Afghanistan, Pakistan and India: A Deadly Triangle

Question: Well at the very core of the thesis if your piece is Pakistan's paranoia about India. Could you elaborate a little bit on where you think that comes from and why is it not reciprocated, at least in the same way by the Indians? William Dalrymple, Author of "A Deadly Triangle": At the core of my essays is the idea that we look at the conflict in Afghanistan through the wrong pair of glasses. It is almost always perceived as the Taliban against America. The reality is that behind that puppet show lies the reality of Pakistan funding the Taliban not to spite Karzai, not to spite the Americans, but entirely and obsessively to avoid being surrounded by India. Question: To what extent do you think religion is at the heart of this in the following sense: Pakistan was created by Mohammad Ali Jinnah as a homeland for the Muslims of South Asia, but for the Muslims and yet they end up; A, as a what started off as a secular state but became of course an Islamic state with this giant neighbor to the south that has almost as many as some would say perhaps even more Muslims. Does that exacerbate their existential fear of India? William Dalrymple: What is, in a sense, a big surprise other than that a course, I mean Pakistan looks to India as this frightening neighbor with a different religion. What is more surprising... (interviewer interupts) With a lot of Muslims in it? William Dalrymple: Of course, but not in generally in positions of power. The establishment, overwhelmingly in India is is a Hindu establishment for all that there is a large and mildly alienated Muslim, large Muslim minority in India. But, in a sense, what is more surprising is the way that India and Afghanistan have for much of their %uh the story %uh witnesses 94.7% the independence India a India and Afghanistan despite 1b majority hindu one being ninety-nine percent muslim have managed to former close alliance while Pakistan and Afghanistan that share so much in terms of religion and so much in terms with this city that the Palestinians are divided between me the two countries that Pakistan that doesn't has an extremely and easy relationship there's a huge threat now to the Pakistani establishment including the Pakistani military and it's not coming from India they're not the they're they're not worried that the Indians are gonna blow up their cars or assassinate them on the street they're worried about what just one saying the former Indian for foreign minister who you also touched upon in your piece i has called the Afghanistan is Asian a or telephone is a shiner Pakistan is that a real phenomenon a be are is there eg any hope that there will be a critical mass %uh influential Pakistanis who will recognize the that's that's a threat they should be worrying about rather than India the reality is that Pakistan now is in the grip of the major security crisis with you go around anywhere in Lahore I'll go around anyway Islamabad there are concrete barriers to resemble those in Kabul sandbagging placement guards behind incoming towers separated by sandbagging placements I recently tried to visit a friend who lived on the edge to the kind to mint a early in the morning you can actually get to his house because the whole central the whole goes into lockdown during school school arrival time so the the children of generals colonels brigadiers go to this elite military school could get their safety that being bombed by suicide bombers in other words the Pakistan military daily faith in their families the consequences up that backing object had the group's idea would seem such a great idea to not only Pakistan but to the CIA and two British in saudi intelligence that we arm religious extremists to fight the Soviets as obviously backfired as we all know million ways 911 was was one result but in Pakistan is meant that they have a huge minutes and population who and at what level and when in the Pakistani leadership and work particularly high level new who was living in that very well fortified house and about about I its very difficult to say but what you can say is that Abbottabad is the center of the training of the Pakistani army therefore at and charts the possibility that is Obama bin Laden could be living that in the very centre above the Pakistan military establishment with that anyone in the Pakistani intelligence community knowing it seems to me on the face of it almost impossible to imagine had to be someone that you about it how far that high that went up whether it was mainstream ass i fringe elements then i Sai I can tell in fact the very few people kinda but the the idea the fact that it was having a bad the fact that was that the very centre bags damages absent is a suspicious as you could possibly it its well thank you so much and also willie thank you so much for being the inaugural author of the brookings SAS religions beyond thank you terrific piece and and a lot of people are saying that you completed now a trilogy I'm just wondering if there won't be a volume for it so important inshallah is this I thanks very much

Channel: Brookings Institution

Views: 448,109

Keywords: the deadly triangle, the brookings institution, the brookings essay, Pakistan (Country), India (Country), Afghanistan (Country), william dalrymple, dalrymple

Id: rb3YeEVTQjo

Length: 6min 8sec (368 seconds)

Published: Thu Jun 20 2013