LAST week in Pakistan was a continuation of what can best be described as fruits of Musharraf decision to join United States War of Terror on Muslims of Pakistan and around the world.

Three major events happened in the form of bomb blast at Luna Caprese restaurant in Islamabad, United States firing 'precision guided' missiles from Afghanistan into Pakistani territory killing women and children along with a retaliatory strike by US using unmanned drone killing 16 people, and lastly there was double suicide bombing in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore at a secret government installation housing FBI.

We also saw General Kayani making a U-turn statement regarding Kashmir saying Pakistani army is committed to Kashmir. We saw the last corruption case against Asif Zardai being quashed by Pakistan's anti-corruption court over importing a German limousine. More so we saw, Asif Zardari and Nawaz Sharif making plans to visit US backed dictator in Saudi Arabia (who exercise considerable influence on Nawaaz Sharif) after the coalition government is formed along with a statement from senior PPP leader Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar who said there are no plans for interim Prime Minister anymore.

Analysis

To make sense of the above events we need to look at the events under the context of US war on Muslims also called War of Terror. United States imperial ambitions in the region require satisfaction of number of regional foreign policy goals which includes stabilization of Hamid Karzai puppet government along with securing Caspian Sea resources. In the long run US would like to use the bases in the region to keep a check on rising China using India and reduce Pakistan military capability after destroying Pakistani nuclear arsenal and reduce the role of Pakistan in the region to mere client state of India.

The major hurdle US faces is the rise of the resistance movement around the Durand line termed Talibanization. It was clear to US policy makers from the beginning that they can not consolidate the occupation without support from Pakistan. However, some elements in the Pakistani establishment remain suspicious of US designs in the region. There exist in Pak army a school of thought which correctly believes that US is going to leave the region once her foreign policy objectives are fulfilled, leaving Pakistan to the disposal of hostile India on both eastern and western borders of Pakistan along with Northern Alliance. This school of thought is referred to as Islamic sympathizers in the ISI or the Army and they remain committed to their former allies i.e. Talibans to keep US foreign policy in check.

Faced with this support for Talibans from within the Pakistani Army and public, US over time started to rely more on their loyal servant Musharraf. As Musharraf popularity dwindled post Lal Masjid, US sent another loyal servant with the help of British, Benazir Bhutto, to help him setup a sham democratic government.

Part of US broader strategy is to isolate the Talibans morally and politically within Pakistan. There is a widespread believe in Pakistan that US is behind suicide bombing and much of violence in Pakistan is backed by US to create support for US war on 'terror' and present this to the people of Pakistan as a shared goal.

According to Interior Minister Hamid Nawaz, "United States, India and Afghanistan were involved in creating lawlessness in Pakistan and that it was believed that US and Afghanistan were backing militant outfits involved in terrorism in Pakistan". Qazi Hussain Ahmed also made a similar statement after Lahore bomb blasts saying "friends of Gen Retd Pervez Musharraf were behind all the bomb blasts and terrorism in the country".

Bomb Blasts

The bomb blast that struck at Luna Caprese, in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad, on March 15, an Italian restaurant popular with foreigners, including staff from British and US embassy and one of those few restaurants in Islamabad which serves alcohol. According to reports, as many two people (both foreigners) have been killed and 15 injured (also mostly foreigners). Most of the wounded are U.S. nationals, including four U.S. FBI agents, CNN reported March 16. The bomb was planted near the rear wall of the facility adjacent to lawn of the restaurant, where the foreigners were dining. The building is located in sector F-6/3 of the capital, an upscale residential area housing diplomats, western multinational corporations and high-ranking government offices.

This latest attack involved a command-detonated improvised explosive device (IED). It would have been quite difficult to get a suicide bomber past the security check at the gate but the bombers evidently were able to smuggle an IED into the back of the restaurant without being caught. The perpetrators appear to have known that the foreigners would be dining in the lawn area of the facility. In light of the fact that seven U.S. nationals were injured — the single largest national group among the wounded — the FBI personal can be considered the target of the attack. It should be noted that, thus far, most of the attacks brought on by the jihadist that has raged since late 2006 have targeted Pakistan security agencies.

The other attack that happened in Lahore, it remains unclear who was involved in a twin suicide attack that killed 27 people and injured another 150 in the eastern city of Lahore on March 11, Punjab province police chief Azhar Hasan Nadeem said March 12. A mosque prayer leader and 47 people have been arrested in connection with the blasts so far.

The attackers targeted a Federal Investigation Agency facility and a private house in an upscale residential area of Model Town in Lahore that housed a U.S.-trained special investigation unit, AAJ TV reported. The investigative unit uses high-tech equipment to track militants and probe attacks, and the AAJ report said it is affiliated with a U.S. intelligence agency. The March 11 attacks came within days of a similar attack on the Naval War College in the eastern Pakistani city. 

The special unit's presence in these facilities targeted March 11 remained secret until several hours after the attacks. This means contacts within the Pakistani intelligence services probably tipped off jihadists about the facilities.

What Pakistan should do?

Within just a few years, a secure state in this region has been transformed by Musharraf to a state with unbelievable levels of insecurity, afflicted by violent civil strife. These are the fruits of the U-turns taken in the name of "Pakistan First," after 9-11. Musharraf has the dubious distinction amongst all rulers, of a ruler who has used the army and airplanes to bomb its own territory, kidnapping and selling own citizen to US. The powerful bomb blasts in Lahore have shown that joining with America in its war has only succeeded in setting our own house on fire. To put out this fire, the people must stop the government from engaging in the America's war.

Pakistan's interior minister's recent statement accusing America of being involved in acts of terrorism in is in accordance with the reality and with the people's understanding. On the one hand this comment has given fuel to the anger and grief of the people and on the other hand it has exposed the government as being two faced in its policies. What an extreme act of betrayal that the government sticks to America's side, even whilst knowing fairly well that US is actually sponsoring terrorism and the killing of Muslims. The 44 FBI offices, whose existence was confirmed by the Bush administration is the actual cause of terrorism and daily attacks in Pakistan. The people must demand that the government acts in a sane manner and reject any alliance with America. This is not only required by Islam, it secures the people and the state.

 

The sincere people with in the government and the army need to ask themselves how long they can run Pakistan by surrendering sovereignty to other nations and by doing patchwork politics. It is time that they unite Pakistanis over the idea of Islam and the ideology for which Pakistan was created. This is the ideology from which the ruling system of Khilafah emanates.

 

Tauseef Zahid is a freelance columnist