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Zia-Musharraf-Munir: Why the US needs Pakistan's dictators

Zia-Musharraf-Munir: Why the US needs Pakistan's dictators

India Today19-06-2025
"The area of Pakistan is strategically the most important on the continent of India and the majority of our strategic requirements could be metby an agreement with Pakistan alone. We do not therefore consider that failure to obtain an agreement with India (Hindustan) would cause us to modify any of our requirements... We have the use of strategic airfields, primarily in Pakistan, in the event of a major war".advertisementThis extract from a Top Secret assessment prepared on 7 July 1947 by the British Chiefs of Staff Committee in Whitehall clinically stated why Pakistan and not India suited British imperial interests. The creation of Pakistan was a geopolitical coup for the departing British.A pliant state with a 909 km border with Iran, a 2,640 km border with Afghanistan, which was on the southern flank of the Soviet Union, and a short hop away from the oil-rich Arabian Peninsula, which the British called "wells of power".
India's access to Afghanistan and Central Asia was severed when a British sleight of hand saw Gilgit-Baltistan, part of the kingdom of Jammu and Kashmir, go over to Pakistan in 1948. The occupation of Gilgit-Baltistan led to the creation of a 596 km border with China.advertisementWhen the 1947 assessment was prepared in the afterglow of World War 2, the US had already displaced Great Britain as the head of the informal Anglosphere — white majority Anglo-Saxon-ruled countries, the 'Five Eyes'.It also inherited British global interests, including those that created Pakistan. In 2025, US President Donald Trump, the head of his informal alliance, sits down for lunch with the most powerful man in Pakistan, Field Marshal Asim Munir. Pakistan's strategic location matters more than ever. The Israel-Iran war has been on for nearly five days now with Israeli jets overflying Iran with impunity, bombing targets including its nuclear facilities.Meanwhile, US bombers, carrier strike groups and fighter jets are moving in for what many believe will be decisive action to destroy Iran's underground nuclear enrichment facilities at Natanz and Fordow. The Trump-Munir lunch menu is not known, but the main course will undoubtedly be a long list of demands by both sides-assistance for the US-Israel war, the use of airfields and bases and most importantly, steering clear of a fellow Muslim country, Iran.Munir in return could ask for advanced weapons and for US intervention in mediating Jammu & Kashmir.THE BELOVED DICTATORSThe US is the world's oldest democracy, but it loves doing business with dictators. 'He's a b*****d, but he's our b*****d,' President Franklin D Roosevelt is believed to have said of Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo.advertisementIt was the military factor in Pakistan that brought it closer to the US. India and the US were in opposite camps during the Cold War. But Pakistan has been a willing accomplice ever since Field Marshal Ayub Khan's 1958 coup.Since then, the Army, Allah and America are the three As which it is said that have guided the destiny of a rentier state which has historically rented itself out to the US. What transpires over the Munir-Trump lunch could help answer the puzzle of how bankrupt Pakistan bounced back into favour in the White House in the first six months of the Trump administration.What followed was assistance from the western-dominated IMF and World Bank and the de-listing of the FATF. For New Delhi, the US's pro-Pakistan tilt possibly explains the West's reluctance to condemn Pakistan's state-sponsored terror, the direct cause of the May 22 massacre of Indian tourists in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir.New Delhi will recall how Pakistani dictators have always leveraged global crises to their advantage. When the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979, Pakistan's dictator, General Zia ul Haq, turned his country into a frontline state in the West's proxy war against the Soviets. When Al-Qaeda struck the US on September 11, 2001, General Musharraf speedily became a major non-NATO ally against the Taliban and Al-Qaeda, ironically, organisations his army actively created and supported.advertisementHamas's murderous attack on Israeli civilians on October 7, 2023 has now culminated with Israel's direct attack on Iran. This is where Field Marshal Munir and his rentier state enter the picture. The past two engagements resulted in short-term gains for the Pakistan Army but long-term devastation for their country. General Headquarters Rawalpindi, which runs Pakistan, sees these as acceptable risks because they help in their long war against India.In 1979, the West turned a blind eye to Zia's nuclear weapons programme because of the dictator's strategic utility. Pakistan obtained nuclear weapons in the mid-1980s when it was a Western ally. When the US withdrew after the Soviet retreat from Afghanistan, the Pakistan Army redirected the massive weapons stockpiles from the CIA's Operation Cyclone into Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir.Under Musharraf, it welded terrorists and strategic weapons to craft a unique strategy of nuclear blackmail — bleeding India through terror attacks and threatening nuclear weapons use if India retaliated militarily. When Pakistan's dictators are mollycoddled by the White House, they begin to develop an over-inflated view of themselves, just like the Aesop's Fable where a frog, deeply envious of an ox, begins to fill himself with air.advertisementThis could explain the startling turnaround in Gen Munir's behaviour this year, beginning with his infamous and blatantly communal 'Two Nations' speech on April 16, which led to the slaughter of Indian tourists in Pahalgam six days later, on April 22. Aesop's fable ends with the frog exploding. Munir reached that point when India unleashed a storm of missiles shattering Pakistani military bases on May 12. India put the 65-year-old Indus water treaty in abeyance, with Prime Minister Modi calling out Pakistan's nuclear blackmail and ending the distinction between state and non-state actors.The Pakistan Army called for a ceasefire on May 12, which India acceded to. Munir's salve was a Lazarus-like resurrection, anointing himself Field Marshal and declaring victory. Now in Washington, the Field Marshal is preparing himself for his big day with Trump, the star of another fairy tale — the Grimm's story of a nasty frog that turns into a handsome Prince after being kissed by a princess. Will President Trump play ball?advertisement(Sandeep Unnithan is an author and senior journalist. He is the Editor-in-Chief of Chakra Newz, a digital media platform)(Views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author)Must Watch
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US stock market futures today: Dow Jones, S&P 500, Nasdaq futures drop as Tesla plunges 7% and Trump tariff warning shakes Wall Street
US stock market futures today: Dow Jones, S&P 500, Nasdaq futures drop as Tesla plunges 7% and Trump tariff warning shakes Wall Street

Economic Times

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  • Economic Times

US stock market futures today: Dow Jones, S&P 500, Nasdaq futures drop as Tesla plunges 7% and Trump tariff warning shakes Wall Street

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BJP MP Nishikant Dubey shares document alleging Indira Gandhi govt took Britain's help to carry out Operation Blue Star
BJP MP Nishikant Dubey shares document alleging Indira Gandhi govt took Britain's help to carry out Operation Blue Star

Indian Express

timean hour ago

  • Indian Express

BJP MP Nishikant Dubey shares document alleging Indira Gandhi govt took Britain's help to carry out Operation Blue Star

BJP MP Nishikant Dubey has shared a four-decade-old document alleging that the Congress government took the help of Britain to carry out Operation Blue Star, the 1984 military action by the Indian Army that aimed to remove Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and other militants from the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar. Sharing a document on X, Dubey claimed that planning for the military operation began six months in advance. He alleged, 'In 1984, Indira Gandhi attacked the Golden Temple in collaboration with Britain. British army officers were present in Amritsar at that time. For Congress, Sikh community is just a toy. The agreement to finally give Kartarpur Sahib to Pakistan was signed by Sardar Swaran Singh in 1960.' 'Giani Zail Singh was made President during the 1984 attack on the Golden Temple and killing of innocent devotees. To hide the 1984 massacre of Sikhs and to save senior leaders HKL Bhagat, Jagdish Tytler, Sajjan Kumar, Manmohan Singh was made a puppet Prime Minister in 2004. The story of selling the country and surrendering to foreigners continues,' he added. What does the document say? Stamped 'TOP SECRET AND PERSONAL', the letter dated February 23, 1984, is titled 'Sikh Community' and is shown to be from B J P Fall, private secretary, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, London SWIA 2AH. It was addressed to Hugh Taylor Esq, private secretary to the home secretary under the Home Office. It read: 'The Home Secretary will have seen press reports of communal violence in the Punjab. The Foreign Secretary wishes him to be made aware of some background which could increase the possibility of repercussions among the Sikh communities in this country.' Stating that the Indian authorities sought British advice over a plan to remove Sikh extremists from the Golden Temple, the letter said, 'The Foreign Secretary decided to respond favourably to the Indian request and, with the Prime Minister's agreement, an SAD officer has visited India and drawn up a plan which has been approved by Mrs Gandhi. The Foreign Secretary believes that the Indian Government may put the plan into operation shortly.' 1984 में स्वर्ण मंदिर पर इंदिरा गांधी जी ने आक्रमण ब्रिटेन के साथ मिलकर किया,ब्रिटेन की सेना के अधिकारी उस वक़्त अमृतसर में मौजूद थे कांग्रेस के लिए सिख समुदाय केवल खिलौना मात्र है 1. पाकिस्तान को अंततः 1960 में करतारपुर साहिब दिया समझौता सरदार स्वर्ण सिंह जी ने किया 2. स्वर्ण… — Dr Nishikant Dubey (@nishikant_dubey) July 7, 2025 Warning that such an operation by Indian authorities at the Golden Temple could worsen the communal violence in Punjab, the letter said, 'It might also, therefore, increase tension in the Indian community here, particularly if knowledge of the SAS involvement were to become public. We have impressed upon the Indians the need for security; knowledge of the SAS officer's visit and of his plan has been tightly held both in India and in London.' 'The Foreign Secretary would be grateful if the contents of this letter could be very strictly limited to those who need to consider the possible domestic implications. I am copying this letter to Robin Butler (No 10), Richard Mottram (MOD) and Richard Hatfield (Cabinet Office),' it concluded.

Op Sindoor: Pakistan's Asim Munir claims no 'external support' after India exposes axis with China & Turkey; 'assertions factually incorrect'
Op Sindoor: Pakistan's Asim Munir claims no 'external support' after India exposes axis with China & Turkey; 'assertions factually incorrect'

Time of India

timean hour ago

  • Time of India

Op Sindoor: Pakistan's Asim Munir claims no 'external support' after India exposes axis with China & Turkey; 'assertions factually incorrect'

NEW DELHI: Pakistan army chief general Asim Munir on Monday rejected claims that Islamabad relied on external support during the recent four-day conflict with India, calling assertions "factually incorrect" and "irresponsible. " His response came days after Indian Army deputy chief Lieutenant General Rahul R Singh alleged that China provided active support to Pakistan during the operation, using the conflict as a 'live lab' to test weapon systems, with Turkiye also supplying military equipment. Speaking at the national defence university in Islamabad during a graduation ceremony, Munir said, 'Insinuations regarding external support in Pakistan's successful Operation Bunyanum Marsoos are irresponsible and factually incorrect and reflect a chronic reluctance to acknowledge indigenous capability and institutional resilience developed over decades of strategic prudence.' He criticised India for involving other countries into what he described as a "purely bilateral military conflagration." 'Naming other states as participants in the purely bilateral military conflagration is also a shoddy attempt at playing camp politics,' he said. Munir warned that any future provocation would be met with full force. 'Any misadventure or attempt to undermine Pakistan's sovereignty will be met with a swift, and resolute response without any constraints or inhibitions,' he said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Top Public Speaking Course for Children Planet Spark Book Now Undo He further added, 'Any attempt to target our population centres, military bases, economic hubs and ports will instantly invoke a deeply hurting and more than reciprocal response.' Munir rejected claims that Pakistan had to plead for an end to the fighting, saying wars are not decided by media headlines or imported weapons. 'Wars are not won through media rhetoric, imported fancy hardware, or political sloganeering, but through faith, professional competence, operational clarity, institutional strength and national resolve,' he said. Operation Sindoor was launched by India on May 7 in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 civilians. The operation targeted 9 terrorist infrastructure sites in areas controlled by Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (Pok). The operation led to four days of intense military exchanges, ending on May 10 after both sides agreed to halt the hostilities.

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