Pak needs a paradigm shift in its foreign, security policies.

Attacks on United States, sole super power on 11 September 2001, shook the world. As a result of these attacks  by non-state actors on US soil in its history, former President of United States George Bush warned at that time, “you are with us or against us.” This warning compelled Pakistan military dictator Pervez Musharraf to make a new alliance and partnership with United State to fight war on terror against Al-Qaeda and followers of extreme brand of religious extremist groups.

Pakistani secular and moderate military dictator Pervez Musharraf after attacks on United State was in catch 21 situation and decided to wage war against religious extremists’ organizations and Taliban supporters who were considered “strategic assets” by the security establishment.

Musharraf, the architect of Kargil war in his television address raised slogan, “Sab Say Phely Pakistan” (Pakistan First) and waged war against religious extremists and Jihadi groups who were nurtured by western powers and the ruling elites in cold war era and later further strengthened by the military dictators to prolong their rule and achieve short term foreign policy strategic goals.

Musharraf’s dual policies further pushed and drifted Pakistan into religious extremists. He failed to take genuine and bold steps to eradicate religious extremism from Pakistani society and made electoral alliance with the religiou parties. With his support and patronage,  the MMA, a group of religious parties formed and their leaders were given full support from the regime to incorporate religious extremists’ views in state institutions. The MMA formed government in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa afer winning general election.

Musharraf’a strategy was to kill and capture foreign militants who were affiliated with Al-Qaida but he did not formulate a long term strategy as to how to cope with home-grown sectarian and religious parties which had shaken the foundation of Jinnah’s Pakistan.

The former military dictator’s dual polices to combat with religious fundamentalism and old cold war security paradigm further encouraged the extremists groups to strengthen their roots in masses and challenge writ of state and Jinnah’s secular Pakistan.

In foreign affairs, the military ruler took bold steps and started confidence building measures with its hostile neighbor India and brought paradigm shift in Pakistan’s Kashmir policy but failed miserably to seek long term solution of Kashmir conflict.

Pervez Musharraf’s initial two years after military coup d'état were considered golden years of his eight year long regime but subsequently he followed the same path of ruling class to perpetrate his rule. His flawed accountability process further encouraged corruption and nepotism.

The former military president was considered luckiest dictator as both popular party leaders were in exile and he had free choice to implement his policies and plans according to his will but his flawed enlightenened policy and consumer economy further strengthened hands of religious extremists groups and gave United States free hand to intervene in Pakistan affairs at macro and micro level.

Former US president Bush and his neo- cons and ruling elites have their own imperialist agenda in Asia in interdependence world to exploit resources of former states of Russia used religious extremism as a tool and continue its presence in Afghanistan.

But million dollar question for our ruling elites both civilian and military was how to cope with menace of religious extremists in the society which is spreading in four provinces in both rural and urban areas.

After departure of eight year military rule of Pervez Musharraf, PPP, PML (N), MQM and ANP and PML-Q came into power after 2008 elections but these political parties have not any road map to counter menace of religious extremism in the country.

The PPP, ANP and MQM which are considered secular political parties but their dilemma wasb that they are pitted against each other’s  and killing each other political workers but they don’t have viable and long term policy to contain religious extremist ideology and mindset.

The United State and other western powers are using religious extremism as a shield to intervene in their hostile states which are opposing US’s doctrine of neo-liberalism.

After end of Cold war era, United State unilaterally attacked Iraq, Libya but fails to seek long term solution of major conflict between Pakistan and India on Kashmir, Palestine issue and its dual and pragmatic policy to blindly support monarchies in Sheikh Kingdoms which are nurseries for violent brand of religious extremists.

Pakistan is a nuclear state and rich minerals resources but due to flawed polices of the ruling class consists on feudal class, clergy class, corrupt bourgaize class and corrupt and uncountable civilian and military bureaucracy always imposed policies which were beneficial for ruling elites and foreign powers only but they never paid any heed to their own people’ voice to curb religious extremists and other internal and external challenges faced by the state after new paradigm of  interdependence world order.

Problem with our ruling elites both civilian and military rulers is that they still believe in old paradigm of security of state and they  never plan and implement rational and long term policies to bring genuine reform in post colonial state and to protect lives of their own citizen and to run affairs of state as guaranteed  in the constitution.

Pakistan needs a paradigm shift in its foreign policy towards neighbors and super powers and in its internal policies to defeat violent brand of religious extremists and ethnic militants who are killing innocent people of their own country in pretext of religious extremists as well as fascist approach to hate and kill other ethnic people.

End.