Rockets As Sacred Weapons

Tragic news from the Middle East. Dozens Palestinian protesters killed and thousands injured in clashes. This happened at the occasion of opening of US Embassy in Jerusalem. The issue of Jerusalem is itself a political issue but the scale of causalities shows that it is not just related to the opening of US embassy and it proves the anger of Israeli authorities that has resulted from the incessant rocket attacks by the armed groups of Palestinians. In the previous years, thousand of rockets were fired into Israel from Palestinian areas. Israel had to develop 'Iron Dome' anti-missile system to cope with this threat. This use of rockets has to be analysed in its historical and religious background.

We can start with the use of rockets by the Arabs. From 633 AD to 750 AD, the Arabs overcame almost all local powers including Persia, Byzantium (partially) and conquered North Africa, Iberia and Central Asia. In these wars, they used fire arrows to disrupt enemy formations and concentrations. These fire arrows also took the form of rockets. Rocket seems to have gained a reputation of “sacred weapon of victory” among Arab armies.

PTI: Winning Elections in Pakistan

Coming into power in Pakistan is a delicate exercise requiring victory in a two-front battle. Both the domestic voters of Pakistan and the national and international stake-holders in Pakistan have to be convinced. The stake-holders may not all be on friendly terms with each other but they all have to be satisfied. This means that winning more votes does not automatically mean coming into power. So here are some elements of the two-pronged strategy for securing votes and coming into power. 

Decide a Stronghold 

PPP has Sindh as its stronghold, PML has Punjab as its stronghold and Balochistan is stronghold of Baloch nationalist parties. PTI can make KPK as its stronghold (which would mean more investment and more effort in KPK) so as to get roots in one place. Winning a few provincial seats in all provinces does not mean anything. You have to be strong at least in one province. By deciding a stronghold, the party would remain rooted and ever-present in national politics. It would then concentrate ONLY on winning national assembly seats in the rest of Pakistan.

Imran Khan, PTI and Jinnah

Just happened to read this book (in French language) of the author Francois Kersaudy called Lord Mountbatten and published in 2006. It is mentioned in this book that in 1947 Lord Mountbatten (The last British Viceroy to India) had to meet all Indian leaders about leaving the India to local parties and he arranged meetings with Gandhi, Nehru and Jinnah among others. The (intelligence) profile of Mr Muhammad Ali Jinnah is said to be like this (Page 242 on 2015 edition of the book):

"Jinnah represents Muslims but he drinks Whisky and Champagne, he eats pork, he smokes all day along, his knowledge of Quran is very limited and he rarely goes to the mosque".

It was completely new for me, although not shocking. I thought that nowadays in Pakistan, in certain govt departments, you have to be much better than Jinnah in religious obligations to get a junior post and yet he is the founder of Pakistan and father of the nation. This also clarifies whether Jinnah wanted an Islamic state or a secular one. The other question is that why Pakistan's state has been hiding these details about Jinnah? I respected Jinnah from my boyhood and still respect him, these details did not change my respect for him (Although many people may do otherwise and perhaps this is the reason for hiding such details). 

Now for PTI and Imran Khan posing as second Jinnah of Pakistan, is it good for Imran Khan to compare himself to Jinnah? I shall say that times have changed in Pakistan, people are more religious now and Imran khan has to stop comparing himself to Jinnah, same is true for the followers of PTI, stop comparison with Jinnah if you want to win votes in elections. It is sure that PTI lacks people who are experts in history.
PTI : Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf

Pakistan and Shia-Sunni Alliances of the Muslim World

Here the word “Alliance” would not be used in its true diplomatic meaning; instead the “agreement” and “alliance” shall be used interchangeably.

Soon after her creation in 1947, Pakistan faced conflicts on its borders with Afghanistan (over Durand Line), India, and in Kashmir. Afghanistan was not ready to admit the Durand Line as the boundary between the two countries. To face these challenges, Pakistan needed strong alliances. In early 1950s, Pakistan started a long-term relationship with USA and Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan made a historic visit to USA. This forced Afghanistan to seek aid from the Soviet Union. Due to Kashmir issue, India did not have cordial relations with Pakistan and therefore, India too found itself inclined towards the Soviet Union. Thus both India and Afghanistan found a common ground for cooperation.

In 1961-62 Daud Khan was prime minister of Afghanistan when the Pashtunistan movement (or rather crisis) reached its pinnacle. Tensions rose so high that Pakistan closed the Afghan Transit route. Pakistan Air Force launched air strikes into the FATA (Federally Administrated Tribal Areas) and also arranged for a mega show of firepower in Jamrud in 1962. Royal Afghan Air Force was quite well-equipped in the 1961-62 but surprisingly they did not come to the help of FATA tribes (or not in substantial numbers). The crisis situation ended through the mediation of Shah of Iran between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Rohingyas, Myanmar and Pakistan

Before the arrival of Islam in the Indian sub-continent, the main religions in the region were Hinduism and Buddhism. In those times, Buddhism was burgeoning and gathering mass acceptance as shown by the rampant statues and monasteries in Bamian (Afghanistan), Swat and Taxila (Pakistan). Hindu leaders must have been seriously concerned about the rise of Buddhism. The first major clean-up operation against Buddhism in the India in recorded history is the attack by the Hun barbarians. They damaged and destroyed Buddhist monasteries but damage to the Hindu temples is not mentioned to be excessive which alludes to the possibility of Huns acting as mercenaries. The very fact that Buddhists had taken refuge in far away and hardly-accessible valleys like Bamian and Swat shows that they were facing a threat of survival.

After the arrival of Islam in the Indian sub-continent, no major confrontation occured between Muslims and Buddhists. They could have been potential allies too. The Buddhists remained safe in their far-flung sanctuaries of Tibet, Sikkim, Myanmar, Bhutan and Sri Lanka. Things started to change during the British East India Company's colonization of India. Myanmar, Tibet and Sikkim were all invaded. In 1772, Bhutanese and British troops clashed in Bengal with a treaty signed in 1774. Sikkim was perhaps the only Indian state with Buddhism as state religion. In the Sikkim expedition of 1888, Tibet lost its suzerainty over Sikkim. Later on Sikkim was annexed into India. Myanmar's Buddhist kings had many border issues with British India and in a series of wars starting in 1824, they lost almost all of their country to the British East India Company. Buddhist kingdoms were faced with a survival threat.

Sacred Corners of the Indian Triangle

If we imagine the Indian peninsula as a giant traingle, then its three corners would be Kashmir to the North-West, Arunachal Pradesh to the North-East and the Southern Cap as the third corner. Historically the Hindus of India have imparted great importance to these three corners as if these were “the sacred corners of India”. Indians have tried throughout the ages to keep these three sacred corners as independent territories. The Muslim conquerors of India (both Delhi kings and Mughals) mainly concentrated on the Northern plains. Mughals did annex Kashmir but the other two corners remained out of reach for them. Emperor Aurangzeb Alamgir (ruled from 1658 to 1707) led military expeditions in the South and in the North-East and brought (temporarily) huge tracts under his control but at that time the Mahrattas had established a barrier in the Central-India against any expansion to the Southern most tip. Let us examine this “sacred corners theory” in a little detail.

Winning Wars Through Miracles

I was in 7^th grade in 1991 when the first Gulf war started. Allied air forces were targeting Iraqi military with all their precision guided munitions in conjunction with latest target acquisition systems. I was traveling to Peshawar in public transport and heard people discussing the war. They were saying confidently that due to the shrine of Hazrat Abdul Qadir Jilani RA in Baghdad (Iraq), the US and Allied bombs are not exploding. They believed in the miracles. Later on, we came to learn that Iraqi military has been expelled from Kuwait and now Allies are going into Iraq itself and that Iraqis have suffered serious losses. People of low development have shown such behaviour in almost all parts of the world, regardless of their religion. Belief in miracles, witchcraft and superstition induce naive and credulous men to become cannon fodder. A General does not depend upon miracles for success of his campaign. He calculates and plans for everything that he needs to have before going to the battle. One reason that the mutinies and numerous armed movements of the Indian Muslims against the British power in India (1757-1947) did not succeed is that calculating and experienced British Generals were fighting against locals led by priests (or baba), pirs and fakirs (a hermit) who relied upon miracles and divine intervention for success. Lets take a tour of the military history for some case studies.

Kamikaze Winds of Japan

The China-Japan enmity is perhaps as old as the civilization of China itself. Towards the end of the 13^th century, when the Mongol prince Kublai Khan had become the King of China, he prepared an expedition against Japan. A great naval fleet was sent towards Japan but due to strong storm winds, the whole Chinese fleet was dispersed and Japan could not be conquered. Interesting, this happened once again, hurricanes preventing the Chinese fleet from landing on Japan. Japanese called these as “heaven-sent or Kamikaze” brought by the God of Wind. Later on during the Second World War, the name Kamikaze was given to the pilots flying suicide missions against US Naval fleet, giving them a divine aspect. It was of course a desperate measure and could not turn the tide of the war.

Prospects of Civil Nuclear Explosions in Pakistan

On 18 May 1974, India conducted its first nuclear test in the Rajhistan desert which was labeled as peaceful explosion (for civil applications). In short, nuclear explosive was tested as a super dynamite for mega projects of the civil engineering. Prior to the test of India, almost all nuclear powers had considered using nuclear explosions for civil engineering mega projects. With the adoption of Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), all nuclear testing has been banned, whether military or civil. As both India and Pakistan have still not signed/ratified the CTBT, they can at least theoretically conduct nuclear explosions for peaceful purposes.

Another international treaty to consider is the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). In fact Article 5 of NPT allows peaceful nuclear explosions (for adhering countries without nuclear arms) [1]. But as India had not signed NPT, it had to face sanctions. Although announced as a peaceful test, it triggered a strong reaction from the nuclear states. Soon after the Indian test of 18 May 1974, nuclear states formed Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) which was initially known as London Club. NSG aimed to control and regulate the export of nuclear-related technologies.

Nuclear explosions can be used to make artificial lakes for hydroelectric power stations, to blow open Thar coal mines, Iron ore mines in Swat and many other mineral mines in Balochistan. They can be used to build deep sea ports on the Sindh / Balochistan coast and also to build large canals from the coast to the Inland cities. These canals can also be linked to inland submarine bases for the Navy submarine fleet. Belgium is known for its long canals from the coast to the inland cities like Brugge. During the WW-I, German Navy used this canal system to hide its submarines in the inland bases of Belgium.

Tackling Extremism in Pakistan

The turbulent and tumultuous history of the Indian subcontinent has given it unique characteristics. From the numerous invasions from the North, the religious movements, conflicts between races and religions, the colonization by the British, the uprising against the British in 1857, and the freedom movement of 1947 to India-Pakistan wars, the Kashmir issue, the Soviet Afghan war, and the recent US/NATO Afghan war, all have left their marks and have shaped the society in a way where the extremist behaviour is dominant. Pakistan, being financially and militarily weaker than the bigger India, is more prone to extremism. Lets look at some of the elements that contribute to the promotion of extremism in Pakistani society and then the strategy to contain it. Although extremism starts right from the cradle, lets start with the educational institutions.

Syllabus of Government Schools and Colleges

The educational syllabus in the government sector schools and colleges of Pakistan does not promote thinking, analysis, brain-storming and research. Memorizing and cramming remain the main mode of learning. Apart from a syllabus that curbs the creativity and discourages unbiased analysis, the students are beaten into submission through physical punishments. Physical punishments in government schools are so rampant (at least they were in 1990s) that they look almost legal. It is lamentable that such illegal practices are routine in the institutions where the future generations of Pakistan are educated and trained. Some physical punishments were specifically designed to hurt the self-esteem of students. This educational milieu creates a mind-set which is susceptible to develop the extremist tendencies. Social workers, philanthropists, journalists and educationists regularly evoke this issue on different media platforms from time to time but nothing concrete is done. In fact nobody has seriously analysed as to why this is happening. Is it financially beneficial?

Indigenous Air Defence Systems

Air defence is needed for the protection of naval vessels, moving or stationary army units, air force bases and all strategic installations and infrastructure. Air defence units may be based on ground (Surface to Air missile (SAM)) or airborne (air force fighter jets). Both types of units need radars for target detection and tracking. For ballistic missile defence, the radar may even be located in space. Radars are also needed for space surveillance (against spy satellites) like the GRAVES radar of France but the scope here is limited to aerial surveillance only. For those who do not know, radar works in air and space whereas sonar is used underwater (as used by ships and submarines) for surveillance. Surface to Air missiles are mostly conventional weapons although nuclear versions (e.g., Nike Hercules) were also made during the Cold war by super powers.

In order to engage a target or an airspace intruder (aircraft or ballistic/cruise missile), it must first be located and this is the job of surveillance radar. For low-level intrusions, low-level radars are needed if they are on ground. In general, low-level radars have short range and medium-to-high-level radars have long range. A good example of long-range surveillance radar network would be the Canadian NORAD system for providing early warning of Soviet Union's nuclear bombers and ballistic missiles. The low-level shortcoming of the ground-based long-range surveillance radar (due to Earth's Curvature) has been overcome by airborne radars. Once an intruder is located, it is passed on to the nearest tracking radar of a SAM system or the information is relayed to the air force fighters and they pick up the target on their own airborne radars.