India 'financed problems' for Pakistan via Afghanistan: Chuck Hagel

Society Pakistan & World Affairs
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India always wanted a pliant and voiceless/tooth less Pakistani state. Here we are, India can do what ever it wants and get away with it as the Pakistani government and military will remain quiet. Lodging a simple voice of concern has become something of a luxury, raising hell about it and taking it to the international audience is completely out of question. If Indians think that by having a destabilized Pakistan on their borders they themselves will remain in peace they should think again. It is a highly globalized world, where one country has an impact on the others, and here we are talking about neighbors. Maybe the Indian policy makers should take cue from Afghanistan and its impact on Pakistan.

India financed problems for Pakistan via Afghanistan: Chuck Hagel - geo.tv

**WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama’s defence secretary nominee Chuck Hagel in his speech made in 2011 had alleged that India has “financed problems” for Pakistan through its role in war-ravaged Afghanistan.

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Chuck Hagel had delivered the above speech at Oklahoma’s Cameron University in 2011 in which he said: “India for some time has always used Afghanistan as a second front, and India has over the years financed problems for Pakistan on that side of the border”.

“And you can carry that into many dimensions, the point being the tense, fragmented relationship between Pakistan and Afghanistan has been there for many, many years,” Chuck Hagel who was a US senator at the time remarked.

India had brushed aside the allegations as “contrary to reality”.

According to Times of India website, the Indian embassy in Washington reacted by saying, “Such comments attributed to Senator Hagel, who has been a long-standing friend of India and a prominent votary of close India-US relations are contrary to the reality of India’s unbounded dedication to the welfare of Afghan people”.

The Indian Embassy further said that India’s commitment to a peaceful, stable and prosperous Afghanistan is unwavering, “and this is reflected in our significant assistance to Afghanistan in developing its economy, infrastructure and institutional capacities”.

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Re: India 'financed problems' for Pakistan via Afghanistan: Chuck Hagel

Well, I think it would be naive to assume India were simply a passive spectator to everything happening in its neighborhood.

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Re: India 'financed problems' for Pakistan via Afghanistan: Chuck Hagel

Oh rally? I am SHOCKED :O

It's only Pakistanis who create problems in India No?

Indians have been doing this forever but no one in the world cares because it doesn't affect them. The other day some ex Indian army men were discussing Gwadar port handover to China and one of them openly said that China is even helping Bangladesh to turn them against us, the nation we created is turning against us.

One thing Zardari has done right is to hand Gwadar port to China, Indians aren't happy at all :)

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Re: India 'financed problems' for Pakistan via Afghanistan: Chuck Hagel

just to play the devil's advocate here - is it really true that a stable pakistan is best for india? india has had more issues with kashmir, khalistan etc when pakistan was stable and prosperous, and its powerful army was free to channel and direct the fruits of afghan jihad at india. the hot afghan border relieves indian positions on the LoC and the border, many of which are just obscenely expensive to maintain for a country full of poor people.

the past decade has been good for india's side of the border. the primary reason being the pakistani army's inability to keep up pressure and push in the routine jihadis like in the 90s.

and definitely this is no long term solution. sooner or later it will come back and bite indians in the butt too. somewhere the vicious cycle has to stop. but i doubt it will happen anytime soon.

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Re: India 'financed problems' for Pakistan via Afghanistan: Chuck Hagel

How does playing a "role in war ravaged Afghanistan" translate to India acting against Pakistan? India has provided project finance as well as expertise to Afghanistan rebuild!

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Re: India 'financed problems' for Pakistan via Afghanistan: Chuck Hagel

Khalistan movement died in 89 I believe when benazir handed over the list of the Sikh leaders to India. Nothing to do with the past decade. Anyways if some one thinks that having an unstable neighbour will guarantee stability, he needs to have a reality check. Most of the issues PAKISTAN has are due to an unstable Afghanistan. The games that Indians are playing now will at some stage haunt them too. As far as Kashmir is concerned an amicable solution of the issue is needed so as to put the only big issue between the two countries to rest.

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Re: India 'financed problems' for Pakistan via Afghanistan: Chuck Hagel

Many in the Army believe that the issue in Balochistan is being fueled by Indian embassies in Afghanistan. If the government has any proofs for this they need to share it with the Indians as well as the world. Having said that, I consider the governments way of handling the conflict as flawed too. Anyways, if Pakistan were to retaliate that wouldn't be any issue. I am not sure, as I dont have any member of my family in the army but there could be a hand of Pakistani agencies for the attack Mumbai as retribution. It's about time that both countries stop playing games with each other. A lot needs to be done to eliminate poverty and bring the people at par (economically) with other countries of Asia.

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Re: India 'financed problems' for Pakistan via Afghanistan: Chuck Hagel

i think the whole argument that a prosperous neighbour is a good neighbour applies if and only if there are strong trade/economic ties that make them mutually dependent, and there are no states-within-a-state running sabotage ops. kashmir is a big big hurdle to both of these, as you said.

as for the spread of instability, i don't think afghanistan-pakistan and pakistan-india are comparable in terms of people movement, and ideologies of unrest. movements like sectarian hatred, shariah walas vs. secularists etc. that exist in both afghanistan and pakistan have nothing similar in indians to leap on to, its naxals, oppressed tribals, etc on this side. the border is completely fenced, other than the LoC, people movement is thru paperwork for most part, so foreign fighters can't move in and settle down. the only troublemakers that get in historically have done so under the auspices of the powerful pak army. so an army distracted on another front is not bad for indians on the short term.

long term, its extremely bad news for indians to have something like today's afghanistan next door. hopefully that will never happen.

my feeling is, india is going to push for leverage wherever it can whenever it can, especially along the LoC, and try to bargain for a permanent settlement.

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Re: India 'financed problems' for Pakistan via Afghanistan: Chuck Hagel

What is ROI?

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Re: India 'financed problems' for Pakistan via Afghanistan: Chuck Hagel

The cycle stops the day Kashmir is resolved in an amicable and just manner.

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Re: India 'financed problems' for Pakistan via Afghanistan: Chuck Hagel

Your argument is that it serves India's interest to have an unstable neighbor, as there is no significant trade/economic relations to warrant the desire for stability in said neighbor?

Strong trade/economic ties are something to be desired last I checked. I dont see how you could possibly benefit from instability anywhere in the world, let alone next door.

Instability means problems where Indian and Pakistani interests overlap, ie Kashmir. The potential for an all out conflict that could potentially wreck your economy is far more likely if your neighbor is unstable. If your argument is for perpetuation of the status quo, well the status quo got you the attacks on the Parliament, Mumbai, 2 major wars, and millions of people literally being held hostage by thousands of your soldiers... It astounds me that a nation with such aspirations, with such lofty ideals, has no problem with what it does in Kashmir... Do the recurring accusations of human rights violations not shame you?

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Re: India 'financed problems' for Pakistan via Afghanistan: Chuck Hagel

no, i'm saying it helps india in the short term by taking off or shutting down of resources and "assetts: that were previously used to target india/indian administered kashmir. that is basically it.

i am all for strong trade ties, there are huge costs to missed opportunities every single day. and it comes with the added bonus of entwined mutual interests.

as for human rights violations in kashmir, it is a tricky subject. secularism is sacred to my generation of "liberal" indians as much as islam is to pakistanis. so those that stand up against the state for religious state ideas aren't exactly seen in a favorable light by the left-leaning liberals. but things are changing, there is some increase in the amount of media coverage these violations get. but again, nothing significant.

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Re: India 'financed problems' for Pakistan via Afghanistan: Chuck Hagel

I consider myself liberal, and not particularly religious, but far be it for me to deny anyone else the right to decide their own fate. Regardless of the depth or scope of the violations in Kashmir, and regardless of the motivations of her people, whether religious or secular, there is no justification in forcing people to adopt an identity not of their choosing. I may for example, cringe at the notion that Pakistan should be an "Islamic" Republic, but if the majority of Pakistanis choose that route for their nation, well then its their funeral as far as im concerned.

The inherent contradictions between what India is in respect to Kashmir, and what India aspires to be as a democracy based on pluralism and justice, should be even more poignant for you as an Indian.

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Re: India ‘financed problems’ for Pakistan via Afghanistan: Chuck Hagel

Washington Post

Chuck Hagel confirmed in Washington, but doubts remain in India

By Rama Lakshmi, Published: WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 10:46 AM ET

NEW DELHI - The appointment of Chuck Hagel as the new U.S. secretary of defense Tuesday may have overcome fierce Republican opposition in the Senate, but it has stirred a fresh controversy here.

A video clip of a speech Hagel made in 2011, which shows him being critical of India’s role in war-torn Afghanistan, was released by the Washington Free Beacon and is now being circulated among Indian foreign policy analysts.

“India for some time has always used Afghanistan as a second front, and India has over the years financed problems for Pakistan on that side of the border,” Hagel remarked in his speech at Oklahoma’s Cameron University.

Officials in Islamabad have often accused India of using its consulates in Afghanistan for spying and for financing separatist rebels in Pakistan.

Indian officials can be extremely touchy about their role in Afghanistan, a cautious and difficult balancing act of engaging with Kabul without upsetting its neighbor and nuclear rival Pakistan too much.

India also worries about how the U.S. views its role, particularly as the impending 2014 draw-down of combat troops from Afghanistan nears.

Opposition politicians and foreign policy analysts in India are demanding a clarification from Hagel.

“Chuck Hagel’s simplistic remarks surfacing amid the rushed U.S. exit from Afghanistan, co-option of Paksiatan as facilitator with benefits, and beatification of unreformed Taliban, have India on edge,” said K. C. Singh, a former Indian diplomat. “The situation requires immediate retraction of Hagel’s statement to avoid damage to India-U.S. relations, particularly defense cooperation.”

Hagel’s remarks run contrary to Washington’s recent pronouncements on India’s role.

Foreign ministry spokesman Syed Akbaruddin said India has close and frequent discussions with the United States on Afghanistan, and “we have consistently received support and encouragement from our U.S. partners for our constructive role in Afghanistan.”

India has committed $2 billion toward reconstruction and development in Afghanistan, and is building roads, schools, power lines and the parliament building. India also helps train Afghanistan’s police force, soldiers and bureaucrats. But it has stopped short of putting boots on the ground in Afghanistan.

As New Delhi anxiously watches the events in the run-up to the phased pullout from Afghanistan, some analysts say that India will have to assume a more active role.

“It has obviously caused us discomfort because U.S. officials keep telling us, ‘We want more of India in Afghanistan, not less,’ ” a senior official said on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak candidly on the matter. “There is certainly a dissonance here.”

Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Robert Blake sought to dispel doubts Tuesday.

“We appreciate very much the significant role that India is playing in Afghanistan,” Blake told lawmakers during a hearing of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. “In fact, we see India as kind of the economic linchpin for the future.”

When President Obama took office, there were some concerns that he was less enthusiastic about ties with India than his predecessor George Bush was. But Obama assuaged those fears during a visit to India in 2010, when he endorsed India’s desire for a permanent seat on an expanded United Nations Security Council.

However, similar concerns emerged recently over the appointment of John Kerry as secretary of state. Many Indians believe that, as the author of the bill that authorized aid to Islamabad, he leans toward Pakistan.

“Will Chuck Hagel clarify?” was the title of the prime time television debate on the Indian news channel Times Now on Tuesday night.

“When a person has a strong personal bias, it reflects eventually in what they do when they are in office,” said Arnab Goswami, chief editor of Times Now.

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Re: India 'financed problems' for Pakistan via Afghanistan: Chuck Hagel

^Funny, Americans want this for Afghanistan, India Pakistan want that for Afghanistan.. not one mention of what Afghanistan wants in Afghanistan.

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Re: India 'financed problems' for Pakistan via Afghanistan: Chuck Hagel

What a big lie bout India - BikiLeak (Its wikileak for normal ppl) is an even bigger lier.

BTW replace "problems" with "terrorism" and there you have it the biggest lie in the universe... Bikileak is in trouble and so is Chuck..

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Re: India 'financed problems' for Pakistan via Afghanistan: Chuck Hagel

this is not news but some just blatantly deny and term India as angel of angels! India is not a friend of Pakistan why would anybody expects from it not to be hostile to Pakistan from any front available?

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Re: India 'financed problems' for Pakistan via Afghanistan: Chuck Hagel

I hope Pakistan stays away from Afghanistan and focus on improving the relationship with the people of the country as a whole. They should share proofs of Indian involvement with the world. One thing is for sure who ever tries to be clever within Afghanistan has his hands burnt in the end. The countries involved in games over there should be cautious.

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Re: India 'financed problems' for Pakistan via Afghanistan: Chuck Hagel

Naturally, India will not sit by idly whilst everything going on with SA. It's aim is to control the region and by propping the BLA and other groups in Afghanistan against Pakistan it sends a clear message that it can wage a internal war without getting its hand dirty. What India don't want is Pakistan to influence Afghanistan after the US leave India therefore provide is providing funds, aid, bilateral deals to the Afghans to prevent the Pakistanis controlling Kabul.

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Re: India 'financed problems' for Pakistan via Afghanistan: Chuck Hagel

Well, I guess its now clear that India can pay back in the same coin, and that the theory of death by a thousand cuts works both ways. India is big and strong enough to absorb a couple of terror strikes every now and again, but can definitely fund a lot more of those in return to keep the 'bad guys' occupied in a killing spree amongst themselves.