Pakistan's Field Marshal Takes The Pervez Musharraf Route To Seek Recognition

Every Pakistani leader has been obsessed with one dream – to prove that the idea of an artificial state of Pakistan was the best solution for the Muslims of the sub-continent, and that Pakistan is “superior” to India in every sphere. While the geography has worked to Pakistan’s advantage to seek rent from the US and China simultaneously, India’s might and attraction, and pluralist ethos, have triumphed.

Even India’s critics would agree to this.

US-Pak Games

Yet, every Pakistani General has tried to win over the US to challenge India, and the Field Marshal has premised his India policy through a robust outreach with US President Donald Trump. As of now, Trump appears bowled over by the Field Marshal, but a trade deal with India may change equations, given the fact that he is solely driven by profits.

But the US President will extract his pound of flesh by using Pakistan to target Iran and get support for Israel. Pakistani troops in Gaza will be a dream come true for both the US and Israel. Pakistan's joining the Abraham Accords will be the icing on the cake. Yet, for Pakistan, justifying the Accords for the domestic population fed on the daily dose of anti-West and anti-Israel views will be a monumental task.   

In return, Gen Munir is hoping to use the US card to seek recognition from India, much like Gen Pervez Musharraf, as he is orchestrating terror strikes in India, hoping to get attention from the political leadership in New Delhi. India is too familiar with this Pakistani ploy and is unlikely to fall into this trap. Every such outreach, over the last four decades, has resulted in terror attacks. Dialogue with Pakistan has not yielded any concrete results. Coming from a humble background, unlike other Pakistani Generals, the Field Marshal is constantly trying to prove that he is smarter than the rest. But his playbook on India is no different from that of his predecessors – try to lure New Delhi with false promises.     

Oil & Mineral Dreams

Pakistan’s so-called mineral reserves and oil reserves will be a non-starter. The US administration will soon realise that it, too, had a bad dream. The state of Pakistan is not geared to conduct business in a global corporate environment, and it largely depends on loans from China and grants from the Gulf, as it confronts failing infrastructure and unskilled labour, coupled with an increasingly radicalised society.

Ironically, from the semblance of the modern state in the aftermath of partition, Pakistan has turned the clock backwards to emerge as a medieval state that is run by elites who are backed by the Army. 

The Afghan jihad and revenge for the 1971 war, and the creation of Bangladesh, inspired the Pakistan military to create religion-based terror and proxy groups to enforce a thousand cuts on India, first in Punjab and then in Jammu and Kashmir, and other parts of India.

Yet, India stood firm and resolute, with Mumbai, which thrice bore the brunt, is today a world-class city.

The Field Marshal is emulating the strategy of his predecessors with the hope that the US will back his endeavour in South Asia. Rawalpindi, however, is taking China for granted. And China may not blindly focus on Pakistan as its ties with India enter a phase of pragmatism. It is only a matter of time before the Pakistani Generals find the harsh reality.        

(The writer is a commentator on geopolitics. Views are personal.)