The cunning as they are, the British before leaving the subcontinent, ensured that the newly installed Muslim state gets the worst of the booty, the economically deprived areas of the subcontinent, giving all but only a few viable cities to the Hindu state. And if that was not enough, separation of thousands of miles was placed between the two wings of Pakistan. Such was their hatred for the past rulers of the subcontinent that despite all of this, they felt it necessary to leave the thorn of Kashmir in the body of the Ummah hoping against hope that it would keep the new Muslim state disabled and at their mercy. But perhaps the most vicious of all their moves, and the most successful as well, was the legacy which they left behind, the legacy which has enslaved the minds of the ruling elite in this country since its inception, the legacy which has ensured the preservation of colonial interests despite an end to the physical occupation of these lands, the legacy of “democracy” (read man made system).
It was only four years after its creation when the importance of Pakistan was realized and she was immediately called to the American camp, an offer she accepted without a grudge. Only 7 years later, the importance seemed to have grown to an extent that a more "reliable" and "friendly" relationship was sought, and Pakistan saw a military dictator at the time when the West’s commitment to democracy was at its peak; the Soviets would have received a decisive blow to their expansionist policies with a strong democracy in close proximity, but Pakistan offered more.
The clash between Communism and Capitalism saw the respective states countering each other blow by blow, move by move. If Pakistan was with the capitalists, the Russians went for the basic rule, enemy’s friend is an enemy and enemy’s enemy is a friend, therefore the world saw the Indians siding with the Soviets. On the other side, Marx’s ideas had crossed the borders and found in Mao a compatriot who had established a firm grip on China. Capitalism was endangered by the formation of the red block; Russia and China together meant more than 1.5 billion people under the shade of Communism. The capitalists needed an ally in the region; Pakistan with her strategic importance seemed an obvious and ideal choice. It was Pakistan who barricaded the red block. Pakistan acted like a dam to the expansionist designs of the Soviets preventing the Communist ideology from advancing further, "Beep…beep, sorry no transit to the communists from this gateway (the main gateway to the world)".
It was to be, that capitalism was not going to win alone, she needed a helping hand and she saw none around, none but one, but was she to risk it?, was she to stir the old warrior?, was she to catalyze the end of the slumber of the Muslim Ummah?, the Ummah she had defeated by destroying the Ottoman empire 55 years ago? The odds were there, but pragmatism blinded her, nevertheless she had democracies and dictatorships in the Muslim territories, they had served her well to date, and as long as she ensured that such systems are adhered to, the Ummah was no threat. It was then, that the secular ideology called for help from the divine ideology to defeat their common enemy, the Godless ideology, the final battle was to be fought in a Muslim land by Muslim armies, technology lost trust, and the men of the world, Muslims and non-Muslims called for the divine duty, the duty of fighting the enemies of God, the duty of “Jihad”. Pakistan was going to once again play the pivotal role, she was to ensure that the soviets are defeated and the Communists pushed back to their territories. She was once again successful.
With the defeat of the Soviets, American hegemony over the globe strengthened, she became the only superpower and for the coming decade she was going to dominate the global affairs according to her liking and interests. Pakistan was not to be ignored; Pakistan’s strategic importance had proved equivalent to the oil rich middle-east, sometimes even more. So it was during this phase that Pakistan was allowed to pass in to democracy, nothing better than the classical tools of colonialism. America meanwhile strengthened her grip over the middle-east, and put her eyes on Central Asia where the oil rich Caspian Sea offered her the economic strength she now sought, the strength which backed her during the cold war.
The post soviet world saw another major paradigm shift, especially in international politics. With capitalism finding deep roots in most of the countries of the world, the foreign policies of the states (having seen the fall of communism) shifted from being “ideological" to be based on economy. Benefit, national interests, and "fight for your rights" became the motivating factors for foreign policies, with the focus on economics. Countries saw strength in adhering to capitalism, the more they do the stronger they are, therefore economics became the focal point of domestic and international policies. A new struggle started between nations of the world, competing for economic benefits and trade and commerce; economic strength became the yardstick for power and global influence. The world saw the developed countries looting and plundering the resources of the globe, maligning the third world countries by sucking their resources, causing widespread poverty and hunger which has resulted in the death of millions.
In the modern world of today, no economy can thrive without oil. Therefore oil became the main motivation for foreign policies of the countries of the world. Once again, the Ummah with her massive oil reserves was to be at the receiving end. The quest for oil and consequently global domination led the US to wage a war against Afghanistan and Iraq. Iraq because of her massive oil reserves, Afghanistan to have a presence in the region in order to gain access to the oil rich Central Asia.
On the other hand, America’s worst fears had come alive; the warrior she had stirred was not to sit idle; America’s policy of manipulating the Jihadi passion within the Muslims to defeat the communists had backfired. The defeat of the Communists had restored the faith of millions of Muslims in Islam, the colonialist maligning was unbearable, 50 years of testing with democracy and dictatorships (read man-made systems) had forced them to revert back to Islam. The Muslim world was going through a radical change; two fronts from within the Ummah had emerged side by side. On the one hand, the "jihadi" movements were gaining strength, support and popularity within the Ummah. On the other hand, the West’s worst nightmare had come true; political Islam had resurfaced. It was circumstances like these when the tragic day of 9/11 came, the secrets of which are still be unveiled. "Jihadists" were renamed as "terrorists", heroes became villains, friends became enemies. Islam had replaced communism, as capitalism’s new enemy and the “war against Islam” started in the guise of the “war against terrorism”.
Pakistan had to play a role, yet again. She had to help the West out of her miseries. The battle of global domination had returned to these lands. But this was no ordinary Pakistan; it was a nuclear state, the only one amongst the Muslim countries. Therefore it was most surprising when General Pervez Musharaf in his address to the nation mentioned that Pakistan was standing at the crossroads, her sovereignty was under threat and the only way to protect it was to put it in the hands of the West. Sovereignty of Pakistan was at risk? With what this country had done in the past?, Pakistan had virtually changed the global affairs, a strong military nation, Pakistan controlled the gateway to central Asia and her oil reserves, Pakistan has thrice defied an enemy three times her strength, Pakistan had brought down an ex super power, sovereignty of Pakistan at risk?. Are we talking cocks and bulls here? It was US and the West who needed support. What if Pakistan had refused? Could the US have dared to attack her? After what has happened in Iraq and Afghanistan, are we to presume that the US didn’t knew the odds of attacking a nuclear nation? Would the US have destroyed the country which holds the key to this region? Did she had the ability to do so? The answer is a big No.
And now, four years later, we see a big shift in the West’s approach towards Islam and Muslims; the transformation of the “war against terrorism” to the “war against extremism”. The war is now shifting its target from the jihadists to the people who call towards political Islam. Muslims calling for the return of the global caliphate are being crushed, persecuted and tortured around the globe. The rise of debate of political Islam within the Ummah has resulted in the widespread demand of the reestablishment of the global Islamic Khilafah. It seems that the West realizes the threat as well, as the British premier Tony Blair after the London bombing expressed his grave concerns over “an evil ideology” (read political Islam) and the possible return of a state which exercises shariah and has expansionist designs. Time is ripe for a new global player to emerge. Pakistan has played a historical role in global politics, she has served the nations of the world for more than 50 years, it is time she uses her strength for her own and for the Muslims and the only way to do it is to adhere to the ideology of Islam which is exhibited by the system of caliphate.
