Addressing the Overseas Pakistanis Convention in Islamabad, General Asim Munir, their army chief, decided to play to the galleries. He spoke on multiple subjects, boosted by a cheering audience. However, what he missed out was a reality check on subjects he discussed. He backed the two-nation theory, saying, “Our religion is different, our customs are different, our traditions are different, our thoughts are different, our ambitions are different.”
The two-nation theory collapsed in 1971, when Bangladesh was created. Even today, Dhaka seeks an apology for the genocide committed by the Pakistani Army and its share of assets and funds looted by Pakistan, which Pakistan can ill-provide. If General Munir is to be believed, Pakistan is the only nation that has conducted a genocide on its own populace.
General Munir went on to add that Pakistani citizens must “tell Pakistan’s story to your children.” Wonder which story was he talking about. Is it the story of the Pakistani Army ruining the country by controlling every institution within, generals buying property abroad as the populace starves, or politicians purchasing property in London as their retirement homes? Or was General Munir referring to the story of Pakistan and the begging bowl?
Pakistan is known as the global beggar seeking alms from everyone and every lending institution. Or was he speaking about a nation that has been globally ignored as it neither has the economy nor the military power to play a regional role, forget about a larger role?
On Kashmir, he mentioned, “Our stance is absolutely clear, it was our jugular vein, it will be our jugular vein, we will not forget it. We will not leave our Kashmiri brothers in their heroic struggle.” It is the same jugular vein Pakistan tried to bleed for years. Truly, Pakistanis love to dream and that is all they can do on Kashmir.
The two-nation theory collapsed in 1971, when Bangladesh was created. Even today, Dhaka seeks an apology for the genocide committed by the Pakistani Army and its share of assets and funds looted by Pakistan, which Pakistan can ill-provide. If General Munir is to be believed, Pakistan is the only nation that has conducted a genocide on its own populace
Development in Kashmir, compared to poverty and backwardness in the Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) has ensured that ‘Jeeve Jeeve Pakistan’ is replaced by ‘I Love my India’. While tourists flock Kashmir, PoK remains in protest. Today, the only thing left for Pakistan to do is compare Kashmir to every other global trouble spot, hoping someone will respond to their crocodile tears. It can only offer lip service as support and keep harping on the UNSC resolution.
Within the UNSC, Kashmir is no longer a dispute. India has completely sidelined UNMOGIP (United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan), rendering the UN worthless on the issue, thereby telling the world that Kashmir is no longer disputed. On the contrary, Pakistan jumps with fear whenever Indian politicians threaten to occupy PoK.
Ironically, whatever Pakistan has supported has failed. It backed Hamas, which is on the verge of collapse. It accuses Israel of invading Gaza, but the allegations have fallen on deaf ears. All that is left for the Pakistanis to do is ransack American eateries like McDonalds and KFC on their own soil.
Rawalpindi supported the Taliban for decades, angering the Americans, only to find them turning their back while arming the TTP (Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan) and Baloch freedom fighters. It supported Kashmiri separatists watching the organisation break. Its terrorists have failed to create even a dent in Jammu and Kashmir. The problem is that Rawalpindi has always backed the wrong horse.
On the contrary, General Munir threatens the Baloch. He mentioned, “We will beat the hell out of these terrorists very soon. You think these 1,500 terrorists can take away Baluchistan from us?” Once again, empty words. Hijacking of a train, targeting of buses, attacks on multiple Pakistan bases, Chinese workers and almost stopping development of Gwadar and the CPEC cannot be the work of a ‘handful’ of 1,500 terrorists. There has to be many more, backed by the community.
Those fighting in Baluchistan are determined and have an end state, something the demoralised Pakistani Army does not. It is the suppressed Baloch community rising in arms against the army. The fear it has created has pushed the Pakistani Army onto the defensive.
Development in Kashmir, compared to poverty and backwardness in PoK, has ensured that ‘Jeeve Jeeve Pakistan’ is replaced by ‘I Love my India’. While tourists flock Kashmir, PoK remains in protest. Today, the only thing left for Pakistan to do is compare Kashmir to every other global trouble spot, hoping someone will respond to their crocodile tears
On the contrary, Pakistan has resorted to human rights violations and targeting of innocent Baloch civilians. Former army ruler Yahya Khan adopted a similar policy in 1971, believing force and attacks on civilians could suppress them. It backfired. India was there to support the Bangladeshis. This time, the Baloch are powerful enough. They have shaken the Pakistani Army, which is forced to hide its casualties to save face.
To add insult to injury, China, realising that General Munir’s army is incapable of controlling the Baloch insurgency, has deployed its own security personnel to oversee Pakistani troops responsible for their security. This conveys what Pakistan’s closest ally feels about its military capabilities to control the Baloch insurgency, which General Munir threatens to eradicate. However, screaming before an audience of non-resident Pakistanis unaware of reality, as General Munir did, is unacceptable.
The TTP now controls multiple districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which General Munir hides from his own nation. The movement of Munir’s forces is severely restricted. Both the Baloch and the TTP have their bases in Afghanistan, which Pakistan can do little about.
Pakistan stands on crossroads, losing its importance to China, which has realised that its CPEC may come to a standstill. Pakistan has no money to repay loans. Its borrowings from IMF restrict repayment to China. It is forced to extend Chinese loans on which interest continues to pile. It borrows from the West, which controls its economy. It is surviving on a day-by-day basis
In reality, Pakistan stands on crossroads. It is losing importance to China, which has realised that its CPEC will soon come to a standstill. Pakistan has no money to repay loans. Its borrowings from the IMF restrict any repayment to China. It is forced to extend Chinese loans on which interest continues to pile. It cannot ignore China because of what it owes and because its military is almost China dependent for spares and logistics support. However, it borrows from the West, which controls its economy. It is surviving on a day-by-day basis.
At the end, all Pakistan’s leaders can do is drama on its identity, Kashmir and threat to destroy its enemies. In fact, a similar speech is made each year, with a change in the speaker. The audience would cheer as expected, aware that this is a façade while the reality is vastly different. The Pakistani Army knows the truth and is aware of its struggles against the Baloch, TTP and also Indian forces along the LoC. India must await this yearly drama.
The writer is a strategic analyst and a motivator. He can be reached at @kakar_harsha. The views expressed are of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of Raksha Anirveda
