“Pakistan: The Myth of an Islamist Peril”
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Daata Durbar in Lahore, Pakistan is the tomb of Ali Hajweri, eleventh century Sufi saint. People come each year to pay their respects and to say prayers. The large complex also includes Jamia Hajweri, or Hajweri Mosque.
Pakistan has so far been able to sustain the myth in the West that only President General Parvez Musharraf can ensure stability in the region. And after him the deluge. On this basis, Pakistan’s role in the spreading of clandestine nuclear technology to rogue states, etc., has been overlooked by the Western ally.
In a new Carnegie Policy Brief, “Pakistan: The Myth of an Islamist Peril”, Visiting Scholar Frederic Grare argues that the risk of an Islamist takeover in Pakistan is a myth invented by the Pakistani military to consolidate its hold on power.
“In fact, religious political parties and militant organizations are manipulated by the Pakistani Army to achieve its own objectives, domestically and abroad. The army, not the Islamists, is the real source of insecurity on the subcontinent. Sustainable security and stability in the region will be achieved only through the restoration of democracy in Pakistan.
“Grare suggests that the West should actively promote the demilitarization of Pakistan’s political life through a mix of political pressure and capacity building. Enlarging the pool of elites and creating alternative centers of power will be essential for developing a working democracy in Pakistan.”
For the complete policy brief in pdf format click here.
Frederic Grare is a visiting scholar with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. With Ashley J. Tellis and George Perkovich, he will lead a project assessing U.S. and European policies toward Pakistan and, where appropriate, recommending alternatives.
Grare will focus on the tension between stability and democratization in Pakistan, including challenges of sectarian conflict, Islamist political mobilization, and educational reform. Grare also will facilitate interactions between U.S. experts and officials and European counterparts on the main policy challenges in South Asia.
9 Responses to ““Pakistan: The Myth of an Islamist Peril””
There is an islamist peril, it’s no myth.
Islamphobia and Pakistan bashing is a bad way to treat Pakistan, that has been a friend of the USA for five decades
Your article has some gross inaccuracies based upon urban myths and generic Islamphobia of the garden variety. Pakistan and Pakistanis have supported the USA since it was founded in 1947. She also was the base where the U2s used to fly out from.
The article has errors in it. Pakistan is not a new friend of the USA. Pakistan was a founding member of SEATO and CENTO (Asian NATOs), and a cold war ally that fought on the side of the US against the USSR. Pakistan also supported the USA in Korea and Vietnam. However Pakistan is the most mistreated “friend� in the world. It is un-American to treat friends they way the US has treated Pakistan. The USA and the West walked away from the Afghan mess and left more than 30,000 mercenary fighters that it had imported from the Arab world for Pakistan to deal with. On top of that sanctions were imposed on Pakistan right after the Afghan war, and Pakistanis felt like used “Kleenex�. The world owes Pakistan a big debt for the destruction of the USSR.
The Wazirisitan deal was approved by Presidnet Bush as not being anti-American.
In the past few years more than 600 Pakistani soldiers have lost their lives fighting the Taliaban and the Al-Qaeda. Several hundered Al-Qaeda have been sent to the USA for trial including KSM (Khalid Sheikh Muhammad), who President Bush mentioned as the mastermind of the 911.
The Taliban was a construct of the CIA and was armed by the CIA, ISI and the Saudis as a counter to a resurgent Russian-backed communist party and an antidote to the civil war in Afghanistan. Pakistan supported the Taliban in conjunction with the CIA who were arming it right up till 2000. The Taliban were visiting Governor Bush’s ranch in Texas.
I need to point out the fact that Pakistani pleas for sanity in Afghanistan were ignored in 2001. Those who want to understand the irked Pakistani must know that the in 2001 the US installed a non-Pashtun, anti-Pakistan government in Kabul. The must also know that NATO allows the puppet Karzai government to continue to bark at Pakistan. The Pakistanis also know that despite being clod war allies for 50 years, Pakistan was threatened with annihilation in 2001. They also remember that $450 million paid for F-16s was never returned. Neither were the planes ever delivered. The delivery of Soya beans does not make up for paid-for but undelivered F-16s. Pakistanis also remember that the world and Afghanistan abandoned 2 million refugees in Pakistan. The Pakistanis also note that the world does not support the liberation of Kashmir
To put salt on open wounds, the US signed a Nuclear deal with arch-rival-India, not the major Non-NATO ally (Pakistan). Many Pakistanis wonder why $30 Billion were offered to Turkey to support war in Iraq, while Pakistan only received 1 billion to Pakistan for fighting Al-Qaeda and the Talibaan. You need to look at the situation with sanity and calm. Selective amnesia is the favorite tactic those who have an agenda. President Ayub Khan in 1966 said is best in his best selling book Pakistanis need “Friends no Masters�. Pakistanis desire want and cherish American friendship however Pakistanis are not the “little brown brothers� who can do the bidding of anyone. Pakistan is a 150 million strong nuclear state and a crucial pivot on the war on terror. President Musharraf said it quite bluntly, “no one can do more� and the West will go down on their knees and fail if Pakistan without the help of the ISI and the Pakistan army. Those who deal with Pakistan need to learn some manners and some appreciation of the sacrifice of 600 Pakistani soldiers who died fighting the war on terror. Pakistanis are sick and tired of lectures on “do more�.Pakistan and Pakistanis cannot do more. If anyone can find others who can do more, please use them!
Actually the USA should do more in helping Pakistan and Pakistanis building a modern and moderate Muslim nation that is friendly to the world.
The article has serious errors in it and is flawed in it’s logic, content and thesis. Mr. Swaraaj Chauhan does not list the external factors that changed Pakistani history. Nor does he mention the tough neighborhood that Pakistanis live in, a belligerent India on the East, a fundamentalist Iran on the West and an always occupied and fighting for independence Afghanistan on the Northeast.
Mr. Swaraaj Chauhan also fails to mention the fact, that it was 52 countries and their intelligence agencies that brought in 30,000 Arab fighters to Pakistan to fight the USSR. President Musharraf is right, the West owes Pakistan a historical debt for defeating and destroying the USSR.
A simple country was transformed by 3 million refugees, and the culture was changed by drugs, terror and Klashnikovs. Pakistan paid a heavy price for this.
To top it all, as soon as the USSR retreated from Afghanistan, the West dumped Pakistan like a used Kleenix
Mr. Swaraaj Chauhan in his tirade on everything Pakistani, could not find an iota of anything positive about either the country, her leaders or her population. Pakistan has 150 million people who aligned themselves with America and the West against the USSR and her allies like India. For this Pakistan paid a very heavy price. The Generals usually rode on American tanks, and the elected leaders were removed after being threatened by American Secretary of States. Henry Kissnger for example told wrote to Bhutto that “he would make an example out of him”. Soon afterwards a coup was supported by the USA, and the general remained in power, ’till he was no longer useful.
Writings like this remind Pakistan of the ugly American, and Mr. Swaraaj Chauhan perfectly fits that role. Next time, perhaps her visa to Pakistan should be cancelled. There is no cure for bigotry Pakistan bashing and Islamphobia. I am disappointed in Swaraaj Chauhan attempts to constantly berate Pakistan. I am sure, he will delete my messages as soon as he sees these on his site, a shining example of Indian “democracy�.
Are we having a discussion or a street fight? Let us be clear about that. It is important to note that such hysterical response makes it difficult to have a worthwhile discussion.
First of all you have begun on wrong a premise and then started attacking me at a personal level. Hysterical response is no substitute for reasonable discussion.
You have overlooked an important fact. In this post my opinion is restricted to only one paragraph.For heaven’s sake, it is not my article or opinion. If you can’t differentiate between my opinion and the opinion of the author I am quoting, then I am afraid there can be no discussion.
The article that I have quoted in TMV blog is not written by me or by any Indian or an American. It is written by a leading French scholar who has lived in both Pakistan and India. There is no reason to believe that he is biased in any way.
Visiting Scholar Frederic Grare has contributed the research paper called “Pakistan: The Myth of an Islamist Peril” to the world famous Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. I had merely reproduced that article in my post in TheModerateVoice.
And you ‘Mr Patriot’, who wish to attack me by even concealing you real name, have gone berserk by attributing all the arguments put forward by the author Frederic Grare to me.
Then ‘Mr Patriot’ you go on to say:
I am afriad you have neither read my previous posts nor my comments (and I am sure you are not going to visit this site again to read these comments). Such random visits to a site rarely helps in a discussion.
In most of my posts I have pointed out the lack of vision among both Indian and Pakistani leaders and how they are misusing public funds to build arsenals. They feed on highliting each other’s perceived insecurity and keep the Western nations happy by purchasing arms from them.
People in India and Pakistan share a common heritage and history. People in both the countries, many living in extreme poverty, wish to live in peace. Who has got the time for fighting and hatred when you have to earn two square meals???
India and Pakistan were one country until they were divided in 1947 by the British colonists when they left.
Muslims, Hindus, Christians, Jews and other religious groups have lived peacefully for centuries in undivided India (under Hindu, Muslim and Christian rulers) until they fell prey to the ‘Divide and Rule’ strategy of the British.
It is the lust and greed of the political/military leaders of the two countries who is allowing intervention of the western nations on their soil. They are fanning fires of religious hatred to push their countries further into the grip of poverty and intolerance.
You call yourself a “Patriot”. But you speak like a myopic leader who could belong to any of the two countries. You wish that Pakistan should continue to live on the crumbs provided by foreigners.
The slavery of India and Pakistan would never end so long they refuse to live in peace and continue to seek foreign intervention to solve their own problems.
Swaraaj Chauhan
May I make another suggestion ‘Patriot”.
Since you have such passion and interest in the subject, please follow the link in the post and read the entire article “Pakistan: The Myth of an Islamist Peril” by Visiting Scholar Frederic Grare.
You may discover that this author has the good of Pakistan in mind.
You may know more about author Frederic Grare, and his other write-ups on India, Pakistan, Islam, etc., by clicking here.
Maybe then I would like to hear your opinion again… and I would respond. But only after you have read the article in full. No short-cuts please!!!
Anti-Pakistanism is the root cause of all the ills in South Asia, It is my opinion that it should be a crime in India to question the partition or the right of Pakistan to exist as a soverign independent nation state. Just as ‘holocaust denial’ is a crime in much of Europe, similarly it should also be a crime punishable by law to question the partition or right of Pakistan to exist.
I think its time that the world respects that Pakistan is the place where millions of Indian muslims have decided to settle and live, Anti-Pakistanism will only lead India, Afghanistan and its other hostile neighbours into further humiliation at the hands of Pakistan.
One only needs to look at India to realize that despite its military defeats in three wars with its nieghbours it is still belligerent, Did Pakistan tell India to invade Kashmir in 1948 and loose the war?, Did Pakistan tell India to cross the international border in 1965 and loose another war? Did Pakistan tell India to invade China and loose a war to China and Aksai Chin in 1962?
Simply put, Anti-Pakistanism is the root cause of all South Asian ills.
All this hysteria or rantings or diversionary tactics are the standard practises of people who wish to defend the Army rule in Pakistan. In fact these are the tactics to derail the topic under discussion.
Who is being anti-Pakistan? Elections are approaching in Pakistan. There should be more debate and discussion. Those people who indulge in diversionary tactics are the real enemies of Pakistan.
“Patriot” and “David Paul” have totally sidetracked the main issues raised in the article by Frederic Grare. They do not seem to be interested. They have begun to make allegations that have nothing to do with the discussion.
No one questions the existence of Pakistan. People who live in South Asia want peace in Pakistan and South Asia. But some people have vested interested in distorting the debate on Pakistan and keep South Asia on the boil.
Apart from hysterical allegations there is nothing to dicuss in what “Patriot” and “David Paul” have to say in their comments. It shows that the real people who can contrbute in discussions have decided to remain silent and let the likes of “Patriot” and “David Paul” dominate the stage.
I think the world needs to quit playing the blame games. All is the way it is because of history. Al Qaida is the mess created by the USA. Unfortunately USA left things the way they were once they got what they wanted, and that is breaking down of USSR. Now the way things are in Pakistan (which aren’t as bad as most westerns think- perhaps it’s the media), is the result of past. It looks like the future is being worked on, more then ever before. People need to stop blaming for every little thing, and make sense of what they say.
On one side Shiv sena – the nationalist party in India plan to do whatever it takes to stop Pakistan’s cricket team from playing in the upcoming match of the championship. — How silly can we get?
Time to move on. I surely hope that generations to come will laugh at us for being so silly – or is it possible now? It starts from each one of us.