Geopolitics

Pakistan: The Most Dangerous Place
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Issue Vol. 30.1 Jan-Mar 2015 | Date : 21 Apr , 2015

Today, it is well proven and acknowledged worldwide that the roots of Pakistan’s jihadism lie in its obsession with India, born out of the two-nation theory. Crafted by the fear that its powerful neighbour, India wants to dismember Pakistan and undo the Partition, supports the overall design of policies in Pakistan. The break-up of Pakistan in 1971 and emergence of Bangladesh from erstwhile East Pakistan as an independent nation has reinforced national paranoia. Contrary to convincing the country’s Punjabi elite of the need to come to terms with Pakistan’s size and power and finding security within the parameters of reality, the establishment in turn has fanned “India scare” to divert focus from internal challenges.

Pakistani society has drifted towards religious militancy over the last 20 to 25 years…

Struck by the unexpected reality post 9/11 destruction of the twin-towers in New York, the world awakened to a new-fangled threat. A shockingly spectacular execution of attacks by Al-Qaeda took the world by surprise. The Americans might have responded and hunted the Taliban out of Kabul and forced Al Qaeda to find a new home in the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan yet, as veteran Pakistani journalist Imtiaz Gul writes, “One by one, the militants crossed the border into Pakistan and settled in its tribal areas, building alliances with locals and terrorising or bribing their way to power. This place – Pakistan’s lawless frontier – is now the epicentre of global terrorism. It is where young American and British jihadists go to be trained, where the kidnapped are stowed away and where plots are hatched for deadly attacks all over the world. It has become, in President Obama’s words, “…the most dangerous place” – a hornet’s nest of violent extremists, many of whom now target their own state in vicious suicide-bombing campaigns.”

Obama’s observation on one of the world’s most opaque tribal areas of Pakistan’s North West region bordering Afghanistan got vindicated, even more unequivocally this time on December 16, 2014, when terrorists of Teherik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) butchered 132 innocent children of the Army Public School in Peshawar, all in the age group of eight to eighteen years.

The Genesis

Pakistani society has drifted towards religious militancy over the last 20 to 25 years. Anti-American and anti-Indian sentiments are very strong. This is because the mindsets of the younger generation over decades have been built on that discourse. Rizvi, a Pakistani political analyst predicts that Pakistan will have a rough decade ahead as the generation born in the 1980s comes to power. This generation has been raised on extremist ideology taught in schools and repeated on television and in the mosques. The future of Pakistan is all set to be doomed if course correction is not recalibrated in time.

It is ironic to see a country deviating from the path of prosperity and progress towards hate and assured self-destruction…

The old saying that the wise learn from others’ mistakes may not be so true when it comes to those in Pakistan’s establishment. History bears testimony to the ills of religion interfering with the matters of the state. When Constantinople fell to the Turks in 1453 AD, the West decided to separate religion from the business of the state. With this decision, the West, which was living in the Dark Ages, suddenly embarked on the path of inventions and discoveries heretofore blocked through religious decrees and brought the world to the wonders of the 21st century. This was only possible after the clergy was denied its divine right to interfere in every matter possible. What will it take for Pakistan to embark on the route to reforms culling the mullahs out of state functioning? Will it ever be able to do achieve that? Or is it that its leadership has taken the country well beyond the culmination point. These are rather more pertinent questions that need to be addressed at this hour.

Into nationhood for 67 years now, Pakistan has developed only one element of national power and that is the military which is so central to the idea of Pakistan today that all other elements of national power have been relegated to a state of irrelevance. The country’s institutions, ranging from schools and universities to the judiciary, are in a state of general decline. The economy’s stuttering growth is dependent largely on the flow of international economic aid. Pakistan’s GDP stands at $245 billion in absolute terms and $845 billion in Purchasing Price Parity thus making it the smallest economy of any country maintaining nuclear arsenals. Twenty-two per cent of the population lives below the poverty line and another 21 per cent lives just above it, resulting in almost half the people of Pakistan living at extreme levels of poverty.

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It is ironic to see a country deviating from the path of prosperity and progress towards hate and assured self-destruction. The vision of Mohammad Ali Jinnah, which he presented to the framers of Pakistan’s constitution when he addressed the Constituent Assembly on August 11, 1947, had the basis of equality and secularism. Sadly, secularism has become a dangerous, deadly label in Pakistan. Religious extremists slowly gained in strength and tightened their stranglehold on the country putting its stability at risk.

As the rabid clergy, mostly consisting of madrasa-indoctrinated bigots with medieval mindsets, are completely illiterate as far as contemporary disciplines are concerned. Unfortunately their ideology has started resonating in vast stretches of Pakistani society. For this reason, being liberal and secular has become synonymous with infidelity in the new intolerant society. In 1947, at the time of independence, Jinnah would have never dreamt of a Pakistan in its present state.

Sixty-five years after the death of its founding father, the people of Pakistan are still searching for Mohammed Ali Jinnah’s vision for the country…

Sixty-five years after the death of its founding father, the people of Pakistan are still searching for Mohammed Ali Jinnah’s vision for the country. During much of its existence, Pakistanis have been encouraged to believe that Jinnah created Pakistan in the name of Islam as a theocratic state. Others have disagreed, arguing the Jinnah wanted a Muslim-majority but secular and progressive country. The debate over the two competing and contradictory visions has intensified in recent years as the country reels from growing Islamic extremism and Taliban militancy. At the heart of this debate are some public addresses of Jinnah around the time of the Partition of India in 1947. In his address to the Constituent Assembly in the port city of Karachi on August 11, 1947, three days before the creation of Pakistan. Jinnah had said, “You are free. You are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your mosques or to any other place of worship in this state of Pakistan.” Jinnah had declared, “You may belong to any religion or caste or creed – that has nothing to do with the business of the state.”

It is a known fact that Jinnah’s words did not go down well with the powerful and ambitious religious ideologues around him at the time, who then made sure the speech was virtually blacked out in the next day’s newspapers. Successive military governments in Pakistan were accused of attempting to downplay, even remove, the speech from official records. Why did that speech unsettle some Pakistani leaders so much? Many believe it was seen at odds with the kind of anti-India, anti-Hindu, Islamic state they were trying to create thus preserving their own power bases. And this is the genesis of the whole problem.

Self-Destructive Course

Today, it is well proven and acknowledged worldwide that the roots of Pakistan’s jihadism lie in its obsession with India, born out of the two-nation theory. Crafted by the fear that its powerful neighbour, India wants to dismember Pakistan and undo the Partition supports the overall design of policies in Pakistan. The break-up of Pakistan in 1971, and emergence of Bangladesh from erstwhile East Pakistan as an independent nation, has reinforced national paranoia. Contrary to convincing the country’s Punjabi elite of the need to come to terms with Pakistan’s size and power and finding security within the parameters of reality, the establishment in turn has fanned “India scare” to divert focus from internal challenges.

Sadly, secularism has become a dangerous, deadly label in Pakistan…

Pakistan’s emphasis on religion and ideology at the expense of ethnic, linguistic and sectarian diversity in a complex society is making it bear a heavy price to the extent of risking its very existence. The relationship between Pakistan and jihadism emanating from state-sponsored ideology cannot be understood without understanding the country’s psychological dimension and make-up. Hussain Haqqani, former Pakistani ambassador to the US sums up the past sixty years of Pakistan’s existence by stating, “…for the first 30 years of Pakistan’s existence, the clamour was for religiosity within and Pan-Islamism in foreign policy. For the next 30 years global jihadism has been the overarching security and foreign policy idea that has advanced the Pakistani ideology.”

Analysing the evolution of Pakistan since 1947 is important before arriving at any realistic conclusion. In January 1951, Ayub Khan succeeded General Sir Douglas Gracey as Commander in Chief of the Pakistan Army, becoming the first Pakistani in that position. Within a short time of his promotion, however, Ayub Khan became the most powerful political figure. Perhaps more than any other Pakistani has ever emerged till date.

By 1958, Ayub Khan and his fellow officers decided to turn out the “inefficient and untrustworthy” politicians – a task which was easily accomplished without bloodshed by imposing martial law. Ayub Khan justified his assumption of power by citing the nation’s need for stability and the necessity for the army to play a central role – an argument that has been played by all the Generals toppling the civilian government down the line.

He concentrated on consolidating power and intimidating the opposition. To do so, he promoted the Jamat-e-Islami and other religious groups more than the political parties. He also aimed to establish the groundwork for future stability through altering the economic, legal, and constitutional institutions. This whiskey-loving Muslim General did not hesitate invoking the clichéd fears of “Islam in danger” to suppress his political opponents.

Global jihadism has been the overarching security and foreign policy idea that has advanced the Pakistani ideology…

Ayub Khan added the word Islamic to the Preamble of the 1962 constitution. This constitution stipulated that its President would be a Muslim, and the Advisory Council of Islamic Ideology and the Islamic Research Institute were established to assist the government in reconciling all legislation with the tenets of the Quran and the Sunna. Hence began the journey into making of a fundamentalist society that exists today. A chemical process started in the late fifties has made the acid concentration ever stronger and deadlier in the cocktail by each passing decade.

When internal stability broke down in the 1960s, he remained contemptuous of lawyer-politicians and handed over power to his fellow army officer General Yaya Khan. After a humiliating defeat in 1971 war and the creation of Bangladesh, a civilian government led by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto came to power. The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) had won the 1971 elections on a heavily leftist map for governance; entrenched as it was in socialist ideals and thereby enjoying massive support. However, it did not take long for the tide to turn. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto brought in the elements of Islamic ideology in Pakistan’s substantive foreign policy. Islam came to the forefront of all policy and law-making decisions and ultimately, emerged as the guiding principle in all policy-related issues. He was responsible for getting all policies whether pertaining to finance, defence, foreign, education or interior ministry, increasingly dressed in Islamic colours. Religion soon after became the official legitimising strategy for all political manoeuvres.

Islam had thus emerged as the most predominant political factor to facilitate in both external and internal scenarios, by the end of Bhutto’s regime and as a result thereof. Although his insistence upon the role of Islam in Pakistani politics during his final days in power could not save his fading popularity however it did serve to reinforce the centrality of Islam for the military regime that followed. The dangerous alliance between military might and religious pressure thus found its seeds in Bhutto’s policy shifts, only to find renewed force under the approaching military rule.

The military regime under Zia-ul-Haq entered the political arena in 1977 as a “caretaker ninety-day government staging a military coup.” His rule spanned over the course of eleven years, permanently scaring the Pakistani society by introducing Muslim fundamentalism at entirely different levels. In less than a year after Zia’s takeover, his main concern was to put the country on the Islamic system.

The process of Islamisation started almost immediately, and soon emerged strongly in the shape of legal amendments…

The process of Islamisation started almost immediately, and soon emerged strongly in the shape of legal amendments. As AK Brohi, General Zia’s Law and Religious Affairs Advisor rightly states, “Whatever Islamisation Zia had been enforcing was more to consolidate his own personal power than to establish a genuine Islamic order.” And in that process he brought the Wahabi ideology to the forefront of Pakistan’s religious landscape displacing the tolerant Sufism seated in the region for almost a thousand years.

CIA secret funds and Saudi money poured in volumes to raise and fund Mujahedeen fighting the Soviets in Afghanistan during the Cold War. In the eighties, hundreds of madrasas soon dotted the tribal belt and other regions of Pakistan, churning out Jihadis in thousands to fight in Afghanistan and later in Kashmir. The strategic idea though was always India-centric and Soviet intervention was merely a God-sent opportunity. Carving out strategic space for itself in Afghanistan against India after Soviet withdrawal and wresting Kashmir by unleashing Jihadi power to fight the Indian Army was Zia’s grand strategy.

After Zia-Ul-Haq’s sudden death in an air crash, the leaders of the civilian governments that followed could not muster the strength to reverse the order set in motion by Ayub and cemented by Zia because of military’s ascendency over the complete government and societal apparatus in Pakistan.

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The views expressed are of the author and do not necessarily represent the opinions or policies of the Indian Defence Review.

About the Author

Danvir Singh

Associate Editor, Indian Defence Review, former Commanding Officer, 9 Sikh LI and author of  book "Kashmir's Death Trap: Tales of Perfidy and Valour".

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23 thoughts on “Pakistan: The Most Dangerous Place

  1. Partition of India was deliberately planned by the Britishers because they knew the real strength of a united India . It would have been the largest country in the world much stronger than even China. Nehru & Jinnah were just prawns in their hands due to their personal ambitions which was exploited by the Britishers.

  2. Danvir Singh is a hardliner Hindu and former commanding officer so how one cannot expect a biased and hate article against Pakistan! However the question is have Mr. Danvir looked in his own India where minorities are suppressed and murdered because they want freedom? Had he thought about more than 40% of Indians are living below poverty line? Billions do not have toilets? Latest data from National Bomb Data Centre (NBDC) show that India is the most dangerous country to live because you can die in a bomb attack? India has more than 114 extremist groups, in which many are owned by Indian politicians and military? Even in the majority Hindus there is caste system in which the Shudras and Vaishyas do not have socio political economic rights and there living worst lives?

    • Then how come minorities population has increased? India has created Pakistan and Bangladesh for Indian Muslims. Vaishyas runs close to 25% of India economy so how come they dont have economic rights. Shudra also run close to 20% of India economy so how come they cont have economic rights. India current PM belongs to Shudra so how come he doesnt have political rights please explain?

      Indian population is 1.27 billion so how come billions dont have toilet, explain you logic?

      provide data that 40% of Indians living poverty line.

    • Shri Ajit Chavan: Israel did it and got away in the 60’s & 70’s since the ‘Holocaust” was still fresh in the minds of the world and the US viewed it as its ‘aircraft carrier’ in the Middle East. Today, only the US and to some extent Russia have the nuclear muscle to violate the sovereign rights of nations, withstand pressures coming from the UN and still use covert ops as extensions of their state policies by ‘other means’. Our planners have to factor in the near parity (superiority in some areas) in our potential adversary’s military strengths before embarking down this road which is fraught with tit-for-tat retaliations from them. Israel , the US and Russia acted the way they did only when they were sure that their targets lacked the muscle to retaliate in kind.

  3. It is time that India too draws out lessons from all that is taking place in Pakistan and ensure that obsession with religion, castes, regions and allegiance to other nations does not mushroom into a epidemic in any part of the country. Tolerance and compromise with anti national sentiments and actions should have sharply edged limitations if we are to prosper and not follow the path of doomed nations.

  4. The title of the above account is very attractive that ‘The Most Dangerous Place’ which means rest of the whole world is much peaceful place to reside. Look into the map of globe, there is not a single place which is immune from terrorism. It is such a dreaded phenomenon that US and its allies are failed to counter terrorism. The irony which lies for Pakistan is its geo strategic location which is based on aggressive neighborhood. This has actually become a habit of international community to draw a bleak picture of Pakistan. However reality is far much different that Pakistan is a victim and now combating terrorism by conducting military operations in country.

  5. The writer instead of showing obsession from Pakistan must have researched well before writing such a piece. He must remember that India Is Home to More Poor People Than Anywhere Else on Earth. We don’t have to be proud of what we’ve done in the name of uranium deals going around. Have you visited the Kalpakkam, Kudunkulam, kovaada nuclear plants sites ? have you seen the miserable life people living there? else than that there are hundreds of places more to read upon. 2,000 Girls Are Killed Across the Country Every Day and many got raped.

  6. Despite having the world’s largest democracy, famous examples of gang rape and hangings demonstrate what a perilous place India can be for women. Researchers estimate that there have been 50 million cases of female infanticide or foeticide over the last three decades. And even if you get to live, child marriage and high levels of trafficking still cast a shadow over the safety of females.

  7. China is bucking the global trend in seeing Pakistan as the epicenter of islamic jihadi terrorism. Whether they are right in doing so only time will tell. China does not shy away from deploying its huge foreign exchange reserves in furtherance of its national interests.$ 42 billion is a drop in the ocean as far as China is concerned. We have no choice but to factor in the proposed development of the corridor through Pakistan in our strategic riposte. China’s aim is energy security- be it from the Middle East or from the CAR region for her growing needs in the coming millennium.

  8. India’s security paradigm has changed. Pakistan and China have joined hands against India. How long would it take for the Indian leaders to realize that these two countries are encircling India by land and sea? India’s priorities must include preparation to fight two theater wars simultaneously and there is more likely hood of a nuclear confrontation with Pakistan than China. Reason, the political instability in Pakistan combined with the Talibanization of Pakistani Army. While many ifs ands and butts exist, a military alliance with US and Israel makes more sense now then before. I would even go as far as considering US/India joint bases in India preferably in the North East. This will be a check on China while India deals with the more immediate threat of field nuclear weapons in the hands of the Islamic terrorists from across the border.

  9. no doubt writer is shit head, he himself is hatemonger. look at Indian society where no minority is safe. Christians and Muslims humiliated everyday. where an extreme right wing party is ruling, you guys have serious issues at your hand deal with it before raising fingers at pakistan.

  10. a pathetic writer who is full of hate and has bleak info about hist, islam and Pakistan. STOP befooling others u cant do very longer…hate ur speech. u will find a good job in RAW polluting Pakistan’s frontiers.

  11. this essay is best example of “khasni balli khamba notchay” writer is indian hindu with extreme hate and jealousy to islam and Pakistan.Actually Pakistan is very rich in sources and pakistans location is very very important in world.These are the reasons of jealousy of these indian hinduuos.If Pakistan is so ppor and bad why indian Gov spending billion dollars money on wapons and deployed 90% their army and wapons on Pakistani borders? lala gi don’t make fools to your own people> go to London or Afghanistan to help RAW agents who are in problems to handle ISI after succeesful counter of bombing in Pakistan>Pakistani TALBAN OR ALTAF HUSSAIN ON RUN MEANS ALL INDIAN MONEY HAVE WASTED> HEHEHEHEHEHE

  12. Very true….Pakistan’s creation was based on anti India sentiments .
    I wud urge our govt to send those pak loving morons on our soil to pak and see the life in this failed state then only they wud realise what a democracy means…
    extremely educative and analytical article

  13. Pakistan is threatening holding nukes because of lack of bloody replied from India…… They attacked us four times… Sent & supported terrorists & mercenaries since 1960s in north east… Punjab…Kashmir etc…… Once in my ternage i asked a relative who was a senior BSF officer… Why don’t you shoot Pakistanis who are troubling often at border… They too have guns was the reply from him… Later on i came to knew tht our officers are restrained by politicians & pakis don’t… Apart from a short trailor on border there is nothing to boast about… Need to let loose all canons whenever they create nuisance & they will think a million times before repeating… May be a temporary solution but workable…

  14. Islam is a conditional religion – “IF you are a true Musalman and a believer in the Prophet ….” preceeds every action of theirs ….. violate any dictat and one fails as a muslim …. need anything more be said or expected then ???? All discourses and discussions are irrelevant and only wishful thinking ….

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