Jahangir's World Times First Comprehensive Magazine for students/teachers of competitive exams and general readers as well.
May 2 US raid might set precedence for other countries, particularly India that it might take similar action like the US inside Pakistan. What steps we have taken to counter another raid.
Inefficiency
ISI-CIA ties
It is a fact that Osama started his so-called jehad under the cover of the US against the former Soviet Union to oust Russians from Afghanistan. After the completion of his plan, Osama diverted its attention to force US to pull out its forces from Saudi Arabia in 1990 and Israelis from Palestine. This change of Osama’s loyalty made the US to turn against him and Washington started treating him as its ‘Number one enemy’. In 1992, al-Qaeda attacked US troops in Yemen and in 1996 Osama declared war on America and went on to blow up US embassies in Africa and other parts of the world. However, it was not until 9/11 that the world woke up to what Osama was capable of.
During the 1965 Pak-India war, it was for the first time that the US had cut off its military aid to Pakistan. In 1975, the US arms sales to Pakistan started and the Islamabad received $50 million in military grants, $19 million in defence support assistance and $5 million in cash.
During the 1971 Indo- Pak war, the US again suspended military aid to Pakistan, but resumed limited financial assistance in 1972, after Pakistan extended support to President Nixon’s maiden visit to China the same year.
In April 1979, the US again cut its military ties with Pakistan due to Washington’s concerns about Islamabad’s nuclear programme, though food assistance under the Symington Amendment remained unaffected.
In December 1979, the former Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan and the US gave $2.19 billion in military assistance to Pakistan between 1980 and 1990 as ‘reward’ for resisting the Soviets. This military aid was in addition to $3.1 billion economic assistance. However, as soon as the Soviets withdrew its forces from Afghanistan in 1990, US military aid to Pakistan was again suspended under the Larry Pressler Amendment. In 1995, the Brown Amendment authorised the delivery of military equipment worth $368 million.
The last time the American aid was suspended was in October 1999, when General Pervez Musharraf staged a bloodless coup.
Now after Osama’s death there are rumours that once again Pakistan might face another suspension of the US aid as a punishment of not following blindly to the US rhetoric ‘Do more’.
There are some quarters in Pakistan who believe that the operation near Abbottabad was an attempt to malign Pakistani armed forces and ISI. They are also of the opinion that ISI-CIA tussle was going on for the last many months. In addition to this they also say that the Jewish lobby is behind Pakistan armed forces and the Abbottabad operation was targeted against them. They also doubt the way Osama’s burial took place in the Arabian Sea.
On the other hand, Pakistani press has condemned the government for failing to detect the presence of Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, terming it a “great embarrassment” for the country. It says that it was enough to make the US ask Pakistan “very difficult questions”, and urges the authorities to take a stronger stand against terrorists. A few papers express doubts about Osama’s death and the manner of the operation, dubbing it an attempt to boost the morale of US troops in Afghanistan and President Obama’s re-election campaign.
Reacting to the operation Pakistani authorities after 11-day silence, the Defence Committee of the Cabinet (DCC), a top government body comprising the civilian and military leaders, took exception to the US military action in Abbottabad. The Committee met with the one point agenda of reviewing the security situation and redefine Pakistan’s relationship with the US following the May 2 incident. The DCC decided to initiate an inter-agency strategy to define the parameters of the country’s cooperation with the US in counter-terrorism. A separate statement about the opening remarks of Prime Minister Gilani at the DCC meeting clearly suggested that the government had decided to take tough stand against the US. In this connection the US ambassador to Pakistan, Cameron Munter, was summoned by the Foreign Office and a strong protest was lodged against the May 2 incident.
The Parliament unanimously condemned US military raid in Abbottabad and called for a review of country’s engagement with the US in a resolution passed after an almost 10-hour joint session of Parliament, briefed in-camera by intelligence, military and air force chiefs.
The military offered themselves for accountability before the Parliament as the ISI chief offered to resign in the aftermath of the Abbottabad debacle. When the ISI chief was asked about Osama’s presence in Abbottabad and why the intelligence agencies failed to detect him, he admitted it was his agency’s failure. However, he said, the ISI was never aware of Osama’s presence in the area. Pasha evaded questions regarding information obtained from Osama’s family currently in the custody of Pakistani authorities. Director General ISI also said that Shamsi airbase was not under Pakistan’s control.
PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif demanded an independent inquiry over Osama killing, rejecting an internal military probe ordered by the state.
This briefing was the third instance in Pakistan’s history whereby military authorities appeared before the Parliament for an in-camera session. The first in-camera briefing was given in 1988 by the then-ISI chief Lt Gen (retd) Hameed Gul after the signing of the Geneva Accord. The second in-camera session was held in 2008 when military authorities needed support of public representatives before launching the operation in Swat against the Taliban.
For knowing the point of view of Pakistan, President Obama sent Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman, John Kerry to Islamabad. His visit came at a time when the relations between the two countries were at a crossroads. In a statement he said there was a proposal in the US to stop aid to Pakistan for having the prior information about the whereabouts of Taliban leaders, including Mullah Omer.
Kerry arrived in Pakistan on May 15 and went quickly to see General Kayani. John Kerry gave him a list of ‘specific demands’ relating to the US suspicions about Pakistan’s harbouring of militants ahead of meetings that could shape a partnership dangerously strained by the raid that killed Osama. Kayani told Kerry his soldiers have ‘intense feelings’ about the raid, in apparent reference to anger and humiliation in Pakistan that Washington did not tell the army in advance about helicopter-borne raid, and the fact it was unable to stop the incursion.
Later the sensitive talks were held with President Zardari, Prime Minister Gilani and COAS General Kayani. The outcome of the talks was that the US had convinced Pakistan to undertake several steps for proving its commitment to the fight against terrorism. These included returning the wreckage of the helicopter which had malfunctioned during the May 2 operation and eliminating terrorist sanctuaries in tribal areas. In exchange the US committed itself to a process which would lead to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s visit to Islamabad for reviving the strategic dialogue. The US has stated that it would work together with Pakistan on any future operations in the country.
Meanwhile, President Asif Ali Zardari’s office said US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called him to discuss the raid’s fallout in Pakistan. Clinton spoke of the need to keep strong ties with Pakistan, and stressed there’s no evidence yet its leaders knew of bin Laden’s whereabouts.
While in Afghanistan, Kerry made it clear to reporters that patience was running thin in Washington, where many have long suspected that Pakistan aids and abets Afghan Taliban and other militant groups. Many in Congress were of the view that Washington should cut aid to the country.
However, the Obama Administration has been divided over the Pak-US relations. A group is in favour of adopting a strong stand and the other is favouring alternate ways to deal with the situation. Earlier, Pakistan’s troika, President Zardari, Prime Minister Gilani and Chief of the Army Staff, General Kayani adopted strategy to deal with the situation coming out of the get-Osama operation. According to reports the three leaders vowed not to tolerate repetition of Abbottabad-like incidents in future.
Conclusion
Pakistan has suffered the most in war against terrorism as a frontline state. Almost 30,000 Pakistani civilians lost their lives in terrorist attacks during the last few years. More than 5,000 Pakistani security and armed forces officials have been martyred in Pakistan’s campaign against al-Qaeda, other terrorist organisations and affiliates.
Military success and an eventual negotiated settlement of the Afghanistan war are seen as virtually impossible without Pakistan’s support to the US. On the other hand, if the US starts direct action in Pakistan, not only will our economy be affected, but our security will also face serious dangers. No doubt, we have difficult times ahead.
Now after the Osama episode, there is an urgent need for the Pakistani intelligence authorities to work overtime to dismantle the foreign and local networks of militants as well as keeping a vigilant eye on those suspected militants taking refuge in our cities.
It is a fact that Osama bin Laden was a product of America itself which was created to be used against Russia, he later proved to be a Frankenstein’s monster for Washington. There are also some other questions, including whether it is a deliberate attempt to justify shifting the war on terror to Pakistan, besides giving a boost to President Obama’s re-election and providing a face-saving chance to the planned US pullout from Afghanistan in July this year. However, this incident will provide the US a chance to accuse Pakistan of failing in intelligence and cooperation. Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has threatened to attack Pakistan and the US, calling them ‘the enemies of Islam. On the other hand, if the US starts direct action in Pakistan, not only will our economy be affected, but our security will also face serious dangers. This might set precedence for other countries, particularly India that it might take similar action like the US inside Pakistan. What steps we have taken to counter another raid.
