Pakistan: "A Country on the Brink"

The Early Years

o After Partition- Pakistan & East Pakistan on the other side of India o East Pakistan rebelled and split from Pakistan in the 1971 India/ Pakistan war to become Bangladesh o Pakistan itself is divided into four main areas: Baluchistan, North-West Frontier Province (NWFP), Punjab, & Sindh o Another province, Kashmir, is still under dispute with India & has been the cause of war between the countries in 1947, 1965,1971, & 1999

Pakistan Today

o Although the 4 provinces in Pakistan are officially united, each one has its individual culture and identity o Some even have strong separatist sentiments such as the NWFP which harbors Al Qaeda & the Taliban

Jammu and Kashmir

o Dispute between Pakistan & India over Jammu & Kashmir goes back to partition

Pakistan and India

o India & Pakistan have been archrivals since the partition and disputes over Kashmir have propagated this o They compete politically, economically, and militarily o They are both nuclear nations with limited first strike ability o Given the mutual hatred and history of war between these two nations and India's rising prosperity, there is a high level of instability in the region

The Musharraf Era

o Musharraf came to power in a 1999 military coup, self appointed as president in 2001 o Enjoyed western support due to his announced intentions in 2002 to combat extremists in Pakistan o Legitimacy of his rule is dubious- in 2007 he suspended the constitution and jailed several supreme court members before they were about to evaluate the validity of his election o During Musharraf's time Pakistan enjoyed impressive economic performance o Musharraf's approval rating plummeted to 15%

Pakistan's Creation

o Originally part of British India. British used the divide between the Muslims & Hindu's in strategy to maintain control o Pakistan was formed in 1947 out of partition from British controlled India o During the split from India, a mass migration of over 15 million. Muslims were going to Pakistan as Hindus were leaving for India o The creation of Pakistan was tumultuous, resulting in chaos, riots, deaths & Crimes against humanity. This deepened the rift between Muslims and Hindus

Politics

o Pakistan goes back and forth from being a democracy and being ruled by a military dictator after a coup o Pakistani politics have a tradition of being underhanded, violent, and volatile

Partition

o Partition left both India & Pakistan devastated socially & economically o Some of the atrocities committed between the Muslims & Hindus were widespread rape, pillaging & murder, bordering on genocide o This included the bombing of trains of immigrates by Hindus and even filling trains full of the dismembered bodies & sending them across the border into Pakistan

Pakistan, The US and the War on Terror

o Us supported Pakistan and Musharraf ever since he pledged to be an ally to the US in the war on terror o Us place its faith in Musharraf By appropriating over $10B in foreign aid since 9/11 o Stark contrast to the sanctions Us had against Pakistan before Mush. Pledged his support o Question now is whether or not the US should have continued to support Musharraf Since he became widely unpopular and illegitimate • Yes: the us was familiar with him, he offered continuity. A different leader have been worse politically • No: because they were taking our money and using it for the Taliban in a sense