Will There Be War between Pakistan and the U.S.?

The clouds of war can now be seen in Pakistan’s sky. First it was about Osama bin Laden. Now that he is dead, the Haqqani Network has become the next big issue. Pakistan has hundreds of problems but all our people are focusing on is the dengue fever. The government and the opposition parties, too, are useless. Every one of our leaders and parties tried to become friends with America and sought America’s help to eliminate domestic problems. The seeds of our current downfall, then, were sown a long time ago.

In the recent meeting between Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, both politicians discussed issues related to terrorism. Clinton said that Pakistan must stop its hypocritical agenda and stop implementing policies that put the entire world at risk. She said that the Afghan terrorists are enemies of Pakistan. According to one U.S. newspaper, Clinton also told Khar that Haqqani Network fighters are residing safely in Pakistan (with the backing of key Pakistani officials) and that this is against the policies issued under the war on terror. Pakistan, she further said, should not test America’s patience for too long.

The U.S. ambassador to Pakistan, Cameron Munter, spoke at the Asia Society in New York. He said that after the incidents involving Raymond Davis and Osama bin Laden, relations between America and Pakistan became strained and have not improved since. He acknowledged the sacrifices of the Pakistani army, stating that over 3,000 Pakistani soldiers have been killed and more than 150,000 are currently present at the Afghan-Pakistani border. But the White House thinks differently. National Security Advisor John Brennan spoke at Harvard Law School and said that the U.S. can declare war against any country that poses a grave threat to it. He said the U.S. has the legal right to carry out any form of investigation to capture terrorists such as Osama bin Laden.

The war in Afghanistan, which has now lasted over 10 years, has disrupted America’s peace and stability. It has also cost us, America’s ally in this war, the lives of 40,000 innocents and has caused the destruction of our society. If acts of terrorism continue to increase in Afghanistan in the future, America and its allies will not be able to quietly depart. But if America continues to maintain its presence there, it may have to pay just as the Russians did. Wars today are not just fought to defeat the enemy country’s army; they are fought to destroy the enemy country’s society as well. Hence, the American society is collapsing as a result of its defeat in this war. According to one report, its “livability” ranking has now dropped to number five.

America wants to weaken the Inter-Services Intelligence. Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has accused the agency of aiding the Haqqani Network in Afghanistan. He has also stated that Pakistan will have to stop aiding terrorists so that we can attain stability and peace across the world. U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta has also threatened Pakistan, asking us to eliminate all aid to the Haqqani Network fighters. They also threatened us 10 years ago. We listened to them then and now find ourselves trapped in the nightmare called the “war on terror.” Now they have issued their second set of threats. What will come out of it? Another war, it seems.