American Aid: Can We Do Without It?

Many journalists and politicians who sympathize with the West claim that Pakistan cannot survive without American aid. These people neglect the fact that American aid since 9/11 has had a disastrous effect on our society and government. The question we must now ask is this: Will we survive as a nation if we continue accepting American aid?

In the past 10 years America has given Pakistan a lot of financial aid, but the truth is that this financial aid has not covered even 30 percent of Pakistan’s losses resulting from its participation in the war on terror. Pakistan is in a worse condition at present than it was about 10 years ago. It has become a dangerous country because of its involvement in the war on terror. Let’s review the losses it has had to incur because of America.

Over the past four years, India’s economy saw an 8 percent growth, China’s saw a 9.7 percent growth, Vietnam’s 6.2 percent, Sri Lanka’s 6.5 percent and Bangladesh’s 6 percent — yet Pakistan’s economy only saw a 3 percent growth. On average, between 2010 and 2011, the economy of an average South Asian country saw an 8.2 percent growth and such a country had an estimated 6.5 percent increase in the quality of its citizens’ lives; in Pakistan, the quality of life increased by a dismal 2.4 percent.

An Asian bank issued a report stating that many countries have lower levels of poverty now than they did five years ago. According to the same report, 245 million people from these countries, who were living in poverty five years ago, now live above the poverty line because of the progress their countries have made. In Pakistan, on the other hand, there has been an increase in poverty since 2005. The nation’s unemployment and debt have to do with political corruption and the American war in this region.

As a result of America’s war, Pakistan has incurred losses and damages in the amount of $70 billion between September 2001 and August 2011. During this time, Pakistan received about $20 billion in economic and military aid from America. Hence, we have lost $50 billion. Despite their assistance, Pakistan’s financial losses seem to be increasing because of the war on terror. From 2007 to 2008, Pakistan lost $6.9 billion dollars as a result of this war; from 2008 to 2009 it lost $9.2 billion; from 2009 to 2010 it lost $13.6 billion; and from 2010 to 2011 it lost $17.8 billion. It is Pakistan’s public and society that has to suffer due to these losses.

After a visit to Washington, during which the American government pressured him, President Zardari hurriedly launched a military SWAT operation without thinking about it or planning it carefully. As result of this operation, both ordinary residents and terrorists quickly abandoned the region and dispersed across the entire country. This operation should have been planned more strategically: Camps should have been built just outside of the operation area for ordinary residents so that the military could have effectively targeted terrorists and then escorted local residents back to their homes.

If Pakistan had fought terrorism on its own terms, terrorist activities would not have escalated so rapidly in this country. If Pakistan had engaged in some kind of dialogue with extremists, if it had refused to carry out the Lal Masjid operation on America’s behalf, if it had not bombed the tribal areas so heavily during Ramadan of 2007, then we would not see such widespread acts of terrorism in this country today. America has forced us to fight the war on terror on its own terms by threatening us. When General Pervez Musharraf declared a state of emergency in November of 2007, America’s approval of the act had already been previously granted.

Making decisions by consulting America has proven to be disastrous for this country. If Pakistan had refused all American aid over the past six years and had refused to listen to their commands to keep doing more, it would not have found itself in the abysmal state in which it does today. If we continue accepting American aid, we will never be able to stand properly on our own two feet and, as a consequence, our Pakistani state will collapse.