Khurram Shaikh
04-26-2005, 12:06 PM
Pakistani Neros Fiddle Away, while Indian Propagandists Make Hay
In the afterglow of the cricket series and President Musharraf’s visit, the positive feelings of good will towards India and it’s people seems to have washed away nearly 57 years of mutual suspicions and animosity from most in the Pakistani community both here and abroad. But, alas, if it was also true for the other side., they like the leopard have not changed their stripes. The right wing expatriates mostly belonging to VHP, Bajrang Dal and its off-shoots continue to play havoc with the image of Pakistan and the Muslims in the West. Under the legitimacy of independent analysts they spew their venom against Pakistan’s nuclear assets and portray the armed forces of Pakistan as duplicitious allies of the West. Yes, Mr.Bush, Mr.Powell, and Dr.Rice may trust President Musharraf and the armed forces of Pakistan but the vile and scurrilious message of hatred spread by purveyors of malice about Pakistan is gathering steam. These Indian IT expatriates start by writing letters to the editor of newspapers ranging from a small community tabloid to major leaders of the fourth estate in the United States. This message in the beginning is largely ignored but when hundreds or thousands of letters are sent in mass mailing, orchestrated through Hindu Temple gatherings from Orange county California to the State of Georgia, these writings have a devastating impact. These expatriate computer professionals have been picked up by major blogs and internet discussion groups throughout the U.S. and the West, which has resulted in widespread dissemination of their article through weblinks. Two well known writers and members of right wing organizations who have been accepted as “Independent Foreign Policy Analysts,” are Atal Subbodh and Kaushik Kapisthalam, the latter ‘s articles can be found on Asia Times, a pro-India website, Antiwar.com, and Hindunet.com, a virulently anti-Pakistan and anti-Muslim discussion group. Kapisthalam has written such malevolent articles as, “ Guarding(by US) Pakistan Nuclear Estate,” his byline appears under the header “Kaushik Kapisthalam is a free lance defense and strategic affairs analyst based in the United States.” He even has the gall to give his contact address as contact@kapisthalam.com. Atal Subodh, is a member of Orange County Hindu Temple, he is a prolific writer and he has published a large number of anti-Pakistan articles specifically focusing on Pakistan’s strategic nuclear assets, so much so that he was given an opportunity by Cato Institute to coauthor with director of foreign policy studies an article in Chicago Sun Times of October 11, 2004, titled, “Pakistan Nukes Present Challenge, But Bush, Kerry Not Responding.” All these expatriate Indians are giving a simple message, which is: Pakistan is a terrorist state, their nuclear assets are unsafe and will fall into the hands of Islamic Jehadis, this will endanger the security of the U.S. and the West, U.S. should either militarily or through IAEA neutralize Pakistan’s nuclear and missile program. All this activity is going on unnoticed by Pakistan government and is building up a strong base for future action against Pakistan. This may possibly happen in a Democratic administration, where virulently anti-Pakistan Senators like Joseph Biden hold sway(who may even end up being Secretary of State). On top of this the democratic party is littered with expatriate Indian women ostensibly representing organization like SAI, South Asian International Women’s for Mentoring and Entrepreneurial Network showing up in functions of the democratic party, decked in their flamboyant and revealing saris, to hob nob with the political Who’s Who of the democratic party. No one knows the background and antecedents of these individuals and their motives, but Pakistan government can be certain that the bulls-eye is their strategic nuclear assets. These individuals have a long term plan to destabilize Pakistan by leveraging the sympathetic western media. This is history repeating itself, a similar tactic was used in building a crescendo of anti-Pakistan Army rhetoric during the late 1960s and early 70s. Expatriate Pakistanis did not respond, rather they were too busy chasing the “Almighty Dollar,” and playing with their modern “fiddles of Nero,” that is their Mercedes Benzes, palatial homes, and gold jewelry along with other accoutrement of Western opulence and the rest is history.
In the afterglow of the cricket series and President Musharraf’s visit, the positive feelings of good will towards India and it’s people seems to have washed away nearly 57 years of mutual suspicions and animosity from most in the Pakistani community both here and abroad. But, alas, if it was also true for the other side., they like the leopard have not changed their stripes. The right wing expatriates mostly belonging to VHP, Bajrang Dal and its off-shoots continue to play havoc with the image of Pakistan and the Muslims in the West. Under the legitimacy of independent analysts they spew their venom against Pakistan’s nuclear assets and portray the armed forces of Pakistan as duplicitious allies of the West. Yes, Mr.Bush, Mr.Powell, and Dr.Rice may trust President Musharraf and the armed forces of Pakistan but the vile and scurrilious message of hatred spread by purveyors of malice about Pakistan is gathering steam. These Indian IT expatriates start by writing letters to the editor of newspapers ranging from a small community tabloid to major leaders of the fourth estate in the United States. This message in the beginning is largely ignored but when hundreds or thousands of letters are sent in mass mailing, orchestrated through Hindu Temple gatherings from Orange county California to the State of Georgia, these writings have a devastating impact. These expatriate computer professionals have been picked up by major blogs and internet discussion groups throughout the U.S. and the West, which has resulted in widespread dissemination of their article through weblinks. Two well known writers and members of right wing organizations who have been accepted as “Independent Foreign Policy Analysts,” are Atal Subbodh and Kaushik Kapisthalam, the latter ‘s articles can be found on Asia Times, a pro-India website, Antiwar.com, and Hindunet.com, a virulently anti-Pakistan and anti-Muslim discussion group. Kapisthalam has written such malevolent articles as, “ Guarding(by US) Pakistan Nuclear Estate,” his byline appears under the header “Kaushik Kapisthalam is a free lance defense and strategic affairs analyst based in the United States.” He even has the gall to give his contact address as contact@kapisthalam.com. Atal Subodh, is a member of Orange County Hindu Temple, he is a prolific writer and he has published a large number of anti-Pakistan articles specifically focusing on Pakistan’s strategic nuclear assets, so much so that he was given an opportunity by Cato Institute to coauthor with director of foreign policy studies an article in Chicago Sun Times of October 11, 2004, titled, “Pakistan Nukes Present Challenge, But Bush, Kerry Not Responding.” All these expatriate Indians are giving a simple message, which is: Pakistan is a terrorist state, their nuclear assets are unsafe and will fall into the hands of Islamic Jehadis, this will endanger the security of the U.S. and the West, U.S. should either militarily or through IAEA neutralize Pakistan’s nuclear and missile program. All this activity is going on unnoticed by Pakistan government and is building up a strong base for future action against Pakistan. This may possibly happen in a Democratic administration, where virulently anti-Pakistan Senators like Joseph Biden hold sway(who may even end up being Secretary of State). On top of this the democratic party is littered with expatriate Indian women ostensibly representing organization like SAI, South Asian International Women’s for Mentoring and Entrepreneurial Network showing up in functions of the democratic party, decked in their flamboyant and revealing saris, to hob nob with the political Who’s Who of the democratic party. No one knows the background and antecedents of these individuals and their motives, but Pakistan government can be certain that the bulls-eye is their strategic nuclear assets. These individuals have a long term plan to destabilize Pakistan by leveraging the sympathetic western media. This is history repeating itself, a similar tactic was used in building a crescendo of anti-Pakistan Army rhetoric during the late 1960s and early 70s. Expatriate Pakistanis did not respond, rather they were too busy chasing the “Almighty Dollar,” and playing with their modern “fiddles of Nero,” that is their Mercedes Benzes, palatial homes, and gold jewelry along with other accoutrement of Western opulence and the rest is history.