The same old mantra

During the beginning of the third official Pakistan-United States honeymoon, I mean beginning of the second Afghan war in 2001, Christina Amanpour of CNN was comfortably sitting in Rawalpindi's Army House to interview Washington's darling General Pervez Musharraf. In her Armenian-dominated accent, she posed one very ticklish question to Pakistan's military ruler: "Will you share military operations with the US Army inside and around Afghanistan besides sharing Intelligence? General Pervez Musharraf, who had in his career also served as Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) replied in a big "No".
Musharraf's no was a clear indication that the US-led Nato forces will have their own role in strategic planning if and when to launch a ground offensive in Afghanistan and Pakistan army will have no role at all in that arrangement. It was not the first time when on such occasions the US never took Pakistan into confidence - the incident of U-2 remains the first example and few know other than Badaber of Peshawar, CIA had established a similar base at Chitagong. The base commander there was one Wing Commander Hamid Chaudhry who had no answer to the question why U2s land and fly from Chitagong. Later, it was learnt from senior officials of the PAF that U2 from Chitagong had made a couple of sorties over China which was not known even to President of Pakistan Field Marshal Ayub Khan.
After Soviets shot down one U2 the leader of the Soviet Union, Nikita Khrushchev issued a direct threat to Pakistan. In view of such global crisis the Central Intelligence Agency halted U-2 operations at Pakistan. Resultantly Pakistan's role in SEATO became almost nil.
Pakistan initiated its China policy. The US expressed its displeasure over this policy during the funeral of President John F. Kennedy.
Bhutto had gone to attend the funeral of President John F. Kennedy in Washington DC in 1963.
On a cold chilly day Bhutto was informed by Pakistan Embassy that there was a call from the White House, telling it that the President (Lyndon B. Johnson) desired to meet the foreign minister of Pakistan.
A story was narrated by the late Col Ismail, who was then stationed in Washington as Pakistan's military attache.
Col. Ismail, being a close friend of Sir Shahnawaz Bhutto, could take liberty with Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.
When we received a call from White House in the absence of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto we were rejoicing, according to him. Ismail said he asked Zulfi whether or not we should have an evening of champagne. "No, no it would be a different occasion, I know why I am being called by President Johnson, Bhutto said.
As narrated by Col Ismail, on that chilly day Bhutto returned in a furious mood. No one had enough courage to ask him how the meeting went.
Finally, everyone looked at Ismail. Ismail said he mustered confidence and asked: "Sir how it went?" "The reply was nothing short of taking my pants down", Ismail said. Texan Johnson had expressed his displeasure over Pakistan's Peking initiative.
No matter Henry Kissinger used the link that Pakistan's created secretly in 1970 to open gates of Washington to Communist China through Pakistan.
The United States remained comfortable with Bhutto in the 1970s. Bhutto refused to become an American ally in 'CIA's planned Great Game' in Afghanistan and he attained nuclear capability at the expense of US opposition.
Post-9/11 for Pakistan remains like sleeping with the enemy.
Washington kept shouting from every roof top "Do More". Starting from the Raymond Davis saga down to the Salala Attack by combined US-NATO forces against Pakistan Army with the roller-coaster Washinton-Islamabad relations continue today even after and all-out attack on North Waziristan by country's armed forces.
CIA's killing of Afghan leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour made President Obama to say, "The administration is no longer worried about blowing up anything," Vali Nasr, a former State Department official who worked on Pakistan, said: "This is literally carrying out an operation, not against an Arab terrorist leader, but against a Pashtun ally of Pakistan, inside Pakistani territory."
The killing of Akhtar Mansour should not be taken as a matter of routine; the real game which perhaps the current resident of White House does not know is different. Pakistan's immature media anchors and opportunist politicians need to understand the new game plan; this involves tarnishing the image of Pakistan's military in order to destabilize and eventually disintegrate the country for a larger scheme of reshaping the world to the advantage of the sole superpower. Pakistan's current troubles with India and the US have their roots in its all-weather friendship with China. Those who want to keep China away from taking advantage of Pakistan's geo-strategic location in order to become the "numero-uno" global power can go to any extent, and the immediate sinister plan on the cards is Pakistan's disintegration to snatch Balochistan away along by establishing a free Balochistan state. It can now be clearly understood that insurgent movement in Baluchistan was funded just for that purpose. This is in order to block the use of Gwadar port and development of ancillary terrestrial infrastructure in the province to deny an energy corridor to China.
Not only does Gwadar enable China to fulfill its energy needs, it will also help it get a strategic military footprint in the Arabian Sea.
The card being played right now by the US establishment and its allied media is to weaken the only institution left intact in Pakistan: its military. The military-bashing campaign is being reinforced by an immature Pakistani media and some of the opportunist politicians who are trying to settle their score with the military establishment for sacking their inefficient and corrupt governments.
In this scenario Indian Prime Minister Modi is making overtures to Islamic countries bordering Pakistan. Pakistan's leadership comprehend is therefore required the future scenarios without any further loss of time.