proven again and again that they are wrong they do not give up in a most unashamedly manner. The Mumbai attack is their recent achievement. They are dancing with joy not realizing the consequence that Pakistan may be wiped out of the map of the World if their dream of a nuclear war come to pass. Time has come when people of Pakistan should shut these lunatics in the same manner as we shut up murders in jail as they are threat to the society.

In the history of Pakistan we can find many examples of the misadventures that brought us at brink of destruction, due to activities of the war mongers. All these desperate acts were done for the supreme purpose of liberating Kashmir. It is obvious that people will was not in concurrence with the war mongers, as reflected by the actions of their elected leaders from Benezir to Zardari. Some of the interesting ones are as follows:

1. War of  1965  for Kashmir and dismemberment:
A so called Pakistani “Think Tank” was able to convince Ayub Khan and Bhutto that Indians (Hindus) by nature are not a martial (fighting) race and that their defenses in Occupied Kashmir, was so weak that Pakistan could capture Sri Nagar in a surprise attack. While all this could be true but the real amazing part of the foolish argument was hat as Kashmir is a disputed territory and we would only be crossing the LOC and not any International border this will not lead to an all out war. That India will not retaliate and attack Pakistan and let us have Sri Nager. The Foreign Minister and President were convinced and so the action started with expected successes and all cheered. However when India struck Sialkot and Lahore only the super human sacrifices of our soldiers, who blew themselves up under Indian tanks that we were able to stop Indians from capturing Lahore and Sialkot. 

This war was at the cost of our close relationship with USA, who upto 1965 was paying 67% of our Defense budget and provided us with latest weapons far superior to what Indians had. The cost of war crippled Pakistan’s economy and our extra ordinary economic growth rate since 1947 came to an end.

During 1965 war a realization drown on nation that while lot of defense preparation was made for West Pakistan; almost nothing was done for the defense of East Pakistan. The Army’s rational was that in case India attacks Eastern wing, an attack from West will make them stop the aggression or in other wards the defense of East Pakistan lay in West Pakistan. While this strange and twisted logic amazed the people of West Pakistan it enraged people of East Pakistan who felt cheated and betrayed. From that point they started to think of separation more seriously. Their logic was that while they had no conflict with India, why they should suffer from war with India, created by stupid leadership of West Pakistan. They had no interest in Kashmir and were not ready to die for it.

War of 1965 for Kashmir, therefore, on top of Language and Economic disparity issues became the main cause of dismemberment of the country.

2. Benezir declared security risk for seeking peace:
When expressing the will of common people Benezir tried to make peace with India in her first term in office after 1988. The war mongers termed her an agent of India and a security risk. They alleged that she was about to compromise on Kashmir. Knowing their power at that time she backed off. However the will of the people got reflected again in the action of next elected Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who was considered a product of the establishment. He almost lost his life for trying to bring permanent peace with India. 

 3. Kargil war to punish India and Nawaz Sharif:
As honourable, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Nawaz Sharif were greeting each other at the border near Lahore; smart military planners were polishing a grand scheme to bring India to its keens. Like 1965, the idea was that we could launch an attack on LOC and there will no retaliation on International border. India will come to its keens and beg forgiveness for all excesses done in the past. Indeed the plan was brilliant and India did suffer heavily however the flawed logic of no retaliation was bound to fail again. Thus in June 1999 when India assembled one of the largest tank formation near Bhawalpur with a view to cut Pakistan into two halves. Nawaz Sharif had to rush to Washington on 4th of July Holiday to arrange a halt on the attack and agreed to a withdraw from Kargil. This move was not liked by the Army and they removed him in October.

4. Attack on Indian parliament in 2002 to start a war:
Attack attributed to Lasker a Tiaba (LET) of Hafiz Saeed resulted in mobilization of a large army by India on our borders and soldiers were eyeball to eyeball with bonnets installed. A bloody war was some how prevented by the very extensive intervention of world powers including Multinationals like Microsoft, Citibank, HSBC, Intel etc, who feared for the lives of their substantial staff in India.  The new players in the India-Pakistan equation are the best guarantors of peace between these nations as the financial clot of these multinationals is enormous and they have a stake in peace in the Region.

5. Cheating the West in war against terror to protect the terrorists: 
After joining the war a dual policy was followed whereby all actions required for stopping terrorism was not taken while lot of lip services was given. This was with a view to continue the massive inflow of USA funds in the name of War on terror. If effective action was taken in FATA as a continuation of bombing of Tora Bora all rouge elements in FATA and rest of Pakistan could have been nabbed within a year or so. However the stupid dual policy allowed these elements to operate freely in FATA and become bolder with the passage of time. Pakistan proper became their target and they threaten and killed Benezir Bhutto, who had promised a more transparent operation in FATA in the form of combined action with USA.

The people’s mandate of Feb 2008 and final removal of Musharraf has for the first time allowed real action in FATA and it is expected that this operation will lead to clearing FATA from international and local criminals within a year form now. American drone attacks in FATA should be welcomed and not opposed; as this is likely to help in this task. The cleanup will be more in the interest of Pakistan, than USA or West. Our borders would in real meaning extend to Durand line and Pakistan will become bigger and secure.

6. Allowing Jehadi elements to provoke a war again:
Recent attack on Mumbai has also revealed another blander by previous government of letting Jehadi elements like Jamat Al Dawa, operate freely in Pakistan. There actions almost bought India and Pakistan on a brink of War at a time when the democratic government is getting ready to take some giant steps
towards a permanent peace with India. Probably the new government did not know about such elements or had not time enough to nab them. However now they have

acted and tensions will ease and two nation’s march towards peace will go on; in defiance of, fool hardy arguments, in favour of a nuclear exchange by War Mongers on both sides.

Will of the people must prevail now, at any cost:
Time has come when people through their democratically elected Representative should take charge and not allow any further adventurism by War Mongers and refuse to pay the cost of an expensive military machine. Time has come to trim them and divert funds for people welfare. Against their desire we should make peace with India and Afghanistan and refuse to meddle in their affairs. Like Iran we should force all Afghans back to Afghanistan and never allow them to come beyond a maximum limit of 10 KM within our borders, in case they are in need of temporary shelter.