The killing of Iranian Nuclear Scientist Mohsin Fakhrizadeh is not about Iranian Nukes, because “our enemies are against the basis of our Islamic System, and they will never cease their enmity”— Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini. This is the ‘fundamental truth’ that I would like to discuss, as to how relevant it is with regard to Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan and how capable we are to defend our values, our faith and belief.
Iran: In their first attempt, the US failed to get the release of their hostages taken by the Iranian revolutionaries. The adventure turned into a disaster. Next, they encouraged Saddam to invade Iran, which turned into an eight-year long bloodbath, with Iran crossing the Shatt al-Arab to capture Basra, when Saddam used chemical weapons, supplied by the civilised world, to stem the Iranian offensive. Then followed a series of crippling sanctions and embargoes for the next thirty years that could also not break the will of the Iranians. Early this year, a loose coalition was formed under the Warsaw Plan, to punish Iran preceded by Trump’s targeted assassination of Iranian General, Qasim Solemani.
After Pearl Harbour of 1941, America joined World War II, but in this case Trump did not come to the aid of Saudi Arabia. He only sent a token force of 3000, ensuring that Saudi Arabia will “pay us for everything we are doing for them. That’s a first.”
As regards the development of the atomic bomb by Iran, Trump helped Iran by pulling-out of the Nuclear Deal that may have encouraged Iran to carry out enrichment of uranium for the device. Similarly America helped Pakistan, join the war against Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, which provided cover for enrichment of uranium and development of the device. Despite the American watchdog’s positive report about Pakistan’s Nuclear Programme, the American President, year after year, verified before the Congress, to the contrary, that “Pakistan was nowhere near the stage, where it could assemble a nuclear device.”
Afghanistan: For the last over four decades, the Afghans have defended the “basis of their Islamic System,” against the mightiest of the mighty of the world. In 1989 when the Soviets retreated, Afghan Mujahideen were denied their right to form the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. A civil war was induced which led to emergence of Taliban rule. In 2001, America unleashed its ‘shock and awe’ strategy to occupy Afghanistan to force the Taliban, give-up their demand for the Islamic Emirate. Taliban were not ready to oblige, because “we cannot be cheated again, as we were cheated in 1990 by, both—America and Pakistan”—Mullah Omar.
The Taliban are in no hurry to see American troops leave Afghanistan, because it is they who “have the Time, while the enemy holds the Clock.” The ground realities, starkly suggest the ‘comfort level’ of Taliban as described by a noted Pakistani analyst:
“The Taliban even now, control most of the rural territory, run a shadow government, collect taxes, dominate the night and are a bulwark against the IS; as demonstrated by their successful operations in March 2020 to dislodge the IS from Kunar and surrounding areas. And if over 150,000 troops from some 50 most powerful countries (2011) for over two decades could not stabilise Afghanistan; a handful of around 2000 troops can hardly make an impression. And the regime in Kabul stands on artificial and temporary moorings as the president-elect is in no mood to extend a blank cheque and blanket cover towards it anymore.
“PM Imran Khan’s recent journey to Kabul is considered ill-advised and ill-timed. Ghani stands on foreign legs and would be swept away by Taliban tidal waves in a matter of time.”
Pakistan: Pakistan has not been very successful defending its “basis of Islamic system,” because from the very out-set, it joined the Cold War, siding with the United States, which “took control of our political and security systems, retarding healthy growth of our democratic and social order.” But the worst happened to Pakistan in 2007, when the US allocated a sum of US$ 1.4 billion, for perception management of the Pakistani nation, as if we were the Native Americans to be disciplined. And shamelessly, our elected government allowed such funds to be dished-out direct to institutions, NGOs, individuals and for that matter, to anybody willing to achieve the purpose, with the result that a mindset has now developed amongst our educated lot, who talk of liberalism and secularism and a social order, where the individual, and not God is supreme.
This is the phenomenon which has created a dangerous social conflict in Pakistan, while our democratic order is so deeply fractured. Therefore, the need of the hour is to seek social harmony based on a just democratic order that could safeguard the ‘basis of our Islamic system’ resonating in harmony with Revolutionary Iran and Jihadi Afghanistan, to provide the much-needed strategic depth of security, to this part of the Islamic world, under attack.