Pakistan, an American stooge

 Pakistan has a long tryst with Allah, Army and America. The later has its sphere of influence on the Islamic Republic carved out in 1947 when the British left Indian subcontinent for good. The honeymoon and euphoria of a new country didn't last long as the nation was shocked when its founding father Quaid-E-Azam M.A. Zinnah passed away shortly after its formation. Zinnah knew his days were numbered for a long time and his trusted Hindu doctor kept it as a professional secret (Lord Mountbatten famously said had he known that Zinnah has terminal Tuberculosis he could have prevented India's partition. The rest is history).

Zinnah was succeeded by Liaqat Ali Khan, who was a more of an erudite, suave and pragmatic gentleman than a typical subcontinent politician. He took the conscious decision to side with America post the World War II when US foreign policy was founded on the simple principle of bullying - "Either you are with us, or against us". When India chose to stay neutral in a polarized world led by United States and the Soviet Union, Pakistan decided to join the American bandwagon - evidently to save its fledgling economy.

Soon Pakistani Prime Minister realized that to be on the American side always comes with a price. US wanted Pakistan to recognize Israel in return for economic aid. Liaqat Ali Khan politely declined  responding - "Our soul is not for sale". Not long after this incident he was assassinated while speaking at a public rally in Pakistan. The shooter was killed as soon as he was apprehended, leaving behind a mystery about the identity and motive of the real killer with conspiracy theory laced tongues wagging.

Pakistan continued to get successive civilian governments interspersed with multiple military rules. US mollycoddled the military establishment as and when needed, fully knowing its the Army which holds the real power in our Western neighbor - whether it rules overtly or by proxy. Prominent among them was General Zial Ul Huq whom US used as a weapon against the erstwhile Soviet Union during the cold war. Zia was a staunch Mullah who permanently veered Pakistan towards fundamentalism.

In the movie CHARLIE WILSON's WAR based on the story of Soviet involvement in Afghanistan and US government prodding Pakistan to arm the Afghan Mujahideens, actor Tom Hanks plays the role of the Texan Congressman who arrives in Pakistan and immediately proceeds to meet Zia. Low level American officials are known to get a rockstar welcome usually reserved for top dignitiaries. Charlie Wilson, just a Congressman (similar to our MP) asked for "Rye Bourbon on the Rocks", eager to unwind a long travel from the United States to Islamabad.

Under normal circumstances he could have had his wish fulfilled but it was the regime of Zia, a hardcore Islamist. The Texas was bluntly told that alcohol is not served in the Presidential palace and he has to shift to a hotel or to US Embassy to get his desired Whiskey. It is known that alcohol flows like river Sindh in spate inside the American embassy and consulates located in Pakistan. The annual July 4th Party held on American Independence day in US establishments in Pakistan is quite a spectacle.

No wonder the American Ambassador in Pakistan is often ascribed to as "the Viceroy" considering the influence he or she wields in local politics, often deciding the fate of the ruler. From the Islamic state's first Prime Minister Liaqat Ali Khan to the flamboyant Imran Khan, a whole lot of Pakistani civilian leaders have perished when the American establishment saw them as liabilities or too big for their shoes. Nothing changed in the last 75 years post independence in 1947, the cricketer turned PM Imran Khan being the latest victim.