An Open Letter To US Policy Makers

US wants a democratic and stable Pakistan?

Its been years since I have been listening to the noble intentions nearly all US Presidents, and their teams, had for Pakistan. This is the same feeling that I got just days earlier, when President Obama unleashed his AfPak policy. But sitting roughly 10,000 miles away in a third world country named Pakistan, I feel strongly that it is high time that the romance of words, rather than action, from US must end, or atleast deep inside themselves they should realize what your actions have really given to us.

As a student of International Relations, I am most fascinated by American history. I say this, after learning carefully your principles from 1776 till the time you molded yourselves into the colours of other Imperial masters, who had ruled earlier.
For myself, US dream is close to

1. Peace and Prosperity
2. Democracy and Defence
3. Security and Stability

To elaborate this a little further, your vision of yourself as the “beacon of Democracy and the guarenteer of free world” is also quite close to my heart. All all of this that I mentioned in your respect, was simply to remind myself and you also, that it is what you ought to stand for, fine.

Having said this, in reality how actions differ from words, I must say I don’t find a better example than the one which is in front of me, America of today. From 1947, the time we were established as a state, we saw you as the only guarenteer of free world, based on this stance. Some are more vocal that we were brought closer by our poverty and weakness, but I find no other reason, fine reason, than the following that we struggled for Independence from the vary Imperial and Colonial power, which later became the flag bearer of Western Civilization and Democracy. In principles, at least your history and stance showed us the clear gateway, to achieve our dreams.

Contrary to this, America soon showed us that its either “our way or the highway”. Your partnership based on selfish or “national intrest” is no different from a 16th Century Tyrant of Dark Age Europe, who makes the law and implements it in a way, which only pleases him exclusively. You and the history books have justified it many ways, take it as the Cold War politics or Uni Polar order, but in reality it is describable in a single word, and that is “barbaric”. The proponents of democracy never felt ashamed when they were showering praises and extending cooperation to the dictators of our land, which are now responsible for the state of affairs as we watch in Pakistan. When you wanted bases and military presence, you chose General Ayub as your ultimate democratic model for Pakistan, when it came to counter USSR in Afghanistan, you found the same qualities and attributes in General Zia. For once you never thought that, your policies resulted in the separation of our half homeland(1971 Bangladesh), or your selected rather than elected friend hanged the democratic Prime Minister Of Pakistan (Z. A. Bhutto).

No, you cannot justify any of your action, in the paradigm of morality and justice. Of course, you would argue that international politics have no place for these two irrelevant facts, but if that’s the case, I am sorry to say but following your foot prints, those whom we and you term as terrorists are no different, they are just the executioner of your newly invented and adopted “power politics”.

Democracy, according to your founders and forefathers carried the shadow of “ Government of the people, by the people & for the people”. It was nearly two centuries ago when you vocally supported this theme even before we came into existence, but no one told us that you have worked out the formula of changing this ideology, as it travels from your shores to ours. Till the time it reached here, we could only translate it in “ Government by my friends, on my opponents, for the ultimate destruction”.

This is what you want, isn’t it. Now we hear you calling that the next 9/11 will come from the Tribal regions of Pakistan, and sitting here all we see is your experts like Fareed Zakaria (CNN, GPS) and Wolf Blitzer (Situation Room, CNN) portraying us as a nation of extremist, barbaric and uncivilized people, who just love to take the heads off your citizens and destroy whatever progress was made by mankind. My dear, your answer for the next 9/11 lies somewhere else.

It was you who chose General Musharraf over a democratic Prime Minister aand a functioning state, it was you who poured billions of dollars in the name of “war against terror”, that killed thousands of our hospitable and highly noble “pakhtuns” of the Tribal Areas, where thousands disappeared without any trace and where many moderates were transformed into radicals.

This is not all. Wherever we see, you are following the same path. 9/11 was a very sad and unfortunate day for us as well, when people lost there life for no reason what so ever. If I take up your approach of power politics and interests, we can produce a charge sheet for what really lead to 9/11. But we will stick to justice and morality, as it is the only scale worth mentioning, that mankind has evolved in all this transition from cave to cities. But just imagine how you have countered the menace of terrorism, you yourself have overshadowed that episode with what you have done with the innocent natives of Afghanistan and Iraq. Have you ever counted how many you have killed for that episode, it is even harder for me to give an estimate, as a neutral person. You have ruined the future of generations of these two countries and the real perpetrators, are still at large. Terrorism to counter terrorism is a theory only devised by the Americans. Every single day, your policies across the continents have turned thousands against you, only you. We are still fresh with the visuals of your allies, namely Israel, during the latest Gaza offensive. No book of war fare can justify there actions.

Firstly, you deny the natives the right to choose there leadership. I am not defending Hamas, but the reality is that Israeli and your policies doomed the initiative, we all had to indulge Hamas into peaceful politics. They were pushed to the wall. Home made rockets, which can only accidentally cause a harm, can lead a country to kill civilians here and there without caring for any thing. Above it, you yourself have made a mockery of the very system, that you devised. I am referring to the UN. When you require, you can surpass it (Iraq 2003, Guantanamo) and when Israel wants, it can bomb innocent civilians (Gaza 2009).

Having said this, we in Pakistan still believe in “Change”. The very change Mr Obama promised. At least for once, take us as human beings, respect what we want for ourselves. We want a Pakistan where you stay out of our matters, where you respect our will and where International Terrorism in the shape of “Predator or Cross Border Attacks” don’t take place.

I will end it on a positive note, that US positive role during the current “JUDICIAL CRISIS” is welcomed by every Pakistani, and Mr Obama and his team will think in a manner, not adopted by the earlier leaders. We in Pakistan don’t want war or insecurity or harm to any one, we also want to live a peaceful life. It is time that you adopt the principle of “give and take”& “rights and responsibility”.