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Pak-US relations
Abdur RaziqFrom December 1971 onwards majority of the people in Pakistan view USA as unreliable ally, in December 1971 when Pakistan Army ninety thousand fighters had surrendered before Indian Army in East Pakistan, despite of frequent assurances from President Nixon US armed forces were unable to come for rescue of Pakistan Army, and Pakistan was dismembered new state of Bangladesh was emerged at the world map.
President Nixon in his memoirs had mentioned that due to existence of strong pro India lobby in USA he was unable to move troops to save East Pakistan. Very few people in Pakistan know that after fall of Dhaka, President Nixon had made phone call to Prime Minister Indira Gandhi of India, and during telephonic conversation President Nixon Had warned Prime Minister Indira Gandhi that if she had acted on her plan of capturing West Pakistan too then USA will react. Thus West Pakistan was saved by US president.
Common people in Pakistan have no idea about US political system, as Hitler rules supreme in Pakistan no matter who so ever in power philosophy and attitude of Nazism prevails and rulers can do any thing of their liking, the elected rulers behave in more dictatorial way then military rulers like President Parvez Musharaf, dictator ship of majority in absence of independent judiciary and other checks and balances present in US political system, is more harmful then an autocrat ruler from military, at least he is under some military rules and laws, civilian dictators are above the law in Pakistan.
So people of Pakistan can not understand this logic that president of USA is not an autocrat, he is always under constitutional limits, and lobbying is a feature of US political system through which innocent and sincere people of USA can be convinced to support unjust causes when lobbyists start doing their job to get favors for certain countries even if those countries are in camp hostile to USA. It had happened in 1971 that cold war ally of Soviet Union India having defense pact with Soviets was such a powerful lobby in USA that president Nixon as he had written in his memoirs during meeting with Prime Minister Indra Gandhi of India was compelled to listen to her lecture on international affairs, and during her lecture she had started with the words that Mr. President you are new comer in politics and being prime minister of a largest democracy in the world I am obliged to tell you that……….
President Nixon had written in his memoirs that in one hour long meeting their was no conversation but I was compelled to listen to her lecture and finally meeting was ended.
After nine eleven tragic incidents, President George W Bush had reacted bravely to confront terrorists, Pakistan has again became a most allied ally of USA in war against terrorism, but the skeptics in military establishment and in general public of Pakistan are still having doubts about reliability of relationship with USA. The fact is that USA is a reliable and credible ally of Pakistan, till the time that no strong lobby is activated against Pakistan in USA and interest of India and Pakistan is convergent in this region while getting united on specific issue to address, the moment interest of India and Pakistan is diverged the lobby starts acting against Pakistan in USA thus president of USA become confined within his constitutional limits and unrealistic expectations of Pakistani public and military establishment becomes an irritant in Pak-US relation.
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