Karachiites ignore doomsayers

By Muhammad Jamil

Human Rights activists and NGOs have been raising alarm over the decision to set up two nuclear power plants K-2 and K-3 in Karachi. As reported by Pakistan Observer, the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) conducted a public hearing on Monday on the issues of environmental pollution raised by the NGO representatives and other public figures. A great majority of those who appeared in the public hearing expressed their solidarity with the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) and endorsed their decision for setting up the nuclear plants in Karachi at Paradise Point. National Command Authority (NCA) adviser on Nuclear Projects Dr. Ansar Parvez (HI) also addressed the public hearing and dispelled fears about radiation. Dr. Ansar Parvez has Masters Degree in Physics and Nuclear Technology, Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, USA, and 30 years practical experience in related field.

He is Chairman of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), and was chairman of the Board of Governors of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) 2010-2011. With his academic background and vast experience in the nuclear field, he is an authority on the subject and other academics in nuclear physics pale before him. Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy and others not only opposed the setting up of two N-plants at Karachi but also presented doomsday scenario that Karachi would have to be evacuated if a nuclear disaster occurs. In a bid to allay fears surrounding the K2 and K3 nuclear plants, the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) had held a workshop for journalists at the Karachi Nuclear Power Plant (Kanupp) in February 2015. Many environmentalists and civil society organisations have been expressing concerns over the safety of the two Chinese-funded plants. 

These plants will be completed in the next seven years and add 2,200MW to the national grid. In the interactive discussion with the media following a visit to the site, PAEC Chairman Ansar Pervaiz described the concerns as “twisted facts being presented by certain groups”. In one of the presentations, Dr. Talat Fatmi, a professor at the Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences termed the possibility of radiation “a figment of imagination”. He had added that in the worst-case scenario like the recent Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, not a single death was reported and the World Health Organisation said in its report that the chances of cancer occurring in the area were also negligible. However, he maintained that the safety and security measures taken by the PAEC were foolproof. He had cited the example of Kanupp, which has been running for the last 40 years without a glitch.

China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) was contracted to build two reactors for the Karachi Coastal Nuclear Power Project in Pakistan, and Beijing committed $6.5 billion to finance construction of the $9.59 billion undertaking. In March 2014, The Newsweek’ cover story titled ‘The nuclear shadow over Karachi’ was authored by academics Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy, Zia Mian, and A.H. Nayyar. They raised alarm over nuclear plants to be constructed by CNNC, ignoring the fact that much of its technologies and designs were developed with Westinghouse and Areva SA. The authors stated: “The fundamental concern is that nearly 20 million people are living in Karachi, and about one out of every 10 Pakistanis could be at risk from these reactors….This brand of reactor known as the ACP-1000 has not yet been tested anywhere”. But, nuclear scientists of PAEC and Chinese scientists are competent and have practical experience in the relevant field.

Referring to the Fukushima nuclear accident the authors had stated: “Safety systems can fail catastrophically. The accident in 2011 struck Japanese reactors of a well-established design that had been operating for decades. Still, all kinds of things happened that were not expected by the reactor operators or managers or by nuclear safety authorities”. It is strange that immediately after the announcement of the K-2 and K-3 projects, the academics started saying that there was no information of emergency plans drawn up including for possible evacuation of millions of people from Karachi in case of severe nuclear accident occurs at the new reactors. Now in the latest ‘Newsweek’, the authors raised alarm that along with natural disasters and operator err, there is risk of deliberate sabotage or terrorists attack. They referred to terrorists attacks on GHQ, the Navy Mehran base and the Air force’s Kamra Air base. 

The authors had hypothesized and painted a gloomy picture by stating: “Unmanageable chaos -roads would be jammed, and emergency personnel and law enforces would be rendered immobile or might prefer to save themselves or take flight”. But this was an outrageous claim. Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission insists the reactors will be safe. The details reveal that China would construct plants ACP-1000 variety, the type that constitutes the vast majority of western nuclear plants, and is based on an extension of Westinghouse Electric Company’s AP-1000 model. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, it adopts both ‘active’ and ‘passive’ safety features. In fact, safety against both natural and man-made disasters is one of the outstanding features of this new design. Given this background, one can only expect the safety features of ACP-1000 to be stronger and certainly not any weaker, than the existing nuclear plants.
In any case, it is highly unlikely that the PAEC, the Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority (PNRA) or the IAEA would allow construction to follow through unless it is established that all safety concerns have been addressed, for this is precisely their job. But detractors of Pakistan’s nuclear program, or who have been using every ruse and trick to sabotage Pak-China nuclear deal are expressing unwarranted concerns. The nation has been listening to the vows of members of Obama administration that America would help Pakistan in overcoming the energy crisis, but nothing has been done, and such ideas have not gone beyond ‘noble’ sentiments. In 2010, during Indo-US strategic dialogue, India had told the US that it had serious objections to the proposed China-Pakistan nuclear deal. India did not feel any qualms that it had an agreement with the US; thus India had no moral high authority to criticize establishment of N-plants in Karachi. 

HEATING UP AGAIN

By Munir Akram 

AS an extreme summer engulfs the Indo-Gangetic plane, the political temperature is also rising. The Indian defence minister’s extraordinary statement about “fighting terror with terror” amounts to an open admission of India’s role in sponsoring terrorism in Pakistan and confirms the Pakistan Army’s accusation of India’s role in the Balochistan insurgency. The Pakistan army chief’s remarks calling for a solution for Kashmir on the basis of UN resolutions was an obvious reminder that India should not forget its own vulnerabilities.

India’s pronouncements have become increasingly strident. The Indian foreign minister has reiterated the refusal to resume a dialogue with Pakistan unless India’s preconditions are met. The defence minister, apart from the terror gaffe, has revived the far-fetched concern about Pakistan’s nuclear weapons being captured by extremists, in this case by the largely absent extremists of IS or the ‘Islamic State’. Indian officials have also floated the ludicrous claim that Saudi Arabia intends to buy nuclear weapons “off the shelf” from Pakistan. Notably, India launched a protest with China regarding the plan for an ‘economic corridor’ from Gwadar to Khunjerab.

The reasons for the escalating Indian rhetoric against Pakistan are not far to find. First, India is frustrated that Pakistan has not wilted under the pressure New Delhi hoped to generate by cutting off talks and ‘isolating’ Pakistan by its ‘terrorism’ accusations. On the contrary, Pakistan has evolved a more normal relationship with the US, obtained a major strategic commitment from China and opened a new chapter with Afghanistan.

Second, India is concerned that a Pakistan-Afghan normalisation will neutralise the western front India opened against Pakistan (through its support for the Balochistan Liberation Army insurgency and secret sponsorship of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan) and reduce Indian influence in Afghanistan. India worked hard with its friends in Kabul to generate opposition to President Ghani’s outreach to Pakistan and the putative deal for Kabul to act against the BLA and the TTP while Pakistan works to promote reconciliation between Ghani and the Afghan Taliban. India has had partial success. President Ghani visited India and has lately voiced discontent with Pakistan. Kabul’s cooperation against the BLA and the TTP also appears to have slowed down. The Pakistan Army’s open allegation of India’s role in Balochistan was also addressed to Kabul.

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India is frustrated that Pakistan has not wilted under the pressure New Delhi hoped to generate.

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Third, India opposes China’s rising role in the region, including in Afghanistan, and particularly its renewed strategic and economic commitment to Pakistan illustrated by the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor initiative. The realisation of this plan would be a major setback to India’s desire to dominate South Asia and isolate Pakistan.

Fourth, domestically, Modi’s ‘shine’ appears to be fading. So far, he has not delivered jobs or improved the lives of the poor. The BJP’s defeat in the Delhi elections to the Aam Aadmi party displayed its slide in popularity. Pakistan-bashing is the standard technique used by Indian governments to revive flagging domestic support. This is, of course, second nature to the extremists of the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. Besides Modi, the defence minister, national security adviser and the RSS-linked army chief appear all too eager to prove their credentials to their core constituency.

It is difficult to predict how far India’s ‘fighting talk’ will remain just talk or escalate into another crisis with Pakistan. Unfortunately, there are no modalities in place between India and Pakistan for crisis prevention. There are several scenarios in which the two nuclear powers could find themselves engaged in a dangerous confrontation.

It seems certain that, following China’s commitment to CPEC, India ( and others) may see the fostering of violence in Balochistan not only as pressure point against Pakistan (to ensure its ‘good behaviour’ in Kashmir), but also as a means to prevent China’s direct access to the Arabian Sea, the Persian Gulf and West Asia. Indian (and other) mischief in Balochistan and other parts of Pakistan may escalate. President Ghani may be persuaded not to cooperate with Pakistan in eliminating the support base of the insurgency in Afghanistan. If Pakistan’s counter-insurgency measures in Balochistan are not successful, Kashmir may be brought back into the equation, setting the stage for another India-Pakistan confrontation.

A Kashmir crisis is possible, even without Pakistan’s intervention. The BJP government’s policies in Kashmir — settling Hindus in the Valley, eroding India-held Kashmir’s special status and continued suppression of dissent — have already provoked widespread protest from Kashmiri Muslims. A new Kashmiri revolt is probable. It would evoke popular support in Pakistan, leading to another India-Pakistan crisis.

The spark for such a crisis may be lit by another terror attack in India. Given the anti-Muslim postures of the BJP-RSS government, Muslim militancy is likely to manifest itself more strongly in India. Terror groups, like Al Qaeda or IS, have already declared their intention to instigate such terror attacks. India’s Pavlovian reaction would be to blame Pakistan.

Any one of these scenarios can lead to a disastrous conflict. While India may feel tempted to test its ‘limited war’ concept, Pakistan would operate under the assumption that India’s ‘Cold Start’ doctrine (of sudden and massive attack) is operational. A major military engagement is likely to rapidly involve a missile exchange, with Pakistan seeking to break up large Indian formations, and India responding with attacks on command centres and strategic assets. Since most missiles and aircraft are ‘“dual capable’ (they can be armed with conventional or nuclear weapons), the danger of a conflict escalating to the nuclear level is extremely high.

The destiny of billions cannot be left in the hands of leaders motivated by religious and historical antagonisms or to hope and chance. Over almost 70 years, India and Pakistan have been unable to resolve their disputes rationally. The international community, especially the major powers, must play a more active and responsible role in preventing another war whose catastrophic consequences could reverberate far beyond South Asia.

The article was published in DAWN on 07 June 2015.

Modi Madness

 By Hamza Jilani

            With Narendra Damodardas Modi, a Hindu Nationalist taking over as the 15^th Prime Minister of India, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) tightened their grip on Indian Policies. Modi, a controversial figure, domestically and internationally, was elevated from former Chief Minister of Gujarat to the Chief Executive of India; a tea seller from Vadnagar Railway Station has come a long way. Modi joined RSS as a Balswayamsevak (Junior Cadet) when he was eight years old and became the BJP chosen Chief Minister of Gujarat in 2001.His involvement in anti Muslim riots of 2002 is still being debated with Martha Nassbaum commenting “ there is by now a broad consensus that the Gujarat violence was a form of ethnic cleansing, that in many ways it was premeditated, and that it was carried out with the complicity of the State Government and Law Enforcement Agencies”. So much for his past, a google search for top 10 criminals displays his photographs even today!

            Now that Mr Modi is the Indian PM, BJP and RSS Zealots have a free hand to  pursue their anti Pakistan agenda openly. RAW has been re-energized to unleash its sinister designs against Pakistan, Indian Ministers threatening use of terrorism as a tool. Ajit Kumar Doval, a self styled Indian James Bond, has been appointed as the National Security Advisor with the same agenda. Pakistan China Economic Corridor (PCEC) is the latest Indian nightmare for reasons best known to them only and they have been crying hoarse. Naive as they are, forgetting their dirty ploys since the creation of Pakistan, dismemberment of East Pakistan, saturated presence in Afghanistan, meddling in FATA and Balochistan with the only frenzied ambition – damage Pakistan.

            Indian PM visited Bangladesh recently and openly confessed Indian involvement in the breakup of East Pakistan; so much for his statemanship! India – Awami League (AL) partnership is old and time tested. The visit was ostensibly meant to ratify the long pending India Bangladesh Land Boundry Agreement (LBA). The other major pending issue, Teesta water sharing, however, was not discussed. There are plans for Special Economic Zones for Indian Investors in Bangladesh. India is exporting 500 MW of electricity through Bangladesh with an estimated potential of 50,000 MW. Settlement of Maritime Boundry has prospects of joint exploration of oil and gas reserves in Bay of Bengal. New initiatives likely to be announced include direct bus services, rail and road

links. Amidst all this fanfare, irritants like Teesta and Feni Rivers, Farakkha Barrage, terrorist safehavens in Bangladesh, illegal migration, border fencing, trans – shipment issues, Asian Highway, sea boundary demarcation, smuggling, treatment of minorities, trade barriers and imbalances have been left in the doldrums.

            Mission RAW, a book by RK Yadav, a former RAW Officer highlights details of Indian obsession and plans of undoing Pakistan by creating turmoil in its Eastern Wing just three years after its creation in September 1968. Besides an account of RAW Commandos in East Pakistan, he states that “RN Kao, former RAW Chief orchestrated hijacking of an Indian Airliner to Lahore so that Pakistani Flights over Indian Airspace could be banned”. Yadav has also given an account of how Sikkim was merged in India. Mr Zainal Abedin, a senior Bangladeshi Journalist in his book RAW and Bangladesh writes that “as a former student leader and freedom fighter he crossed over to India in 1971 for military training. He soon realized that he had made a big mistake. He states that after the fall of Dhaka, he saw large scale loot and plunder by Indian Troops, their so called liberators. They looted everything from ceiling fans to military equipment, utensils to water taps. Thousands of Army Vehicles were used to carry the looted goods to India. History has recorded few such cruel and heinous plunders. From the Indian conduct it was evident that they treated Bangladesh as a colony. It is now evident, writes Mr Abedin, that India helped in the creation of Bangladesh with the aim that it would be a step towards the reunification of India. Soon after the creation of Bangladesh, India let loose all forces at her command to cripple the newly born country. The most significant player of this heinous game of Akhand Bharat is RAW, which is still eating into the vitals of Bangladesh. Mr Abedin dwells at length on Arthshastra, a book written by Koutillaya and how the Indian Leadership applies his principles even today”. With Sikkim gone, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Maldives and Kashmir are still in their crosshairs. Pakistan remains a painful thorn in their side for standing up to their hegemonic designs. Their wish list stretches even further to Afghanistan, Iran and Central Asian Republics. Too late Mr Abedin, you should have heeded to the advice of your neighbour who had warned you that “Indians would make us their slaves again!”

            So much for history, the latest from Indian adventures? attack on “insurgents” in Myanmar. In East Pakistan it was a War of Liberation, in Manipur it is an insurgency.

Double standards is too decent a term for such insane behaviour. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, an Indian Minister had the nerve to call it a warning to Pakistan. India  would be well advised to focus on an estimated 30 liberation movements in Kashmir, Khalistan, Assam, Arunachal Pardesh, Tripura, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, Tamil Nadu and Laddakh with 16 belligerent groups and 68 major organizations, conveniently termed as terrorists, fighting  for their cause. Hindutva, the Hindu political philosophy seeped in prejudice would implode India sooner or later. Mr Modi while sticking to the teachings of Koutillaya must not forget the proverb, people who live in glass houses should not throw stones. Continuous saber rattling could turn into a conflagration which would engulf the whole region, so stop this madness Mr Modi.

Balochistan: Anti-Punjab and Anti-Army Propaganda

By Sajjad Shaukat

The ink on Pak-China agreements related to China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was barely dry when some western media, especially Indian secret agency RAW started playing up the Baloch insurgency. In this regard, the director of The Second Floor (T2F), a social activist Sabeen Mahmud was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Karachi on April 24, 2015, followed by a bomb blast in Sibi, which killed several persons on April 26. However, she had left T2F after attending the session on Balochistan province, when she was targeted. She was likely to conduct a seminar at LUMS in Lahore about Balochistan. Earlier, on April 11, gunmen killed 20 laborers at a dam construction site in the Turbat district of Baluchistan. On May 29, 2015, 20 people were killed when unknown militants opened fire at the kidnapped passengers in Mastung area of Balochistan—after abduction of two buses. Particularly, on May 13, 45 people were killed when gunmen brutally opened fire on a bus of the Ismaili community in Karachi. Ahmed Marwat, a spokesman for Jundullah which is the affiliated group of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), claimed responsibility for the bus attack.

Like these terror attacks which continue in some way or the other, Karachi bus incident was also handy work of RAW to sabotage the CPEC by showing that if Pakistan government is not able to provide security to its citizens, how it can protect CPEC. Ismailis belong to Hunza (Gilgit/Baltistan) or have a spiritual linkage with this area, are Pakistanis. The CPEC would also originate from the same region.

Similarly, RAW was behind the assassination of Sabeen Mahmud-a well thought-out plan not only to try to harm Pak-China CPEC project, but also to accuse Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Another aim was also to drive a wedge between Balochistan and rest of Pakistan.

Meanwhile, Indian high officials themselves proved that India is sponsoring terrorism in various regions of Pakistan, particular in Balochistan. In this respect, Indian Defence Minister, Manohar Parrikar, while using the Hindi phrase “kante se kanta nikalna’ (removing a thorn with a thorn) assertively said, on May 23, 2015, “We have to neutralise terrorists through terrorists only…why does my soldier have to do it…the issue could not be discussed beyond this…there are certain things that I obviously cannot discuss here.”

Indian External Affairs Minister, Sushma Swaraj recognized, on June 1, this year that India strongly “opposes $46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.”

In this respect, while addressing a ceremony during his Bangladesh tour, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi Modi openly admitted on June 7, this year that Indian forces helped Mukti Bahini to turn East Pakistan into Bangladesh. He elaborated that former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had played an active role in separating Bangladesh from Pakistan, and he had also come to Delhi in 1971 to participate in the Satyagraha Movement launched by Jana Sangh as a volunteer to garner support for the Mukti Bahini members.

In the recent past, Indian former Army Chief Gen. VK Singh openly confessed that during his tenure, he supervised special army unit, Tactical Support Division (TSD) on the instructions of the then defence minister to sponsor subversive acts in Pakistan, especially in Balochistan.

These blatant admissions by New Delhi endorsed that RAW has well-established its network in Afghanistan, and with the tactical assistance of some anti-Pakistan secret agencies, it is fully backing cross-border incursions and terror-activities particularly in Balochistan so as to destabilize Pakistan. It has continuously been assisting the Baloch separatist elements and anti-Pakistan groups like BLA, Jundullah and TTP including their affiliated outfits with logistic support—the militants kidnapped and killed many innocent people and the security personnel in the province through suicide attacks, bomb blasts, targeted killings and sectarian violence. They also abducted and killed many Chinese and Iranian nationals. Therefore, they are responsible for dumped bodies and extrajudicial killings and the missing persons in the province. On a number of occasions, these insurgent groups claimed responsibility for their acts of sabotage, but India and some external powers have been shifting the blame game of human rights violations in Balochistan towards Pak Army.

In this context, these entities continue a deliberate propaganda campaign against Pakistan Army by always making Army role controversial. They indicate that Punjabi Army never killed people in Punjab; carried out military operations in other provinces like Balochistan. Their main aim is to create resentment among the Baloch against Punjab and Army. In this connection, those who are building Sabeen Mehmood murder case as a campaign for Baloch rights are in fact more interested to demonize Army and ISI rather than helping the poor masses of Balochistan.

Whereas Army has not only been successful in uprooting the anti-state elements, but also contributed a lot in socio-economic development of Balochistan. It is mentionable that besides protecting mega projects, and promoting other developments works, Pak Army set up a number of institutes in Balochistan, which have been providing especially technical training to thousands of Balochis. Pak Army has also been imparting military training to the Baloch youth. The purpose is to bring them in the mainstream of the country.

As a result of the general elections 2013, the government led by a nationalist leader Chief Minister Balochistan Dr Abdul Malik Baloch was established. And on December 7, 2013; local bodies elections were largely held in a peaceful manner in Balochistan. The successful elections have greatly negated the cause of terrorist groups, who always claim to enjoy the majority support. These elections also proved that majority of the Baloch are loyal to the federation, as they have rejected the case of separatists, being projected by India and other major countries.

And a Gallup survey of the UK official body, DFID, conducted on July 20, 2012 had disclosed that the vast majority of the Baloch people oppose the idea of an independent Balochistan.

It is notable that CPEC is to be economic game changer in whole the region, which is badly hit by below average living conditions, while people of Balochistan would be the main beneficiaries of the CEPC project. Two decades down the timeline, Gwadar would be a thriving metropolitan providing economic opportunities to the youth of Balochistan.

But, RAW University New Delhi is continuously conducting research and destabilizing the region through its political and terrorist assets located in UK, Sweden, Karachi, Balochistan and Afghanistan.

It is mentionable that with the inception of new political governments both at the center and the province, a meaningful negotiation with all the armed separatist groups have been initiated by a high level reconciliation and negotiation committee, comprising seasoned Baloch, Pashtoon  and Sindhi leaders to initiate dialogue with Baloch separatists.

Open offers to negotiate issues have been made to armed Baloch groups who have owned the responsibility to kill many innocent persons. On the instruction of New Delhi and some foreign anti-Pakistan entities, these groups continue to deny such offers on various reasons.

In this connection, as part of propaganda, all these anti-Pakistan entities are linking Balochistan with dismemberment of East Pakistan and Kashmir struggle which is nothing, but a deliberate effort to twist the facts. The Kashmir liberation movement is a rightful struggle and is the UN stature—unresolved agenda item. Likewise, the separation of East Pakistan was not based purely on indigenous movement or the policies of West Pakistan; it was in fact India who exploited the situation by promoting militancy in East Pakistan, and then militarily occupied it to install government of their choice. The involvement of RAW in Balochistan is the continuation of the same Indian policy to cause maximum damage to Pakistan.

As matter of fact, during its operations, natural calamities and humanitarian services, Pak Army never discriminated between Punjabis and non-Punjabis. It was due to uncontrolled violent events in Sindh, Balochistan and FATA that Army was compelled to conduct military operations, but with the public support of every segment of society including provincial and local people of those areas.

Nonetheless, our media entities must indicate that terrorists, operating in Balochistan are against Pakistan and pursuing the agenda of the vested interests of their foreign masters, especially pointing out Indian support to Baloch separatists.

Sajjad Shaukat writes on international affairs and is author of the book: US vs Islamic Militants, Invisible Balance of Power: Dangerous Shift in International Relations

Email: sajjad_logic@yahoo.com

Progress of the Operation Zarb-e-Azb

By Sajjad Shaukat

The ongoing military operation Zarb-e-Azb which started on Jun 15, 2014 against the militants in North Waziristan Agency (NWA) is successfully achieving its objectives.

On June 10, this year, Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Raheel Sharif, while recounting the successes of security forces in the Zarb-e-Azb said, “Terrorists have been cleared and dislodged from their strongholds in North Waziristan and Khyber Agency and fight now is moving into last few pockets close to Afghan border.” He laid emphasis on “continuation of the operations till elimination of the last expected and probable terrorists groups and sanctuaries.”

When the Pakistan Government decided to launch this operation, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif took the nation into confidence through parliament, asserting that Pakistan would not be allowed to become safe havens of terrorists. Earlier, DG, ISPR Directorate, Major-Gen. Asim Saleem Bajwa had stated, “Armed forces of Pakistan have launched the operation against foreign and local terrorists…who had been waging a war against the state of Pakistan by disrupting our national life in all its dimensions, stunting our economic growth and causing enormous loss of life and property…with the support of the entire nation, these enemies will be denied space across the country.”

He further stated that military operation would continue till achievement of ultimate objectives. On June 16, 2014, Gen. Raheel Sharif also pointed out, “Operation Zarb-e-Azb has been launched with the objectives of rooting out terrorists, eliminate their sanctuaries in NWA and rid the country of terrorism.”

After the militants of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) massacred 132 school children at Army Public School and College in Peshawar on December 16, 2014, while emphasizing national unity against terrorists, Gen. Raheel had repeatedly stated, “Our resolve has taken new height”, and added “We will continue to go after the inhuman beasts, their facilitators till their final elimination.”

And Gen. Raheel Sharif has himself started supervising the military action against terrorists, and as part the operation, Zarb-e-Azb.

However, since June 15, 2014, the jets of Pakistan Air Force have bombed militants’ hideouts in North Waziristan, and killed thousands of insurgents including foreign militants, while Pak Army has also killed several terrorists through ground offensive and many of them surrendered before the Army.

Undoubtedly, the noble cause followed by troops enabled them to eliminate terrorists, destroyed their strongholds/sanctuaries, demolishing tunnels and factories producing IED (Explosives), while drying the sources of their funds and sinking their public support.

In fact, the different war between Pakistan’s Armed Forces and the TTP insurgents is simply a ‘clash of wills’ between two entities. Military thinkers agree that although the physical force will determine the type and scale of war, yet it is the ‘will to fight’ or ‘moral force’ that determines the outcome of war. Clausewitz puts it this way, “One might say that the physical force seems little more than the wooden hilt, while moral factors are the precious metal, the real weapon.”

In his book, “Fighting Power: German and U.S. Army Performance, 1939-1945”, Creveld identifies the elements of ‘moral force’, whom he calls “fighting power, the willingness to fight and the readiness, if necessary, to die.” The greater these elements, the less vulnerable an armed force will be to demoralization. ‘Moral force’, then, is the crucial factor in determining the combat power of any belligerent.

During the successful military operation, Zarb-e-Azb” retreat of the Taliban from North Waziristan has proved that such elements like ‘will to fight’ and ‘moral force’ have been more found in Pakistan’s Armed Forces then the Taliban militants.

Nevertheless, there are other causes which demoralized the insurgents of the TTP and their affiliated militant outfits. Firstly, strong determination and cohesiveness as noted in Pakistan’s Armed Forces played a key role in expelling terrorists from North Waziristan Agency. In this regard, airstrikes by Pakistan Air Force targeted their strongholds. And during street to street fighting, without bothering for their lives, and by air-dropping commandos at the risky places, our forces made a great headway in disrupting the Taliban supply routes. They besieged them at various hotspots, rendering them unable to send reinforcements to their fighters. Secondly, morale of Pak Army was very high. Thirdly, local people started denying the Taliban sanctuaries, and disrupted their links with each other. Fourthly, general masses of the area opposed the brutal acts of these terrorists which compelled them to leave their houses. They came to know that under the cover of Islamic laws—terror, not Sharia was these militants’ real agenda. Hence, they were misusing Jihad which does not allow suicide attacks in killing their own Muslim brethren.

Undoubtedly, Pakistan’s Armed Forces have successfully broken the backbone and organized capability of terrorists to launch well thought-out attacks against the government assets and on innocent people. They have met serious setbacks in operation Zarb-e-Azb, and shall finally be totally eliminated from Pakistan. It appears, as if the militants of TTP have lost major grounds, and in severe frustration, they are trying to create some kind of so-called pressure on the government and the Armed Forces through some terror-activities which are due to external support of Indian  RAW and other anti-Pakistan powers to these terrorists. But, Armed Forces have castigated them to put up strong resistance.

It is notable that the North Waziristan Agency was the largest tribal agency with difficult and complicated topography. But, by sacrificing their own lives, Armed Forces successfully cleared the region. Therefore, the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) have been returning to North Waziristan, and Pak Army helped them in their resettlement.

As terrorists had accelerated their anti-social, undemocratic and un-Islamic practices, while they had challenged the writ of the state, and had frightened the entire nation by their terror-acts. Therefore, leaders of various political and religious parties including all segments of society and media anchors—particularly commentators of TV channels, who wanted that a handful of terrorist elements must not be allowed to dictate their agenda and to impose their self-perceived ideology on the majority of Pakistanis are admiring the successes, achieved during the operation Zarb-e-Azb. Now, the whole nation is united against terrorism and is backing the military operation against these brutal militants.

No doubt, the progress of the operation Zarb-e-Azb is very encouraging, as it is fruitfully advancing towards its logical end. At present, especially Pakistan’s media need to show sense of hope and optimism by indicating that the present broad-based military operation will annihilate the terrorists.

Sajjad Shaukat writes on international affairs and is author of the book: US vs Islamic Militants, Invisible Balance of Power: Dangerous Shift in International Relations

Email: sajjad_logic@yahoo.com

Xi’s mega visit

By S M Hali

The panacea of all Pakistan's ills is the development of its infrastructure in communication, trade, commerce, health, education and energy

much-awaited visit to Pakistan came at a significant moment in the history of both nations. Sino-Pak relations are multidimensional and have stood the test of time but, in the global as well as regional perspectives, the currents of change necessitated a personal visit to Pakistan by the Chinese leadership to exchange views and examine options. ?The raging conflicts in the Arab world, the drawdown of Occidental forces from Afghanistan amidst President Ashraf Ghani’s overtures of support to both China and Pakistan and the menace of terrorism, which plagues all three neighbours makes it obligatory for the Sino-Pakistan leadership to seek joint solutions. Many Pakistanis would perceive President Xi Jinping’s visit only through the prism of China’s proposed development projects in Pakistan, significant among them being the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which is part of the broader ‘one belt, one road’ vision of President Xi. This project was provided impetus by the presidential visit but it would have progressed anyway owing to fast tracking through the joint strategic teams designated to execute the venture smoothly and expeditiously, notwithstanding the myopic views of some political detractors. Yet other politicians with their dogmatic visualisation will only ask what dollar value the Chinese investment will bring to Pakistan. 

It is time we shed our blinkered vision of quantifying relationships in the balance of fiscal gains. Sino-Pakistan ties have already evolved from the political to strategic level and Xi’s mega visit has put a stamp of authority on transforming it into an all-weather strategic, cooperative partnership. Besides economic development projects, this elevation of ties encompasses dimensions of military and defence technology cooperation, which are vital for safeguarding Pakistan’s national security in a challenging milieu. Both President Xi and his Pakistani counterpart have reiterated that the strategic Sino-Pak partnership is not directed against any other country but is aimed at the preservation of peace, stability and security in a strife-torn region, enshrouded in an environment where various protagonists are realigning alliances to serving their own agendas. 

If one were to impassionedly evaluate the core value of Xi’s mega visit to Pakistan, then sifting through the emotional impact one would conclude that it was to boost the economic aspect of the bilateral relationship to arrive at par with political and strategic characteristics. ?President Xi made it abundantly clear that there is unity of thought not just in the governments of both states but also among the people seeking a common destiny. While President Xi has highlighted the broad parameters of the “Chinese dream”, it has been reaffirmed that the Pakistani dream coincides with the same. The development of the strategic port of Gwadar, the CPEC and the maritime silk routes are but milestones on the road to the visualisation of the common dreams and aspirations of the two nations. 

Pakistan is passing through one of the most turbulent moments of its history. The scourge of terrorism, economic crunch, acute energy shortage, lack of employment opportunities and lawlessness have all driven the country deeper into the morass of hopelessness. The panacea of all Pakistan’s ills is the development of its infrastructure in communication, trade, commerce, health, education and energy, not in the same order of priority. It is to Pakistan’s benefit that an iron brother like China is at hand not to dole out alms and aid in our begging bowl but, being cognisant of Pakistan’s sovereignty, helping it to stand on its own feet. The generation of energy through hydro, coal, solar, wind and nuclear sources will make Pakistan self-sufficient in this vital sector. Education, health and communication infrastructure development will guarantee a better future for coming generations of Pakistani students, entrepreneurs and traders. The advent of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) hold great promise for developing nations like Pakistan, which need to emerge from the clutches of stringent conditions imposed by the IMF and World Bank, and benefit from the user friendly statutes of the AIIB.?We need to stop parroting the $ 46 billion value of Chinese projects likely to be injected into Pakistan during the early harvest and beyond, and instead seriously endeavour to efficiently execute the various projects for their timely completion and optimum utilisation of our resources. 

One of the irritants that may hamper the Sino-Pak relationship is the potential of controversies regarding some projects. Whereas the relationship stands on the bedrock of trust and faith, let us not take it for granted and sully the waters through unnecessary criticism and nitpicking regarding the wherewithal of these development projects. While we look at the broader picture, the Pakistani government must also be more transparent in the implementation of these ventures.?Xi’s visit to Pakistan has lifted the morale and spirits of the Pakistanis immersed in despondency. Let us endeavour to achieve our cherished dreams jointly. 

Pak role in Yemen turmoil

By Ali Sukhanver

The international media is doing its utmost to portray the Saudi-Yemen conflict as a sectarian conflict between the Shia and Sunni sects and it is also being propagated that these two sects are being supported by Iran and Saudia respectively. The matter of fact is that the conflict in Yemen has nothing to do with the sectarian conflict. It is purely an internal affair of Yemen which could be harmful to Saudi Arab at some stage as these two countries share a very long border. Yemen enjoys the same strategic position in the Middle East which Afghanistan enjoys in the South Asia.

For so many decades Yemen is facing a situation of internal turmoil. The nature of this turmoil is purely socio-political. This is for the first time that this conflict is being introduced as a sectarian conflict, allegedly because of Iranian support to the Houthis. According to various reports; Yemen had to pass through the same type of conflict in 1962 also. The Egyptians supported the Yemen government with seventy thousand troops against the Houthis. The Houthis Tribes are the 40% of Yemeni population. On the other hand the Houthis were secretly supplied weapons by Israel to fight against the Egyptians in 1960s. Since then this politico-religious movement of the Houthis took a violent shape under the title of Ansarullah.

After the creation of Ansarullah different local, regional and international forces got the opportunity of playing devilish politics in Yemen. By working on the same strategy, the anti-Islamic forces have succeeded in weakening various Islamic countries. Most of the Middle East countries have been weakened by world powers through economic sanctions, civil strife and military attacks. Fortunately, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has yet not fallen a prey to this devilish international politics. Now the international forces have concentrated all their attention upon the destabilization of KSA. 

The only aim and objective of the Yemen conflict is to create disturbance in Saudi Arab. For Pakistan both the countries are very dear but the relationship with Saudi Arab is no doubt more close and brotherly cordial but that does not mean Pakistan’s relationship with Yemen is based on any kind of hostility or enmity. Just at the beginning of the Saudi-Yemen turmoil, some of the political sections in Pakistan were of the opinion that Pakistan must send its military troops to Saudi Arab in case the Houthis rebels try to cross over the Saudi boundaries; fortunately it did not happen. However the political and military high-ups of Pakistan kept watching the situation and very wisely decided not to become a part of it by sending its forces to crush the Houthis. Now things are getting better, let us hope for the best.
The Prime Minister of Pakistan and the Army Chief visited Saudi Arab to look at the situation personally and to make the Saudi government realise that Pakistan is always on their beck and call. Pakistan has always played a key role in unifying the Muslim world. Saudi Arabia is a brotherly country and people of Pakistan hold them in high esteem but at the same time Pakistan has good relationship with Yemen too. Instead of jumping into a war between two Muslim countries, Pakistan must try to bring durable peace between the two countries through negotiations.