Amidst all the din about the Bajwa Doctrine, an apt comment is by Zahid Hussain who in his article ‘Is it chief’s doctrine’?, published in the DAWN on March 21, 2018, writes, “Now we hear about a ‘Bajwa doctrine’ – a term used by some media circles and, indeed, by the ISPR chief himself in an interview with a TV channel. Going by this so-called doctrine, it would seem that the army chief has a grand vision about everything — from critical political problems to the economy and foreign policy. Should we be surprised? Not really. Didn’t we witness similar wisdom being attributed to previous army chiefs?…..His greatest concern appears to be economic policy mismanagement that is seen as having brought Pakistan to the brink of bankruptcy.” So the all encompassing ‘Bajwa Doctrine’ is hardly by an army chief, but a de-fact prime minister who holds the country by its jugular.
Muhammad Ali Ehsan writing in The Express Tribune on March 28, 2018 perceives the Bajwa Doctrine as an “institutional vision”, more significant and relevant in the backdrop of Financial Action Task Force (FATF) action plan subjecting Pakistan to a monitoring process, but cautions that change in national policies without concrete political participation is as dangerous as allowing the politicians to interfere with the details of accomplishing any battlefield military operation. H
is big question is, while who is subservient to whom is written in the constitution, should all institutions of the state not rally together to extend the interests of the state instead of extending the interests of the government of the day? But he fails to explain who is “government of the day” in Pakistan – has not Bajwa subjugated judiciary to the extent that Nawaz Sharif cannot contest elections but a global terrorist like Hafiz Saeed can? Ehsan also says Pakistan having reached the ‘culminating point of victory’ in war against terror, should halt fighting (not with adversary) but consolidate gains with policy. This is mighty confusing unless he is perceives culminating point of victory in Afghanistan or total synchronization of military and terrorist organizations.
The Bajwa Doctrine was first mentioned by Asif Ghafoor, DG ISPR and later by Qamar Javed Bajwa, army chief himself while briefing a group of journalists and anchorpersons, but it is not documented as such. ISPR’s job is to boost military’s image despite its terror nexus and never having won a war. But strangely, elaboration of the Bajwa Doctrine came from an article by Kamal Alam working with Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), UK. But the over-exuberance of RUSI to boost Bajwa / Pakistan was given away by another concurrent article by Murtaza Al Shah titled ‘Bajwa Doctrine’ working well against US threats; glorifying Bajwa he is not Musharraf and the like. Sweet Jesus, so RUSI is privy Pakistan has withdrawn all support to Haqqanis and Taliban, withdrawn regulars and Mujahids fighting in Afghanistan, dismantled terrorist sanctuaries and sent the army back to barracks because Bajwa Doctrine says there will be no India-Pakistan war? Sorry RUSI, your perception building in run up to the FATF meet in coming June is very clear.
There wasn’t a squeak from RUSI when the same Bajwa last year kneeled down to Islamists from Tehreek-i-Khatm-i-Nabuwwat, Tehreek-i-Labaik Ya Rasool Allah (and Sunni Tehreek Pakistan (ST) blocking the Islamabad Expressway and Murree Road, with protests in Karachi, Lahore, Hyderabad, Gujrat, Faislabad and Peshawar. There were visuals of Major General Azhar Navid Hayat, Director General of Punjab Rangers distributing Rs 1000 each to every protester, and endearing them by saying, “Hum Aapke Saath Hain.”
The video by Imaan Mazari (Shireen Mazari’s daughter) widely watched in Pakistan, said, “Shame on the army. Because Pakistan Army only understands language used by terrorists like Khadim Hussain Rizvi, we should also use the same language and send message to army. Such force should be condemned for funding people who have always tried to promote terrorism in Islamabad and the rest of Pakistan. I condemn the army who disrespects our martyrs who laid their lives for fighting against terrorism…. The army funds terrorists for making people’s lives a hell. I again condemn the army as they still don’t understand that supporting terrorism is destroying this country. Pakistan community has now become effigy on the hands of terrorists. They discuss, accept terrorists demand. Is this our country, our community? This force has destroyed this country.”
Salient points of the so called Bajwa Doctrine supposedly are: one, better relations with neighboring countries; two, balance in dealing with world powers; three, violent extremism not acceptable but the mainstreaming of tamed jihadists is; four, there can be no war between India and Pakistan; five, Pakistan has done more than enough to secure Afghanistan and is not intimidated by threat of US funding cuts; six, due to economic compulsions India will be forced to dialogue with Pakistan in near future, hence, Pakistan must “wait and keep a watch on India.
Answers to above points sequentially are: first, terming proxy wars on India and Afghanistan “better relations” is bizarre; second, running with the hares and hunting with the hounds has always been Pakistan’s policy; third, might as well anoint global terrorist next Prime Minister and say terrorism is over – who are we fooling here?; fourth, Pakistan and India ‘are’ at war – with Pakistan’s proxy war past decades. If Bajwa finds solace in PLA presence (base in Skardu, Gwadar and future accretions), India will certainly take that into account; fifth, Pakistan’s wouldn’t bother about US financial cuts, even FATF, with North Korean example. China, Saudi Arabia help is assured, bigger begging bowls can be acquired, and once Pakistan becomes Chinese Province it would be China’s headache; sixth, wrong appreciation, even as China-Pakistan aim to limit India’s strategic space and keep Indian economy down. Or is this dying declaration like Yahya Khan of 100 day war before signing surrender of East Pakistan?
The British guile is pretty well known, with not just the blood of two million killed because of the manner in which the Partition of India was done despite the 2.5 million army of Indians in World War II without which the Allied and British victories were impossible, the wealth looted during British rule of India with Indian industries completely throttled, but also because of:
• British conspiracy for invasion of J&K orchestrated through Mountbatten, Lockhart, and Douglas Gracey, keeping Nehru in dark and Jinnah in picture to ensure Pakistan Army is allowed foothold in the State, making it party in dispute when referred to UN on behest of Mountbatten.
• Churchill’s instructions to Douglas Gracey to let India-Pakistan fight but to keep a piece of India, so that both keep fighting in perpetuity.
• Douglas Gracey, as C-in-C in Pakistan orchestrating fall of Skardu (that was holding on for eight months) and massacre of complete its garrison and families, though rescuing Major Sher Jung Thapa since years back then Captain Douglas Gracey of 1 Gorkha Rifles of British India was impressed by Thapa’s hockey skills and had helped him obtain a commission in J&K State Forces.
• Skardu would have automatically secured lines of communication to Kargil and Ladakh for which the Indian Army had to mount major operations including at Zojila losing many lives and yet Pakistan retained large chunk of territory as Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK).
• British plan was to keep strategic Gilgit – Baltistan with a Country of their making (Pakistan) to fight communist threat of Russia and China on the borders of Kashmir, but see what has happened – Pakistan has become China’s vassal state with a PLA brigade based close to Skardu and Russia in close friendship with Pakistan.
• Continued bias of BBC (funded and directed by British Foreign Office) in favour of Pakistan.
RUSI’s elaboration of the Bajwa Doctrine, picture-painting it as ‘the’ homily of peace needs to be seen in the above context. It makes no difference to the British or the West how many are killed through terrorism in India as long as their own countries are spared. Remember Ashley Tellis of Carnegie Foundation penning in 2012, “India getting subjected to terrorism suits many ……. India is a sponge that absorbs terrorism.” Not to be left behind, Washington Times said on January 6, 2016, “Just what the civilized world needs, a new front in the war against radical Islamic terrorism: Two terrorists were killed this week in an attack on the Pathankot Indian Air Force Base.”
But the bottom-line is that the Pakistani army cannot let go the jugular of Pakistan, for which it must continue hostilities across its eastern and western frontiers. China fully supports Pakistani terror export. This includes not only terrorist forces against India and Afghanistan but also AQIS chief Asim Umer who is Pakistani national, ARSA (Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army) chief Ata Ullah who too is Pakistani national, and other Rohingya terror group in Myanmar like Aqa Mul Mujahideen (AMM) which receives instructions from Pakistan’s ISI.
Pakistan’s obsession for Kashmir is not going to abate. Christine Fair describes the situation beautifully: Pakistan’s army has locked the country in enduring rivalry with India to revise maps of Kashmir and resist India’s slow but inevitable rise; to prosecute these dangerous policies, it employs non-state actors under its ever-expanding nuclear umbrella; it started three wars with India but failed to win any; it supports insurgencies throughout India and country-wide Islamist terror campaign; from its distorted view of history, the army is victorious as long as it can resist India’s purported hegemony and territorial status quo; because the army is unlikely to abandon these preferences, the world must prepare for an ever more dangerous future Pakistan.
If the Bajwa Doctrine changes anything, it is a more radicalized polity in Pakistan; nothing more. Bajwa is promoting further the ‘Quranic Concept of War’, authored by Brigadier SK Malik of Pakistan army in 1979. Western think tanks like RUSI should be studying this book, as also crystal gazing future effects of the China-Pakistan-North Korea axes, with countries like Turkey and Maldives following in Pakistani shoes. But RUSI can take solace that Britain’s love for radical Pakistan stems from the recent disclosure by the Saudi Crown Prince that the spread of Wahabism was done at the request of West during Cold War (https://www.rt.com/news/422563-saudi-wahhabism-western-countries/), and new cold and hot wars are ongoing.
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