The piece below was submitted for publication to a U. S. website. It had no author’s name or detailed address. It was submitted in hopes that it would slip past an inattentive editor. It is one example of how Pak’s psy-warriors use submission forms of international media and think tank websites.

It will probably end up in one of several outlets that routinely run unverified stuff …

Imran, the next Erdogan?
By Kelton High

When your nation is in peril, the armed forces and God is summoned. For when the security threats elapse, soldiers are belittled and God is history.

Understanding and being well informed about your enemy is an indispensable part of any style of warfare and governance. The renowned and long-lived Chinese strategist and military general Sun Tzu spelled this in his literature roughly two and a half millennia’s ago, around 500 BC. It is challenging to gain triumph in wars devoid of reliable and valuable intelligence regardless of any type of warfare being directed. Countless lives are saved with strong incessant intelligence in the War of Terror can precede to triumph. Only when politicians are well-informed can effective decision making prevail in a state. This information is circulated by the intelligence agencies. Several countries globally are on one page together collectively embroiled combatting the war on terror (WOT), yet it is unheard in these nations undermining the endeavors of their very own intelligence agencies. The establishment’s agencies strategic and tactical benefits are never abraded by politics. Then, why is Pakistani politics self-destructive in itself that it emasculates its defense forces? The question that arises is why Pakistan culminates in pampering social media as a weapon but also to demoralize the achievements of its own intelligence agencies.

Pakistan is made a unique nation with the predominant dynastic politics where the fresh immature leaders occupy their father’s seat or portfolio. With inexperience and great power come reckless speeches which are anti-establishment most often against state agencies lacking extensive evidence and suffering from impulsiveness instead of creating authoritative and controlling incentives creating nationalistic harmony in the country. Our nation is only deceived with such politically inaccurate speeches.

Are our politicians’ duty bound to take a political position that improves the competences of our foes and destabilizes our own? The MNA’s supported by Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) namely Ali WazirandMohsinDawarwho piloted and motivated a military check post attack. The military’s work at a tactical level is no concern of theirs and should not have pried into military affairs. Their position drives them to engage politically at a macro and not micro level being members of the National Assembly.

This act by these MNA’s executed was predicted and forthcoming, but it is unfortunate to perceive what Pakistan People’s Party and Pakistan Muslim League- N is ensuing is politically pathetic and piteous. Politicians anywhere in the world do not confront and oppose their very own organizations. Post 9/11, the US has disbursed billions of dollars just to circumvent another attack of such magnitude on the US soil. Many blunders were caused by the US intelligence agencies and its military establishment but never have they been sneered at instead they were accredited by every American citizen for sacrificing their lives for their nation to avert any other attacks on the US home soil. Several political analysts are deeming this age to be the most efficacious stage in the history of American intelligence. However, on the other hand, what are the Pakistani politicians executing and accomplishing? As a nation, have we forgotten the vis-à-vis sacrifice, integrity, self-worth nobility, and national dignity? Do we still believe in the following values, ethics, dogma’s to pursue common ends of the nation? Perhaps, the answer can be established.

In Europe, centralized Monarchies existed during the period of 16th and 17th century Phillip II of Spain and King Louis III of France. All they were occupied in was ruling over mindless empires and consolidate power. The period of Enlightenment subsequently emerged and the princesses and rulers were no longer Europeans, amidst many changes slavery was abolished and women rights were safeguarded. The courts of Europe ended the need for clowns and court jesters. The clowns and the court jesters and the rich laugh instigators had a confident determination as they were aware of their meaningful existence as the Emperor’s happiness and joy had to be taken care of with sheer amusement and entertainment these court jesters presented. These clown jesters are the characters identified as Shakespeare’s fools part of Shakespeare’s works notable plays i.e.‘A midsummer night’s dream. As the empires crumbled these court jesters retired and democracy spread across the world and so did the dangers escalate.

Circumstances are not similar in Pakistan, over the last decade politics in our country has sustained to yield princes and princesses and emperors rather than leaders those who have a perspective on the world which is poles apart; ‘a wingchair, lounger and sitting room’ vision of the milieu and surroundings of the poor people’s lives they rule. The several court jesters that enclose them are similarly uninformed of the masses sorrows and woes and they provoke the Princes, Emperors and Princesses gratification and smiles to remind them how truly loved and popular they are amongst the grassroots. The work environment, vacations, schooling, living standards, and income disparity has no similitude to the lower class that bear the brunt under their authority. While they ascend to the peers of the realm is the upholding and means of safeguarding of their empires and throne they govern from the periphery is ruled by the core as the incompetent state that has been constructed by aristocrats have inherited nothing but poverty in return.

We don’t need to delve for the jokers of today and the court jesters in the courts of the emperors. They concede themselves to be found all over social media i.e. Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. They repeatedly do the same thing their ancestors and forefathers did, to pacify the leaders and the lordships. They were qualified to raise repeated political contentions for the justification of their masters therefore, responsible for boundless enjoyment to their spectators. Will, we ever become serious-minded and like the Europeans or Chinese politically abandon our Emperors along with their clowns. The question to be answered is when will these so-called emperors conclude their unpopular drama and depart from the political ambit to be governed by the leadership intrinsically from the poverty-stricken populace of Pakistan.
It is has been revealed the emperors who are still surviving after Eid, are probably going to exhibit a grand political performance. The write of the government will be defied and also the armed authorities by perhaps integrating Pashtun Tahafuz Movements protest group in their ranks also.

The only plausible suggestions for Prime Minister and his administration; walk in Erdogan’s footsteps- be self-confident, be hard-nosed and monocratic. Prior to democracy, social order needs to be instilled in the country. It’s long overdue for the Emperors to resign and retire; for the clowns to pursue new courts. It’s a dawn of a new beginning for Pakistan to improvise and advance in the right direction.

Pakistan’s security establishment’s paranoia about India have led it to periodically speak about how Pakistan’s various “enemies” indulge in psy-ops through “hybrid warfare.” At regular intervals opinion pieces will be published that on the face of it look normal enough and yet their motive is insidious.

In a recent piece titled ‘Hybrid Warfare in Pakistan — I,’ published in The Daily Times Pakistan the author spends the entire article laying out what is hybrid warfare and how countries like US, and China use it and then ends with this paragraph that explains the real motives for writing the article: “In Pakistan, low-level insurgency in Balochistan is particularly exacerbated by CPEC, which is not digestible for India, and for that it has launched a hybrid war against Pakistan. Similarly, Karachi has been a victim of hybrid war by India and some other forces that helped perpetuate the disability by providing training to proxies and giving safe havens to political mentors of proxies.”

Referring to the long lasting, violent and repressive movement in Balochistan as “low level” and aligning it with CPEC and India and referring to the Muhajir struggle in Karachi as “hybrid” warfare is an easy way to blame India for all of our problems instead of acknowledging that Pakistan needs to do more for its own citizens and grant them rights as per the Constitution. 

Pakistan’s army chief, General Qamar Bajwa, is on an official visit to the United Kingdom, ostensibly to discuss military matters. He and his entourage found time to watch Pakistan’s cricket team play their match against South Africa at Lord’s cricket ground on Sunday.

When people wondered how they could afford the tickets the Pakistan army’s chief propagandist, the offensively outspoken DG ISPR Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor, tweeted to suggest that not only could he have afforded his own tickets but would also be happy to take any critics to a future cricket match.

As is often the case the general also described Pakistan’s win against South Africa as a victory – strange from the spokesperson of an army that has yet to win anything on the battlefield.

Now a video has surfaced, courtesy a fawning army fan, that shows COAS General Qamar Bajwa and his entourage entering their special box accompanied by British Pakistani businessman and PTI funder Aneel Musarrat. Mr Musarrat is seen with a list of the guests, as well as seems to have their tickets in his hand which he distributes to the entourage.

This raises the question is it appropriate for Pakistan’s senior military officials to entertain themselves to a cricket match while on an official visit and that too at the expense of a businessman of dubious repute? Considering that the Pakistani military holds every Pakistani civilian to very high moral standards this question is definitely one that needs to be answered.

On June 13 Pakistan replaced the current Director General of Inter Services Intelligence Directorate (ISID), Lt Gen Asim Munir, who had only spent 8 months on the job, with Lt Gen Faiz Hameed.

Hameed is a hardliner general who has spent time in the ISI earlier. As Reuters notes, “Hameed was seen to be hugely influential within ISI during his previous stint at the agency, according to analysts. He was one of the figures who brokered the Faizabad agreement in late 2017, when protesters blocked off roads into capital Islamabad, in an incident that further stoked civilian-military tensions. “He is very hardline,” said Ayesha Siddiqa, an analyst who has also written a book about the military’s business empire, and has been a longstanding critic. “It’s a very hawkish decision. It means the military is not backing down, and it’s going to use more force.”

According to investigative journalist Taha Siddiqui “It’s quite rare to see such high-profile restructuring within the top posts of the military, given that the last spymaster Lt Gen Asim Muneer only spent eight months in the office of the DG, ISI, and has now been transferred to lead a corps in the Punjab province.”

Siddiqui notes that “it is believed that the current Army Chief, General Qamar Bajwa, who has only four months left in office, is consolidating his power and bringing his favourites to the top in a bid to secure an extension. However, at this stage this is mere speculation, and the Pakistan Army in the past has had to face strong criticism whenever its chiefs have sought extensions in their tenure which normally lasts for three years. The last time an army chief got an extension was in 2010, when the then head of the Pakistani military, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, got a three year extension and faced immense criticism over it.”

As Siddiqui points out Faiz Hameed “is from the Baloch Regiment, and in recent times he has also been the in-charge, for the internal security wing at the ISI. Given the tight-lipped nature of the military, we may never get to know the official reason as to why the spy chief was changed, but General Faiz’s credentials in the recent past do give an idea about what is to come under his tenure as the chief of the spy agency, the ISI, known for its controversial practices within Pakistan and in the region.”

The new DG ISI’s name “first appeared during the 2017 sit-in staged by a pro-blasphemy law political extremist group called the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), who had blocked a major entrance into Islamabad city for weeks, demanding the then government of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to punish those who had proposed changes in the oath the parliamentarians are supposed to recite when elected. The change in some of the words were deemed blasphemous by the TLP.”

Hameed’s name “resurfaced again in July 2018 when former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif called General Faiz the main man behind the political wheeling and dealing that saw Sharif’s party losing the 2018 general elections. Sharif alleged that he was the man forcing the former’s party members to switch loyalties.”

Finally, Hameed’s “appointment comes at a crucial time for a few other reasons apart from that of Bajwa’s extension. Pakistan is currently facing immense internal pressures from multiple fronts, with the main one being a grass-roots rights movement called the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) that has challenged the military narrative about so-called ‘War on Terror’, and is exposing the military’s abusive human rights practices in their region next to the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. The military has unsuccessfully tried to crush this movement, but it has only gotten bigger. Secondly, the country’s combined political opposition in the Parliament has been threatening for country-wide protests due to the economic mismanagement of the Khan-led PTI government that has pushed Pakistan towards bankruptcy and a downward spiral of most economic indicators. In such a scenario, it appears that General Hameed has been brought in to ensure that any political and intellectual opposition in the country is effectively crushed, and Pakistan’s slide toward absolute authoritarianism continues unhindered.”

Over 300 people have been killed and over 500 injured in one of the worst terror attacks in recent history that took place on Easter Sunday in Sri Lanka. These terror attacks came after almost a decade of peace that returned to this island nation that had suffered over three decades of civil war and violence.

While a local jihadi organization – The National Thowheed Jamaat is suspected most analysts suspect links with external jihadi organizations, either ISIS or Al Qaeda. According to senior Sri Lankan officials “We do not believe these attacks were carried out by a group of people who were confined to this country. There was an international network without which these attacks could not have succeeded.”

There are many analysts who also suspect a link with Pakistan-based jihadi groups. Maldives, the island nation right next to Sri Lanka, has over the decades become deeply influenced by Saudi Wahhabi organizations and Pakistani jihadi groups especially Lashkar e Taiba.

The Pakistani security establishment has a long history of using Sri Lanka as a base for destabilizing India. In 2014 India alleged that a Pakistani official working at the Pakistan High Commission in Colombo “was playing a key role in planning terror strikes at the behest of ISI on the US and Israeli consulates in the southern part of India.  According to a news report “NIA had last month taken over the case which was earlier registered by Tamil Nadu Police in which a Sri Lanka national, Sakir Hussain, was arrested following a tip-off from the Intelligence Bureau (IB). Hussain was accused of having entered India with a mission to carry out reconnaissance of the US Consulate in Chennai and the Israeli Consulate in Bangalore.  The information under MLAT, which has been cleared for sending to Colombo through diplomatic channels, names Amir Zubair Consular (Visa) in the Pakistani Mission in Sri Lanka as the main conspirator who was involved in a conspiracy with some Lankan nationals for carrying out terror attacks on the two consulates, the sources said.”

The South Asian Against Terrorism and for Human Rights (SAATH) that comprises pro-democracy intellectuals and activists from Pakistan, “condemned the terrorist attacks in Sri Lanka and called for a region-wide effort to eliminate all terrorist groups.” The SAATH forum expressed “our deepest concern over the increasing violence in the region, which is exacerbated by the behaviour of some states in the region.” Further, they stated “We stand with Sri Lankan people in this hour of extreme human tragedy and urge all the regional governments to stick together and develop an effective framework to purge South Asian region of the scourge of terrorism and proxy war among the states.”