THE AFPAK EDITION: ISSUE 66, VOLUME 96
A QUESTION OF FAIRNESS
by Maliha Masood, The Matrix Contributing Writer


photo by Balazs Gardi


I never thought I would actually be saying what I’m about to say, but here it goes….Let’s bring back Bush. Surely I ought to be hanged for uttering such nonsense, you must be thinking. Is she on something, you might also wonder. What’s her problem; all you know it alls chorus. Well, my dears, I guess I have some explaining to do.

The reason why I’m professing endearment for George Bush has to do with Barack Obama’s new foreign policy in regards to Pakistan. To be perfectly blunt, it stinks.

First of all, I’m having a hard time dealing with Richard Holbrooke as Special Envoy for Pakistan and Afghanistan. Correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t they two separate countries with two very different cultures and two very different histories and two very different governments? Of course I have not lost sight of the fact that Pakistan and Afghanistan are neighbors sharing one very nasty problem with Taliban militancy brewing a cauldron of violence alongside their border. In all the reactionary politics about defeating the bad guys, what no one asks is how did these guys get here in the first place? Allow me a brief indulgence with a history lesson.

Many of the baddies originated in Afghanistan as leftovers of the man power that fought America’s proxy war in that country against Soviet occupation in the early to mid 1980’s. It was the height of the Cold War and America was determined to drive out the Communists from Afghanistan. It relied heavily on Pakistan’s support as a frontline state to funnel arms and money to the Mujahideen resistance forces across the border. Pakistan’s ruler at the time, General Zia ul Haq, was more than willing to cooperate and made quite name for himself as the lead project manager of the Afghan war next door. Had America behaved more responsibly in that war’s aftermath and had Pakistan been less greedy, we would have a much different outcome. Of course the policy makers in Washington probably don’t want to be reminded that their misguided policy in Afghanistan during the Soviet occupation is the root cause of the trouble we are seeing in that region today. But let us go down memory lane just for old time’s sake.

Once the Soviets were marched back to Siberia, the Americans declared their victory and basically abandoned war ravaged Afghanistan. It was no different than a child who makes a mess and expects the grown ups to clean it up. With a resulting power vacuum, Afghanistan erupted in a bloody civil war. This is when the Taliban emerged, allegedly to restore stability and order. The word talib is Arabic for student and the early Taliban members were recruits of the Pakistani madrassahs or seminaries that supplied these fellows to Uncle Sam.

After 9/11, the American roosters multiplied and filtered into Pakistan where they get training in terrorist camps learning to hate the West and defending the honor that Muslims have lost. Their hare brained strategy is to wage attacks on their own people like the latest suicide bomber who killed worshippers during last Friday’s prayers in Jamrud, a town on the historic Khyber Pass functioning as a vital land route linking Pakistan and Afghanistan. So yes, there are connections between the two places, but yet, despite all that has happened, we cannot consider Pakistan and Afghanistan as one entity.

I really expected better from an American president who could finally pronounce Pakistan correctly. I was tickled pleased when he showed off his knowledge of the area by mentioning “FATA” short for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. But then he disappointed me when he called this region the most dangerous place in the world. Then he really went too far when he blamed Pakistan for 9/11. Come on, Obama, what’s wrong with you? Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that you, being so hip and suave and intelligent would turn out to be my Brutus. Yes, sir, you have betrayed me. And I won’t forgive you so easily. Allow me to elaborate why.

The Obama administration’s newly unveiled foreign policy lumping Pakistan with Afghanistan is a clear break with the approach favored by the Bush administration. It is different in its tone with none of that cowboy-like “we'll smoke them out of their holes" mumbo jumbo, just a simple, stern message to al-Qaeda that "we will defeat you". That’s just fine by me. What’s not so fine is the added pressure on Pakistan to do more to fight the militancy in the tribal region. I doubt very much that Asif Zardari’s hokey government can do a better job than his predecessor Musharraf who alienated himself amongst Pakistanis when he allied with team Bush in the war against terror.

Now, I’m no fan of dictators, but in this case, Musharraf’s military might was a stronger deterrent against extremist forces in Pakistan. Just because they weren’t completely eliminated does not mean that he did not do enough. The Bush-Musharraf alliance relied on American and as well as Pakistani man power in rooting out the militants in the tribal beltway. The Obama folks expect Pakistan to go at it all alone. A clear indication of this is the unmanned U.S. Predator drone attacks in Pakistan that have not been discontinued in the policy agenda. Another sign is increasing resources and civilian personnel to assist with development projects in Afghanistan, but not at the same level as for Pakistan.

Obama’s message to Pakistan boils down to this: we are trying to rebuild Afghanistan after neglecting it for years. Don’t let the violence in your country spill over and undermine our success. This is pretty unfair because much of the violence in Pakistan is related to what’s going on Afghanistan. It cannot be singled out as a Pakistani problem. Obama wants to protect Afghanistan against the radical forces having a field day across the border in Pakistan, but he needs to realize that these radicals (who may not even be Pakistanis, but more likely Chechnyans or Arabs or Afghans), did not sprout on Pakistani soil overnight as well as the bigger historical picture behind their presence.


As a Pakistani, I’m deeply saddened at the state of affairs sinking the country’s reputation to an all time low. As an American, I completely understand and value the need for national security. But I cannot and will not overlook America’s role in creating the very monsters that it now wants to tame. So let us revisit the history books with a more recent example. After the 9/11 atrocities, America retaliated by bombing Afghanistan code named Operation Enduring Freedom and in a stark replay of its earlier strategy during the Soviet occupation, the American powers that be relied once again on proxy forces to do their bidding. This time it was not poor and disgruntled men trained to be warriors of Allah to drive out the infidels, but rich and powerful Afghan warlords who were instigating a climate of fear and corruption that added fuel to the Taliban insurgency and made the situation worse by planting more seeds for violence. Many of these Taliban offshoots filtered into Pakistan bringing along their gun culture and militant tactics after the U.S. had done its business in Afghanistan.

Condemning Pakistan for providing a safe haven for terrorists is only one half of the equation. The other half -- and this is the missing part of Obama’s new policy toward Pakistan -- is finding an equitable solution to a problem that the U.S. tacitly manufactured. Why should Pakistan be solely responsible for getting rid of these hooligans? Why is Afghanistan not held responsible for sending them across the border? And why aren’t U.S. ground forces that were so callously deployed in Iraq to bring down a madman playing a bigger role in bringing down an even greater threat that concerns the welfare of the entire world?

I’m not sure if the answers are all there in Obama’s new agenda. So does this mean that I really prefer Bush instead? Hell no. My argument is not about choosing sides. It’s about fairness. This young but ambitious U.S. administration needs a deeper commitment to help Pakistan in battling its evils. The relationship between the two countries has for the most part remained transactional. Many Pakistanis welcome Obama’s engaging attitude and outreach. But they find his new action plan a bit too hollow with no real change in America’s self serving interests.

It goes without saying that Barack Hussain Obama is a breath of fresh air after George W. Bush. He’s far more articulate, has way better manners and radiates cool confidence. But looking beyond his winning appearance into his actual foreign policy objectives vis a vis the beleaguered state of Pakistan and we find nothing to get excited about. If anything, there’s even less excitement now that Obama and his team of experts are pulling back the reigns that Bush had secured somewhat tighter.

Let me get this straight. I’m not an advocate for American meddlesomeness in other countries. But the fact of the matter is that Americans do like to meddle and they have meddled their way into a grand old mess as far as Pakistan is concerned. To stop meddling now or not meddling enough is simply counter productive. There is no missing the point that Obama means business. But dumping Afghanistan’s problems onto Pakistan’s shoulders is not entirely fair. We need a more level playing field where all of the guilty participants have an equal share of responsibility for resolving this conflict. Until that happens, I’m not placing my bets with Obama and his promises.


Maliha Masood is the author of the travel memoir Zaatar Days Henna Nights. Born and raised in Karachi, Pakistan, she resides in Seattle, WA. More info at www.zaatardays.com

PIMP THIS |