Sloth Fever: A Growing Concern in the United States

Late last month, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said there was no evidence that Pakistani officials had known that Osama bin Laden lived undetected blocks from the country’s equivalent to West Point. But after the al-Qaeda leader was killed in Abbottabad on May 1, others were skeptical. “How could they not know?” said Sen. John Kerry “Did nobody have some questions about who the hell was living behind those walls?”

In the war on terrorism, where does Pakistan’s loyalty lie? If this nation is our ally, why can’t we trust it? To answer these questions, let’s first tackle some widespread misconceptions about a troubled country torn between the Taliban and the West.

1.Pakistan has remained US ally, still US Suspects its role.

US pursues only its own agenda and interests, by doing so it not only pressurizes countries like Pakistan to go beyond the limits to fight, kill and bomb their own people, but still thinks that their role is still suspected. By Supporting US Pakistan has lost 3500 of its brave soldiers and more than 60,000 people have been killed so far, and Pakistan has put its Sovereignty and integrity on risk, economy, trade shattered, still United State suspects Pakistan’s role.

During the Cold War, Washington used Pakistan against Soviet Union and despite Russian Nukes locked on big cities of Pakistan, it remained US ally. Under President Ayub Khan in the 1960s Pakistan was used by United States as a reconnaissance base against Soviet Union. Pakistani city of Peshawar was used by United States to fly U2 reconnaissance aircrafts to spy over Soviet Union. Although Soviet Union warned Pakistan to shut down the base inside Pakistan but Pakistan daring denied any existence U2 base inside its territory until Soviet Union downed one of U2 and prepare to Nuke Pakistani cities resulting Pakistan to fight war alone.

During the era of President Mohammed Zia ul-Haq in the 1980s, United States used Pakistan against its big foe Soviet Union in Afghanistan which resulted in breakdown of the Soviet Union, again United States left Pakistan alone without sharing the burden of millions of Afghan refugees.

After 9/11 attacks United States promised Pakistan to not repeat the mistakes of the past but again they are going to repeat the same trend. Pakistan has been turned against their close friend and yet in the midist they see the big role of India (foe of Pakistan and US) in Afghanistan. Pakistan has always been promised to and forgotten by United States. Pakistan has heartedly worked and helped United States but still they leave Pakistan trapped between two foes luckily Pakistan has to make its way out.

On other hand India was preferred every time, though India has lost none of its soldiers and its economy is on boom, still it benefits Pakistani ally United States promised Atomic Power Plant to India in the name of Civil cooperation and Pakistan was again stranded. Pakistan has remained Ally of US from 60s still when India attacked on Pakistan in 1965 and 1971 on East Pakistan (Now Bangladesh) despite hopes United States Ships never came to help.

After Sept. 11, 2001 attacks Pakistan was once again promised a lot to become ally of US and despite she many times helped the United States as Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence agency (ISI) arrested al-Qaeda leaders Khalid Sheik Mohammed and Ramzi Binalshibh and helped foil terrorist plots by Pakistanis living in Britain and CIA put the Pakistani ISI in the list of US enemy agency, after unanimous operation of capturing Bin Laden which violated Pakistani sovereignty and US self claiming that Bin Laden was killed in Pakistani city of Abbotabad and buried immediately in the sea without showing to any media and friendly country, many U.S. legislators point their fingers that the intelligence community of Pakistan has sheltered bin Laden.

2. Pakistan was an ally of the Taliban and now enemy, still US Suspects its role.

Pakistan has risked its sovereignty and integrity by fighting with their allies like Taliban which has successfully brought peace in war torn Afghanistan and the people of own country by becoming the ally of West’s war on terrorism, but still US thinks that Pakistani role is suspected. The even don’t know that if Pakistan change the side and give away antitank and Surface to Air missile to Taliban than US losses would have been immense.

Due to support of US, The Taliban doesn’t trust the Pakistanis. “Pakistan is so famous for treachery that it is said that they can get milk from a bull,” wrote Abdul Salam Zaeef, who was the ambassador to Pakistan for Afghanistan’s Taliban government until 2001. “They have two tongues in one mouth, and two faces on one head, so that they can speak everybody’s language. They use everybody, deceive everybody.”

And this suspicion runs both ways. Pakistan’s military remembers that the Afghan Taliban spurned its advice before 9/11, refusing to moderate its radical ideology and expel al-Qaeda. Pakistani generals disapprove of Islamist revolution — whether in Afghanistan or their own country — but most back the Afghan Taliban because they think they have no choice, given the bitter anti-Pakistan sentiment of powerful forces within Hamid Karzai’s government and India’s links to those forces.

3. Is Islamist revolution coming to Pakistan.

In a 2010 Pew Research Center poll, less than a fifth of Pakistanis viewed the Taliban favorably. The masses do not want Islamist revolution, and the wealthy clans that dominate Pakistani politics are a strong anti-revolutionary force. And, no matter what people think, Pakistan’s military has proved — by launching counter offensives that cleared the Taliban from the Swat Valley and other areas — that it can defeat Islamist insurgency.

The Taliban could gain a meaningful political foothold in Pakistan only after a large-scale military mutiny. If the United States launched sustained ground raids into Pakistan and generals ordered their soldiers not to resist, Pakistani army regulars would feel that their honor was compromised and might flock to the Taliban. The unilateral U.S. raid to kill bin Laden did embarrass the military and garnered some criticism from the Pakistani public. Due to which only U.S. missteps could bring soldiers to rebel and plunge Pakistan into revolution.

4. United State has always supported Pakistani Military, not civilian government.

The United States has always supported Pakistani Military dictators beginning from Field Marshal Ayub Khan in 1960s (Reconnaissance missions on Soviet Union) to Zia-ul-Haq in 1980s (to Fight so called Jehad on Soviet Union) and General Musharraf in 2000s(to fight war on terror). Each time to support their (US) own cause and agenda the United States even planted the dictators to over through the civilians government. US has given $1 billion per year to Pakistan’s military since 2001, but civilian aid is limited. Even if the $7.5 billion promised over five years by the recent Kerry-Lugar bill were disbursed — unlikely, given conditions attached requiring that Pakistan fight extremist groups and remain at peace with India — the aid would probably be outweighed by economic losses from terrorism and insurgency. Pakistan’s government estimates that these losses were more than $18 billion in 2010 alone.

Islamabad also has an invaluable bargaining chip: Supply routes for U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan run through Pakistan. Without Pakistan’s support, the United States would have to send supplies across Central Asia, doing deals with nasty, unstable governments such as Uzbekistan’s and making major concessions to Russia. In addition, Pakistan is one of China’s few allies — and Pakistani officials believe that this economic powerhouse could offer financial assistance that matches America’s if asked. The United States is in no position to issue diktats.

5. Pakistan gradually weakened and suppressed by US

Despite the Pakistani sincerity in War against terror, Pakistan still fells that India and Israel with the support of United States are infiltrating in Baluchistan and Pakhtonkhwah provinces of Pakistan and have alleged links with Pakistani Taliban and Baloch movements to weaken Pakistan from inside. Pakistan Army and ISI are pillars of Pakistan and they are continually attacked from inside and outside of Pakistan.

Even a Common man asks the outcome of previous friendships with United States as 1960s Field marshal Ayub’s Friendship gave us enemity with Soviet Union and Break away of Pakistan in the form of Bangladesh, 1980s Support of General Zia –ul-haq Pakistani people got the Kilashankov culture, Heroin and so called Jihad culture and in the end 2010 General Musharaf’s Support gave suicide bombers, and Drone attacks and much more to come.

This is the Price of friendship Pakistani people are paying with United States and Still United States thinks Pakistan is not doing enough.