India, Pakistan and America’s Mixed Signals

Ras Siddiqui
Dec 30, 2001



As one goes through life, frequent complications and the associated difficulty of decision-making remain constant companions. The same is often true for countries and the difficult choices that need to be made by their leaders. as a country and President Musharraf as its leader are both in an unenviable position today. “Damned if you do, and damned if you don’t,” as it appears. And it is for the International community, especially Muslims & Pakistanis worldwide to ponder over this dilemma of the current crises, first in , then Palestine and now & ’s eastern border with .

That America would win the against in was known by all except a misguided few in the region. Passions are no match for 21st century and know how. To believe that a group of fighters armed with rudimentary tools of were going to win against a super-power, which had conventional weapons of mass destruction at its disposal, was to live in a fool’s paradise. Al Qaeda and or Osama-bin-Laden have been defeated inside in every conventional way. What they may still have up their sleeve as a parting gift for mankind should be cause for concern, but good riddance.



The Pakistani President, General made the right choice, to support the American effort against those believed responsible for mass murder on September 11. That decision has been widely appreciated by the Pakistani-American community. But why are people of Pakistani origin still being picked on in America? And why is this writer still troubled over events in today?

For that one has to go back to the year . The American Presidency, the Nixon/Kissinger Administration of the time had nothing but praise for then ruler of , General Yahya Khan as he brutally suppressed a genuine in former East and now . The of was a losing proposition for from its inception. The American 6th Fleet was rumored to be coming to the rescue of the hopelessly outnumbered Pakistanis fighting a grim battle against Bengali fighters (many trained by ) and later Indian regulars. The Army eventually surrendered and the elusive US 6th. Fleet? Rumor has it that the US was able to save (West) . And while the American Presidency and Administration appeared supportive of throughout that , the opposite was true for the American of the time.

Today once again, the Bush Presidency has a great deal of praise for while the American press and television is often busy taking pot shots at it. And nobody mentions the fact that both the United States and once had a relationship with the Taliban Regime in . They only mention .

The Taliban and Osama have been the initial targets of our American wrath but then “suddenly” out of the blue, raises its ugly head in both Israel and ? We are being made to believe that these two countries are the now somehow fighting the same . And instead of trying to diffuse the situation and find a negotiated settlement to both the problems of Palestine and , the American public is being continuously informed that all forms of political by Muslims is now or at least suspect. This idea is not only dead wrong but dangerous to the long term security of the United States, a country that I have adopted, sworn to protect and given my allegiance to. action by Israel in the West Bank and Gaza and by in is not going to help stamp out . It will create more long-term problems for us.

President Bush has said on a number of occasions that this is not a against but a against . At this point many including this writer support his actions, even though may not be popular in parts of the Muslim world. Much has also been said and written about the “questionable” safety of ’s nukes in the past few months (’s Nukes are safe?). Many Muslims feel that is being given negative reporting in the western because of the fact that it is an Islamic country with . It would be interesting to find out who is giving these ideas to our here but let me stress the point that any attempt to take out ’s nuclear assets by any party will not help America’s against terrorists. It will be viewed as a collective against period.

Why would Pakistanis pick this moment of all times to support in , especially when the rest of the world including their own leadership is fighting a against it? in particular has threatened a response against “” emanating from . Nobody mentions the fact that needs today like it needs a hole in its head.

The December 13th attack on the Indian Parliament was either of local Indian origin or the work of someone that wants to poison the waters and embarrass . So let us not jump to wild conclusions and look for excuses to get out of the mess in . is waiting to see how far it can use the crime against America of September 11th for its own purposes. And the in this country just may be its signal on whether to act against like it did in .

America has already shown that it means business against all who dare to attack it. But to think that we have found a solution to the problems of this world in our might is not good judgment. We have to take into consideration of what people are telling us before we get hit in the head by a hammer to recognize a problem. needs to be similarly reminded. needs a solution, one that respects the wishes of its people. Ordinary Indians and Pakistanis do not want . They have huge daily problems to deal with already. And many including this writer want to see friends and relatives across the international border between and and the Line of Control (in ) reconnect with each other and welcome in a new era of in . is the last thing that we need there right now.