Plight of US Law Makers

If we just see the figures of Frontier Constabulary (FC) alone in 2005 Pakistan suffered 32 deaths and only one injured was reported. In 2006 the figure of deaths in FC rose to 66 and subsequently in 2007 it was 101, in 2008 it was 58 , in 2009 139, in 2010 140 and in 2011 uptill now FC has 195 dead soldiers from IED attacks.

By Hamid Waheed

The US Senate passed a bill that freezes roughly $700 million in aid to Pakistan, pending assurances that Islamabad has taken steps to move against militants who use improvised explosive devices (IEDs) against ISAF, NATO an US  forces in Afghanistan. The improvised explosive devices (IED) are used by insurgent for both land routes explosions and explosive belts for suicide bombers. This is the deadliest weapon of the Taliban in its fight against troops fighting War On Terror (WOT).

However, the State Department has tried to downplay the Congress’ move by suggesting that the legislation does not actually cut $700 million in military aid to Pakistan but  it includes a reporting requirement. This speaks of the disinformation and disconnect between US law makers their public and their understanding of Pakistan.  The new development will reinforce the delays already resulting after Obama administration’s decisions to deliver large fractions of the funds through the American contractors. Strict U.S. rules in the disbursal of aid slowed the effort considerably and this was coupled with difference between announced and actual assistance reaching Pakistan, which more than compounds the problem. Anti-American sentiment in Pakistan is coupled  with frustrations over the failures of the Pakistani government, which is losing credibility among its own people and political allies.

A Common Pakistani perception is that Pakistan has suffered enormous losses financially, economically, socially and psychologically and the compensation being paid by the US for this colossal damage amounts to pea nuts. Moreover linking IED to deaths of NATO and US troops in Afghanistan only speaks of  a state in which the US public and their law makers are being made to live in by hostile group and their media.

If you see the statistics of Pakistani forces sufferings in form of dead and injured in IED attacks in Pakistan from 2005 to 2011 the upward trend shows that they have been continuously suffering and with passage of time and the trend is of systematic increase. If we just see the figures of Frontier Constabulary (FC) alone in 2005 Pakistan suffered 32 deaths and only one injured was reported. In 2006 the figure of deaths in FC rose to 66 and subsequently in 2007 it was 101, in 2008 it was 58 , in 2009 139, in 2010 140 and in 2011 uptill now FC has 195 dead soldiers from IED attacks. The last seven years have seen233 injured and 741 deaths from FC alone. The civilians and regular troops casualities must be much more. The logic of US for freezing aid and linking it to IED attacks due to inflow of fertilizer from Pakistan where they themselves are suffering enormously seem fighting for the problem and not with the problem.

The media and the hostile elements makes sure that this wedge does not only remain but keeps increasing between the collation partners  so the vested interests in Afghanistan linked to drug trade and other issues are well protected. According to a military-led investigation U.S. trucking funds reach Taliban. The report compiled in May and reviewed by an  international news paper, say the military found “documented, credible evidence  of involvement in a criminal enterprise or support for the enemy” by four of the eight prime contractors.  Tierney, now the top minority member of the national security subcommittee of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, said “I would hate like hell to think my kid was over there” and the Taliban was “coming after them with something bought with our taxpayers’ money.

The past decade has been devastating for Pakistan. The Pakistani army is at war with the terror network and has more than 140,000 troops engaged in operations along the Afghan border. 35,000 Pakistanis including more than 5000 soldiers have died in the fighting since 2001. The ratio of officers to men lost is 1:10. The police force has lost hundreds more – 559 in 2010 alone. Pakistan has lost more soldiers and paramilitary personnel in fighting terrorists than any other country, except the US in Iraq. Millions more have been displaced by fighting. Pakistan’s economy has suffered direct and indirect losses of up to $68 billion since 2001 in the ‘war against terrorism’. Nothing else but true and realistic understanding of the picture is the most required element to be understood for  bridging this trust deficit.