US Led Drone Warfare in Pakistan. Strikes or Struck Out

The usage of drone technology by USA inside Pakistan is a hotly debated topic. Supporters of drone attacks cite the death of many Alqaeda and Taliban leaders and the reduction of terrorist attacks inside the Pakistani homeland as an example of the effectiveness of drone strikes. Detractors argue that the collateral damage is far too high for the drone strikes to be permissible and point to the moral dilemma that drone warfare faces.

Nobody denies that religious extremism and fundamentalism is an evil personified by the Taliban and the Alqaeda. Nobody argues that action should not be taken against the militants that are hell bent on the destruction of the fabric of society. Since September 2001, the fight against extremism has been raging on. Although there is no argument that many key terrorists have been killed but we also have to acknowledge that religious extremism has sharply increased rather than decline, which calls into question the USA led war on terror, which ( thanks to USA) has become our war too.

If this war has become ours. If TTP has become our enemy then, do we have to fight this war on the directives and with the assistance of USA, whose own withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan is a case study in strategic failure!

Surely, the enemy we are fighting is not a traditional enemy our operations against them might have reduced their military threat but they have not reduced their zeal to perpetuate terror. How drone strikes counter that shortcoming is anybody’s guess. But look at the bigger picture, there is a collateral damage in the drone strikes involved. That collateral then becomes fodder for the extremists who exploit the havoc wreaked by the drone attacks on civilians to recruit and BRAIN WASH more members and slowly this whole situation degenerates into a vicious circle whose only victim is the innocent civilian who’s killed regardless of a Hellfire Missile or a high velocity shrapnel emanating from the exploding jacket of a suicide bomber. Surely, if the solution to terrorism was a military one then the 11-year long war on terror might have made our world better today.

The drone attacks are one such mistake in a long line of mistakes that have been made when countering the disease of terrorism. To the satisfaction of its supporters, drone attacks produce quick results. Unfortunately, the short-term nature of the attacks is often confused with the rapid availability of results. Hence, important questions regarding the legality and future usage of drone technology has been consigned to the dustbin.  We should have the right to ask our governments that if drones are used a la’ American style, then what sort of precedent does it set up for the future of international military offensives. If USA can, with ease, violate the sovereignty of any country then, can other countries do the same? Can Iran target alleged Jundullah camps in Pakistan or MKO camps inside Iraq? Can India strike Hafiz Saeed in his home by using drones on the oft-used premise that the use of force is in self-defense or an imminent threat.

 Drones cause the local population to live in fear, the psychological toll of the constant fear of drones, the suddenness of a strike, the unseen attacker, may be more damaging to the psyche of the civilians than the battle hardened Taliban.  The argument that drone attacks reduce extremism are baseless because their proponents are sadly confused on the phraseology. Reductions in terrorist attacks do not constitute a reduction in an extremist mindset.

Hence, the question that must be asked is not Can Drones Reduce Terrorism. Rather Can Drones Reduce Terrorist Ideology? An ideology is not some bunker or hideout that could be destroyed by a Hell Fire Missile from the sky. Sadly, the proponents of North Waziristan Operation and drone attacks are similar in mindset to the Taliban who also claim that violence is the only solution. Hence, in my book both are the same. If drone strikes or military operations had been successful, then Malala would not have been attacked in the first place.

The fact that religion inspired terrorism is still alive in Pakistan is a testament to the joint failure of our military and political establishment to come up with a well-defined counter terrorism policy, the nation should be taken into confidence concerning that policy. If Pakistan were given the charge of drone strikes then the situation might have been different. Operations against TTP would have been more successful if it was followed up by commercial development but the rampant corruption, worsening economic situation and trampling of law is a major obstacle in the elimination of terrorism from Pakistan. In that case, drones can be effective against Taliban if they were part of the strategy, not the strategy.

Why I want the Quaid's Picture be Removed from the Currency Note‏

Before I begin my article, there are two important definitions that I want to lay down before you:

1) Founding father: defined as a person who starts or helps to start a movement, institution or a revolution.

2) Institution: An established custom, law or behavioral pattern of importance in a community.

When founding fathers bring revolutions, they lay down the basis for or introduce new institutions, and dismantle unfair institutions

Let us move on.

Now if we accept these definitions, then according to these, M.A.Jinnah cannot be the founding father of this nation of Pakistan. You would question the reason behind this sacrilege, to which I would quote a section of M.A Jinnah’s 11^th August (and oft quoted), speech:

“..If you change your past and work together in a spirit that every one of you, no matter to what community he belongs, no matter what relations he had with you in the past, no matter what is his color, cast or creed, is first, second and last, a citizen of this state with equal rights, privileges and obligations, there will be no end to the progress you will make”

I ask you, did we ever follow this advice of our “founding father”? Did we preserve this legacy?

On the other hand the founding fathers of USA deserve to be called ‘the founding fathers’, because the constitution that they set up, the legacy they have left behind is still preserved, is still guarded as sacred. They laid down the foundations of institutions that have been protected to this date. So I implore of you, who merits the claim to be called a founding father, George Washington or M.A Jinnah?

I ask you, can a non-Muslim become the president or prime minister of Pakistan no matter how capable he or she is. We can have lawbreakers, dictators or religious fanatics holding the reins of power, but we cannot even contemplate to have a capable and committed non-Muslim governing the Islamic Pious Republic of Pakistan! Refer to Jinnah’s speech when he said, “…a citizen of this state with equal rights, privileges and obligations”

Our assemblies can unanimously declare a certain Muslim sect as non-Muslim and effectively enforce that bill but cannot unanimously approve a health and education reform bill.

“You may belong to any religion or caste or creed that has nothing to do with the business of the state”, The Quaid said, and we as a nation make a mockery of this statement every day.

The Quaid said:

“The first duty of the government is to maintain law and order, so that the life, property and religious beliefs of its subjects are fully protected by state”

Sectarian killing, increasing crime rates, party owned land mafia and the regular killing of minorities prove this statement of the Quaid as false. Every Day!

To the Armed forces, he said:

“Now you have to stand guard over the development and maintenance of Islamic democracy...” (2^nd Feb 1948)

This statement has already been mocked five times since 1947.

Addressing the students in Dacca in March 1948, he said:

“You will be making the greatest mistake if you allow yourself to be exploited by one political party or the other”

APMSO, ISF, IJT, PSF etc... Clearly show how much regard they have for their own party’s founding fathers than Pakistan’s founding fathers.

To the reader, I ask, since our laws, institutions, behavioral patterns are exactly the opposite of what M.A Jinnah had in mind, therefore shouldn’t we say that the founding fathers of this nation are actually, ZA Bhutto, Maulana Maudoodi, Ayub Khan, and Zia Ul Haque because of their untiring efforts the Islamic Pious State of Pakistan came into being because before that, it was just …Pakistan. Hence I propose with all solemnity that the picture of M.A Jinnah be removed from currency and be replaced by the above mentioned esteemed personalities for these truly are our founding fathers who’s legacy we still preserve- and cherish.

Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah was the founder of a country once called Pakistan, not the founder of the Islamic Pious Castle of Islam Pakistan.

Just made it ;)

Putting a Paki on the Moon

The soil that we tread on is a great witness to the evolution of humanity, from caves to the high-rise buildings of cold metal and hard brick. These sand particles and the pebbles have borne the footsteps of Prophets, Messiahs, Writers, Inventors, Conquerors and Philosophers. They have seen what we have not seen, for we the humans mostly tend to forget what we did in the past and what are we capable of doing.

As I tread on a small pebble strewn path near my university under the night sky, I look up at the crescent above me. It is comforting to feel earth’s closest space neighbor’s cool bluish light on me. As I look up, I can’t help but focus my eyes on a patch of moon where Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed. That first step on 20^th July 1969 was the epitome of USA’s advancement in science and technology. No other country has done it since the Apollo missions and it is unlikely to repeat that feat for another two or three decades.

Then a very crazy thought entered my head, but the thought was ridiculous, verging on blasphemous. I ignored it and continued my nighttime walk.

I came back and tried to forget what I had just thought but the thought somehow stuck. Then another thought came in. This one more ridiculous than the other. I laughed at it, this second thought was to write down and share the first thought that had come in my head. I told myself that if I ever write it down I would be branded as a “Lunatic” ( ah the irony of words).

But then my mind is like PM Gillani and my thoughts like Zardari. The former always succumbs to the pressure exerted by the latter. So here I am, penning out what I had thought that night.

Pakistan needs a Man on the Moon.

Now go on laugh, of course I can’t blame you, can I ? How can a nation suffering from electricity and gas shortages, strikes, war, death and destruction, who doesn’t (apparently) has money to build even a dam can ever EVER dare to hope to put a man in space let alone the moon. It seems like disrespect, mocking if you like, to the sufferings of a nation consisting of 180 million souls, 63% of whom fall under the age of 25 and where the literacy rate hovers somewhere around 50% and whose population still believes that Neil Armstrong really did hear Azan on the moon despite the fact that sound needs air to travel-And there’s no air on the moon!

But, just bear a few moments with me and imagine, what would it be like to have the Pakistani flag on the lunar surface. Wouldn’t it be exhilarating? Wouldn’t it be just a pleasure to show your passport on the airport and not have eyes brows raised but be greeted with a smile because you belong to a nation that had just conquered the moon from the Americans, to have the world label you as bold space entrepreneurs rather than as a nation of conservatives and blowhards. To think that the world would be a better place with the achievement of a crippled nation sending a man to the moon and ushering the world into a new space age seems like stuff from a Hollywood movie. But allow me to make an argument here. If a nation with a literacy rate of 50 % can make cruise missiles, a nation where a sewing needle is imported from China can make a nuclear device, a nation where half the population can’t even afford a computer, can boast world’s youngest Microsoft certified professionals, cannot build a rocket and lunar vehicle to take a man to the moon, I would say you are kidding me.

When we spend more than 43 billion dollars in fighting “our own people” for some nation thousands of miles away from us, when we spend more than 60 million dollars to help those affected by the war on terrorism, when our military budget increases with each passing year, where the security expenses of the PM and the President per annum alone surpass the 500,000 dollar figure and then you tell me we can’t afford to put a man on the moon. I say you sir are kidding me.

It is at times like these where nations can either rise or sink. Just like that tight ropewalker about to jump to safety after walking the whole length can either slip and fall or safely step on the ledge and take a bow, imagine Pakistan to be that tight ropewalker. Albeit, small, emaciated, starved, crippled and limping. I say costs don’t matter. What matters is the will of the people to leave a mark on history. That’s a common feeling that’s shared by people who believe in team effort, who believe that no matter what, obstacles can be overcome. Nations like these are powered by the almighty trinity of Youth, Intellectuals and Military. And believe you me. Pakistan has that. Just think, how much Pakistan can gain in technology when its every engineer would be involved in the lunar mission, imagine the number of technologies that would be introduced, the billions of foreign investment, new management practices, newly emerging centers of Pakistani economy, explosion of educational institutes, the flood of engineers and entrepreneurs, Pakistan would be changed forever and with it the South Asian region, or may be the whole world itself. Pakistan’s name would become a by word for heroism, adventurism , inspiration and motivation. When schoolchildren will read poems about the Pakistani mission to the moon rather than King Bruce and the Spider.

Imagine a day when every Sindhi, Balochi, Pashtun, Punjabi, Sunni, Shia, Barelvi, Ahmadi, Wahhabi, would be looking at that shiny sphere in the sky, as one single entity all thinking the same thing:

“Has it landed yet?”

You thought our Nukes were safe- U ARE SO VERY WRONG

The following wiki leaks document is disturbing. I have made a hobby of reading these documents and it was by chance I came across this one. In this document, the Pak Gov is involved in literally handing over our precious nuclear fuel to the US government as anti nuclear asset proliferation effort. I am stunned. I thought that our nukes our safe. But no! our government has decided to see through this as well which of course may give rise to the speculation that if the Pak government is handing out its nuclear fuel to the US government, then what are the chances of the US government giving it back. Also another point raised here is that how come Pak Gov and consequently the Pak Army is allowing visits by US experts to remove nuclear fuel from Pakistani Nuclear Sites. Another related issue that is raised here is that if the Pak Gov is removing its nuclear fuel from the sites, then does it mean that Taliban or India has compromised the security of these sites (somehow)? What do you think?

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Reference IDCreatedReleasedClassificationOrigin

09ISLAMABAD1152 2009-05-27 16:04 2010-11-30 21:09 SECRET Embassy Islamabad

VZCZCXRO3997 PP RUEHLH RUEHPW DE RUEHIL #1152 1471632 ZNY SSSSS ZZH P 271632Z MAY 09 FM AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2939 INFO RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 0361 RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0460 RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 4966 RUEHPW/AMCONSUL PESHAWAR 6251 RUEHLH/AMCONSUL LAHORE 7312 RUEHKP/AMCONSUL KARACHI 1712 RHEHNSC/NSC WASHINGTON DC RHEBAAA/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHINGTON DC RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC RHMFISS/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FLS E C R E T ISLAMABAD 001152 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/27/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER PARM KNNP MNUC PK SUBJECT: U.S. REMOVAL OF PAKISTAN RESEARCH REACTOR FUEL ON HOLD Classified By: Anne W. Patterson for reasons 1.4 (b) (d) ¶1. (S)

XXXXXXXXXXXX, told Poloff on May 26 that the recent spate of media attention on Pakistan's nuclear security has led the GOP to delay an important nonproliferation effort, the removal of U.S.-origin highly-enriched uranium spent fuel from a Pakistani nuclear research reactor. The GOP agreed in principle to the fuel removal in 2007, but has been slow in scheduling a visit by U.S. technical experts to discuss logistical and other issues. In recent months, the Strategic Plans Division and Ministry of Foreign Affairs both indicated progress on the matter and a proposed visit for late May was under review. However, according to XXXXXXXXXXXX, a recent GOP interagency review of the program concluded that the "sensational" international and local media coverage of the security of Pakistan's nuclear weapons made it impossible to proceed at this time. If the local media got word of the fuel removal, "they certainly would portray it as the United States taking Pakistan's nuclear weapons," he argued. The visit will have to be delayed for 3-4 months or until the political climate makes it more conducive to hosting a U.S. visit, he stated. ¶2. (S) Comment: As noted in previous post reporting, the GOP is extremely sensitive to media focus on Pakistan's nuclear program. In a sign of their growing defensiveness, the Foreign Office Spokesman took significant time out of his May 21 press conference to address nuclear security, stating categorically, "there is simply no question of our strategic assets falling into the wrong hands." To a question about reported offers of U.S. help with nuclear security, he responded, "we do not need this assistance." With the postponement of the nuclear fuel removal, it is clear that the negative media attention has begun to hamper U.S. efforts to improve Pakistan's nuclear security and nonproliferation practices. End Comment. PATTERSON

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