Never before has any US President so candidly extolled an Indian Prime Minister as did President Obama extol Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Never before has any US President so candidly conveyed to Pakistan the message that it should dismantle terror structure on its soil as did President Obama tell Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Maybe it is the parting message of President Obama who has just one more year in office. He might be bequeathing a guideline to his successor desiring him or her to handle the ticklish Indo-Pak logjam with clarity of perception.
Obama is very clear-headed and realistic on what should foster cooperation between our two countries. It is common values-two democracies, two innovative economies, and two diverse societies- “these make us natural partners”, he asserts. He is confident that the two countries are deepening their partnerships to promote the development that lifts up our people, including rural Indians – helping farmers boost their yields and working expanding access to electricity and clean water. The two countries continue to expand their economic partnerships that help reduce poverty and create opportunity, pushing bilateral trade to record levels, expanding hi-tech collaborations and increasing students exchanges. Obama believes that the two countries are doing even more as global partners including more military exercises, greater cooperation in the Asia Pacific and Indian Ocean region and working together to confront climate change.
It is for the first time that any American President has categorically stated that he believes America can be India’s best partner. Looking at Indo-American relations from futuristic trajectory, Obama believes that future generations can look back at this moment and see that this was the time when the world’s largest democracy became true global partners. Reaffirming his conviction in power and progress of the two democracies, President Obama promised that continuing to deepen bilateral ties would be one of his foreign policy priorities during the course of his final year in the office.
President Obama was interacting with media and responded to the questions put to him about Indo-American relations. Interestingly, as we said in the beginning, while giving credit to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of Pakistan for boldly taking on some groups of terrorists in his country, he very candidly demanded of Pakistan to delegitimize, disrupt and dismantle” terrorist networks that operate from its territory.
Will Pakistan oblige Obama and dismantle its terror structure? This is the mother of all questions. Obama knows very well that terror structure in Pakistan is the brain child of her army. Pakistan army survives by its one-track obsession viz. anti-India policy. Kashmir is the latch-key of that policy. The legions covertly raised, trained, armed and provided for by Pakistan army are integral to her grand design of taking on India.
The fact of the matter is that Nawaz Sharif is denuded of all powers particularly relating to security, foreign affairs and Kashmir. Reduced to a rubber stamp, Nawaz Sharif is torn between charting a new course of friendship and good relations with India and discounting the role of the army in his plans for a new perspective of Pakistan. Without mincing words, we believe it is the US that has made democracy a distant dream for Pakistani nation. It has frugally helped Pakistan army turn into a rogue. Its intelligence organization amassed billions of dollars from CIA during Afghan war against the Soviets. Therefore, before advising Nawaz Sharif to stand up face to face with terror within the country, he should have dismantled the Pakistan army of the entire mighty arsenal and trillions of dollars his country has given to Pakistan to become the ally of the US and fight her enemies on a foreign soil. It is the enormous funding from the US, particularly the Pentagon that pushes Pakistan army to be aggressive and defiant. Creation of jihadi/terrorist organization by Pakistan army as its supplement is also its proxy war instrument against India. May we speak to Obama frankly? Mr. President, instead of pontificating what Nawaz Sharif should do or not do, please tell Pakistan army chief to take his hands off Pakistan’s foreign and Kashmir policy, dismantle jihadi structures and their sympathizers in the ISI, and restrict his soldiers to their barracks. Obama should bail out Nawaz Sharif from the stranglehold of Pakistan army so that he, as an elected leader of the people, has the freedom and power to establish rule of law. Pakistan’s democracy stands stifled by her army and the elected Parliament has become a hostage to the military.
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