New Delhi, March 21 (IANS) Pakistan is in need of multiple diversions as it faces setbacks on multiple fronts. The war in Afghanistan and the battle with the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has left the security apparatus in Pakistan badly bruised. The pressure on Field Marshal Asim Munir, who is the head of the army is immense and he is in need of a major diversion.
Indian agencies tracking the developments in Pakistan say that Munir’s next move is to incite violence between the Sunnis and Shias.
The army chief is following in the footsteps of General Zia-ul-Haq, who ran a major campaign to suppress the Shias in Pakistan.
Since the beginning of the war in Iran, the Shias have been targeted in Pakistan. The rallies carried out in solidarity for Iran are being branded as anti-national and anti-Sunni.
Asim Munir during a recent event humiliated the Shia Muslims and said that if they love Iran so much they should go to Iran.
This is a clear attempt at inciting tensions and hoping that the Shias would indulge in violence. This in turn would lead to a major escalation of violence between the Shia and majority Sunni Muslim population in Pakistan.
Another official said that this latest ploy by Asim Munir is clearly aimed at dividing the population. Hostilities between the Shias and Sunnis in Pakistan is nothing new. However to stoke tensions at a time when the war in Iran is on, is a dangerous game by the Pakistan army chief.
The Shia community has expressed shock following the triviality with which Asim Munir spoke about the community.
Pakistan watchers say that there are multiple reasons why the army chief has raked up the Shia issue again. He has been doing this subtly for long, but currently he has taken it to another level. Munir is clearly trying to further the rift by painting a picture that the Shias have their loyalties elsewhere.
The Shias have been trying to remind the army chief that their loyalties are not elsewhere and they would not go against their country.
Expressing solidarity with Iran is not a crime and Munir is wrong in terming this as an act that is anti-national, the Shias say.
Officials say that the Pakistan army chief could not care less about the sentiments of the Shia community. He is caught between the devil and the deep sea and all he wants is a diversion, even if it meant that his country burns due to a communal conflict.
Munir is fed up of explaining to the people about the need for battles on multiple fronts, especially when the economy of the country is dying with each passing day.
Further the war in Iran prompted the Pakistani establishment to take several austerity measures that included a hike in fuel prices. All these measures are not helping and is having a bad impact on the common man, officials say.
While the internal strife is one part of the reason why Munir is trying to incite the Shias against the Sunnis, the other remains the Saudi Arabia angle.
Questions are being asked about Pakistan’s commitment to the pact by which it has to join the war if Saudi Arabia is being attacked. The pact between the two countries says that an attack on either countries would be considered as an attack on both.
In the ongoing war, Saudi Arabia has been targeted many times by missiles from Iran. Officials say that the fact is that Pakistan may have signed the pact, but in reality it does not have the bandwidth or resources to join the war.
The Shias have been very vocal about their support for Iran since the war commenced. This has not gone down too well with Saudi Arabia as the country views Iran as an enemy.
Munir is under pressure to shut down these voices and that explains the reason why he is desperate for an outbreak of violence between the Shia and Sunni Muslims in Pakistan.
--IANS
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