“A sign that Allah despises you
is when you find yourself
wasting your time with trivial matters; in this way, you miss your chance of going to heaven. A sign that Allah likes you is when you find yourself fulfilling more duties than you have time for.”
(Ibn Qayyim Rahimatullahi ‘alayhi)
Source:http://www.jamiat.co.za/newsletter/online_newsletter_0448.htm
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Don’t lose your Imaan
Message from the Ameer of the Jamiatul Ulama
The foundation upon which the entire edifice of the belief and practice of a Muslim is based upon, is the concept of tawheed.
No-one or no being or thing is worthy of worship besides Allah. He is the Creator, Sustainer and Lord of the entire creation-the universe and beyond; He is Everlasting – existing beyond the boundaries of time; He is All-Powerful – absolutely nothing takes place except through His command instruction or permission; He is not dependent upon anything and everything and every being is dependent upon Him; He has no children, parents or family and He has no equal or likeness in any way whatsoever. None deserves or has a right to be worshipped or even respected as He does. He has provided for us in every way, physically and spiritually. We do not require anybody besides Him and we do not need any way other than what He has prescribed. These are only some aspects related to tawheed.
Directly opposed to tawheed is shirk – associating partners with Allah. Shirk is mentioned as the most severe of sins that a person can engage in, and Allah states that He will never forgive the person who is engaged in shirk.
It has been observed that certain practices that work toward destroying the imaan and faith of people have begun to surreptitiously creep into the lives of Muslims. From amongst these practices, two most dangerous ones are:
1. Visiting the various bogus ‘traditional, faith-healers’, ‘herbalists’ or self-proclaimed ‘religious/spiritual healers’. They proclaim to be able to assist in, among others, solving of health and sexual problems, financial difficulties, marriage and social issues and even the ‘winning of the lottery’. The farce of these frauds must be absolutely clear to all sensible persons. The danger of even visiting them ‘for fun’s sake’, in as far as engaging in practices of either direct shirk or close to shirk can never be ignored. Listening to and taking the ‘medication’ of such dubious characters puts a person in the position of risking the loss of his imaan and being thrown out of the fold of Islam.
2. Taking part in ‘trendy’, programmes which claim to have distressing characteristics and are linked to or have their basis in Indian, or other, ancient traditional or religious practices. Ideas that come into open conflict with tawheed are clandestinely and slyly sneaked into the supposed exercises aimed at ‘de-stressing’. Aspects such as becoming ‘one with mother-earth’, ‘greeting the sun’, and the utterances of ‘meaningless’ words or phrases as mantras are only a few examples. A statement by a representative of the Hindu faith explained in a newspaper, last week, that it is impossible to separate yoga from Hinduism.
There is no need to search for help outside of the boundaries of what is allowed or prescribed by the most beautiful and complete deen of Islam. There can be no better way of de-stressing than the performance of salah and engaging in dhikr of Allah.
Tawheed demands that we turn to Allah, and submit fully to Him in every way. We must submit to the Deen of Allah completely and totally, having full faith and conviction in the truth of the message of Islam, believing in the fact that success lies only in what Islam prescribes through the Qur`an and the sunnah of the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam), and we must submit to all the commands of Allah, without exception. We must know that there is no other way.
Allah (azza wa jalla) says in the Holy Qur`an: O ye who believe! enter into Islam completely; and follow not the footsteps of the Shaytaan; for he is to you an avowed enemy. (2:208)
Source: http://www.jamiat.co.za/newsletter/online_newsletter_0448.htm
The foundation upon which the entire edifice of the belief and practice of a Muslim is based upon, is the concept of tawheed.
No-one or no being or thing is worthy of worship besides Allah. He is the Creator, Sustainer and Lord of the entire creation-the universe and beyond; He is Everlasting – existing beyond the boundaries of time; He is All-Powerful – absolutely nothing takes place except through His command instruction or permission; He is not dependent upon anything and everything and every being is dependent upon Him; He has no children, parents or family and He has no equal or likeness in any way whatsoever. None deserves or has a right to be worshipped or even respected as He does. He has provided for us in every way, physically and spiritually. We do not require anybody besides Him and we do not need any way other than what He has prescribed. These are only some aspects related to tawheed.
Directly opposed to tawheed is shirk – associating partners with Allah. Shirk is mentioned as the most severe of sins that a person can engage in, and Allah states that He will never forgive the person who is engaged in shirk.
It has been observed that certain practices that work toward destroying the imaan and faith of people have begun to surreptitiously creep into the lives of Muslims. From amongst these practices, two most dangerous ones are:
1. Visiting the various bogus ‘traditional, faith-healers’, ‘herbalists’ or self-proclaimed ‘religious/spiritual healers’. They proclaim to be able to assist in, among others, solving of health and sexual problems, financial difficulties, marriage and social issues and even the ‘winning of the lottery’. The farce of these frauds must be absolutely clear to all sensible persons. The danger of even visiting them ‘for fun’s sake’, in as far as engaging in practices of either direct shirk or close to shirk can never be ignored. Listening to and taking the ‘medication’ of such dubious characters puts a person in the position of risking the loss of his imaan and being thrown out of the fold of Islam.
2. Taking part in ‘trendy’, programmes which claim to have distressing characteristics and are linked to or have their basis in Indian, or other, ancient traditional or religious practices. Ideas that come into open conflict with tawheed are clandestinely and slyly sneaked into the supposed exercises aimed at ‘de-stressing’. Aspects such as becoming ‘one with mother-earth’, ‘greeting the sun’, and the utterances of ‘meaningless’ words or phrases as mantras are only a few examples. A statement by a representative of the Hindu faith explained in a newspaper, last week, that it is impossible to separate yoga from Hinduism.
There is no need to search for help outside of the boundaries of what is allowed or prescribed by the most beautiful and complete deen of Islam. There can be no better way of de-stressing than the performance of salah and engaging in dhikr of Allah.
Tawheed demands that we turn to Allah, and submit fully to Him in every way. We must submit to the Deen of Allah completely and totally, having full faith and conviction in the truth of the message of Islam, believing in the fact that success lies only in what Islam prescribes through the Qur`an and the sunnah of the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam), and we must submit to all the commands of Allah, without exception. We must know that there is no other way.
Allah (azza wa jalla) says in the Holy Qur`an: O ye who believe! enter into Islam completely; and follow not the footsteps of the Shaytaan; for he is to you an avowed enemy. (2:208)
Source: http://www.jamiat.co.za/newsletter/online_newsletter_0448.htm
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Two BJP men, so alike and so different
Vidya Subrahmaniam
The Liberhan Commission provides an opportunity to make a more honest and less black-and-white evaluation of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L.K. Advani.
Critics have panned the Liberhan Commission report on the December 6, 1992 demolition of the Babri Masjid on multiple counts, berating Justice Manmohan Singh Liberhan especially for placing the Teflon Atal Bihari Vajpayee alongside such accomplished disrupters as Vinay Katiyar, Sadhvi Rithambara and Pravin Togadia.
It is a measure of the rarefied place politics has accorded the former Prime Minister that on Monday the Congress was forced to jump on the ‘save Vajpayee’ bandwagon. Speaking in the Lok Sabha, Salman Khursheed, Minister for Minority Affairs, all but regretted Mr. Vajpayee’s inclusion in the list of 68 men and women whom the Liberhan report held culpable for the Babri crime. Hardly anyone objected to the presence of Lal Krishna Advani’s name on the same list.
The judge’s conclusions are undoubtedly problematic. Unlike Mr. Advani who was in the thick of pre- and post-demolition action in Ayodhya, Mr. Vajpayee was all along on the sidelines. Yet in conferring this dubious honour on the former Prime Minister, the learned judge unwittingly broke the enduring stereotype of “moderate-Vajpayee” and “hardline Advani,” thereby providing an opportunity for a more honest and less black-and-white appraisal of the former Prime Minister and his deputy.
The celebration of Mr. Vajpayee has grown inversely with the popularity of his party, reaching hagiographic proportions in the currently adrift Bharatiya Janata Party. Mr. Advani’s inability to arrest the BJP’s precipitous decline, and the impression he has given of clinging to position, have only added to the Vajpayee persona and aura.
The Liberhan Commission report provides the perfect backdrop for re-evaluating the two key figures who, between them, shaped the BJP’s fortunes. Under their watch, the party scaled great heights as it plumbed the depths but, more relevantly, it grew from a sidelined introvert to a fearsome bully capable of repeatedly pushing the country to the brink. Analysts have judged Mr. Advani more guilty of divisive politics than Mr. Vajpayee, and not without reason. Mr. Advani was visibly in command whenever the BJP ran amok, as was the case during the Ram rath yatra, which he used to whip up frenzy and which inevitably set the stage for the destruction of the Babri Masjid.
By contrast, the former Prime Minister was famously toasted as the “right man in the wrong party.” He would be in the background as Mr. Advani rallied and thundered, emerging to take his place at the top once the BJP began to assimilate the limitations of combative politics. Mr. Advani was the chosen one as far as the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh was concerned. The RSS distrusted Mr. Vajpayee, and would not easily accept the transition to the Vajpayee era. But as the former Deputy Prime Minister himself records in his book, My Country, My Life, the ideologue was ill-suited to forge electoral partnerships, which alone could place the BJP within the reach of power. Who better to drive the coalition than the “liberal-secular” Mr. Vajpayee?
Mr. Vajpayee’s accomplishments are many, and it is entirely to his credit that the BJP-led alliance ruled for six years. But his vulnerabilities have been numerous too, though such has been the Vajpayee myth that he could move to the periphery when a wrong was done, and win commendations when a right happened.
Indeed, a dispassionate reading of the BJP’s history will establish not only Mr. Vajpayee’s frequent excursions into “communal” territory but also his failure to frontally confront the RSS despite being uniquely placed to do so. Ironically, and probably for all the wrong reasons, that job was done by Mr. Advani. In a speech delivered at the party’s national executive in Chennai on September 18-19, 2005, the former Home Minister showed the RSS its place in a manner that went beyond anything attempted by Mr. Vajpayee and which is unlikely to be equalled by any future BJP leader. Long ago, in August 1979, Mr. Vajpayee did write an article in the Indian Express, critical of the RSS but that was by a compact with the BJP’s mentor. The Jana Sangh, which was under pressure to renounce the RSS, needed to save its place in the Janata Party. Mr. Vajpayee’s piece was intended to suggest distance between the Jana Sangh members of the Janata Party and the RSS.
Mr. Vajpayee was a schoolboy when he penned a poem which went on to attain fame beyond the imagination of a child his age. The lyrics, Hindu tan man, Hindu jeevan, rag, rag mera Hindu parichay (I am Hindu in heart and body, my life is Hindu, Hindu is my only identity), inspired many generations of RSS volunteers and continues to be sung at RSS shakhas. Obviously, the song was justified by the path he took. Mr. Vajpayee joined the RSS and was among the first batch of pracharaks to migrate to the Jana Sangh.
In 1983, Mr. Vajpayee hit the headlines for a speech he made during the violent Assam election which was fought on the foreigners’ issue, and which saw the massacre of over 2000 mostly Muslim men and women in Nellie. The BJP disowned the speech. However, thanks to the irrepressible Indrajit Gupta, who read out excerpts from it in the Lok Sabha while debating the motion of confidence moved by Mr. Vajpayee on May 28, 1996, we now know what he said. And what Mr. Vajpayee said (about foreigners being chopped into pieces) is not very different from what Varun Gandhi would say a quarter of a century later, winning universal approbation for the violent, divisive imagery he evoked.
This was not the only occasion when Mr. Vajpayee slipped into libellous language. He did so as Prime Minister. In the aftermath of the 2002 Gujarat pogrom, he famously asked “kisne lagayee aag? (who lit the fire?),” and went on to insinuate that Muslims cannot co-exist with non-Muslims. A hallmark of Mr. Vajpayee’s career has been his effortless ability to flip-flop between statesmanlike large-heartedness and pandering to the vile instincts of a raw swayamsevak. He rose to towering heights when he visited the Minar-e-Pakistan, when he pushed for peace with our western neighbour and when he reached out to Kashmiris. No assessment of Mr. Vajpayee can be complete without acknowledging that Kashmir held its first free and fair election under a government headed by him.
But then there is also the string of self-indicting statements — while on a visit to Staten Island in September 2000, he shared a platform with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, and declared himself a swayamsevak first. Three months later, on the anniversary of the Babri Masjid demolition, he described the construction of the Ram temple as “a national sentiment” that awaited fulfilment. It was an impolitic thing to say on a day that commemorated the Masjid’s brutal end. In the Lok Sabha, Jaipal Reddy would describe the remark as the “slip of the mask.” Yet Mr. Vajpayee got away with it because with characteristic aplomb he would soon make a u-turn — handing out the assurance from distant Kumarakom that any solution to Ayodhya would have to be “peaceful and amicable.”
What sets Mr. Vajpayee apart from Mr. Advani is the former’s instinctive reaction to situations. He could change colour and tone so often and so quickly that critics would tear their hair trying to pin him down to one position. For every comment that Mr. Vajpayee made, there would be a counter comment with an escape clause.
Those who know the former Prime Minister insist that he was genuinely stricken by the enormity of December 6, 1992, and wrote out his resignation in atonement. A month into the cataclysmic climax, Mr. Vajpayee himself acknowledged the speculation, saying in witty verse, “jaaye to jaaye kahan? (where do I go?)”. And yet in March 2005, the weekly magazine Outlook produced a video recording of a speech he made in Lucknow on December 5, 1992, which captured a relaxed Mr. Vajpayee quite enjoying the prospect of karsevaks gathering in strength at Ayodhya. “Kar seva rok ne ka sawal hi nahi hai (no question of stopping the kar seva),” he asserted, adding that it was natural for people to assemble in large numbers for it.
When Mr. Advani tried the somersault, he landed on his nose. This is because he could never multi-task like his senior colleague. Mr. Advani breathed so much fire during the Ayodhya agitation that the embers virtually extinguished his career. His Jinnah Avatar did not work because his audience was not trained to accept deviations from the Ayodhya warrior. Nonetheless, history will record that Mr. Advani went where Mr. Vajpayee dared not go. Asked to resign for the Jinnah adventure, Mr. Advani lambasted the RSS: “But lately an impression has gained ground that no political or organisation decision can be taken without the consent of the RSS functionaries. This perception, we hold, will do no good either to the party [BJP] or the RSS…”
Mr. Vajpayee and Mr. Advani come from the same stock and subscribe to a common divisive worldview. Except one was clever enough to appear different and the other tried but failed.
Source:http://www.hindu.com/2009/12/09/stories/2009120954940800.htm
Pakistan is a target and not a US ally
Band of five, USA-UK-Israel-India-Afghanistan have ganged up to trap Pakistan under the garb of friendship so that it could be denuclearised and ultimately reduced to a vassal state.
Mon, 2009-12-07 01:12 — editor
By Asif Haroon Raja
Either Obama Administration is totally confused or is inept or is purposely behaving wickedly. What is certain is that it is not behaving straight and with honesty of purpose? Lot of hopes were pinned on Obama in the Muslim world that he will undo the wrongs inflicted upon the Muslims by Bush led draconian regime. Instead of getting rid of highly unpopular war in Afghanistan Obama inherited from Bush, he has got tied to it.
As against overwhelming support Bush received from Americans to invade and occupy Afghanistan, Obama is confronted with divided opinion. Majority seeks end to war and withdrawal of US troops while shrinking minority want continuation of futile war and are in favour of sending more troops into the inferno of Afghanistan till the accomplishment of unachievable objectives.
Ignoring the sentiments of majority in America, Obama opted to take the unpopular decision of sending additional 30,000 US troops to Afghanistan. He hopes that troop surge would help in stabilising deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan not realising that it will result in more destruction and bloodshed on both sides and also contribute towards instability of Pakistan. In other words he would be reinforcing failure. Americans suffering under back breaking taxes, spiralling prices due to rising inflation and unemployment are least interested in senseless Afghan war. They want jobs, healthcare, homes and early return of their near and dear ones who have been pushed into the inferno of Afghanistan.
Irrespective of divided opinion on Afghanistan, both Republicans and Democrats place Pakistan in bad books and India in good books. Ignoring huge sacrifices rendered by Pakistan in fighting US war on terror, the US regards Pakistan as a tactical partner and India as a strategic ally. It has taken India, Israel, Afghanistan and UK on board but kept Pakistan out of the loop although it doesn’t tire saying that Pakistan is its strategic partner and is doing a very fine job and without its support the US cannot hope to win war in Afghanistan. It is playing a crude joke with Pakistan since all what it is professing is humbug and far from truth since Pakistan is a target and not an ally. USA is not only concerned about its own homeland security but also of Israel, India and Afghanistan but is least concerned about Pakistan security. Band of five, USA-UK-Israel-India-Afghanistan have ganged up to trap Pakistan under the garb of friendship so that it could be denuclearised and ultimately reduced to a vassal state. While preparing India for carrying out two-directional war, all efforts are geared towards achieving their objectives without applying military instrument since it has an element of risk. Application of covert means to weaken institutions and destabilise Pakistan as a whole is the preferred course of action.
US leaders speak with a forked tongue. While one official praises Pakistan Army but soon after another official says something quite opposite which further vitiates the atmosphere. Same kind of duplicitous stance is adopted on our nuclear program. While some say that Pakistan has set up a robust security system, but it is soon contradicted by someone else saying that nuclear sites are unsafe. Pakistan on one hand is incessantly pushed by USA to do more and on the other it expresses its mistrust and lack of confidence. It ignores cross border terrorism of RAW and RAAM against Pakistan taking place right under its nose but joins hands with the two to malign Pakistan on similar charges. Any act of terror taking place in India and Afghanistan is promptly lumped on ISI. While the US is trying hard to negotiate with Afghan Taliban, it bars Pakistan from talking to any militant faction in Pakistan including Tehrik-e-Taliban, which is sponsored by RAW. It also wants Pakistan to gun down Afghan Shura allegedly based in Quetta without providing intelligence. It provides aid tied to stringent conditions but deceptively takes back half of it as service charges, counselling, coordination fee and still keeps censuring Pakistan that aid money has been pilfered.
Appointment of Richard Holbrooke as coordinator for Pak-Afghan affairs, framing of Pakistan specific Af-Pak policy, making Afghanistan-Pakistan into single battle zone, placing Al-Qaeda leadership including Osama in FATA knowing full well that he is dead since long, positioning Mullah Omar and his Shura in Quetta, acceleration of drone attacks in Waziristan against pro-Pakistan elements, threatening to send forces into FATA, insisting upon Pakistan that India is no threat to Pakistan and it should move all its forces from eastern to western border to fight the militants, assigning key position to India in Afghan affairs, ignoring Pakistan protests and closing its eyes to cross border terrorism of RAW from Afghan soil, slanderous media warfare to undermine Pakistan and its premier institutions, mistrusting ISI and the army and wishing the ISI to be placed under total control of civilians, projecting Pak nuclear assets unsafe, putting economy in the stranglehold of IMF and leadership in the grip of Washington, issuance of harsh Kerry-Lugar Bill to rob Pakistan of its sovereignty point towards biased and discriminatory posture of Washington. Obama Administration is repeating old policy of Bush regime based on lies and deception.
When the time and circumstances were favourable for USA and people of Afghanistan and Pakistan wanted USA to stay put, it decided to quit in indecent haste. Now when political and military environments are unfavourable and people of the two affected countries are keen that US troops should exit, it doesn’t want to leave on the plea that it must not commit the same mistake of ditching Pakistan and Afghanistan again. Those constantly advising US leaders not to abdicate but to increase military presence and convert Afghanistan into a permanent military base fail to realise that ground situation has undergone a radical change. The US today is seen as an opportunist imperialist power and Muslim basher. It is seen as a betrayer who had used Muslim fighters as cannon fodder to serve its selfish interests and when the time came to recompense them for their colossal sacrifices rendered they were ditched at a time when they needed their support the most to rebuild devastated Afghanistan. They were betrayed and converted from holy warriors to terrorists, hounded, put in infamous Guantanamo jail and mercilessly killed by trigger happy US forces in Afghanistan.
Pakistanis too have genuine grievances against USA for leaving them in a lurch after playing a key role in defeating Soviet forces which paved the way for fragmentation of Soviet Empire. Instead of rewarding Pakistan for sacrifices rendered, the US opted to penalise it by putting it under harsh sanctions for a full decade and befriending India that was part of Soviet camp and had decried USA. It is again playing a wicked game by sidelining Afghan Pashtuns including the Taliban that had ruled Afghanistan effectively from 1996 onwards till they were forcibly dethroned. It is supporting highly unpopular US stooge Karzai and non-Pashtun war lords of Northern Alliance.
The US doesn’t want Pakistan to sink, but it also doesn’t want it to become politically, militarily and economically healthy and starts pursuing an independent foreign policy. The US would prefer an unhealthy Pakistan, dependent upon oxygen provided by USA and subservient to India. Like Bush, Obama too is pursuing imperialist agenda. His decision to send additional US troops to Afghanistan is a precursor for physical intervention into Pakistan so as to secure US objectives in Middle East and Central Asia. For the attainment of vast energy resources, it is essential for USA to assert its military and geo-political ascendancy over these strategic regions. All those nurturing fond hopes that Pakistan is an ally of USA and hence out of danger should keep its finger crossed. Ongoing acts of terror are coordinated by invisible hands. Coming months are crucial for Pakistan.
- Asian Tribune -
Source: http://www.asiantribune.com/news/2009/12/07/pakistan-target-and-not-us-ally
Mon, 2009-12-07 01:12 — editor
By Asif Haroon Raja
Either Obama Administration is totally confused or is inept or is purposely behaving wickedly. What is certain is that it is not behaving straight and with honesty of purpose? Lot of hopes were pinned on Obama in the Muslim world that he will undo the wrongs inflicted upon the Muslims by Bush led draconian regime. Instead of getting rid of highly unpopular war in Afghanistan Obama inherited from Bush, he has got tied to it.
As against overwhelming support Bush received from Americans to invade and occupy Afghanistan, Obama is confronted with divided opinion. Majority seeks end to war and withdrawal of US troops while shrinking minority want continuation of futile war and are in favour of sending more troops into the inferno of Afghanistan till the accomplishment of unachievable objectives.
Ignoring the sentiments of majority in America, Obama opted to take the unpopular decision of sending additional 30,000 US troops to Afghanistan. He hopes that troop surge would help in stabilising deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan not realising that it will result in more destruction and bloodshed on both sides and also contribute towards instability of Pakistan. In other words he would be reinforcing failure. Americans suffering under back breaking taxes, spiralling prices due to rising inflation and unemployment are least interested in senseless Afghan war. They want jobs, healthcare, homes and early return of their near and dear ones who have been pushed into the inferno of Afghanistan.
Irrespective of divided opinion on Afghanistan, both Republicans and Democrats place Pakistan in bad books and India in good books. Ignoring huge sacrifices rendered by Pakistan in fighting US war on terror, the US regards Pakistan as a tactical partner and India as a strategic ally. It has taken India, Israel, Afghanistan and UK on board but kept Pakistan out of the loop although it doesn’t tire saying that Pakistan is its strategic partner and is doing a very fine job and without its support the US cannot hope to win war in Afghanistan. It is playing a crude joke with Pakistan since all what it is professing is humbug and far from truth since Pakistan is a target and not an ally. USA is not only concerned about its own homeland security but also of Israel, India and Afghanistan but is least concerned about Pakistan security. Band of five, USA-UK-Israel-India-Afghanistan have ganged up to trap Pakistan under the garb of friendship so that it could be denuclearised and ultimately reduced to a vassal state. While preparing India for carrying out two-directional war, all efforts are geared towards achieving their objectives without applying military instrument since it has an element of risk. Application of covert means to weaken institutions and destabilise Pakistan as a whole is the preferred course of action.
US leaders speak with a forked tongue. While one official praises Pakistan Army but soon after another official says something quite opposite which further vitiates the atmosphere. Same kind of duplicitous stance is adopted on our nuclear program. While some say that Pakistan has set up a robust security system, but it is soon contradicted by someone else saying that nuclear sites are unsafe. Pakistan on one hand is incessantly pushed by USA to do more and on the other it expresses its mistrust and lack of confidence. It ignores cross border terrorism of RAW and RAAM against Pakistan taking place right under its nose but joins hands with the two to malign Pakistan on similar charges. Any act of terror taking place in India and Afghanistan is promptly lumped on ISI. While the US is trying hard to negotiate with Afghan Taliban, it bars Pakistan from talking to any militant faction in Pakistan including Tehrik-e-Taliban, which is sponsored by RAW. It also wants Pakistan to gun down Afghan Shura allegedly based in Quetta without providing intelligence. It provides aid tied to stringent conditions but deceptively takes back half of it as service charges, counselling, coordination fee and still keeps censuring Pakistan that aid money has been pilfered.
Appointment of Richard Holbrooke as coordinator for Pak-Afghan affairs, framing of Pakistan specific Af-Pak policy, making Afghanistan-Pakistan into single battle zone, placing Al-Qaeda leadership including Osama in FATA knowing full well that he is dead since long, positioning Mullah Omar and his Shura in Quetta, acceleration of drone attacks in Waziristan against pro-Pakistan elements, threatening to send forces into FATA, insisting upon Pakistan that India is no threat to Pakistan and it should move all its forces from eastern to western border to fight the militants, assigning key position to India in Afghan affairs, ignoring Pakistan protests and closing its eyes to cross border terrorism of RAW from Afghan soil, slanderous media warfare to undermine Pakistan and its premier institutions, mistrusting ISI and the army and wishing the ISI to be placed under total control of civilians, projecting Pak nuclear assets unsafe, putting economy in the stranglehold of IMF and leadership in the grip of Washington, issuance of harsh Kerry-Lugar Bill to rob Pakistan of its sovereignty point towards biased and discriminatory posture of Washington. Obama Administration is repeating old policy of Bush regime based on lies and deception.
When the time and circumstances were favourable for USA and people of Afghanistan and Pakistan wanted USA to stay put, it decided to quit in indecent haste. Now when political and military environments are unfavourable and people of the two affected countries are keen that US troops should exit, it doesn’t want to leave on the plea that it must not commit the same mistake of ditching Pakistan and Afghanistan again. Those constantly advising US leaders not to abdicate but to increase military presence and convert Afghanistan into a permanent military base fail to realise that ground situation has undergone a radical change. The US today is seen as an opportunist imperialist power and Muslim basher. It is seen as a betrayer who had used Muslim fighters as cannon fodder to serve its selfish interests and when the time came to recompense them for their colossal sacrifices rendered they were ditched at a time when they needed their support the most to rebuild devastated Afghanistan. They were betrayed and converted from holy warriors to terrorists, hounded, put in infamous Guantanamo jail and mercilessly killed by trigger happy US forces in Afghanistan.
Pakistanis too have genuine grievances against USA for leaving them in a lurch after playing a key role in defeating Soviet forces which paved the way for fragmentation of Soviet Empire. Instead of rewarding Pakistan for sacrifices rendered, the US opted to penalise it by putting it under harsh sanctions for a full decade and befriending India that was part of Soviet camp and had decried USA. It is again playing a wicked game by sidelining Afghan Pashtuns including the Taliban that had ruled Afghanistan effectively from 1996 onwards till they were forcibly dethroned. It is supporting highly unpopular US stooge Karzai and non-Pashtun war lords of Northern Alliance.
The US doesn’t want Pakistan to sink, but it also doesn’t want it to become politically, militarily and economically healthy and starts pursuing an independent foreign policy. The US would prefer an unhealthy Pakistan, dependent upon oxygen provided by USA and subservient to India. Like Bush, Obama too is pursuing imperialist agenda. His decision to send additional US troops to Afghanistan is a precursor for physical intervention into Pakistan so as to secure US objectives in Middle East and Central Asia. For the attainment of vast energy resources, it is essential for USA to assert its military and geo-political ascendancy over these strategic regions. All those nurturing fond hopes that Pakistan is an ally of USA and hence out of danger should keep its finger crossed. Ongoing acts of terror are coordinated by invisible hands. Coming months are crucial for Pakistan.
- Asian Tribune -
Source: http://www.asiantribune.com/news/2009/12/07/pakistan-target-and-not-us-ally
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)