ANOTHER WAR

 ANOTHER WAR

 

LT COL NOEL ELLIS

06/III/2024

 

Since the time elections happened in Pakistan, there has been a kind of lull. No news of any terrorist attack, no suicide bombing, no attacks from Taliban and Iran too has gone quiet. Political turmoil besides, there is something amiss, which is not coming to the fore.

Fact is, this country is in a turmoil, especially financially. Now that there are various ‘selected’ governments in place in their center and four states, no politician has a formula to bail the country out. The Military is controlling all strings from behind the shadows is clear from the way these elections were rigged. They too do not have a solution, except for firing from the politicians shoulders.

‘Noon League’ got a boot and so did all the other parties literally, but their marriage of convenience which politics is all about all over the world has ushered in some method in the madness. The man who actually should have swept the elections, is in jail and still calling his shots. The so-called leaders who should be in jail are roaming free and at the helm. That is how that country functions.

The burden of all their ‘sins’ would be borne by the common man. The sins include prices of gas, fuel, electricity, and other basic necessities. The fall of this present government is a matter of time, they say. People don’t support the ones who have taken oath. Why are the people quiet, intrigues me no end?

Will the IMF stop their funding? I don’t think so. Their politicians can stoop to any level to get funds from wherever and whosoever. That is what the ‘deep state’ will make their politicians do. After all their pay and allowances are at stake. One odd visit by their Chief to certain countries who may loosen their pockets will also be on the cards.

What I understand of this country and its thought processes, is that this is the lull before the storm. There is something brewing, which we have not been able to anticipate. I only hope it doesn’t affect India. We need to keep are antennas up.

We fought a war in 1971, just after Pakistani elections, where Mujibur Rehman won, defeating Bhutto. To divert the world's attention and to divert their public from realities Pakistan started that war, which resulted in splitting their country into two.

Mujib was a prisoner in Pakistan. Once he reached East Pakistan where the butcher of Bangladesh had let loose his goons, killing, raping and massacring innocent Bengalis, things changed. Finally, they had to surrender with 93000 POWs to the Indian Armed Forces. Is something like that on the cards again? The fall out of that war was that Bhutto was hanged and Mujib got assassinated later.

Similarly, the retaliation to the Iranian missile attack was akin to what was about to happen in Pakistan before elections. Good sense prevailed and it did not escalate in a full-scale war. A war could not be afforded by them but it was good enough to divert the general public’s attention. The “Forces” gained some credibility, which is touching rock bottom presently.

Another war was expected after the elections, to calm things down. Once they would have been at war, things would have officially been controlled by their establishment. The proxy by which they manipulate politics now would have then changed to direct control of every aspect of Pakistani life. Which they are avoiding for obvious reasons.

The under currents are definitely against the ‘establishment’, which their Army Chief knows and understands very well. He is a bigger politician in uniform than the politicians in civvies. His dictates of how, when, and where are seen in the way they have formed the present hotch-potch government.

The ‘voice of dissent’ and ‘strong winds’ to delink the establishment’s involvement in governance of their country is clearly seen in the voices reverberating in their Parliament these days. The popularity of IK is at its pinnacle. He was brought in by the establishment and dishonourably removed by them to establish another man who they expect to dance to their tune or else face consequences.

Popularity besides, IK too doesn’t have any magic wand to steer the country out of their financial mess. The beauty is that this man is batting on a ‘dug-up pitch’, with ‘twenty-two fielders’, with ‘no bat’ in hand. Those who are ‘fielding’ have no idea how their ‘coaches’ want to play. The wait is for a Strategic Time “Oust’ (STO), which might happen much before the full term of the present team.

Will the STO work in favour of IK? Or, are we looking at another split of that country, followed or preceded by another war? Will they dare challenge India again? I wonder!!!!!!!

 

JAI HIND

© ® NOEL ELLIS