COMSATS INSTITUTES OF INFORMATION AND TECHNOLOGY, LAHORE

English composition and comprehension

The Myth of Independence Muneeb Javaid fa09-BBA-105
5/6/2013

The myth of independence

About the Author:

The book is written by Mr. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. He was born on December 20, 1971. He studied history and political science from OXFORD University. He became the president of Pakistan and chief martial law administrator when Pakistan was at very low ebb. He won 1970s election under the flag of the party name of Pakistan peoples party. He gave Pakistan its first confined constitution in 1973 and later on he brought many reforms in the Pakistan. He was found guilty for a murder and hanged

About the book:

This book was written and published in 1969 and it was dedicated to sovereign people of Pakistan. As the name of the book is the myth of independence which itself give an idea that this book based on ones own understanding of the international relations of Pakistan and the other states with each other. Actually this book is based on the myths (A traditional story accepted as history) before the independence of Pakistan and the after effects of independence and the interests of other great powers in the region of sub-continent particularly in Pakistan. Bhutto has given his personal opinion in this book about the right and wrong relations and decisions of Pakistan. The reader of this book will find himself in the pages of this book, I mean; this book contains very common but valuable and important opinion about the relations of Pakistan with the other states. It particularly focuses on PAK-CHINA, PAK-USA and INDIAPAKISTAN controversy time to time. This book tells that how international influences and interferences effects and changes the policies of Pakistan with respects to other countries particularly with USA and INDIA. This book provides a lot of information for the students of history and the people who had interest in international relations. This book also expresses the way how great powers influence the smaller and new born states for their own long term strategic interests, it also shows a very clear picture that how Pakistan has been used by America and Soviet Union and other great powers in the world since

independence. This shows that how the greater powers had destroyed the political structure of the Pakistan in striving for their balance of power in the region.

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Summary of The Myth of Independence:

The book discuss the issues relative to the time and their occurrence period, I would like to summarize the whole idea of the Author in the same order to keep it simpler and easier. I would keep it chapter wise so that it can be compared and analyzed easily;

The struggle for the equality:

After the independence of Pakistan in 1947 Mr. Jinah developed good relationships with America and the other great powers of the world to make the position of Pakistan more stable on the map of the world. Later on these relations changes with time to time, Pakistan prefer to have good relations with USA so that Pakistan could get a strong ally to stand with and to keep getting the military and financial aids from USA. In the same perspective in 1954 Pakistan signed a special relationship agreement with America; the agreement was named as mutual Defense assistance agreement. But this agreement got failed in 1959 due to some misunderstandings between both of the states; this was the era when Ayub Khan imposed martial law in Pakistan. Aristotle observed that: it is evident that a state is a creation of nature, and a man is by nature a political animal. And he who by nature not by mere accident is without a state is either above humanity or below it. It means that every person belong to some state some nation, some territory may be some ideology, which is the permanent identity of a person, and every person plays politically, and states are sum of individuals and run by individuals, so states are political too, every state seeks its own benefits in the relation to any other state. This is happening since the mankind moved to civilization, there are so many examples Egypt Babylon Greece Carthage and Rome, these are the civilization which truly represents the nature of the states and their seeking for personal interests. Oppressed people everywhere bound by the chain of colonialism were urged nit so long ago to participate in the struggle against Nazism in order to free humanity from tyranny. Immediately after the defeat of Nazism man nations in Asia gained their political independence. After nearly two centuries of enslavement India and Pakistan were among the principal states in our Asian continent to become free in that sense.

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Since the civilization urges domination has been justified as the survival of the fittest

Great powers and small nations:

According to the book the power cannot be measured on the bases of territory, material resources, economic wealth, scientific and technological advancement or ideology alone, in fact it is combination of all these factors which shows the power of a country, the stronger the combination the stronger that country would be. When this combination of any country went to bad side that country lost his power and got its status changed from great power to the smaller power. The world never lies under the hegemony of one country or any imperial power, from Alexander to Hitler many conquerors had tried to occupy the whole world and rule it but it doesnt happened because it is impossible, even it was said that the sun did not set on vast British Empire, but even at the height of their power the British had to contend with the ambitions of other imperial powers like France Germany and Spain. After the World War 2 the era of cold war started which divides the world into two poles the east and the west pole the east pole adopting the economical system of communism and west adopting the system of capitalism. So this bipolar world originates many diplomatic relations between the countries. Even the communism could have removed the ideological differences between Soviet Union and the China. The security interests of the free world are better served but the economic exploitation remains the principle concern. This is the inevitable adjustment in the transition of colonialism to neo-colonialism, which is why our independence remains a myth. The great powers were trying to seek their interest in the Persian gulf. The race between the great powers was not only about the ideological differences but a struggle for hegemony ( a single state which is the un-announced king of the world). The conflict between china and America doesnt base on military interests or any ideology but they are economic based. The north-south polarization of the underdeveloped nations struggle for better economic relationships with the developed nations make it incumbent on the underdeveloped nations to articulate their common objectives in order to strengthen their collective bargaining capacity.The great powers initially acted according to the principle of divide and rule and they rule the greater part of the world for more than centuries under the same principle. But now they have

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adopted a new strategy which that unite and rule it means that make a pool of the resourced states and exploit their resources in better way.

American attitude towards partition and Indian neutralism:

Whatever anybody says whenever he says but the fact remains the fact, Pakistan is a state with an ideology to the Muslims of the sub-continent, its a GOD inspired country. Whatever the traditional contacts existed beyond the Himalayas was broken by the conquerors to complete the isolation of the brightness jewel in the crown. The British saw the India the land of mystery and superstition of strange contrasts of religions and warring chieftains. It was the heaviest burden the white man carried in his mission to civilize the world. Having eliminated the other colonial powers, the British went ahead alone to complete their humanizing mission. The war of 1857 is called the Indian mutiny led to the barbaric suppression of the spirit of the people. Many great power were trying to interfere in the independence of the sub-continent , but their internal affairs didnt let them do so, Germany was destroyed due to the Berlin wall and France was also humiliated by her defeat, both were unable to get the importance in the international affairs that sooner. China was badly mauled by Japan and at the end the Generalissimo and his wife visited sub-continent and encourages Gandhi for the united independent sub-continent. Mr. Churchill prevailed upon the Generalissimo not to press the matter at the time when unity was imperative America took larger interest in the partition even by going out of the way some times; Mr. Walter H. ambassador of the USA wrote a letter to ambassador of United Kingdom which was having the wording like the future of the world belong to us .. These English are spending their capital. Now what are we going to do with the leadership o f the world presently when it is clearly falls into our hands? And how can we use the English for the highest uses of the democracy. After the independence Pakistan join the NATO (north Atlantic treaty organization). After towards when Pakistans relations went bad with America, America tries to start developing good relations with India, after the Indias refusal to be inveigled by the US in the cold war forced and US to change its attitude toward the sub-continent. Senator Knowland said neutralist

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nations like India do not deserve the same military or economic aid as our active allies, or an equal place on the table.

India seeks American support against china:

India seeks American support to get its China side safe. India has many conflicts with china on ideological bases and economic bases and most importantly on the territorial bases. So to stay stable in the region India need a ally to balance the power of the east and the west pole. India could not make alliance with the Soviet Union because it was going for the self destruction itself. The independence movements were on their peaks on those days. India was not going to be a part of the communist pole; it was going to adopt the capitalist block to be in the side of America. The second reason of seeking support of America was that America was getting closer to tha Pakistan, so if America got good relations in Pakistan than India would having the threat of being attacked. America was supporting India in this matter because America was having economic conflicts the china, china was worlds new emerging great power, and already existing could not bear a new power emerging. The biggest reason behind this was that Pakistan would encourage the Chinese aggression against india, in this way two countries would be aligned against india and that is why india feels its strategic position weak and seeks for the American support.

America aids India and ignores Pakistan:

America is a very diplomatic country and its strategies work ahead than the other countries in the world that is it is influencing the world for more than 7 decades in its own way. America continues providing aid to india and reduced its aid to Pakistan upto the minmal level in the early 60s. the reason behind this was that America was supporting india on the china border to defend its territory more over America support india in 1965 in war against Pakistan. The reason behind this was that America just wanted to show the Pakistan its importance in the region and the benefits of being an ally of the America. The 2nd reason for this aid was that America was having bilateral agreement of defense with the india, and the other to treaties with name of SEATO and CENTO. The reason of ignoring
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Pakistan was that there was martial law in Pakistan at the time. And Americans didnt support an unlawful person who is taking the control of a democratic country.

Americas policy to bring Pakistan under Indian hegemony:

America was in a developing relationship with india, America was having several benefits from india in return of military and economic aids, india was very keen to see Pakistan becoming a fail state, so America decided that whether we remain under Indian shadow or under their shadow it parallel to one and other, but if wants to get hold on Pakistan America should not be having any problem, because America is having strong position in india, from where it can approach China very easily. Pakistan was having bad relationship with the America , America wanted to not lose its control on Pakistan until the relations goes into a better direction, so America want that Pakistan comes under the umbrella of the country which is all ready under the umbrella of America.

Collaboration with india on America terms:

General Ayub khan did a blunder of doing collaboration with the india on Americas terms. When in 1965 Pakistan occupied the big area of the Indian Punjab that Pakistan was in a very strong position to negotiate with india on its own terms, but Pakistan returns the whole occupied area with accordance to the American terms. America always wanted us to be its slaves in strategies so that the india.

The Indo-Pakistan wars and their analogies:

The wars between india and Pakistan have less logics and more emotions, both countries fought with each other to show their aggression to each other. The simplest analogy of india Pakistan war is that the other states got lot of benefit from this analogy; I mean America got the chance to show its strategic position in the region, and when a SELF NICHOLOS asked from Mr. Jinah that whether he preferred an independent wealthy state for the people of india or wants poor new independent state for the Muslims of india, than Mr. Jinah replied that whether you would like to have rich slaved England or poor independent England. This is the ideology of indo-pak war which causes all 3 war just before 1970s war.
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Relation with the neighboring countries and with the others:

Pakistan has developed very good relations with its neighboring countries, Pakistan has developed good economic and social relation with Afghanistan, even Pakistan has open its border for free visa entry for Afghanistan to Pakistan for free trade entry, Pakistan has developed relation with Iran, they even had started the joit venture of coal mining and geographical institution to find the resources under the rich soil of the both countries. Pakistan has developed very useful relation with the china, Pakistans relation with china brought stability in the region. Even Pakistan had good ground for relationship with amerce and india. Conclusion: In view of the past experience and other consideration Pakistan must had pursue with three points in mind and those three points are: 1. A policy of friendship and a good faith with china, a great power with whome its basic concerns conforms. 2. Good relations with the US and the Soviet Union but with the preconditions and on the basis of non-interference: also with the nations of eastern and western Europe especially France Germany Britain Romania Czechoslovakia and Poland. 3. The strengthening of the third world the under developed nation of Latin America, Asia and Africa and particularly Muslim nations and the neighboring countries. He realization of these objectives would secure, so to speak Pakistans flank and rear, enabling us to rising tide of difficulties with India, which has become more acute on account of the changes in the American sub-continental policies. If Pakistan is not prepared to resist these she should at least take an unambiguous stand as did Burma and Cambodia sometimes ago. Small nations have always struggled against more powerful ones for their freedom. The whole history of mankind is a struggle of the oppressed against exploitation and domination. The contemporary history of Pakistan is nothing but an example of such a struggle. The struggle before independence was against an alien racial domination; today it is for preserving independence. The wheel of change has come full circle bringing us face to face with the ancient
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menace. We are no more a subject people; we have the attributes of an independent nation and the will to remain free; though peace is our ideal, the defense of our rights continues to be supreme objective of the people of the Pakistan.

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