Saudi Alliance – Gen. Raheel.
Pipe dream or positive reality?
By Syed Haider Raza Mehdi.
Our loyalties lie with the Nation and it’s institutions.
The hallmark of objective perspectives is to look at decisions and actions and see beyond individuals.
Many amongst us have a deeper understanding of our institutional ethos, the sanctity of the office of the Army Chief, especially the issue of re employment of an ex Army Chief, after retirement, than others.
Gen. Musharraf’s talks for which he was paid, and his paid for book, and Gen. Karamat’s re employment as Ambassador, didn’t go down well with the institution.
As a former Army Chief said. The Army looks after us really well and there is no job bigger than this. Re-employment within and especially outside Pakistan is therefore, a big no.
We should play golf, and if asked, advise the government and the institution, and that too without compensation.
Because our role and the impact of our actions is so visible and always under scrutiny, we cannot afford to involve ourselves in anything controversial. Especially something which has national and international repercussions.
Once our job is done we must retire gracefully and not meddle in national or regional geo politics.
Let those responsible, and in positions of power, now pick up the baton and address the problems and deal with them. Otherwise we are creating complication for them, for Pakistan and it’s Army. End quote.
Our national fissures and regional geo politics and power struggles are huge. And therefore Its important to keep all this in context before we let our personal emotions about an individual, however popular and likeable, color our analysis and hence our conclusions.
It is important to look at the objective reality through the prism of Pakistani National interests and that of our Army, before we cast aspersions on others and calling critical commentaries, such as this and others as a “Jewish” or “Iranian” conspiracy to destroy the Pakistan Army under the guise of objective analysis.
I may have been harsh in my commentary, but it was done deliberately so, because of the enormity of potential consequences for us as a nation and for the precedent set for the institution of the Army.
Anybody with a most basic understanding of the culture of the Pakistan Army and of our current complex regional geo politics has not approved or would ever approve of an alleged decision of a former Army chief to head a Muslim military coalition.
Of course we still don’t know if the decision has been made. So all this is subject to that fact.
Emotionalism and pipe dreams of Muslim Ummah unity and Shia Sunni bonhomie aside. The reality is painful, sad and tragically fraught with serious consequences.
No one disagrees with genuine attempts at forging Muslim Unity or creating a Pan Muslim force. But unfortunatelyhistorical realities and precedents indicate that this attempt will also fail. However we cannot deny people the right to dream a wonderful dream.
Any Pan National organization, Muslim or non Muslim, only survives as long they have common aligned economic and geo political interests, which are closely tied to each nations national interests. And these are also not permanent and change.
Today even a cursory look at the major players indicates no alignment but major existential conflicts. Super powers couldn’t bring unity. A common religion couldn’t bring unity. Pan Arabism couldn’t align Arab states.
Therefore the conclusion is simple. Nothing else ties nations, or groups together. No religion. No dogma. No central strong power holds nations together but only and only self centered, selfish interest.
In recent times, the USSR is the biggest example of the failure of a powerful central force trying to keep countries together tied by the bond of communism. That dream now lies in tatters.
But of course we can argue for and or against any issue, equally logically. Only time will tell the outcomes.
I’m sure all the great powers who entered Afghanistan after great war gaming and intellectual analysis did so because they thought this was the best decision, when all historical factors and the prevailing environment and geo political realities said to the contrary.
So we’re not alone in our pipe dreams. One doesn’t have to say, wait and see.
It’s there to see for all and sundry.
If we haven’t been able to forge Muslim Unity in 1400 years, what will change so dramatically now?
Principles of War and Geo Politics are as fundamental as those of the sciences.
Ignore them at your peril!