Pathetic Performance

Fatima Rizvi's Blog

No one in Pakistan is surprised by what Pakistan’s former ambassador to the US says because everyone understands that he has to brown- nose his masters to get brownie points so that he can stay on there and mouth the words that are music to his parent countries enemies and their lackeys. What does come as a surprise is the fact that he is invited to give testimony before a Congressional Committee and the consensus is that he in invited because they want to hear what they know he is going to say.

Mr Haqqani claims in his testimony to be speaking for the intelligentsia in Pakistan. Open any Pakistanis blog and you will find it littered with words like — scumbag, traitor, turncoat, tail-wagger, bootlicker, pathetic excuse for a man etc. totally missing are words of praise or appreciation from the so called intelligentsia he claims to represent.

He tells Congress that Pakistan is six times smaller in population and has an economy one tenth the size of India and in the same breath he says that Pakistan could ‘menace’ India if it is given F-16 aircraft and helicopters or if any kind of nuclear agreement with Pakistan is even considered. Does he think there are morons in Congress who will swallow such drivel and will they believe that Pakistan would be foolish enough to initiate conflict with India in today’s environment. He also informs what must be a singularly dense Congress that aircraft and helicopters will not be used by Pakistan in the fight against terror. So what is Pakistan using in the successful war being waged against terrorism? The US military could tell him and Congress what the Pakistan military is doing and with what and to whom and with what effect.

He goes on to say that the US has a policy of appeasement towards Pakistan and that this encourages Pakistan to have ambitions of rivaling India by achieving parity. The US appeasing Pakistan — shouldn’t it be the other way around? With the asymmetry that exists between India and Pakistan is it possible for Pakistan to rival India or aim for parity? Pakistan is doing what every other country is doing — developing capacity that deters aggression and Pakistan will keep doing this in its national interest. No one in Pakistan is drooling over the prospect of a nuclear agreement with the US — all that they want is for a special for India discriminatory policy by the US to end. This is what can fuel conflict in South Asia — conflict that neither India nor Pakistan wants. This is what having a strong military and nuclear capacity is all about — so all this talk of threats being created to match the size of the military is just pure and simple drivel.

He trots out an impressive figure in dollars that the US has given to Pakistan since 1950. He does not state what Pakistan has done for the US and what cost and not just in dollars but in human lives. The US and Pakistan have a relationship that has endured and they have the wisdom and maturity to look beyond their differences as current trends are indicating and surely Congress knows this.