London, May 10 (ANI): Pakistan Government may claim that it is fighting its ‘own war’ in the North West Frontier Province’s Malakand and Swat Divisions, and is not merely taking action under the US pressure, but one thing is quite evident that the Pakistani army do not want to pump bullets into their ‘muslim friends’ rather they prefer fighting against India.
Amid all frantic calls being made by the international community, and especially by the Obama Administration that the real threat to Pakistan comes from its internal factors and not from India, majority of its security personnel still believe that India remains their primary threat, the Telegraph reports.
The report stated that eventhough the Pakistan army has made sacrifices in its fight against terrorism, soldiers trained and dedicated to the idea of fighting “Hindu India” resent the idea of killing fellow Muslims on their own soil.
“I do not like the Taliban but I do not want to fight against them.They are our Muslim brothers. I do not want to fight America’s war,” said Zulmay Khan, a soldier with Frontier Corps.
The statement perhaps clarifies all the speculations regarding Pakistan Army’s will and capability to counter the extremists.
Officers, who have been in the thick of things for long planning out strategies for the army, also believe that Pakistan’s primary concern is India despite the fact that the Taliban’s advancing writ poses an ‘existential threat’ to the nation.
The report quoted a retired Major of Pakistan Army, Major Ikram Seghal, as saying that most troops would remain on the Indian border, despite the increasingly frantic calls from Washington to concentrate on the enemy within.
The problem is that now Pakistan is battling jihadis whom it trained to fight wars in Afghanistan and Kashmir, which was directed by the country’s leadership itself.
Nobody believe that the Taliban would be flushed out of the country or the region by the Pakistan military, but fear is growing that whatever happens in the current operation, Swat will prove a self-inflicted wound that will fester for years, the report said. (ANI)