Af-Pak or Fak-Ap ?

The situation in Pakistan today is so fluid that the US policy in relation to the hyphenated relationship of Af-Pak is more like the second part of the title – pronounced differently would point out to a mess in the making. I have already written a lot on this subject, but the action across the border is far too serious to just ignore ….. it’s more and more likely to balloon into a major Fak-Ap as the colloquialism would indicate.

The Taliban are moving inexorably towards Islamabad, occupying territory as they move. Reminds me of the manner in which Indira Gandhi had ignored Bhindranwale and had ultimately to use force to liberate the Golden Temple. The massacre which happened thereafter in Delhi, is not so far back in history that one can forget. Mrs. Gandhi paid for that folly with her life, gunned down by her own security guard in retaliation for the ostensible desecration of the Golden Temple.

The Taliban has become a law unto itself, terrorizing the local populace with the threat of implementation of the Sharia. They have announced that sharia law should be implemented throughout Pakistan and then the world, this is nothing short of lunacy being permitted to take flight. Once it gathers mass momentum it will be very difficult to contain and would lead to an unnecessary blood bath. It is time for right thinking liberal politicians and LEADERS not DEALERS to come forward and set right the upset apple cart in Pakistan. Pakistan seems to be on a steep downward suicidal spiral aided and abetted by the powers that be, having blindly funded them ostensibly to fight terror. We have had the US announcing a huge aid package and now Japan joining in with another. It is easy for these countries who are geographically far apart to offer money to solve problems – we in India have to face the poison which emanates from the mis-use of these funds. This has now been going on for more than ten years, and the US political class have accepted that they were led up the garden path by Mr. Musharraf. Most of the aid has gone into arming Pakistan to the teeth against India rather than being utilized for humanitarian and economic purposes and for “fighting terror”.

A military solution to the advancing Taliban should be put in action immediately before they enter Islamabad and become a bigger headache. It is now time for the Pakistan Government to gird up it’s loins, cage and neuter the tiger before it eats them all up. What is the US – partner in it’s fight going to do – as it is, it is safely ensconced thousands of miles away – giving money is very easy, acting responsibly with the end use of the money is a different ball game altogether. The US has blindly certified the end use all these years and has ended up pouring billions of dollars of tax payer money. Unfortunately the new Government is also making the same mistake, albeit by mouthing slightly more digestible platitudes. Unfortunately at the end of the day, however much perfume you end up spraying on a mountain of shit, it is going to stink anyways!