Whose War is it?

Whose War is it?

D. Suba Chandran
Deputy Director, Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, New Delhi

An interesting debate is taking place inside Pakistan, especially after that huge attack on Marriott Hotel in Islamabad a week before. The debate centers around the following questions: Why is Pakistan being attacked? How did the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has suddenly become a major threat? And why are the Americans pressurizing Pakistan to more, despite the latter being at the receiving end? In short, the question is: Whose war is it?

Pakistan does have a point. Since the War on Terrorism has started, Pakistan has been at the receiving end. From common man in the streets to the Prime Ministers to the President, there have been numerous suicide attacks in the last few years. While Musharraf and Shaukat Aziz were lucky to escape, Benazir Bhutto was unfortunate to succumb. The entire FATA is infested by violence. Killings, destruction, internal displacement, cross border attacks and aerial strikes have become a regular phenomenon, affecting day to day functioning, in every sphere. The human and material loss for Pakistan has been colossal so far. Worse, this is only a beginning.

When the US has been repeatedly asking Pakistan to do more in curbing terrorism, along with an explicit threat, that they have a right to strike targets within Pakistan territory, the Pakistanis will naturally ask: Why is Pakistan being targeted? Whose War is it?

There is an inherent fear within the country, that the US is using Pakistan and will abandon once again, once the American interests are achieved. It did happen earlier. After the Afghan jihad against the Soviet was over, the US packed its bags from there, leaving Pakistan to manage the residue. So the Pakistanis fear, that once Osama is captured or killed, the US will again leave Afghanistan, is leaving Karzai and Taliban to fend for themselves. Presuming such a scenario, they ask themselves: Why should Pakistan antagonize Taliban today?

Pakistan believes that the US is unlikely to be in Afghanistan for ever. The US has failed to convince Pakistan, that this time, its interests are long term and is unlikely to leave Afghanistan. On the other hand, Pakistan is not that naïve, as some writers in Pakistani media have been portraying. When the US came to this region after the Soviet Union entered Afghanistan, Pakistan played a shrewd game during the entire 1980s and 90s. Pakistan. This was a blowback, that Pakistan did not see coming. When it does, Pakistan now tries to shift the blame and tell the US and perhaps the rest, that its not their war. Its time for introspection and not finger pointing are giving up.