The irony is hard to miss. Just as Pakistan is struggling with the fallout of the first known breach of its territorial sovereignty by U.S. ground troops and all the odium associated with it in a proud nation, India has been welcomed into the nuclear high table, almost entirely at America’s behest.
Two unrelated events but coming days apart seemed to underline the divergent paths the two nations are embarked upon. One has a gun pointed to it; the other is being wooed.
On Saturday, America railroaded whatever opposition there was from smaller countries in the Nuclear Suppliers Group to civilian nuclear trade with India, despite its refusal to give up nuclear weapons and sign the NPT. As far as New Delhi is concerned the approval is a momentous decision as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said, because it ends 34 years of sanctions and isolation following the first nuclear test in 1974.
I remember an Indian defence scientist telling me way back that the sanctions were so pervasive that some institutions blacklisted by the United States on suspicion they were involved in the nuclear weapons programme couldn’t even import a toothbrush from there.
In one stroke, and in line with the way in which the Bush administration has gone about remaking the world in its own image, all that has changed. India’s nuclear weapons aren’t a problem any more as America builds a new strategic partnership that many see as aimed at balancing China.
And what of Pakistan ? A seat at the nuclear table is probably the farthest thing on anyone’s mind including perhaps Islamabad’s as it struggles with more fundamental issues of territorial integrity at this point. The raid this week by U.S. forces may signal an even more intense attacks as this report says.
But the Pakistan government, says Gary Leupp, a history professor at Tufts University, has provided more assistance to the United States than any other as it pursues its goals in southwest Asia. No country has been more dramatically destabilized as the price of its cooperation.
“But not only does the U.S. political class take this disastrous compliance for granted, it wants to further emphasize Islamabad’s irrelevance by attacking the border area at will,” he writes. And ominously it’s not just the Bush crowd; Senator Barack Obama has been saying that the United States must do more to press Pakistan to act against the Islamist militants as an earlier post on this blog pointed out.
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I am thankful to Allah that brave muslims went on to build their nation Pakistan and equip it with nuclear weapons. Today the enemies of Islam fear this only Islamic nuclear power on the earth. LONG LIVE PAKISTAN!!!
- Posted by KashmirPakistanThumbs up to Abdul!
- Posted by SanjanaGood Job.
Well Done.
I am a Muslim and today I regret as to Why Pakistan was created?? United India could have had 180+170+150million Bangladesh Muslims. Total 500 million Muslims in one country.
I am thankful to Allah that the partition of India separated the fanatics from the real believers in Islam.
- Posted by Abdul AnsariI am glad to see that we are supporting a democratic country such as India. Pakistan on the otherhand has been a source of problem for the region and the world as a whole. All the Islamic terrorists seem to be getting trained there and concentrated in that nation supported by their intelligence agencies. Pakistan has also been the most significant proliferation of nuke bomb technology to enemies of America such as Iran, Syria, Libya, North Korea and god knows who else.
- Posted by Rob PomeradoGandoostan(India) is born to burn. I can bet within a decade there won’t be any Gandoostan. I mean there r 4 parallel gov.
1) by RAW
2) Hindu fundamentalists
3) by public elected corrupt politicians
4) corrupt and incapable bureaucrats
so I will tell u Gandoostan is doomed.
- Posted by UMPKPakistan= Army+ISI+Ghauri+Shaheen+F-16s+Nuclear bombs+proud to be eternal enemies of India
- Posted by UMPKIndia = Coward bollywood cunts
Pakistan is a strong nation. The ISI and Pakistan Army as powerful as ever. Even the USA and CIA are aware what ISI is capable. Pakistan nuclear capability is well maintained and guarded. Also, Pakistani missile program is much advance than India. Pakistan was always subjected to severe sanctions during the 80s to prevent from building the bomb. But Prime Minister Z.A Bhutto had famously remarked :\”We will eat grass, but build the bomb\”. And we did it. Pakistan damn cares regarding the Indo-US nuclear deals. We are proud of our nuclear bombs and ready to use them on any enemy that thinks we are weak.
- Posted by UMPKVijay and this Indian who as posted above, are both son of bitch f*cking Gandoo Indians madar chod.
India will now be able to defeat Pakistan in all the future wars. If you search the records, 1 Indian rupee was equal to 1 Pakistani rupee in 1994. Today 1 Indian rupee = 1.75 Pakistani rupee. The Pakistani currency has become worthless and will continue to lose its worth.
Today India has more Muslims than Pakistan.
180 MILLION comapared to Pakistan’s 170 Million.
So that’s the crucial difference between the two nations.
- Posted by Abdul AnsariPorkistan is born to burn. I can bet within a decade there won’t be any porkistan. I mean there r 4 parallel gov.
1) by ISI
2) military
3) by public elected corrupt parties
4) mullas
so I will tell u pakistan is doomed.
- Posted by PorkistaniSikander,
Welcome to the real world. There is no more equal treatment for Pakistan with India. This is not just the “Hindu Indian” view but the view of the whole civilized world.
India = Democracy, Economic growth, education, IT and high technology
Pakistan = Jihad, terrorism, nuclear prolfieration, Taliban, Al Qaeda and rogue military
This is the real world.
- Posted by VijayWhy is Rooters defaming the Pakistan, hain? It is all Amreeka’s fault that not enough Canadian Visas were issued. And Bakbak Obama should know better than to attack Bakistan. He will learn lesson of Munh-tod Jawab and also Nani-Remembering. Salaam.
- Posted by Abdul Al-OkullahSanjeevs article and the predictable response by Sikander Hayat shows how religious extremism is deeply entrenched in Pakistan. The authors article ends on a sympathetic note to Pakistan - it is entirely another matter whether that sympathy is even deserved. Pakistan has swallowed billions in US aid, used it almost entirely for weaponry directed against arch rival India, and Musharraf’s promises against extremism have been mostly hollow. Few, if any believe, Pakistans proclamations of having lost “Thousands of men” in the war on terror. Every neutral source from the Post, NYTimes, to Time has run articles on how the Pakistani Army staffed ISI has been hoodwinking the US by handing over run of the mill Arabs while protecting the more important Taliban and Al Qaeda leaders. This while hundreds have died in India and Afghanistan in the past few years alone, as the ISI backed Islamic militants attack and target civilians.
Even so, Miglani attempts to portray Pakistan in the light of being a victim.
And for that, Sikander Hayat of Pakistan calls him a “Hindu Indian” out to malign Pakistan. In that it reflects the pervasive bigotry that is common in Pakistan and Pakistani circles, where the Hindu is a creature, an infidel to be attacked and exterminated and that has been the raison de etre of the two nation theory as well, which led to the creation of Pakistan. The events of September 11 showed that the same philosophy had been extended and implemented vs the United States, which of course led to the US war vs the Taliban.
At present, the Pakistani Army is biding its time, but to imagine that it will get rewarded for a history of military incompetence (defeats vs the Indians time and again, in 48, 65, 71 and 1999) and genocide (1971 vs the Bengalis), is breathtaking naivete.
The Pak Army & civilian establishment were also culpable in proliferating nuclear and missile technology to Libya and North Korea.
Based on this horrific track record of exporting and sponsoring terror and rogue actors, the Pak Govt should be held to task and not offered more military aid or salves to its “pride” or “honor and dignity”.
- Posted by Jim TollersWhy make a comparison between the two? One is a failed nation that will probably not survive more than 1-2 decade while the other will continue as a stable democracy for a long time. One is essentially going down the path Afghanistan was in the early 90’s with warlords controlling and roaming the NWFP. Pakistan got its missiles and bomb from the master proliferation china (and N korea) and then passed it on to ummah brothers in libya, iran and alqaeda. They still consider the taliban as a strategic investment to use against India, afghanistan and US interests in the region. Its no wonder US is fed up with their lies and keep bombing them. More power to ISAF..
- Posted by vavWhy did it take India 34 years? It seems to me to be a very long time? Or does the Indian Clock naturally runs slower? What was India’s problem – or are you just gloating about someone else’s issues – gratuitous pontification?
- Posted by Sifwat AliYes and No, firstly when were india and pakistan on the same path for you to see them in different paths now ??
- Posted by Ompakistan has always aimed at begging alms from US for daily bread and filling bank accounts of corrupt leaders. pakistan has always loved to live in chaios where part of public see taliban as brothers and few see them as enemies.well its easy to see taliban and alqueida are the one responsible to make pakistan eligible to beg alms from US.
where as India has dignity and there is no way one can compare India and pakistan in anyway..
I agree part of story that nuclear deal could be to balance out china. as china pose a big treat to US today not a militery threat though but US is in deep deep shit when it comes to their trade deficit to china largely because of china’s non-transparent banking and currency valuation.
India is definitely marching ahead and for pakistan it’s internal and external policies are so flawed that their survival is at stake.
Want to support terrorist and then also act as if against terror.
Want to have friendship with India but instigate the communal or terror activities in India
Want to have strategic friends with afgan but instead helping trying to sabotage other dev activities.
Pakistani politicians need to clean up their act..assuming that nobody is watching is wrong..
- Posted by GusA deeply biased article in which a Hindu Indian had bad mouthed Pakistan by using a using a medium like reuters.
- Posted by Sikander HayatPakistan is a country that is probably best under a dictatorship or ruled by the military. This is the only way to have the country organized. If the country is ruled by the military or a dictator, they should ban maddrassas since these schools will generate the resistance to their power in governing the country.
Only after Saddam Hussein was removed from power one can see that the country was more at peace than fractured by the Sunni and Shiites. One hardly hears of the Kurds since they are more at peace than the Sunni and Shiites. Pakistan seems to be in a similar situation as Iraq.
Ben mentioned corruption in Pakistan and it definitely has a problem with massive corruption but it is only normal for a backward country such as Pakistan. Compare it with the United States which is light years ahead of Pakistan and see how even in the United States you see corruption quite widespread. So the corruption in countries such as Pakistan and in Iraq is to be expected.
- Posted by realmervPakistan can never be invited to the nuclear table as India was, because, unlike India, Pakistan was involved in nuclear proliferation to Iran and Libya. Though AQ Khan, the “father of the Islamic bomb”, was eventually blamed for the proliferation, he couldn’t have done it alone without the knowledge and help of the Pakistan army (and President Musharaf), who were in charge of oversight and security of all of the country’s nuclear facilities. The fact that the Pakistani government continues to shield AQ Khan and deny access him access to foreign reporters or international nuclear agencies is evidence of the government’s complicity in nuclear trade. India, on the other hand, has conducted nuclear tests and build nuclear weapons as a safeguard against China (after losing the 1964 war to China), but has never supplied nuclear designs, components, or weapons to any other country or agency. If they ever do, this nuclear waiver will automatically stand null and void.
- Posted by Al PintoI don’t think there is a coherent entity called Pakistan.
- Posted by BenWhat is called Pakistan is now a loosely grouped bunch of competing entities each with its own agenda and priorities.
You have the all powerful army, which has been reduced to a toothless force with an avaricious officer corp interested only in its own survival and feathering its nest. Then you have the ISI or the military intelligence which again has a number of conflicting agendas ranging from militant Islamic programs to an all consuming rabid hate for India.
Then of course there are the political parties, again bent on surviving at all costs and largely powerless.
All the above mentioned entities are corrupt in the extreme and have jointly milked the unfortunate nation dry.
Now that Asif Ali Zardari, the top crook has been elected as president, it is only a metter of time that the whole rotten structure comes crashing down spreading chaos and mayhem in the region!