Headlines:
- Current Rulers are Willing to Push Pakistan into the US Trap of NSG Membership
- Pakistan’s Rulers Beg to Colonialists Whilst India Undermines Water Supply
- Gas Resources and Distribution are Public Properties that must not be Privatized
Current Rulers are Willing to Push Pakistan into the US Trap of NSG Membership
As reported in Dawn, dated 31 December 2016, Pakistan is open to separating its civilian and military nuclear facilities and signing the additional protocol to International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) safeguards agreement, but worries that the process for membership of Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) has become too politicized; so said Pakistan’s Director Strategic Plans Division (SPD), Dr Adil Sultan, whilst speaking at a round table conference at the Strategic Vision Institute (SVI). The Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) was formed in the wake of the Indian nuclear testing in May 1974, and the first meeting was in November 1975. It started with seven countries (Canada, West Germany, France, Japan, Soviet Union, United Kingdom, United States), by 1976-1977 it had 15 members and then increased until now, when it has 48 members. However, the actual influence is controlled by the major nuclear powers in general and in particular, the United States of America. This groups stated aims are to control the spread of nuclear weapons by controlling the export and re-transfer of materials that could be used to develop nuclear weapons, and to improve safety measures and protection of existing nuclear materials. This group decides which countries are allowed to buy nuclear materials and technologies and the countries that are prohibited to deal with such materials.
Current NSG membership rules require a state to sign the nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) before joining this exclusive club. India remains one of only three countries, along with Israel and Pakistan, never to have signed the NPT. Despite the NPT’s condition, America has been objecting to Pakistan case whilst pursuing India’s case of membership in NSG and in doing so US has been working on varied approaches. As reported in Dawn, dated 28 December 2016, a draft proposal, the Grossi formula, for accepting new members into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) paves the way for India’s entry but leaves Pakistan out, according to the US-based Arms Control Association (ACA). The Pakistani rulers expressed their persistent desire to enter the NSG and thus as reported in Dawn dated 30 December 2016, the Foreign Office of Pakistan rejected the Grossi formula for evaluation of the candidature of non-NPT states for the Nuclear Suppliers Group’s membership as ‘discriminatory’ and unhelpful for advancing global non-proliferation objectives.
However, what is critical to understand is the basis for America’s double-standards. Despite the fact that the regime in India is pro-America, as is the regime in Pakistan, the American goal for both countries is different because one country is a Muslim country and the other is not. The goal for India is to form the spearhead in the face of China and to suppress the Islamic revival which has awoken the Ummah from its previous slumber. As for Pakistan, America just wants it to stand in the face of Pakistani and Afghan resistance that is anti-American. In other words the aim of arming India is to weaken China and the Muslims, and the aim of arming Pakistan is to weaken the anti-American resistance from within the Muslims. Accordingly, America has been working and cooperating to develop India in areas of strategic nuclear civil and military programs, sophisticated war-heads, advance missile defense and other such programs in a bid to make it compete with China and rise over the only Muslim nuclear power, Pakistan. In Jan 2004, the then US President, George W. Bush, and the Indian Prime Minister, Vajpayee, announced “Next Steps in Strategic Partnership” (NSSP) Then New Delhi got a promise from America for open access to the nuclear fuel for its weaponized nuclear energy program, without being committed to any agreement. In 2007, India achieved Agreement 123, which allows India and America peaceful cooperation in nuclear matters and thereafter many such agreements have been signed and announced. In stark contrast, the United States supplied Pakistan with conventional weapons to fight the resistance, and not with nuclear support… even the economic and military aid to Pakistan, which increased under the Reagan administration, was a way to curb the Pakistani nuclear program. Even if Pakistan is admitted into the NSG, it will be exploited by US and its nuclear program would not be allowed to accelerate, unlike the case of India. Moreover US already is separately engaged with Pakistan, to restrict its nuclear program and in this regard it has been raising its concern publicly. Thus, the United States has repeatedly refused to hold a nuclear deal with Pakistan and refused its entry into the NSG … this objection to Pakistan’s entry into the NSG, so that America forces Islamabad on the cultivation of tactical nuclear weapons through the use of locally produced plutonium. This is because the ratio of plutonium to weight ratio makes it suitable to reduce nuclear warheads. (http://www.dawn.com/news/1248033)
Pakistan’s current rulers are on the one-hand discrediting the new proposal put forward by Ambassador Grossi, but on other hand are ready to comply with American conditions in a bid for NSG membership. Pakistan’s rulers’ agreement to fall into a US trap under the pretext of signing different conditions and protocols is a plan to curb Pakistan’s nuclear program. It is not befitting for rulers of Muslims to allow themselves to be bullied by colonialist powers. Rather the true Muslim ruler is aware of their evil schemes and steers the Ummah around them and ahead of the Kufr. Allah سبحانه وتعالى said,
مَا يَوَدُّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ وَلاَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ أَنْ يُنَزَّلَ عَلَيْكُمْ مِنْ خَيْرٍ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ وَاللَّهُ يَخْتَصُّ بِرَحْمَتِهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَاللَّهُ ذُو الْفَضْلِ الْعَظِيمِ
“Neither those who followed earlier revelation who deny the truth, nor the Mushrikeen like to see good bestowed upon you from your Sustainer; but Allah bestows grace upon whom He chooses- for Allah is limitless in His great bounty.”
(Surah al-Baqara 2:105)
Pakistan’s Rulers Beg to Colonialists Whilst India Undermines Our Water Supply
As reported in Dawn, dated 4 January 2017, the US administration has initiated the process for peacefully resolving the current water dispute between India and Pakistan without waiting for an invitation to do so, official sources told Dawn. The latest dispute concerns two hydroelectric power plants — Kishanganga and Ratle — that India is building on the Indus rivers system (Neelum and Chenab). Earlier the same week, US Secretary of State John Kerry called Finance Minister, Ishaq Dar, and discussed with him different options for an amicable settlement of the dispute. After the call, US Ambassador to Pakistan David Hale also met Mr Dar in Islamabad at the finance ministry for further talks.
The Indus Waters Treaty which was signed by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and President Ayub Khan in Sept 1960, handed Pakistan the right to unrestricted use of the three western rivers, Indus, Chenab and Jhelum. The eastern rivers, Sutlej, Beas and Ravi, went to India. While the treaty allowed India to divert the waters of the eastern rivers, it could only tap into 3.6 MAF of water from the western rivers for irrigation, transport and power generation. Experts at the Indus River System Authority (IRSA) complain that India has been constructing huge water storages on all six Indus basin rivers, not just on the three under its full control. For example, Baglihar and Salal on Chenab are already generating 450 MW/h and 690 MW/h respectively, while the planned Bursar and Pakal hydroelectric projects also on the Chenab will produce 1020MW and 1000 MW/h respectively. The size of the energy outputs is an indication of the size of the projects. Pakistan’s Mangla, for comparison, generates 1000MW/h. In all, India is in different phases of planning or construction of some 60 storages of varying capacity, over all of the six Indus rivers, which will provide India the strategic leverage of increasing or decreasing river flows during tensions between the two countries.
The water tension between India and Pakistan escalated after India threatened to block Pakistan’s water, when Mr Modi declared “blood and water can’t flow together,” followed by suspension of Indus Water commission talks until “Pakistan-sponsored terror” ends. Modi ordered expediting of the completion of the controversial Indian water dams, compromising Pakistan’s needs. Being an agricultural country, Pakistan is already facing water shortfalls. Rather than taking independent initiatives to stop India in its tracks, Pakistan’s rulers have been urging the United States to intervene, including making appeals to the President-elect, Donald Trump. This is even though the US has been granting India dominance over Pakistan consistently. Even if the US asks India to comply to the treaty, it will be at some cost, as has been the case ever since Pakistan’s rulers held the US over our affairs. The US plans to make India a regional power to compete against China on its behalf, whilst Pakistan has been assigned to play a second fiddle, support role for India, in this tussle. Yet, Pakistan’s rulers use every crisis with India to establish a foothold for Washington to interfere, even though the outcome will be further humiliation before India. As for referring our affairs, including Kashmir, to the United Nations, it is as futile because the five permanent veto-yielding members of its Security Council are all belligerent enemies of Muslims and it is haraam because it is a non-Islamic authority (Taghut), ruling by Kufr. Allah سبحانه وتعالى said,
أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِينَ يَزْعُمُونَ أَنَّهُمْ آمَنُواْ بِمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ وَمَا أُنزِلَ مِن قَبْلِكَ يُرِيدُونَ أَن يَتَحَاكَمُواْ إِلَى الطَّاغُوتِ وَقَدْ أُمِرُواْ أَن يَكْفُرُواْ بِهِ وَيُرِيدُ الشَّيْطَانُ أَن يُضِلَّهُمْ ضَلاَلاً بَعِيدًا
“Have you seen those who pretend to believe in what has been revealed to you and what has been revealed before you, how they go in their judgement to the Taghut, though they have been ordered to disbelieve in it. But Shaytan’s wish is to lead them astray.”
(Surah An-Nisa’a 4:60)
The solution to Indian aggression does not lie in bowing down to the colonial schemes. It requires political system and leadership emanating from our belief, Islam, which grants the vision to dominate world stage. The Khilafah upon the Method of Prophethood will not defer to any other power, nor will it submit to demands of cower before threats. The Khilafah will overturn the US plan, by unifying the Muslim lands in this region such as Bangladesh, Afghanistan and the Central Asian Republics, effectively isolating India before restoring Islam as the dominant Deen in the region as it was for centuries.
Gas Resources and Distribution are Public Properties that must not be Privatized
On 9th January 2017, the media reported that the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) recently issued the first-ever private sector distribution license for natural gas sales in Sindh to a company incorporated just one day before the license was granted. The Karachi-based firm, Gaseous Distribution Company (GDC), will be the first company ever to share the decades-old pipeline network of Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGCL) and challenge its distribution and sales monopoly.
Since the nineties of the twentieth century, successive governments in Pakistan, whether civilian or military, have been pursuing the path of the liberalization of economy, such that private companies are allowed to seek ownership of those fields, where so far only government companies are present. The basic arguments rulers present in favour of the liberalization of economy are that: it will break the monopolization by government companies, customers will get better service and pay less because of competition, new investment in different sectors will create new jobs and eventually the economy will grow more. However, the real picture is far from the rosy one the current rulers present.
There are many fields of economy where anyone can come and do the business whether state or private. However, in the field of oil, gas, electricity and mineral resources there can be no private or state ownership because Islam has declared them as public property. People collectively are their real owners and their benefit is for the whole society, not the state or any particular private company, whether owned by a single person or many persons. Islam made the sanctity of these resources as public such that their ownership can never be transferred to a private entity or to a state. RasulAllah ﷺ said, «المسلمون شركاء في ثلاث في الماء والكلأ والنار» “Muslims are partners (associates) in three things: in water, pastures and fire (energy resources).” (Reported by Abu Dawud). Islam placed the obligation of managing these resources on the state exclusively on behalf of the people. Benefits from these resources are placed in the state treasury to spend on the people. Therefore the state has the responsibility to explore, refine, store and distribute gas which is a public property. And if the state abandons its responsibility completely or partially then it is a violation of Shariah which will earn rulers a severe punishment in Hereafter (Akhira), as they would have neglected the duty placed upon them from Islam. RasulAllah ﷺ warned,«مَا مِنْ عَبْدٍ يَسْتَرْعِيهِ اللَّهُ رَعِيَّةً يَمُوتُ يَوْمَ يَمُوتُ وَهُوَ غَاشٌّ لِرَعِيَّتِهِ إِلَّا حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ الْجَنَّةَ» “There is no servant whom Allah gives charge over a people and he dies while he is cheating them (by neglecting their affairs), Allah will make Jannah unlawful for him.” [Muslim].
Thus in the coming Khilafah state (Caliphate), gas wells, their refineries, storage facilities and distribution network all will be public property, ensuring that their wealth is for the collective benefit of all the people, rather than for the profits of a select elite.