The Pakistan Army had for decades seen India as the gravest danger to that country. But it seems that Rawalpindi has made a radical departure in its perceptions. It has focused on home-grown militant groups and internal danger as the biggest threat to the country’s security. For 11 years, it has been engaged in the US war on terrorism. It has now introduced changes in its operational priorities. The new doctrine has described the guerrilla war in the tribal belt and along the country’s western border as well as bomb attacks by militant groups as the severest menace. Taliban activities and unabated terrorist attacks on government installations cast a dark shadow. Security analysts in Pakistan consider such thinking a paradigm shift from the focus on India. Whether or not such change will bring about an improvement in bilateral relations between the two countries is another matter. Visa relaxation is a step forward. Cultural exchanges are also a path-breaker. But the grant of the MFN status by Pakistan to India has been deferred. No thaw is perceptible on Siachen or Sir Creek. Pakistan’s internal minister Rehman Malik by equating the demolition of the Babri Mosque with the Mumbai massacre of 26/11 instigated by the LeT has dropped a bombshell. The US has made matters worse by clearing the ISI in the 26/11 episode which has brought no comfort to India.
If there is however a greater threat to the Pakistan polity, that is the canker of corruption. As ex-cricketer politician Imran Khan said in a TV interview in India, the rot is all pervasive, from top to bottom. President Asif Ali Zardari, Opposition leader Nawaz Sharif-all are mired in graft. Unless this canker is removed, Pakistan will never be internally strong to face threats inside and outside the country. Corruption is embedded in Pakistan politics and removing it will be a tough job.
