A failed state

As news channels scramble to invite our foremost expert on internal security and religious fundamentalism (read Shah Rukh Khan) to do an interview and offer relief and hope to our ravaged nation, Pakistan continues to dally on its promises of "reacting on evidence, at least". The Acorn points out that it is high time that our neighbours stop sheating mounting evidence against the role of non-state actors in the Mumbai carnage and actually undertake action.

These demands may be a fig leaf to cover their own impotence against their military establishment, but they only have the effect of reinforcing the impression that the language of diplomacy is merely a frivolous sideshow when it comes to engaging Pakistan.

[The Acorn]

In all respects, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to judge that Pakistan is a failed state. Since the immediate post-Independence times, Pakistan has been a thorn in the South Asian geo-political status quo. Their invasion of Kashmir in 1947 is well documented in history and confirms Pakistan's hand as initiators of the unfathomable conflict. Pakistan is like a child of a family that was born in the midst of much fanfare and pride for a cause (the so-called Two Nation theory), but failed to deal with changing times, failed to mature into a fine adult and hence resorts to perpetual cribbing and snivelling in a need to propagate it's demands.

The FATA is virtually uncontrollable, the Army and the ISI are principal lawmakers, the civilian government is a pawn that puppets about in the international arena seeking attention and sympathy, their President is a full-time sycophant who intends to show some heart ("India is not a threat to Pakistan") in an arena where emotions mean little and failure to learn from history holds the aces. The Taliban's open challenge to the world that they are close to sealing the deal in Pakistan poses even more grave challenges to the plight of the idea of the country.

To worsen it, Pakistani "experts" revere about their "victory" in the Kargil conflict, speak of conspiracy theories of Indian involvement in Mumbai 26/11 and hence try to keep themselves happy in their nappies. This certain gentleman is braced up for a full-scale war and warns India of annihilation in case we undertook surgical air strikes on terror camps across Pakistan. He even has the cheek to call the 1998 nuclear tests a shift of power in the subcontinent, believes that Pakistan "won" the 2001-02 standoff post-Parliament and hence probably finds the solace to live and breathe.

Grow up, kid.







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