Matters of sovereignty

Since achieving independence from British imperialism, some of our circles have been continuously claiming that Pakistan has not achieved absolute sovereignty and we are de-facto slaves of imperialist forces like the US today. Two years ago, for the first time in our parliamentary history, the process of regime change was completed in an entirely democratic manner, but an attempt was made to give the impression that America was actually behind it. Even in parliament and in public meetings, anti-US slogans were raised to intensify the propaganda.

Undoubtedly, before August 1947, our land was under the administration of the British Empire. At the time of independence, the international community was divided into two blocs. On one side was the Soviet Union, while the Western bloc was led by the US. Being the world champion of human rights, democracy, personal freedom and development, the US was the natural ally of Pakistan, which gained independence through a democratic struggle under the dynamic leadership of Quaid-e-Azam. The US is also one of the first friendly countries to have recognized Pakistan.

Although Pakistan became an active part of the Western bloc, Pakistan adopted a principled position on several international issues, including the Palestine cause. When the Zionist state was enjoying the full support of the US and the rest of the West during the Arab-Israeli wars, Pakistan was providing practical support to the Palestinians. Several freedom fighters belonging to various Arab and African colonies used to travel through Pakistani passports to continue their freedom struggle from Western imperialists.

During General Ayub's time, Pakistan and the US strengthened bilateral cooperation in many economic and defence areas. However, in his autobiography, he categorically made clear that he saw the Americans as "friends, not masters”. After the separation of our eastern part, the first democratically elected prime minister of Pakistan, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, gave new hope to the nation by initiating the nuclear programme, for which he did not care about pressure from any worldly power. Hosting the Islamic Summit Conference in Lahore was yet another achievement of the courageous leader.

General Zia's dictatorship was full of many conflicts, but he decided to confront the superpower of his time, the Soviet Union. During his tenure, the US certainly came closer to Pakistan, but the nuclear programme continued to flourish. In the 90s, Pakistan was ruled by two major political parties, but despite all the political challenges and foreign pressure, there was no compromise on the country's interest. During the rule of Pakistan’s first female prime minister Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, the Taliban government was recognized to fulfill national interests. When India carried out nuclear explosions, the then-prime minister Nawaz Sharif, ignoring the calls of world powers including the US, retaliated with nuclear explosions.

After the 9/11 tragedy, General Musharraf did not hand over nuclear scientist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan to the US and did not allow American forces to carry out military operations on Pakistani territory. Later, during the era of democratic prime ministers, various measures were taken such as strong protests against the US over the attack on the Salala checkpost, the closure of Nato supplies, and the decision not to send troops to the Middle East. Despite reservations from the US and the West, Pakistan enjoys cordial ties with Iran, China and Russia.

The historical events described above show that Pakistan has never been a slave to anyone from the first day. However, our rulers have failed to make policies based on self-reliance for the improvement of the national economy. To run the country, they found an easy solution in the IMF and foreign loans at heavy interest. What is happening to our beloved country today is not the attempt of any other country to enslave Pakistan, but the result of our own shortcomings, incompetence and weaknesses.

The writer is a member of the

National Assembly and patron-in-chief of the Pakistan Hindu Council.

He tweets/posts @RVankwani