India deserves credit for her commonsensical call to deal with the "Taliban". They have no existence apart from the Pashtun in general, who are old Indian allies.
But as for the ISI's backing of "Islamist militant groups" or what have you, sooner rather than later, and at least arguably already, what else will Pakistan have? What else will remain of her founding dream of a distinct Muslim nation on the Subcontinent, acting as such? Especially if she is to be sandwiched between India and the restored, Indian-backed "Taliban".
No wonder that the "Taliban" are open to this. The scholars at Deoband strongly rejected Jinnah's two nation theory. So did plenty of other people: just as there have always been more Irish Catholics in the remaining United Kingdom than the entire population of the 26 Irish counties that seceded, so there have always been more Muslims in India than the entire population of Pakistan. And they were right.
I am not happy with a nuclear-armed anywhere. Nuclear weapons are immoral in and of themselves. But despite both that and all of the above, I would or do find a nuclear-armed Pakistan, or a nuclear-armed China, or a nuclear-armed North Korea, or the nuclear-armed Iran that does not exist and which no one is trying to bring into existence, at most no more worrying than nuclear weapons in the hands of the BJP and of those who come with it. Or nuclear weapons in the hands of Likud and of its jaw-dropping coalition partners, Shas and in Yisrael Beiteinu, the leader of which latter is the Foreign Minister. Or nuclear weapons in the hands of anyone who is or who venerates Tony Blair, George W Bush, either of the Clintons, or Nicolas Sarkozy.
The last thing Pakistan want is an Afghanistan which is friendly with India. So expect the Taliban, which is after all a product of the ISI as well as CIA and Saudi intelligence, to have a greater role in Afghanistan after the Americans leave. Afghanistan will continue being the failed state which it is. The best the West can for is Pakistan playing a role in Afghanistan such that terrorism can kept away from their shores. The West will continue giving Pakistan aid, however unpopular that is at home, because ultimately they want Pakistan to act as 'policeman' and keep India down. The region will continue to be as unstable as it has been.
ReplyDeleteYes, the thought of nuclear weapons in the hands of religious fanatics is truly scary, and that includes Hindu fanatics. The first thing they did when they came to power at the end of 1990s was carry out nuclear tests. At least for now, the BJP doesn't look likely to gain power at the national level.
All hail the Mossad Martyr of the Daily Telavivagraph, platform of Avigdor Lieberman's London spokesman, Michael Weiss.
ReplyDeleteI am surprised you are still at liberty. The Israeli Far Right can have a prominent Israeli citizen banged up in Britain and then kicked out when it can't get its own country's authorities to do anything similar to him. In Cameron's Britain it's a miracle that you are still alive.
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