East, West, North, South, Next Door. It’s either about regional conflicts or State-sponsored terror attacks, particularly in the name of Islam. For instance, Pakistan’s army chief, or now Chief of Defence Forces, Field Marshal Asim Munir, has declared that Muslims cannot live with Hindus. Nothing surprising for a Mullah to say that except that he’s making such a statement when the Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia and UAE have fast moved on towards liberalism, tolerance, and happiness of their people.
And Pakistan’s economy lives, survives, on their charities. Pakistan has plenty of good people; I have had many great friends over decades.
Nonetheless, the army-led official Pakistan is about Hatred, Terror and Violence.
Pakistan has regarded Afghanistan as its own Backyard. It was more like a modern monarchical state till Pakistan propelled Islamic regimes there. Today, the ruling Taliban is hitting back at Pakistan for exploitation of its mineral resources and territory. Ironical!
Well, it’s not just about the rabidity of terror, wars and violence in South Asia, but across the world, the worst being the Russia-Ukraine war which has claimed lives of nearly a million soldiers and civilians since 2022.
The Arab-Israeli conflict, continuing for ages, is as bitter as it was. Israel has overwhelming military superiority over the Arab countries, and has built innovative advanced systems and technologies to retain its edge.
Israel also has nuclear weapons, something which Saudi Arabia has tried to acquire through Pakistan. A nuclear research facility though has been in existence since the 1980s in Jeddah. In any case, Saudi Arabia, big, rich, militarily powerful, is now more like a modern state desiring both peace and strength – playing its cards like a modern, developed state with reducing balance of religion.
Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar and Iran have active areas of influence.
Iran, an old, rich civilisation, ruled by an Islamic regime since 1979, has growing internal strife, thanks to what the rebellious younger students call ‘Oppressive Islamic dictatorship’ that ‘needs to be replaced by the very same Monarchy it violently overthrew.’
The lack of civil freedoms, strict Islamic norms of isolation and veil imposed on women, and complicated by food shortages and high price spirals, indicate more violent times ahead in Iran.
Last but not the least, President Donald Trump has shaken the very edifice of Washington’s foreign relations and is aggressive in improving Balance of Trade in favour of US.
Coming back to India, it has always been The First Responder to help its neighbours. Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Myanmar have all received generous, Friendly assistance from New Delhi in cash and kind, be it natural calamities or even education. For instance, Sri Lankan High Commissioner Mahishini Colonne thanked India for offering Medicines and humanitarian aid to her country immediately after the recent Cyclone Ditwah.
India means well. It’s just that we have a ‘bad’ neighbour, ‘Terror-ibly’ insistent on hurting India.
May mention here that in a recent interaction, Naval Chief Admiral DK Tripathi told this writer that the process of strengthening the Indian Navy was as much about power building as much about the capability to help Friends with Humanitarian Assistance and Relief.
— Gulshan Rai Luthra
