Low Intensity Conflict

This article is bizarre and thoroughly pro-establishment...

While the author`s statement about the Pakistan Movement made only in passing is sad in its over simplification... what is worse is his analysis of the situation since 1947 and his glorification of our army. With articles like these which talk of `Low Intensity Conflict` and `limited wars`... not only is Jinnah`s Pakistan a distant dream .... but peace is a casualty... I am a patriot of Pakistan... but this kind of utter nonsense I don`t subscribe to.

Another way I guess to fool the people of Pakistan by the Military wallahs and their supporters....


May god save Pakistan from this guy i.e. Tariq Aqil.

-YLH

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PS to #1 Tariq,

May I suggest that the Pakistan Army would have lived up to the praise you wish to heap on it... had every single soldier of the Pakistan Army would have fought to the last breath against the Indian onslaught during the Dacca Siege... had everyone of them died an honorable death, they would be heroes today... Instead they were cowards and loser... and you call them the `rock of gibraltar`.... what sense of fairness.

The Pakistani nation should not and cannot afford to keep up such an army... a loser army which knows only how to take over the Capital city of Pakistan.

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Manto #3

I think you went a little overboard there.

The 90,000 ordinary soldiers trapped in Dacca were put in an unwinnable position by their bankrupt leadership. By most accounts, the foot soldiers did show personal courage and bravery in the 3-week war. It was just an impossible situation.
The one honorable thing the leadership did was to surrender and not waste 90,000 good lives.

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Re Manto
``The Pakistani nation should not and cannot afford to keep up such an army... a loser army which knows only how to take over the Capital city of Pakistan.``

Oh, don`t forget the port city also :(

Pakistan ought to keep an army, a real one that is not the bloated, corrupt, money-pit institution it has today. After all, Pakistan inherited one of the finest fighting forces in 1947 with good officers and chivalrous traditions. Get `em out of business, sports administration, and politics, trim up the fat (literally and otherwise), and fire half the general officers and Pakistan can have an army that can fight again and of which the nation can be proud. There ought to be a clear understanding that the army exists to serve the people of Pakistan not the other way around.

re khurram
``By most accounts, the foot soldiers did show personal courage and bravery in the 3-week war. ``

If indeed there was `personal courage and bravery`, why is it that almost all who went into the war came out as POWs? Usually courage and bravery translate into fairly high casualties, especially on the vanquished side.

More likely the `personal courage and bravery` consisted of what Pakistani journalist Anthony Mascarenhas called the `ugliest genocide in history`. Really you cannot expect courage and bravery from an army whose most noticeable acheievements since 1949 have been regular assaults on its own people, its own cities, its own Constitution with an occasional set of extra judicial murders thrown in for giggles.

Tariq Aqil (or be-akal?)

Why not rename the country ``PakiArmistan``? Then silly essays full of nonsense like:

[quote]
Pakistan army has performed a monumental and historical task in containing and combating low intensity conflict in all its forms and manifestations. In Kashmir, Rann of Kutch, Siachin, Kargil
[end-quote]

could become official policy. oooops, I am sorry, they are ALREADY official policy !! oh, no ....

The two-nation theory wasn`t uniquely the subcontinent`s in the late 1940s. It was unfolding in Palestine as well. And, at the OIC summit, Dr. Mahathir has excorciated the Jews even more bitterly than Musharraf has excorciated India.

It might be easier to think through Musharraf`s rage on Kashmir if we first try to think through Mahathir`s rage against the Jews.

Sometimes it is wise to walk a little in the other party`s mocasins.

Cooler tempers might prevail if Mahathir mulls over what he would have done in 1948 if he were a holocaust survivor. Wouldn`t he have done everything in his power to defeat the Arab armies that invaded Israel?

More importantly, Mahathir might want to mull over the fact that Palestine was a two-way street at that moment in history. Yes, many a Palestinian ( 0.5 million?) fled his ancestral home in the wake of Palestine`s partition. But at least an equal number of Jews got thrown out from Arab countries (from Morocco to Iraq) and even from Iran.

Today, the majority of Jews in Israel are Shephardic Jews most of whom have either lived in Palestine for centuries or are from Arab lands.

In fact, the downfall of the Labor Party in Israel and the rise of the hard line Likud is specifically related to this demographic mix - the better educated Ashkenazic Jews (of Yiddish heritage) yielding to the numerically dominant Shephardic Jews.

Needless to say, these Shephardic Jews have no reason to feel that they owe anything to the Palestinians who had lost their ancestral home. More importantly, the Shephardic Jews have genuine cause to resent the Arab countries that threw them out of their ancestral home in the aftermath of Palestine`s partition.

If Mahathir mulls over the facts, I am sure he`ll see how illogical and unreasonable it was for him to denounce the Jewish people.

More importantly, Mahathir will realize how unreasonable are those that will not settle for peace for anything less than the Palestinians` right to return to their ancestral land.

Last but not the least, Mahathir would be doing humanity a real favor if he can persuade the Bangladesh government not to push a war criminal as its candidate for Secretary General of OIC. It will truly make OIC a laughing stock of the world if it is already not so.

As for the subcontinent, it would do well to recall what President Clinton had told Pakistanis pointedly in his TV address from Islamabad, ``This era does not reward people who struggle in vain to redraw borders with blood``.

Pakistan doesn`t need more real estate. It needs to be more concerned for its own citizens. Bringing home the stranded Pakistanis in Bangladesh (aka ``Biharis``), for example, surely deserves a higher priority than winning real estate in Kashmir. The ``Biharis`` after all do call themselves Pakistanis, Kashmiris don`t.

re nakhok

``Last but not the least, Mahathir would be doing humanity a real favor if he can persuade the Bangladesh government not to push a war criminal as its candidate for Secretary General of OIC. It will truly make OIC a laughing stock of the world if it is already not so.``

Amen.

Salahuddin Qader Chowdhury, the alleged war criminal, is a disgrace to say the least. But then, as a wag opined, he and OIC deserve each other amply. Better to have the crook away from Dhaka and living with the creeps in Jeddah.

Khurram,

What a great feat it would have been in the history of military conflict had the Pakistan Army fought to the last man instead of shamelessly surrendering? What have those 90 000 `good lives` achieved but bring utter shame to the nation? And that dog niazi... don`t even make me start....

I know this may sound inhuman or too emotional... but after committing horrible crimes against their own people, after raping countless Pakistani women (remember Bangladesh was still Pakistan then), and after murdering systematically the best of that society.... the least those `Good lives` could have done was to have died with honor... after all they were the inheritors of `glorious traditions`...


Shame on every soldier and an officer who surrendered in Dacca... Shame on Pakistan Army.

-YLH

This article should be re-titled as HOW TO CONDUCT A SUCCESSFUL LOW INTENSITY WARFARE- AN INTRODUCTION.
Let me get to some intersting parts of it:

``Among the dynamic forces that contribute to low intensity conflict are change, discontent, poverty, violence, instability, religious extremism, Social imbalance, deprivation, exploitation and injustice....``

He has carefully omitted very crucial ``dynamic forces`` which may have bearing to his status : Martial Law, usurpation of civil authority by Army Officers, threatened judiciary etc. etc.

``Pakistan itself is a product of change through revolution. The two-nation theory, the very foundation of Pakistan was a revolutionary and radical theory during the period of low intensity conflict with the British Raj and the Hindu vested interests....``

This presumes that the interests of ordinary ``Indian muslims`` (was there any such monolith??) substantially different from their ordinary Hindu (where was the Hindu monolith at that time???) counterparts.

````After independence Pakistan unfortunately has failed to develop a form of government which allows social and occupational mobility through individual achievement and growth. Democratic institutions have not taken root and Pakistan’s long term interests are at grave risk with political, ethnic and sectarian groups exploiting the environment of political, social and economic instability. ````
This is typical Tinpot Dictator`s thesis- that internal problems has compromised ``LONG TERM INTERESTS`` of PAkistan. The ``LONG TERM INTERSTS`` are defined and re-defined by every martial ruler differently.

````Pakistan cannot be secure with out a strong and determined fighting force and this is not possible with out a just, equitable, and benevolent polity, in tandem with a vibrant and strong economy````

Translated it means- Guys you require a strong army to keep on fighting your TNT-s with the rest of the world- for this the government has to be conducive towards the army Generals.

``The possible use of nuclear, biological or chemical weapons (NBC) is also a grave and serious potential threat in Pakistan’s arena of LIC. The proliferation of NBC weapons and the possible threat of their use has greatly increased the subversive and terror potential of a nation or group with this capability. It is no secret that quite a large number of ethnic, sectarian and fundamentalist groups in the country are funded and supported by India who is in a position to provide NBC capability to some favorite group in Pakistan. Sources of external support to Pakistani radical groups are not restricted to India only. Many countries including some friendly and fraternal Muslim countries provide active or passive material and moral support to these radical and violent groups.``

All this rabble about India or some other country arming subversion with NBC is just another ploy to create a fear psychosis in the minds of the readers- it is called ``SEXING UP``- a ploy which Bush and Blair used to invade Iraq. So, now you can expect what this Khurafaati is going to say in the next para.

``Today Kashmir remains a thorn in the side of both countries and the very foundation of LIC. It is the smoldering volcano that could erupt into a nuclear holocaust. Kashmir is the root cause of tensions and LIC between the two Asian nuclear powers. Kashmir is symbolically and materially at the core of India-Pakistan antagonism. There is a third party to the conflict, the people of Kashmir whose rights are being denied. Both India and Pakistan exclude the independence option. India claims that Pakistan is fighting a proxy war in Kashmir, Pakistan justifies its policies and actions of supporting a home grown legitimate Kashmiri freedom struggle. ``

This the Mushy`s Propoganda theme- the ``CORE ISSUE THESIS`` and ``ROOT CAUSE THEORY``.

````Pakistan army has played a heroic role in containing all forms of low intensity conflict internal and external both.````
``Pakistan army has performed a monumental and historical task in containing and combating low intensity conflict in all its forms and manifestations.``
Great self-congratulatory references. This is BS! Army has propounded and executed this LIC Policy in order to justify its` existence and usurpation of the civil authority.

Now the last part on ``imperatives`` in a successful LIC operations which has baffled me:

How does this discussion on connect to the historiography of LIC ? What ``success`` is this guy talking -
1. success in ``combatting`` the LIC operations made by others on you- or
2. success in RUNNING a LIC operation against Indian by the PAkistani Army???

What is this bit about Political Dominance ,Unity of Effort, Adaptability, Legitimacy,Perseverance?

And this General Musharaff`s thesis on Legitimacy:
``Legitimacy is the willing acceptance of the right of a government to govern or of a group or agency to make and enforce decisions. Legitimacy is not tangible. Nor easily quantifiable. Popular votes do not always confer or reflect legitimacy. Legitimacy derives from the perception that authority is genuine and effective and uses proper agencies for reasonable purposes. No group or force can create legitimacy for itself, but it can encourage and sustain legitimacy by its actions. Legitimacy is the central concern of all parties involved in the conflict. It is also important to other parties who may be involved even indirectly. ``

It is just amazing!!! This guy is an Army Regular filled with grand visions about running LIC in neighbouring countries and has now put a part of his Jehadi Manual on LIC so that he can take a feedback from the chowkists and then build up an improved Manual on how to a run a successful LIC.
R@scals! They should be stripped of their uniform and flogged in public!!

Ahhhh ! .... the self-righteous Mahathir,

Let`s assume that Jews control the whole US of A and the wallstreet. I really don`t understand what is stopping the wallstreet jews to force American Dell and other companies to shutdown their Manufacturing plants in Malaysia and move them to friendly India. I am sure it must me damn easy for them to do that if we are to believe Mahathir`s worlds about those evil jews. May be that`s what these American companies should do... shutdown all their electronic manufacturing plants in Malaysia. Then we can see how the self righteous Mahathir would manage his country`s piggy-backing economy.

#11 by sigalph235

An example of chivalry during the 1971 war is certainly worth recalling. I remember reading about it in ``Imprint``.

When a largish group of Pakistani soldiers surrendered to their advancing Indian counterparts, it turned out that the opposing commanders were former colleagues from pre-partition India. There was some kind of special langar, and they ended up organizing a cricket match between the two opponents, possibly at the cost of some valuable time. Mrs. Gandhi had to send a mild rebuke to the Indian commander, reminding him that he happened to be in the midst of a war.

Even in 1971, a significant number of senior soldiers on both sides were former colleagues, and while their professionalism meant that they were prepared to kill each other in combat, chivalry and magnanimity had not yet fallen prey to indoctrinated hatred.

Things have certainly changed for the worse today. We have to read news items about vicious intruders sneaking up to kill and to chop away heads of the dead enemy soldiers as memorablia.



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