New Delhi: After news of a scheduled dialogue between India and Pakistan became public, the dreaded Pakistani military has become over active once again. Every time any Pakistani leader tried to make peace with India, the military and intelligence establishment of the country has hit back. Throughout history, from Kargil to Parliament attack to 26/11 to the recent border firing, it's a retaliation by the hawks in the military industrial complex to their civilian leaders not to seek peace with India. All the dialogues agreed to in Ufa in Russia, whether it's NSA or DG BSF or DGMOs will happen. Neither side can afford to be seen walking back from a joint commitment.
Immediately after the then Prime Minister AB Vajpayee’s bus ride to Pakistan, military led by General Parvez Musharraf hit back with Kargil war in 1999. The Pakistan military has time and again proved that it will not tolerate peace between both the nations. Because the entire edifice of Pakistani military is based on anti-India propaganda and sentiments. The peace with India will end dominance of the military in Pakistani life. The military does not want to lose its firm hold over the government and public life.
The same is happening once again. Some pressure groups and Army including the external intelligence agency ISI are putting pressure on the Nawaz Sharif government to not go ahead with talks between the National Security Advisor of India Ajit Doval and other establishments. The incidents of Pakistan allegedly shooting down an Indian Drone and allegations of cross border firing are not mere coincidences, but a deliberate attempt to derail the peace process. Our border forces are firing only in retaliation. It is a fact that Pakistani military is killing our civilians to derail the peace process. Both Narendra Modi and Nawaz Sharif have spoken and committed to restart the peace talks and the NSA level talks will happen despite everything going on against it.
Unlike the Khans and Bhuttos, Nawaz Sharif may have more money, but is not the Pakistani ‘Gentry’ whose philosophy is embodied in the Pakistani military and political establishment. Nawaz Sharif that way is, as they say in Lahore, a "chichora"! The gentry which has ruled Pakistan since its independence has wedded its continued relevance and prosperity to an anti-India stance which is the only, repeat, only common meeting ground between the Pakistani elite and the bottom. As long as this stance echoes in everything that the establishment does whether in budgeting, allocations, policies or growth projects , there is a semblance of "democratic order".
Whenever there is a shism, the country has wound itself up in inner turmoils of class, land wars, militancy, unrest, etc. If you remove the anti-India element from Pakistani affairs, what is left? Zero. How will the establishment justify expansion of defence budgets, military embellishments, procurements, foreign aid, what not? The western or, as is now, eastern, powers which want a foothold in south Asia have always been aware of Pakistan's forced alacrity to tow their line if only to keep up their internal pretence alive.
As to the border firing and killing of Indian soldiers, how can we even believe, and how we will continue to believe, our own foreign or Army chaps giving us the spiel that we are innocent? There is as much a history of veritable subversion on Pakistani soil planned by Indian intelligence agencies as is on the Pakistani side. Coming back to the present, it suffices to say, both India and Pakistan continue to keep up the pretence of talks. They owe it to their own domestic interests to keep the charade of talks going on as that is the most effective way of warding off any external intervention.
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