Opinion Editorials, September 2009

Pakistan's Colonization

By Minhaj Qidwai

ccun.org, September 24, 2009

After settling in Iraq and gaining foothold in Afghanistan, the war on terror is taking a new turn. It is being brought to Pakistan. The recent surge of the involvement of the American ambassador at almost all levels in Pakistan; the expansion of their embassy and various other activities are  the few indicators towards the colonization of Pakistan. This colonization appears to be taking place with the consent of the military and the highest offices in Pakistan. It makes one wonder that why a sovereign nation will allow this to happen. Please excuse, I wrote sovereign nation. It is not the nation, but its highest officials that are allowing the colonization to proceed. This is an unprecedented example that high officials of a country are allowing the colonization of the country. Therefore, there are two forces in play. Those allowing the colonization and the nation, looking at the colonization taking place. Under the current situation, a clash at any time is inevitable between the two opposing forces. To add to the wounds; the nation does not have enough food to eat and thrive. There is shortage of electricity for the people and the industry to survive. The corruption and lawlessness is rampant and the recent incident of the death of eighteen people in Karachi, who were standing in line for food, shows the value of life in Pakistan.

Pakistanis has never seen such unmatched state of affairs in the country.  In past, there have been wars with India and earthquakes rattling Pakistan. But, the resolve of its highest offices and the nation was one in dealing with these situations. The situation in Pakistan at present is worse than ever before.  Pakistan is under the brink of collapse, and it is deliberately being allowed to take place. Currently, we are a direction less nation; almost all of our leaders have self interest dominant over that of Nations’, our social fabric is in shreds. There are estates within state. State institutions are in an advanced state of decomposition. The bond of nationhood is weaker than ever before. Our national sovereignty is under attack and survival as a state is at stake. Overall, the picture is gloomy and the future is hazy. Everyone is asking the same question; what will happen to Pakistan?

Pakistan, since its inception, has been ruled most of the time through its army. The army influencing the foreign policy had elements that favored establishing firm ties with Americans, ignoring the Russians. Therefore, we ignored a super power and went into the lap of another. This super power was led by the forces that focuses on capitalism, domination and wealth creation. They do this by their three Ms’. Money, Media and Military. To control the money in their hands, in the past, they delinked the oil with gold as a back up and all the trading was done by the dollars. In order to control oil, they took control of almost all the major oil producing countries. Oil is in demand by everyone, so they started making money by capitalizing on their oil control. Another method utilized to make money was to allow the illegal drugs trafficking. In order to turn the tide in their way, and make people think what they want to think, they took use of the media. Currently, almost all of us are hostage to media. We believe on what is on the media, and hardly bother to check the veracity of the issue and the extent of extrapolation in the news. Having controlled the money and media, in order to gain global dominance military might was increased. Wars were ignited to test the weapons and their efficacy. The human beings became the guinea pigs for testing the war weapons. The war zones became the testing labs for these weapons. The humanity suffered with the testing of atomic bomb, the cluster bombs etc. Led by the three Ms’, the super power planned for a global dominance. Pakistan was the best choice to work closely. It was subservient to its masters, had a central location and equipped with lethal nuclear weapons to be used at the time of need. The September 11, incident paved the way of getting the foothold on Afghanistan and occupying Iraq. But, global dominance was yet to be achieved. Therefore, the next chapter for global dominance will be written in Pakistan.

With President Musharraf in power, they were unable to exercise their act of colonization. They needed people who can act as a catalyst in gaining footholds in Pakistan. With their assistance, Pakistan more or less has been reduced to a vassal state or a colony.  Americans have reportedly been deploying a significant number of personnel everywhere in the country, particularly in Islamabad, where entire sectors of town are now under American control and even local law enforcement agencies are not allowed to enter, and also in Peshawar, where the Americans have reportedly decided to purchase the bombed ruins of the Pearl Continental Hotel to establish a consulate.. Probably, it was bombed, to make the land sellable to Americans. Time is probably not far away, when we will be witnessing the horrors of Blackwater being repeated on our own soil, which has come with a new name in Pakistan-Xe services. News is also in air that soon the Americans will have a Gitmo type prison also in Pakistan. Thus, Pakistanis will be imprisoned within their own country by a prison of another country. A similar Gitmo type prison already exists in neighboring Afghansitan.

Our Viceroy has been appointed-It is the Assistant Secretary of State Richard Holbrook, who marches into the Aiwan-e-Sadar and Prime Minister’s House at will every fortnight.  At one time he says that Pakistani Nuclear weapons are safe and at another time he says that terrorists can gain control of them. He dictates the terms and conditions for the decisions that take place in Pakistan.. Pakistan has been colonized. We gained freedom from the Britishers but lost to Americans.

So, what do we do next? Where do we go from here? How we will survive under the current situation? What will happen to Pakistan? These are the questions on the minds of a common Pakistani. However, the government appears to be blind-folded on any of these questions and may not be in a position to respond.

With the people and the leaders on opposite ends, a clash is inevitable. Sooner or later we will see the sectarian organizations raising their voice for more rights for governance. To control this situation forces may be called. However, as they are under the government, will favor them and a civil unrest may ensue. Indians, who are sitting on sidelines and watching the whole game, may find an opportunity to unleash their power. With the help of Americans, the game of creation of Bangladesh may be repeated and God forbid, couple of more division of Pakistan may be on the brinks.

So, while the leaders of Pakistan only concerned about their personal gains and holding on to power at all costs, who is looking out for Pakistan’s stakes? The only way to fight colonization is for the masses to awaken and to participate in this battle of survival, the overseas Pakistanis have to come together to rescue Pakistan through their resources and make a pressure group to lobby in the best interest of Pakistan. Let us pray to Almighty, to assist and guide us, to ensure the stability of Pakistan.