Pakistanis
protesting against US-Musharraf alliance
Making
Pakistan a Non-NATO US Ally is Good for India
By
Swaminathan S Anklesaria Aiyar
NEW DELHI: The US is designating Pakistan as a major non-NATO
ally. This has dismayed many Indians, who sneer that the US is
irredeemably pro-Pakistan.
In
fact, we should hope fervently that Pakistan does become a major
US ally against Islamic terror. I cannot think of a better outcome
from India 's viewpoint. The trend so far is promising.
For
decades, Pakistan tried simultaneously to be both Islamic and
modern. Modernism demands secularism even where a state religion
exists (as in Britain ).
But
fundamentalism demands loyalty to Islam above all else, and to
the global Islamic community above national ideals.
Pakistan
rode both these horses for decades. It claimed to be a rare Muslim
democracy (of sorts), which could be the West's interlocutor with
the Islamic world.
At
the same time, it was mullah-friendly, aided fundamentalists like
Hekmatyar and later the Taliban in Afghanistan , aided terrorism
in Kashmir , and talked of an Islamic bomb (AQ Khan did more than
just talk).
But
after 9/11, Pakistan could no longer ride both the horses. The
US said that Pakistan had to help destroy the Taliban and its
Islamic associates, or risk being treated as a terrorist state
itself.
The
US was especially worried that Pakistan 's nuclear weapons might
fall into terrorist hands, and was willing to take military action
to prevent this.
Pakistan
had to decide whether to go fundamentalist or modernist. Musharraf
chose the latter.
He
said his role model was Ataturk, who abolished the Caliphate in
Istanbul and made Turkey , for centuries the very epicenter of
Islam, a secular state.
This
is anathema to Al Qaeda. So, Musharraf has suffered repeated attempts
on his life. He has tried to support militants in Kashmir even
while battling Al Qaeda, but found that this may simply expedite
his assassination.
Thus,
he has begun distancing himself from the Islamic elements he once
sustained, and who still have powerful friends in Pakistan .
Pakistan
has caught and handed over hundreds of Taliban to the US . It
has now sent its army into the autonomous tribal belt bordering
Afghanistan . This is self-governing according to Pakistan 's
Constitution, and has long been a sanctuary for terrorists.
Musharraf
has declared that autonomy does not cover the right to harbor
terrorists. Al Qaeda still has support in Pakistan . Some encircled
terrorists in the tribal belt escaped using a tunnel, suggesting
assistance from pro-Islamic Pakistani elements. So, Musharraf
has his work cut out. Yet, the overall trend is hopeful.
No
Pakistani leader would ever have taken on the militants because
of anything India could say or do. But 9/11 has achieved this,
giving India a huge windfall gain. Too many Indians view Pakistani
help to terrorism through the lens of Kashmir .
In
fact, the biggest threat lies elsewhere. Osama bin Laden calls
on Muslims everywhere to give their first loyalty not to the country
they live in but to his vision of imperial Islam (harking back
to the Muslim conquest of Spain and Austria ).
So
far, Indian Muslims have, by and large, ignored this siren call.
The real danger is that they might take to militancy to combat
Hindu militant excesses (as in Gujarat ).
If
that happens, the fat will truly be in the fire. Seven bomb blasts
in 2002 and 2003 in Mumbai show that militancy has begun to seep
into some Muslim pockets in India .
If
Pakistan goes fundamentalist, Indian Muslims will feel increased
pressure to go down this road too. On the other hand, if Pakistan
turns against the mullahs and for modernism, the beneficial effects
will be felt among Indian Muslims too.
Had
9/11 not occurred, contacts between Al Qaeda and Pakistani nuclear
scientists would have strengthened. At some point, the militants
might have obtained access to a nuclear bomb.
While
India 's own bomb can deter the Pakistan government, it cannot
deter nuclear terrorists who cannot be nuked without wiping out
civilians. And 9/11 has probably saved India from this dreadful
scenario.
Pakistani
support to Kashmiri militants has ebbed considerably in recent
months. Good news, but this is not the best measure of the beneficial
effects of 9/11.
Militancy
in Kashmir arose from genuine Kashmiri grievances. Foreign Islamic
militants have added muscle to the Kashmiri uprising, but it has
domestic roots.
No,
the really big consequence of 9/11 will be its impact on the character
of Pakistan , not of Kashmir . India needs a Pakistan that comes
out squarely against Islamic militancy.
If
Pakistan becomes a major ally of the US in this endeavor, we should
cheer, not moan. Neither Pakistan nor the US are driven by a desire
to help India .
They
are serving their own interests. But 9/11 has aligned the interests
of all three countries. This alignment is far more important than
the non-alignment that Cold Warriors talk of nostalgically. -
The Economic Times
