WHY PAKISTAN’S BLACKLISTING IN FATF is VITAL FOR WORLD PEACE

By Rashid Baloch

If the international laws are meant to protect the rules-based international order of mankind, then Pakistan has left no stone unturned in flaunting them right under the nose of the international community. Yet, it has successfully evaded the consequences of its crimes in terms of nuclear proliferation, human rights violations, state-sponsored terrorism and drugs and money laundering in deceptive dimensions. Its culpabilities cannot be stopped by simple measures of condemnation and denunciations. But the entire world community needs to stand together to ensure Pakistan is dealt strongly with for disrupting peace in the world.

 Pakistan proliferated nuclear technology like it does with terrorism to the rogue nations including North Korea, Iran and Libya in a bid to challenge the dominance of western democracy and technology by creating its own sphere of influence across continents. When caught red-handed in proliferating centrifuges to Iran, North Korea and Libya, its military dictator Gen. Musharraf carefully orchestrated a drama of deception in which the head of Pakistan’s nuclear program, Dr Abdul Qadir Khan, was made the scapegoat and saved Pakistan’s skin and Americans believed what they had said that Mr. Khan had sold the centrifuges to Iran, North Korea and Libya for personal gains without the knowledge of the army and state of Pakistan. 

Why did the US believe Gen Musharraf and closed the files of Pakistan’s nuclear proliferation to those countries which are not only hostile to the American presence in Asia but also are sworn enemies of American allies like the Gulf States? This despite the fact that the head of IAEA Mr. Mohamed ElBaradei had clearly stated, “Dr. Khan is the tip of the iceberg for us”. Why were the IAEA monitors and investigators not allowed to have access to A Q Khan and Pakistan’s nuclear facilities? How much money had A Q Khan earned from Iran, Korea and Libya by selling nuclear technology? We still don’t know. 

This question is still valid whether the IAEA is a genuine international institution for the prevention of nuclear proliferation? After making dirty nukes and proliferating them to rogue states, Pakistan is now developing tactical nuclear weapons.

 Now just imagine, when Pakistani smugglers can traffic shipload of opium to America, Europe and Africa without being detected, then is it a big deal for them to smuggle these small tactical weapons? If Pakistan is allowed to have its own way today, it won’t hesitate for a split second to proliferate its nuclear technology to other nations that are hostile to universal values. However, America didn’t press Pakistan for definitive accountability because Pakistan had hoodwinked the state department into believing that it was cooperating with America in the war against terrorism in Afghanistan. American soldiers are in Afghanistan for almost two decades because of the help that is given by Pakistan to the Taliban knowing who is behind the Taliban. Americans are still negotiating with Pakistan for its cooperation against terrorism in the war-ravaged Afghanistan with no peace in sight. 

Nothing has changed since then, Taliban; the ultimate pawn of Pakistan’s terrorism continues to carry on Pakistan’s multi-pronged proxy wars against Afghanistan, America, India and Balochistan. Thanks to the Taliban, Pakistan earned billions of US tax-payers dollars and saved Pakistan’s nuclear program from international scrutiny and possible economic sanctions. Nobody can deny the fact that earlier the crooked Pakistani diplomats in Washington have planted their lobbyists in the US senate. They worked on both sides informing Pakistan about American plans and feeding the state department with false information about Pakistan’s intentions which led America to focus its war against terrorism on Afghanistan instead of the Pakistan army and ISI which is the mother of all terrorist organisations in the world.

 That is why we all must denounce Pakistan and emphasise that the FATF must blacklist Pakistan because of its infra-support, training and funding in the sub-continent and the world. It is a formal opportunity for the members of FATF  and the international community to apply and execute all international laws on Pakistan for not abiding by well-established international laws against aiding and abetting terror to the world . 

Besides that, everything must not be left for America to do alone, other nations also should keep an eye on Pakistan‘s activities. Pakistan’s crimes against humanity and its violation of international conventions are far greater than the crimes of Saddam in Iraq or Qaddafi in Libya. If the world at present is hesitant to take any other action against Pakistan, at least it must be blacklisted if not bombed to comply with international laws. 

 Now, we have to understand the dynamics of Pakistani terrorism, why it resorts to compulsive terrorism to make sure its integrity is intact, instead of engaging in political dialogue with the enforcers it‘s feel they might break away from it. British Raj planned Pakistan’s project and cobbled together five nations including Bengal – present-day Bangladesh, Sindh, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab into an unnatural union without considering the sovereignties of these nations. Although, Balochistan was invaded and annexed against the will of the Baloch people. 

The control of Pakistan was given to Pakistani Punjab and they  turned it into Pak Punjabi ultra-nationalism, even at the cost of democratic federalism. The Bengali, Sindhi, Baloch and Pashtun nationalists didn‘t accept Punjab‘s dominance and demanded equal partnership which led to bloody clashes. Instead of resolving the national questions of these dominated nations, the Punjabi corps commanders in Rawalpindi imposed Martial Laws. Being cornered at the avenue of democracy, the helpless Baloch and Pashtuns  nationalists sought help from Afghanistan which is their historical ally. 

The Punjabi dominated Pakistan military rulers felt that Baloch and Pashtuns patriots struggling for their sovereignty and re-establishing their historical ties with Afghanistan would disintegrate Pakistan, and Punjab would lose its dominance over their natural resources. So the defense strategists of Punjabi rulers concluded that a stable and a strong Afghanistan is not in the interest of Pakistan. Hence, they devised the offensive-defensive doctrine when Gen Zia’s martial law was ruling the country, he famously said that „the water in Afghanistan must boil at a certain level“.

 Martial law of dictator Gen Zia started Pakistan’s offensive war against Afghanistan by imposing the medieval Jihadi forces of Mujahedeen. Pakistan’s military establishment always believes that Islamists must be in power because they help stop the existential threat to Pakistan. So, since then, under the offensive-defensive doctrine, through Islamist proxies, Pakistan never relented in its attacks against Afghanistan. National  Security Advisor of India Mr. Ajit Doval has stated many times that Pakistan backed terrorist organisations will attack where the threat is posed to their national policy even if it  affects world peace. 

  Pakistan, over the last forty years is pursuing the doctrine of offensivedefensive war against India and Afghanistan. India has recently indicated that it will go after the threat where it emanates. However, despite having the potent leverage over Pakistan, India and Afghanistan have miserably failed to stop Pakistan from bleeding them through its proxy fanatic groups.

 Pakistan›s proxy war ebbed in Kashmir against India when Baloch resistance was at its peak from 2000 to 2015 at the time when Baloch’s own collective resources were adequate enough to sustain the resistance. As Pakistan and China are using billions of dollars against the Baloch patriotic forces and forcibly evicting thousands of people whose villages lie on the path of the CPEC route.  In this new scenario where there is a China-Pakistan nexus against the people of Balochistan, it seems Baloch resistance needs outside support to gain optimal results of not only protecting their land but also guaranteeing peace and stability in the subcontinent. 

So long as the Baloch national question is ignored and remains unresolved, Baloch centric phobia of Pakistan continues to wreak havoc in Afghanistan and India. Balochistan›s neighbours should have a formal national-based policy approach that acknowledges that Balochistan was an independent sovereign country but Pakistan illegally occupied it by military aggression, therefore it deserves all its neighbours’ support to restore its lost sovereignty. An independent Balochistan offers the best solution to Indian-subcontinent problems, created and manifested by a rogue and failed terror state Pakistan. It would open vast opportunities, in terms of future energy security, trade & commerce, ensuring  geostrategic balance  to the  entire Indian subcontinent and Central Asia,  and most importantly to ensure peace in one of the most volatile fault lines in Asian subcontinent. Now the onus lies on the shoulders of America, India, Afghanistan and many like-minded nations and communities to ensure that oppression by a terrorist state like  Pakistan is dealt with by Iron hand, by black listing it in FATF, thereby ensuring long term peace to the world at large and Indian subcontinent in particular.

 Rashid Baloch is an active human rights / political commentator and a member of the Free Balochistan movement. He is pursuing his law degree at the University of West London. He has been strongly advocating for the blacklisting of the terror state of Pakistan in FATF and UNSC