William B. Milam

From Daily Planet Staff Reports

The United States has played a major role over the years in helping to militarize Pakistan and Afghanistan and never proved to be a reliable ally, but America must now stand with, and help guide, the two volatile, violence-plagued Middle East counties onto a path of lasting peace and prosperity — or risk the onset of a major world war.

At least that is the view of William B. Milam, a former U.S. ambassador to Pakistan, who addressed “Pakistan: The Political Version of the Frankenstein Legend” on Dec. 7 at UNC Asheville’s Owen Conference Center.
Milam also pointed out that Pakistan is the world’s only Muslim-majority nuclear state and that the two countries are located in a strategic location for Muslim terrorist organizations.

During his talk, Milam frequently referenced his new book, “Bangladesh and Pakistan: Flirting With Failure in South Asia,” during his hour-long talk. Afterward, he fielded questions — for 30 minutes — from the audience of about 100 people. (The Q&A story appears on Page 14.) The lecture was part of a series hosted by the World Affairs Council of Western North Carolina.

Milam serves as a senior policy scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, D.C. He specializes in South Asian, West African and international economics issues. He writes a biweekly column for the Daily Times of Pakistan, which can be read on www.dailytimes.com.pk. Prior to joining the Wilson Center, he was a career diplomat.

Milam began by noting that Bangladesh and Pakistan were once two parts of the same country. The two countries split off from India to form one large nation in 1947, led by Muhammad Ali Jinnah of the Muslim League.

However, Bangladesh and Pakistan “are very different,” he said, so in 1971, Bangladesh (then East Pakistan) seceded to form its own country. Milam added, “The amazing thing is, how did they stay together so long?

“They have been split and not terribly friendly since then. But they also have a lot in common ... They were both Muslim-majority areas of India. That’s why they became one country for a while.”

When the two countries split, “that ended the dream of a Muslim homeland” on the Indian subcontinent, Milam said.

“Bangladesh, the most densely populated country in the world, doesn’t have space to be a Muslim homeland.”

After Bangladesh seceded, both countries eventually turned into military dictatorships, he noted. “The last 38 years, though, have shown they’re not very similar ... I think it’s the Pakistani way that’s toxic.”

Regarding the name “Flirting With Failure” in his book’s title, Milam said he meant “failure” to mean that “some part of the country no longer is under the control of the government.

“The Pakistanis wanted autonomy for Muslims,” but they were rebuffed by Indian leaders, including Mahatma Gandhi, “so they went for separation of a Muslim homeland.

In 1947, when the partition was granted and Pakistan finally got its country, “it was a toxic mix of mostly rich, landed aristocracy from northern India and a large peasant class.

“Both Pakistan and Bangladesh never established a national identity — both setting up prominent places for religion” to be involved in their governments.

“It’s the differences” from Bangladesh that make Pakistan unique, Milam said.

“Pakistan is driven by a paranoid, morbid fear of India,” he noted. “The partition (from India) was a very bloody affair, in which millions of Hindus and Muslims were killed.”

For their part, “I must say the Indians have not, and did not, allay the fears” of the Pakistanis.

For instance, India’s then-Prime Minister “Jawaharlal Nehru said Pakistan wouldn’t last more than a year and would come back to Mother India....”

As a result, “Pakistan became a state who’s national identity was based on a hatred of India.”

Pakistan’s history has been characterized by periods of military rule and political instability. It is a developing country that faces problems with high levels of poverty and illiteracy. It is also the sixth most populous country in the world and has the second largest Muslim population in the world.

Milam said that, in his view, it was unfortunate for Pakistan that Jinnah “only lived for a year after the partition” from India. He praised Jinnah for favoring a secular state that would deal strictly with matters of state — and not that of religion.

However, Jinnah was opposed by many Muslim leaders because of his secularist leanings, Milam said. Jinnah’s opponents wanted Pakistan to be formed as “an intolerant Muslim state.”

After Jinnah died, “Pakistani political leaders, who always have been willing to trade any power for some short-term political gain that didn’t mean much,” gave in to the Islamicists. Milam said. “The constitution of Pakistan lasted only one year before Islam took over.”

“Not only were the Islamists intolerant of all other religions, they were intolerant of some other Muslims.”
“The other thing that has kept India-phobia alive was the army ... The army, as long as India has been a threat, has been able to say it’s the national savior” in carrying out policies that have further eroded freedom. “It has intervened and taken over at least during half of Pakistan’s existence.

“The anti-Indian mindset has affected many institutions” and has resulted in the invention of the doctrine of necessity,” Milam said. The doctrine means that “when it’s necessary, the military may take over.”

As a result, even today, there is no trade between Pakistan and neighboring India, even though such a relationship would greatly benefit Pakistan.

“Most political resources go to the army, leaving the schools with (almost) none ... The curriculum in the schools is very anti-Hindu and anti-Indian.”

Following a pause, Milam asserted that “anti-India phobia (in Pakistan) has stunted social development.”

In contrast, Bangladesh, a country that, “over the years,” has been “much poorer than Pakistan,” is pulling far ahead of Pakistan, Milam said.

Moreover, India, which is seven times larger than Pakistan “and much wealthier,” is — proudly — “a working democracy.”

“India-phobia has led to other drivers of Pakistani policy,” including creation of proxy armies to fight what Pakistan sees as an unending war against India.”

For instance, Pakistan fought four wars with India over Kashmir — “and lost them all.”

Beginning in the 1980s, the military created “these proxy armies of Islamist extremists” to fight perceived enemies.

“They’ve always had this idea of strategic depth — that they should control Afghanistan so India can’t.

As a result of Pakistani’s policies, there are two kinds of Taliban terrorist groups, including one in Afghanistan and one in Pakistan, Milam said. These groups feed on the widespread public belief in the two countries that the U.S. “will not stay the course.”

As for the reference in his speech to the Frankenstein legend, Milam asked, “If you kill one of the monsters, you have to kill them all, don’t you?”

On the bright side, he said, “There are people in Pakistan who realize the India-phobia has to end.”

Milam added, “So what we have right now is kind of a war between the Pakistani army and some of the monsters it created ... Well, that war extends to all of the Taliban and all of the jihadists.

“Any war (with the aforementioned terrorist groups) is going to last at least five to 10 years, but I doubt the army can withstand that.”

“All of these groups — they’re all linked to Al Kaida. They’re all seving Al Kaida links, to some degree or another.

“The Afghani Taliban want to retake Afghanistan” to advocate a sterner form of Islam.

As for Pakistan, he said another flaw is an insistence by its leaders on central control.

As a result, besides “flirting” with the Taliban, “the army is trying to fight the insurgency located where the (valuable) minerals are located ... Civil society is opposed to the domination of the military. It’s the ‘haves’ versus the ‘have-nots.’ About half of the Pakistanis live below the povery level.”

Pakistan has “a weak government and its getting weaker all of the time, Milam said.

“In this toxic brew, the United States has played a less-than-stellar role.” As examples, he cited America’s tendency to side with India in issues involving Pakistan, arming various factions of extremist groups to fight the Soviets in Afghanistan with stinger missiles and AK-47s.

“We were bringing militancy to the area and flooding it with weapons and increasing the support and force of Islamists.

“As soon as the Russians left Afghanistan, we felt we didn’t need to be there any more ... The real bottom line is, there was no real evidence of effort on the part of the United States to build it into a reliable ally.”

“We are reaping the harvest of our erratic policies. Pakistan is the most anti-American country in the world — even worse that North Korea.”

“How is the United States going to address these issues?” Milam asked. “With difficulty,” he said dryly, in answering his own question. His answer prompted much laughter from the audience.

“Pakistan is part of the puzzle that won’t go away ... How do we get Pakistan to be a reliable ally?” Milam asked, noting that in his view, the only way to acheive that goal is for the U.S to be a reliable ally to Pakistan.