Daily Times

Sanity must prevail. The Afghan government should encourage a more peaceful approach and realise that it cannot afford to lose the support that Pakistan extends it to deal with militancy in the region. Breeding mistrust and resentment will not help. The construction at the Torkham border was a completely legitimate course of action for Pakistan to take. Afghan aggression at Torkham speaks the mind that is misguided and not ready for peace.

The economic cost of war on terror would take years to recover. Despite heavy human and financial cost, Pakistan remains committed to eliminate extremism and militancy from its soil.

Circumstances in Pakistan before and following 9/11 have essential linkage reflecting on the continuity of political development, particularly in the context of Pak-US-Afghan relations, and the continuing war on terror. This required full understanding for getting a real feel of what Pakistan had gone through after its decision to participate in the war on terror and the price it had paid.

The book Post 9/11 Pakistan by this author, published in the United States, informs about and compares the American dream and the vision of a prosperous Pakistan, how that vision needs to be actualised and the kind of leadership it requires. There was dire need for policies and international cooperation for counterterrorism. Speedy action was required to do right things and do things right, especially in context of impact of “war on terror” and the menace of terrorism.

The challenges, as the articles in the book suggest, need to be addressed effectively, allowing the country to attain new heights. Pakistan is an important country in the region with many strengths and opportunities. It is a huge market of over 180 million people, rich in natural resources and some of the better institutions of the region and nuclear capability. Above all, its people despite passing through rough times are resilient and eager to bring change. Experts in Pakistan and the United States are of the opinion that this book would help those who want to bring change in Pakistan for the better.

People of Pakistan can create the future. They are keen to let democracy succeed, to promote diplomatic initiatives and shun violence, to work for national development through international cooperation and deliberate approaches for world peace, and to strengthen institutions established for world peace and security and development and for humanitarian assistance. For achieving all these objectives there is need to promote a culture of diversity, assimilation and integration. The United States as the only superpower has the responsibility as well as the means to help actualise these objectives with a missionary zeal.

It must be understood that war is not a continuation of the political process carried on with other means. War is continuation not of politics but a consequence of political and diplomatic failure.

Post 9/11 Pakistan, as a book, is unique in its spirit and character as it is a compilation of articles written for over a decade, since the September 11, 2001 attacks in the Twin Towers in New York, which marked a paradigm shift in the global economic and socio-geographic politics, particularly in context of the Pak-US-Afghan relations, and the war on terrorism and extremism. The book also covers circumstances in which Pakistan got itself involved in the war on terror. In that context, this book is a historical document that captures the evolution and the progression of this phenomenon, as and when it happened. The book is an engaging, real life account of the evolution of socio-political dynamics between the United States and Pakistan since September 11, 2001, having significant implication for regional and international politics. The active role in war on Terror has created more problems and got Pakistan more enemies. The United States had used coercive diplomacy to get Pakistan’s support and cooperation. After more than a decade of war, now analysts may conclude that Pakistan’s decision to agree to be a part of the US-led coalition was perhaps based on misjudgments and without due deliberation.

The book Post 9/11 Pakistan highlights the thoughts and opinions and the ground realities in Pakistan, most of which remained obscured from the international media, as Pakistan has fought internally and externally for the war on terror. The book touches on contemporaneous issues relating to foreign policy, political challenges of the government especially governance, service delivery and, more importantly, the direction that government should follow. A large number of events were happening, and the predictability of outcomes was difficult to envisage in medium and long term.

The foreign policy in Pakistan impinges on all other policies, be these economic or political, and therefore, the direction of the government in Pakistan has been changing accordingly. Due to change in foreign policy, in 1980s and subsequent years, space was provided to regressive forces, which changed the whole direction of the country. Extremism, militancy and terrorism came to grip the economy and society. Institutional decline and increasing incapacity resulted because of weakening of the writ of the state.

The geo-strategic location, relations with neighbouring countries and the United States in particular are the focus of the book especially in context of war on terror. The country is faced with “deficit of resources” as well as “deficit of trust” as a consequence and result of internal and external multiple complexities and changes. There is need to build strong Pak-US relationship. Let us rethink about the pain and gain and more.

The writer is a former director of the National Institute of Public Administration, a political analyst, public policy expert and an author. His book Post 9/11 Pakistan has been published in the United States