secondriseofislam@blogspot.com

Tuesday 5 July 2016

Great Game and the C-Pak Project



                     
We have already seen in the article http://secondriseofislam.blogspot.com/2013/06/imperatives-of-pakistans-foreign-policy_13.html   that USA’s prime consideration behind regional politics of South Asia, East Asia, Central Asia and Western Asia is to stall China’s economic and political domination in the region. C-Pak project is the vanguard leading China to this economic and political domination in the region.  The USA’s Afghan policy is also based on the same consideration.  The first policy option of the USA was to establish a pro-USA and secular Afghan regime which should be able to protect USA’s regional interests. Having failed in achieving this first policy objective due to fierce resistance put up by Afghan Taliban, the USA’s second policy option is to tolerate an Islamic regime including Taliban provided such regime may become a hurdle in China’s way to political and economic domination in the region.  That is why we see, on the one hand, USA’s efforts to include Afghan Taliban in the present Afghan set up and, on the other hand, USA sabotaging peace talks between Afghan regime and Afghan Taliban,  if Taliban come closer to China. 

The USA’s Indian policy is also based on the same consideration of stalling China’s economic and political domination in the region.   That is why USA has decided to promote India as a counterpoise to China, and has added an additional dimension to already going -on economic and political competition by initiating military competition in the region through promoting Indian defense capabilities.  Hence India has access to more than 95% of USA’s defense technology; India has been declared as safe heavens for USA’s and western investors; India is being assisted in a big way to advance its nuclear capability and missile technology, and reflex its military muscles through its naval power in the whole region.  Such an advancement and projection of India’s military power in the region is likely to worry not only Pakistan but also other regional countries particularly Indian Ocean countries. Such a scenario may force Pakistan and other regional countries to develop a counterbalance to India in the Indian Ocean. Such a counterbalance may be none other than Pak-China. The reason is simple; because the C-Pak vanguards Chinese economic and political domination, it should be Pak-China defense capabilities which can act as counterbalance to India’s military capability in the region. For the purpose, Pakistan and China may decide to convert Gawadar, Pasni, Ormara and Gewani into naval bases. The choice is with USA and India- whether they want to go on with political and economic competition or they want to add to this competition a new dimension of military competition.  

The question is whether USA and India may be able to stall C-Pak by adding military dimension to already going-on political and economic competition. The answer is big No; the naval forces of USA and India at the best can watch commercial cargoes going to and from Gawadar port to/ from Indian Ocean countries and beyond. There may be two major considerations of beefing up Indian defense capability; the first is to sell weapons to India, which, in turn, would support USA’s weapon industry; the second is to establish India as a military counterbalance to China so that Indian resources may be used to prolong USA’s supremacy in the world. 

This policy of promoting India as a military counterbalance to China  does not bode well due to two reasons. First, it will be counter -productive, as mentioned earlier, this policy would force Pakistan and China to convert Baluchistan coast into naval bases from where military power may be reflected well deep into Indian Ocean and beyond.   Secondly, India cannot compete China in economic and military terms because China is already five times bigger economy than India and much advanced than India in military field as well. In this scenario, India cannot afford initiating a military competition with much weaker position and with the competitors which share their borders with India’s; the neighboring competitors can do much damage to a competitor having pluralistic society like India. Already more than a dozen big freedom movements are running in India. It would be amazing if India chooses waging war within its boundaries, in return of helping USA abroad. The USA’s objective behind promoting India as a counterbalance to China is to use India’s resources to prolong USA’s military supremacy in the world; USA is beefing up India as a gladiator who is destined to be sacrificed later at some time.  

India has also a wiser option to be adopted in this Great Game. Instead of becoming a pawn of USA’s policy, India can integrate with regional economic and political alliance being emerged in the region. In this way, India, on the one hand, can avail opportunities presented by the regional alliance and, on the other hand, can avail western investments. But for integrating in the regional economic and political alliance, India needs to do two things: first is to solve its issues with Pakistan, including Kashmir dispute, and the second one is to shun away military competition with China. 

Pakistan’s role in this Great Game should not be relying on Chinese military might to protect its economic and political interests in the region; Pakistan should demand its fair military share in the emerging regional set up. China is going to gain a lot in terms of economic and political domination in the region through this Great Game.  Pakistan may also get its share by maximum Chinese investments in Pakistan and by transfer of latest technologies from China. 

The USA and India can continue with sabotaging activities to destabilize Pakistan through Afghanistan. Pakistan should respond to such sabotaging activities by beefing up its intelligence resources within India and Afghanistan and reply USA and India in the same kind. Pakistan cannot delay effective response to India and USA for any longer. For the purpose, Pakistan would have to extend all out support to Afghan Taliban against USA forces in Afghanistan; Afghan refugees may also be sent back to Afghanistan to add to Taliban’s manpower.  But of course in order to implement this policy, Pakistan would have to convince China and other pro- C-Pak countries that such policy is required essentially to implement C-Pak project. All pro- C-Pak states would have to confront USA’s and India’s sabotaging activities by supporting Afghan Taliban and Pakistan so that USA and India may be replied effectively within India and Afghanistan.

The Great Game going on in the region offers Pakistan opportunities to advance and promote its economic and military strength. India is playing on the wrong side; this fact may speed up the process of Pakistani economic and military build- up many times. 




     

No comments:

Post a Comment