Amid deafening chants of resurgence, Pakistan appears to be increasingly embroiled in suicidal entanglements from which it would be best to stay away. Among others, there are two perspectives that require pragmatic and purposeful attention, which should be free of crass self-promotion.
Various sources have spread reports that Pakistan may be contributing troops to the international stabilization force being assembled for Gaza. The 20-point Trump Gaza Plan provides for, among other objectives, an immediate ceasefire, the exchange of prisoners, including the remains of the dead, the deployment of a multinational stabilization force to secure and demilitarize Gaza, followed by a Gulf-funded reconstruction of the enclave as a terrorism-free economic zone.
When Gaza has been completely demilitarized under the supervision of independent observers and is guaranteed to pose no threat to Israel, its security forces will be gradually withdrawn and responsibility will be handed over to the international stabilization force to oversee its security.
The peace agreement tries to legitimize Israel’s genocide. The countries that would be involved in the implementation of the process, in one way or another, will be convenient conduits to guarantee it. There is no mention of a Palestinian state in the document nor is there any process described by which to realize the genocide committed by Israel that lasted more than two years and included more than 75,000 people killed, thousands maimed, an entire population left homeless, and hospitals, schools and offices razed. This has been a blatant display of a sinister, premeditated and murderous persecution of Israel, entirely aided and abetted by the United States.
Despite the ceasefire that has been established, its flagrant violations continue by a trigger-happy Israel, determined to erase the word Palestine from international memory. The Israeli killing spree continues unabated daily, but there is no check that can stop it: the United States is calm, as is much of the Muslim world that helped make the deal possible.
Israel’s expansionist and genocidal designs have not been a secret. They have intensified over time. Lebanon, Palestine, Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Iran: virtually all countries in the region have been victims of Israeli expansionist aggression, which has now assumed barbaric genocidal proportions, as evidenced in the Gaza Strip. Since this wave of violence has been supported by the United States and part of the Western world, it has continued unchecked and in the process has only expanded its operational repertoire. It is the same expansionist and genocidal policy that has also been legitimized through the Abraham Accords.
Complaining about the complicity of the Muslim world, Lieutenant General (r) Asad Durrani has written thus in one of his recent articles, ‘Exhausting the non-options’: “Gathering around Trump to seal the fate of the Palestinians is a display of servility, difficult to overcome by any mafia that claims loyalty to the boss.” Indeed, the capitulation of the Muslim world to American diktat has left behind a nauseating sensation. We have plunged into a free fall, crossing all the barriers of wisdom and sagacity. We rush downward as a sign of our unwavering submission to a cause that conflicts with the founding principles of the State.
Being part of the mechanism to maintain a corrupt agreement by sending troops to join the peacekeeping force would be going too far. Given our history of fighting Palestinians in Jordan in the past, we must be extraordinarily cautious before venturing into a pitfall whose dire consequences may exceed our worst assessments.
In this agreement there is no Palestinian state to protect, but we will have a lot of notoriety if we become part of this effort to liquidate what rightfully belongs to the people who inhabit the land. Since the time of the Quaid, we have championed this cause in all bilateral, regional and international forums. What is that unknown compulsion we need to violate His sanctity now?
Such a measure becomes even more dangerous when there is no national consensus on the matter. The nation is united with the Palestinian cause and against an agreement imposed by the United States, as well as measures that Pakistan could be considering taking; more specifically, an affirmative decision to join the proposed peacekeeping force, which will work under US command and will inevitably target Hamas for disarming.
Instead of further dividing a nation, it would be wise to trust parliament and political leaders. Support should be sought from leaders who command the respect of the people of this country and who can play a role in articulating their thoughts and feelings effectively and productively. Making a decision independently of using the available forums can create more fault lines in an already rocky national landscape.
Closer to home, a crisis is brewing with Afghanistan. The parliaments between the two countries, mediated by Turkiye and Qatar, had reached a deadlock because Afghanistan is not willing to commit anything in writing regarding its role in eliminating the terror centers operating from its soil, mainly those of the TTP. Pakistan, on the other hand, has rightly insisted that such commitment is the key prerequisite for moving forward and preventing terrorist activity from seeping in from across the border.
While it is necessary to address the outstanding issues in an impartial manner, irritating statements issued by officials of both countries further vitiated the tense situation. Let’s face the facts. This region has been embroiled in wars for much of the last half century, with Afghanistan and Pakistan bearing the brunt of these unrest, primarily because they followed a flawed and unbalanced decision-making process. It is the consequence of a sequence of conflicts that the two countries face today. This will not disappear by persisting in a relationship of acrimony and distrust.
War is not a solution to this crisis. Peace will only come when the two sides overcome mutual antipathy and sit together to resolve their outstanding disputes. Having suffered the ravages of bloodshed, both Afghanistan and Pakistan should show absolute commitment to save the region from the prospect of another deadly conflict.
For Pakistan, political coercion should not affect the formulation of its foreign policy. The need is to work so that internal stability is combined with the creation of pioneering paths to cultivate relationships with the outside world. Only such a policy will resist the ravages of time.
The writer is a political and security strategist and founder of the Regional Institute for Peace. He is a former special assistant to former Prime Minister Imran Khan and heads the PTI’s policy think tank. He tweets @RaoofHasan
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of PakGazette.tv.
Originally published in The News
