SAAD SIAL | Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan (original) (raw)

Drafts by SAAD SIAL

For more than a decade, Pakistan has been challenged by militant groups. More than 60,000 people ... more For more than a decade, Pakistan has been challenged by militant groups. More than 60,000 people lost their life so far. Because of terrorism Pakistan faced loss of more than 102.5 billion

In international relations,perhaps even more than in domestic politics,perceptions drive issues m... more In international relations,perhaps even more than in domestic politics,perceptions drive issues more than reality. There are now three different narratives in which the reference to Balochistan in the Indo-Pakistan joint statement are being placed. The narratives are not mutually exclusive. But for those of us who are not privy to intelligence information it is difficult to counter any of these narratives. (This is not the same thing as saying these are all correct. It is simply that you 0 0 9 2 don t have enough ammunition to counter any one of them.) There is also a lot of disinformation,retrospectively constructed stories in the media. And the problem is that which narrative triumphs is already out of the hands for the government. Even if we are inclined to give the benefit of the doubt,the government already has a huge political problem. The issue is not whether the government is embarrassed. The issue is that if the government does not restore its credibility quickly it will have even less room for manoeuvre even when there is genuine progress. Narrative 1: The Big Blunder Theory. This is the narrative of the opposition and much of the media. By mentioning Balochistan we,in one stroke,frittered away all our diplomatic advantages. A certain moral parity has been restored between India and Pakistan (we do Balochistan,they do Kashmir). We have opened the door for claims and counter claims. And it is not clear what we have got in return. As usual we have become emotional and engaged in the great Indian giveaway. Narrative 2: The Great Peace Gamble Theory. If we want real cooperation from Pakistan we will have to give their leaders political cover. They have to show their domestic audience that they came away with something. This will give them the cover to give India something substantive in return. We have sacrificed at best a small pawn to gain a big knight. This may be a plausible

Since the events of 9/11, Pakistan has adopted a proactive and pragmatic approach in its foreign ... more Since the events of 9/11, Pakistan has adopted a proactive and pragmatic approach in its foreign relations that helped the country to stage a diplomatic comeback at regional and global levels. Pakistan has been able to effectively transform the post-9/11 challenges into opportunities and as a result has become a frontline state in international efforts in the fight against terrorism.

Ideology is a set of beliefs, values and ideals of a group and a nation. It is deeply ingrained i... more Ideology is a set of beliefs, values and ideals of a group and a nation. It is deeply ingrained in the social consciousness of the people. It is a set of principles, a framework of action and guidance system that gives order and meaning to life and human action.

Papers by SAAD SIAL

American Journal of International Law, 1996

India and Israel established full diplomatic relations in 1992 and since then the bilateral relat... more India and Israel established full diplomatic relations in 1992 and since then the bilateral relationship between the two countries has blossomed at the economic, military, agricultural and political levels. Both countries see themselves as isolated democracies threatened by neighbors that train, finance and encourage terrorism, therefore both countries also view their cooperative relationship as a strategic imperative.

The arm forces are raised and equipped to defend country from external aggression. They are suppo... more The arm forces are raised and equipped to defend country from external aggression. They are supposed to have no political role and are required to take orders from the civilian authorities that work under the constitution. they are not generally allowed any special role in a democratic constitution. While the countries with a democratic tradition have endeavored hard to establish the subordination of the arm forces to civilian authorities. The basic reason is that the arm forces are not trained to take political decisions and that military solutions are certainly not conducive to the settlement of internal or even international disputes. The final answers to these internal affair is politics and to the foreign aggression its diplomacy but unfortunately third world countries generally have failed to establish the supremacy of civilian authority over the arm forces which led to military coups. Pakistan is one of the rank examples of domination of arm forces in the matters of state. It began in 1954, with governor general Ghulam Muhammad's proposal to ayub commandeering chief of the army to impose martial law and to take over the administration of the country. Ayub at first, refused but later accepted a place in the cabinet of Muhammad ali bogra in 1954 as a defence minister. This was the turning point in the history of Pakistan when the leadership of armed forces started considering the option of taking over power through coup. Which did not favor democracy and the first martial law was imposed in 1958 from that day to uptill now democracy has faced almost 40 years of dictatorship in the life of 70 years. Pakistan was created as a result of popular struggle and the mass moment of muslims of India for their homeland. If we see in this perspective assigning any constitutional role to the armed forces in Pakistan would be a question mark not only to democracy but also to the history of its freedom movement. The practical example was the establishment of national security council that include the chairman joint chiefs of staff committee and three chiefs of armed forces (by Musharraf and Zia in LFO and RCO later dropped under 8 th and 17 th amendments). Beside these martial laws even our elected leaders who had this port of masses as power like Benazir Bhutto easily capitulated in this arrangement as she visited armed forces headquarters before and after becoming prime minister. And involved chief of army staff in decision making in the matters of national importance and by the article 58(2)(b) the office of president became a medium for armed forces to control government and to force their will. But the question arises why has no civilian institution ever forcefully challenged the military or its role in governance? Ayesha siddiqa gave for this question in her book, " MILITARY INC: INSIDE PAK'S MILITARY ECONOMY " she says that there is a symbiotic relation and dependency between military and other political power and elite group because feudal and beauraucrates always supported dictators to preserve their own hold on the masses, one of our