OBAMA, INDIA, MYANMAR,US, NATO, AFGHANISTAN...SOME THOUGHTS.

US President Obama addressing Indian students.

After the midterm strategic defeat after which the president addressed his nation  in a pensive mood, the Indian visit of Mr Obama was relaxed and friendly. President Obama seemed very respectful of the Indian hosts during this visit. His  interesting answers were to the University students who asked him some very smart questions. The thing what struck me about the Indian students was their very courtesied yet easy behavior and language when addressing the president. Unlike the Pakistani youth whose way of addressing the seniors especially if they are foreign dignitaries is usually accusative, in weak grammar and mostly generalized. Mr Obama did say that India will become a security council permanent member but it had to improve its behavior vis-a-vis  Myanmar and Iran. The Pakistani commentators have mostly ignored this answer but I think this was a very smart annexure on the part of Mr Obama. The Myanmar support that India so openly gives to the dictatorial and fascist regime shows the utter duplicity and pretensions of India being such a big democracy. The human rights abuses, the utter inhuman treatment and genocide of the Karen people that the Myanmar regime is blatantly doing, has been totally ignored by all Indian governments. They are even ignoring the fact that North Korea is quietly and steadily helping the despots build a nuclear facility. It is a shame that at such a time that they have staged a sham election, Indian government smilingly shakes hands with the US president and asks for actions in Pakistan.
Aung Sun Su Kyi is still imprisoned and had asked the people to boycott elections. A reporter inside told CNN that the response was not so bad from where he was but I think from the faces and skin of the people it seemed that a lot of them have suffered unbearable violence. This has been reported continuously even from the Muslim Karen community who are misnamed Nepalese or Bengalis in Karachi that unimaginable violence and repression is used unashamedly by the Myanmar army regime.
As regards Iran India is on good terms with Afghanistan government , Iran government and is even accused of destabilizing the Baluchistan province of Pakistan.
The US and NATO forces may be suffering some losses but would be foolish to leave the region any time soon. The matters are too serious and somehow the surge will have to continue. The spill over effects in Pakistan as quoted by Kazi Hussain Ahmed of Jamaate Islami are not because of the presence of these forces  but is part of a larger Al-Qaeda/ Islamist plan to take over the region of Afghanistan & Pakistan and establish an Islamic Caliphate. This kind of movement will intensify if these forces leave early.
The talks with Taleban should not be a no no but the other stake holders like the Pakistan army who are directly fighting the Pakistani militants have to be consulted.
US realizes the strategic importance of a stable Pakistan and it did emphasize this to India in order to bring the Kashmir problem to focus. With the Republicans taking over the lower house and the elections in two years time, we have to hope that Afghanistan is stabilized by that time. Any move to inflame Iran at this time will again reverse any gains made maybe more severely than the silly but dangerous war opened in Iraq. With the bombings and killings of Shias by Sunnis in Iraq , this same kind of scenario will become common in Iran which will be very dangerous for this nuclear armed region.
Pakistan must do its part to bring stability in the region by taking head on the militant and terror groups but that to me seems impossible as this society is too polarized with small vested interest groups in all its makeup.