Pakistan Must
Remove Any Excuse for Further American Raids
"Now that the Americans have discredited the Pakistani military and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in the eyes of the world, expect more of their brinksmanship. ... They've tasted blood during their Abbottabad exploit, and predictably, they will go for more in the days ahead."
Al-Qaeda's number 2, Ayman al-Zawahri, left, and Osama bin Laden, in Khost, Afghanistan in 1998. The nearly unimaginable damage inflicted on Iraq by al-Qaeda in the form of sectarian strife and insecurity was so horrific, many Iraqis consider his crimes far worse than those committed during the widely-denounced American invasion. Ironically, it was America's presence that broughtthe terror group to Iraq in the first place.
The scrapping of any visit to
Pakistan planned by President Barack Obama is just the beginning. Now that the
Americans have discredited the Pakistani military and Inter-Services
Intelligence (ISI) in the eyes of the world, expect more of their brinksmanship.
They will wield the stick more and the carrot less, in order to get what they
want from our country in pursuit of their objectives here and throughout the
region. They've tasted blood during their Abbottabad exploit, and predictably, they
will go for more in the days ahead. This is particularly true since, on Obama’s
watch, the CIA and Pentagon have achieved an unprecedented state of
collaboration. Furthermore, in the Pentagon charter is listed the objective of
cajoling, coercing and subordinating foreign militaries in order to accomplish
its missions abroad. What we'd see here if and when the U.S. repeats another
Abbottabad elsewhere in the country can well be imagined.
The citizenry received a rude
shock from the Abbottabad raid. In their hearts, they saw a Pakistan military
with a strong and reliable face. This episode shattered that myth and showed it
instead as a weakling. The people had never in their wildest dreams imagined finding
the military in such a poor state of operational preparedness, and they can
take little heart from the unconvincing explanations of the Army and Air Force.
Bluntly, in a region full of threats like those from India, the military was
not in the state of readiness required of an armed force. India's Cold Start
doctrine is based on coordinated, rapid surprise attacks on the ground and air even
before open hostilities break out or the international community intervenes.
Some consolation can be found
in the fact that both the Army and Air Force have begin investigations to identify
what went wrong on that dark night when they were taken so unawares. Hopefully,
that investigations will lead to plugging the holes in their defenses so as not
be caught again. But the distraught citizenry will experience real consolation only
if the services perform more ably during a future act of foreign adventurism. That
will demand professional competence and excellence which, while mottos of Pakistan's
armed forces, where shown to be lacking by the disgraceful fiasco at Abbottabad.
Posted
by WORLDMEETS.US
The professionalism required is
easily achievable. Military commanders simply must shed any distractions, like
real estate enterprises and business ventures that impede their professional
pursuits and expose their people to worldly temptations. As in the past, perfection
in professional expertise, training and readiness must be their sole focus. The
old goal of selfless and flawless soldiery must return to the ranks. The three
services must team up and closely examine their doctrines in the context of the
new global environment, full as it is with new military philosophies, weapons
and technologies. They must discard unneeded baggage and acquire greater muscle
to become a more effective, less invulnerable force. This may involve some
difficult decisions, but swallowing a bitter pill now to become more formidable
in the future is not a bad bargain.
On a more mundane not, the
military must refrain from dabbling in politics, even when invited to do so. Theirs
is a full time job, and the civilians must attend to their responsibilities. Indeed,
had the latter done so, there may not have been an Abbottabad fiasco. They
would have formed stronger ties on all levels with the intelligence networks, and
local law enforcement and the Criminal Investigation Department [provincial and
metropolitan police units tasked with major crimes like terrorism]. Then
perhaps in Abbottabad, we would have stumbled on and acted against the long-time
residents of the mystifying compound. That would have removed any excuse for an
American raid. Unfortunately, our leaders were sleeping on the job.
