A friendship under shadows of conspiracies
https://arab.news/nu3wp
President Trump’s handshakes with PM Imran Khan, claims of friendship and fondness, and claims of warm relations between the US and Pakistan are taken in Pakistan with a fist full of salt.
The history of the relationship between the two countries is filled with contradictions, of deception, mistrust, misconceptions and simultaneously, co-dependence and partnership borne of military necessity.
My grandmother would liken Pakistan to a ‘kharbooza,’ a cantaloupe melon, and the US to a sharp knife, invoking an Urdu proverb: whether the melon falls on the knife or whether the knife falls on the melon, either way, it’s the melon that suffers.
People’s narratives often run counter to that of the state. While the governments have collaborated, I have grown up hearing an alternate reading of events and conspiracies.
My school teacher would tell us of the time America ditched us in the 1971 war with India, by not sending promised ships and arms.
“We lost the war, we lost East Pakistan. And gained an important lesson to never forget: the US is not a trustworthy friend,” the teacher said.
In my childhood in Larkana, when Bhutto was hanged by military dictator Gen. Zia, people whispered that it was done at the behest of America because Bhutto refused to close Pakistan’s nuclear program after Secretary of State Henry Kissinger had warned Bhutto of dire consequences.
Across Pakistan, the grievance against the US stems from its foreign policy actions, hence is entirely political.
Owais Tohid
In 1988 when Gen. Zia, who fought with the Americans against the Soviets in Afghanistan, died in an air crash, people’s narratives pointed to the US again. In my college dormitory, it was a nightly conversation.
“The Americans eliminated him. Once their purpose was served, Zia was a disposable liability. After weakening Soviets, America will be the king and we the third world countries their pawns,” the conversation went.
Right-wing Islamist parties and left-wing socialists are in agreement on this. The slogan can be heard in both camps; ‘Amreeka ka jo yaar hai, ghadaar hai’ (Friends of America are traitors). People on the streets blame America for waging wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, accusing the US-Israel strategic alliance for the unrest in the Muslim World.
And yet, America also represents the ultimate aspiration and ideal. Countless people chase the American green card to fulfill their dreams, thousands upon thousands stand in visa lines. Much like the Pakistani state, which collaborates and partners with US governments, while also resenting the inequality built into the relationship. According to US officials, it does more than that, and actively subverts and undermines it at times.
Anti-American inclinations in Pakistan are not animated by religiosity which rejects the US as godless or Christian, nor is it about what American lifestyles symbolize – counter to ex-president George Bush’s diagnosis of ‘They hate us for our freedoms and values.’ Across Pakistan, the grievance against the US stems from its foreign policy actions, hence it is entirely political.
The critics say the US dragged Pakistan into wars. With the Reagan Doctrine, thousands of Mujahideen from across the Muslim World were lured into fighting to defeat communists in Afghanistan by labelling them ‘infidels.’ After the war was won, the Americans packed their bags and left, leaving behind the holy warriors for Pakistan and Afghanistan to deal with.
After 9/11, once again the Americans forced Pakistan into war, with ex-president Bush telling Pakistan’s military ruler Gen. Musharraf: ‘You are either with us or against us,’ and with the Mujahideen heroes of yesteryears being re-cast as terrorists and enemies of America.
The Americans, on the other hand, accused Pakistan of playing a double game and harboring terrorists despite receiving billions of dollars in aid from the US. There is a saying among the tribesmen about America.
“The US has waged wars in our mountains, causing death and destruction. They have spent billions of dollars. They made enemies not friends because they didn’t understand either us or our cultural traditions,” they say.
According to popular perception, Trump now needs Pakistan to clear the mess America created in Afghanistan post 9/11. The peace deal between the US and the Afghan Taliban is finalized and likely to be signed soon. Pakistan is playing a crucial role in brokering the peace process. The American establishment knows it’s a long road to peace in accident-prone Afghanistan and that Pakistan will remain a key player in the future.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s wish list features a role for President Trump in addressing the Kashmir issue, help in removing Pakistan from the FATF grey list, and to build a relationship not on the basis of financial aid but based on mutual respect like two sovereign nations.
The key question for many is whether the uneasy partnership can endure Pakistan’s strong and evolving alliance with China. US officials recently raised reservations about the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), calling it a ‘debt trap’ for Pakistan. Many believe that the US is not bothered by economic ties but is intensely cautious about the strategic alliance between nuclear-armed Pakistan and China and the regional implications of this.
Trump is likely to visit India soon. Pakistan’s diplomatic circles are abuzz that Trump may also visit Pakistan. In my neighborhood in Larkana, if a political leader visited your neighbor and not you, it was a dire insult and led to hostilities. And people nursed these grudges across generations.
President Trump – not known to be even remotely politically nimble, will arrive in the region to walk across a minefield of grudges, carrying heavy baggage acquired over decades. Welcome.
*Owais Tohid is a leading Pakistani journalist/writer. His email address is [email protected]. He tweets @OwaisTohid.
