Post delayed due to domestic commitment.
In 1998, when we first detonated a device, it was not a policy goal achieved. It was a response to successful Indian tests conducted 17 days earlier. Indians had achieved a policy goal: they had tipped the balance of power in their favor and caught us unaware at the same time. In the next few days, they experienced an uncontrollable, wild testosterone surge and like drunk thugs, everyone from the shoemaker to the statesman started raising hell. On 18 May 1998, Indian Home Minister L. K. Advani while referring to the Indian tests said, “Islamabad should realize the change in the geostrategic situation in the region and the world (and) roll back its anti-Indian policy, especially with regards to Kashmir.” He also said that, “India’s decisive step to become a nuclear weapons state has brought about a qualitatively new stage in Indo-Pak relations, particularly in finding a lasting solution to the Kashmir problem.”1 BJP’s VP K. L. Sharma warned, “if Pakistan continued its anti-India policy, Pakistan should be prepared for India’s wrath.”2 Although Indian Prime Minister Vajpayee said that India would never use the bombs “for aggression”, the Indian definition of aggression is at best, controversial.3 And given our strategic blindness, the Indian definition of aggression is music to the world’s ears. Let’s not forget that in 1971, Mrs Indira Gandhi made no effort to mask her wanton, overt aggression against East Pakistan, while the world sung praises of the ‘restraint’ she had exercised in tackling the situation.
Responding to the Indian threats and mockery, on 14 May 1998, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said, “Pakistan must give priority to its security needs and has no option but to take appropriate measures to protect its sovereignty and security, in accordance with the aspirations of the people.”4 Although, the statement shifts the responsibility of any subsequent action from the shoulders of the premier to the shoulders of the people, it also reflects clearly on one more thing: unlike the rest of nuclear capable states, Pakistan was cornered into becoming one. While on the other hand, India just like United States and Soviet Union before her, had achieved nuclear warmongering capability without any real threat being posed to her integrity and had along the way created an environment favorable for slow destabilization of the region. This is something which the world is not ready to (realize and) admit and we are not ready to (realize and) understand. This unique attribute common to the three nations hints on the underlying similarities that these apparently diverse and very different nations enjoy; the relationship now apparently lost in the complexities of the present day political order. A testimony to this fact is the unconditional American moral, political, economic and military support enjoyed by India in all Indo-Pakistan conflicts despite the fact that Pakistan was the only American ally in the region throughout the Cold War era, while India flocked with America’s arch nemesis Russia.
Having enemies is not a must for survival in a world where a universal morality prevails. The same is not true in a world where not only different moralities exist in different geographical locations, but more often than not find reasons to collide. It is important to remember that the choice of enemies is more important than the decision of having or not having enemies. Historically speaking, we’re the proverbial blonde, having all the wrong men in her life. But then the blonde doesn’t complain, because her taste reflects in her wrong choice of men.
Our choice of enemies has been not in line with our morality and has over the years skewed our choice of friends and moreover, damaged our relationships with our real friends. With the wrong enemies, we failed to have the right friends, and today this cauldron of boiling stew of dangerous liaisons with worthless friends and dangerous enemies has fallen off the stove starting a fire. What we believe in our hearts, must be reflected in our actions. Our morality must have preference over our short term survival goals. Our morality has to be defended at all cost, as it will lead us to safety. It is the only way we’ll learn to identify the real enemy and find and value real friends.
The first step that we have to take today, without any further delay is to revert to the roots of our morality. The morality of the Pakistani nation stems from the Islamic creed, and not political and economic theories of self preservation, indirect colonialism, dual faced diplomacy, and exploitative “free” markets stealing freedom of the under privileged. Our morality surpasses any and all modern systems of moral values in granting and ensuring freedom of religion, occupation, intellectual exercise, and “pursuit of happiness” while regulating the overall social system with strict social values, laws and economic bindings which ensure long term survival of the complete society and deter exploitation and extinction of one segment of the society at the hands of the other. But this all sounds theoretical and impractical today, thanks to our persistent wanton detachment from our moral roots ever since we earned our freedom from colonial aliens and their ever aggressive native foot soldiers. We were born of the Two Nation Theory which has its roots in none other but the Islamic creed. Contrary to the great examples of the wonderful governance of Umar bin al-Khattab Al-Farooq, Umar bin Abdulaziz, Salahuddin Ayyubi and Suleman e ‘Azam to name a few, we have presented before the world such a miserable example of an Islamic governance that the world said:
“When he drew lines across the Indian subcontinent, Mountbatten listened too sympathetically to those who took religion more seriously than geography…. Pakistan was a ‘state’ created from above for reasons of political expediency. So the lesson is simple if not a hard one: That such artificial structures cannot survive. How much human misery must be endured before the fact is accepted.”5
“In insisting on the creation of a separate state, Jinnah and the Muslim League had given birth to a ‘pantomime horse’”.6
“[Pakistan is a] premature and abortive attempt to establish one sovereign authority for two distinct countries.”7
“The essential irrationality of Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s version of Pakistan is now writ large enough for all the world to see.”8
It is an unforgivable failure on our part to have let the situation rot to the point where the world criticizes our misdeeds and mistakes while in fact targeting Islam. We forgot the reason of our existence and did all we could to prove our fore fathers wrong. We were born on the principal of unity of Muslims and equality for all, and we shunned them both years ago.
It is to be remembered, that the western morality is subject to change in “pursuit of happiness”, while our morality is unchanging. This is the only reason that today or tomorrow, we will have to part ways. West has evolved from modesty to nudity in “pursuit of happiness”, we cannot. West has moved from personal freedom to capitalist fascism in “pursuit of happiness”, we cannot. The collision of moralities within our borders today is a result of our staying out of touch from our morality for so long, that part of us now identifies with the walking-dead western moral model, while a major part has misinterpreted the Islamic creed to suit personal agenda. In addition, a vast majority of Muslims; who are moderate indeed; is being ground to dust between the two.
Our nuclear arsenal will not save us from anything or anyone. It may as well become the reason of our final and most arduous test as a nation.9 It is our lack of a collective identity and collective purpose that will always lead us to failure. We have billions of dollars worth of gold under our dirt, and we beg.10 We give Google, Bentley and NASA their best thinking minds and we’re intellectually bankrupt as a nation. We are men and women, worthy of respect, second to none, and here we are eating dust day in and day out, at the hands of people, who put beasts to shame with their moral decadence. There is nothing wrong with the world: we lie, we cheat, we steal, we kill, we rob, we rape, we’re stuck neck deep in usury, we exploit and be exploited. And we’re guilty of the worst collective, national crime of all: we’re unaware of our history, both its glory and its dark days.
If you want these bombs to work for you, return to the roots of your morality. Take a break, sit down and think, what all in your routine is contrary to Islamic morality. Do your relations with your parents, siblings, friends, neighbors and your extended family meet the standards set by Islam? Does charity hold importance for you? When was the last time you paid your alms/zakat? Are you in any way involved in usury? Do you weigh/measure correctly and with diligence? Do you dispense your official duties carefully and appropriately? Do you in any way abuse power, status, influence, office? Do you lie and cheat in the name of diplomacy? Are you faithful to your spouse? Do you drink or consume narcotics? Do you waste resources wantonly? Are you a mindless super-size consumer? My dear friend, if the bad outweighs the good in your self assessment, you’re equally responsible like so many others for the present miserable plight of this country, for we have acquired this rot over the past 6 decades and not overnight.
Islam doesn’t appeal to emotion, it appeals to 2 human faculties and 2 alone: reason and faith. The Prophet told us long ago that when evil will prevail in your society, you will be punished in a special way: you will be made subject to bad rulers. And that is what has befallen us.
So when some emotionally charged soothsayer says all is well, just slow down and think. When someone energetically points to the bright side of the situation, reign in your emotions and turn to reason to assess the situation. You’ll see that today, nothing is as rosy as some talkers tell you. But don’t lose faith, if you know what I mean.
Remember: the buck stops here. We are responsible for our plight and none other. We have to change. There is no revolution simmering behind the scenes, unless we return to our moral roots, which spring from the Islamic creed: Qur’an and Sunnah(including Hadith). If you’re willing to change, Bismillah. Or else, you’ve already joined the Treason Club.
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1 Quoted in Kargil Conflict 1999:Seperating Fact from Fiction by Shireen M Mazari, p. 86
2 ibid, p. 87
3 ibid
4 ibid, p. 86
5 Editorial on the 1871 Crisis in the UK based newspaper New Statesman of 16 April 1971. Quoted in K. K. Aziz's World Powers and the 1971 Breakup of Pakistan, p. 131
6 David Holden in the UK based newspaper The Sunday Times of 28 March 1971. Quoted ibid, p. 123
7 Peter Calvocoressi in the UK based newspaper The Oxford Mail of 16 April 1971. Quoted ibid, p. 122
8 Harlod Jackson in the UK based newspaper The Guardian of 18 December 1971. Quoted ibid, p. 121
9 "The Collapse of Pakistan", Chapter 1, 7 Deadly Scenarios by Andrew F. Krepinevich. In this chapter Krepinevich dramatazies a scenario of collapse of Pakistan at the hands of Pakistan Army. Krepinevich is a retired US Army colonel currently serving as the President of CSBA. He like Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz and Dick Cheney is a 'star protégé' of Andrew Marshall, the founding director of ONA. Andrew Marshall was appointed to office by Nixon in 1973, and has been re-appointed to office by every US President ever since. The longest serving member of the US government, Marshall has been responsible for continuation of the US Grand Strategy under every administration and has brought up many key US politicians and public office holders.
10 Official reports say proven reserves worth 260 bn USD, and estimated reserves of 3 tn USD.
