Since US officials have developed a tongue for telling truth of the state of affairs in Pakistan, they still don’t the whole way when it comes to Pakistani Army. Yesterday Secretary gates told CNN that ” Well, I think what you have to do is look at it in some historical context. For 60 years Pakistan has regarded India as its existential threat, as the main enemy. And its forces are trained to deal with that threat. That’s where it has the bulk of its army and the bulk of its military capability.”

Technically speaking, there is no denial that Pakistani Forces are primarily deployed against Indian borders, but, the claim that Pakistani Army is trained to fight Indian Army should be taken with a pinch of salt. Pakistani army is neither trained nor equipped to fight an “Pure” conventional warfare against India. Its trained to fight a hybrid warfare where it assumes to walk over an weak or depleted enemy which is busy with fighting the low intensity conflict with the Pakistani guerrillas.

Pakistanis employed this strategy with the Independent state of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) which hastened its accession to India. The tribal guerrillas sent by Pakistani Army lost interest in objective and adopted looting and raping the locals of J&K. The combined determination of locals and the Indian Army, forced the raiders including Pakistani Army to withdraw. Pakistan retained portions of J&K as India decided to resort to move to international community than chase them.

Subsequently in 1965, Pakistani Army learned that 1 Pakistani Army personnel is not equal to 100 Indian Army personnel. It learnt that Pattons and Sabers are not enough to crush Indian Armed Forces. But,the most vital lesson learnt was that Muslims in J&K will not rise to welcome it Pakistani Army as liberators. Infact the SSG Commandos that Pakistani Army landed in India were beaten up by villagers and some lucky ones had to hide in smelly drainage to escape back to Pakistan. Pakistan understood its lack of strategic depth as Indian Air Force, even with restrictions from political bosses, hit Pakistan farthest end. No place in Pakistan was safe from Indian Air force.

In 1971 war, Pakistani Army emerged as the net killer of Muslims in the world, a record which it holds even today via its actions in Baluchistan and SWAT. In addition , Pakistan Army along with support from local political and religious militias killed and raped women (including Muslim) which as per western analysts might be 200,000, 300,000 or possibly 400,000 women.

Pakistani Army in 1971 also tasted the bitterness of its own medicine when it faced Muslim irregular warfare against itself. Mukthi Bahini (Bangladesh freedom Fighters) along with Mitro Bahini (alliance of the Indian Army and the Mukti Bahini) led to surrender of 90,000 Pakistani troops and loss of half of Pakistan.

1979 brought in an opportunity for Pakistani Army in terms of money, training and weapons as it front ended US, to enable radical Muslims from around the world and local Afghan militia, to fight against Soviet Union which entered Afghanistan. The notorious Pakistani Inter Service Intelligence Agency (ISI) became the biggest CIA office outside US of A. Pakistani Army personnel fought alongside the Afghan militia in Afghanistan. Pakistan began pushing jihadis into J&K in line with the strategy followed in Afghanistan. Its a documented fact that CIA, US State dept and US Congressmen aided Pakistan in J&K and Punjab.

One of the interesting events that happened was that the Pakistani Army, which was supposed to influence these groups got influenced by these groups. The direct fallout of Afghan war was radicalization of Pakistan itself and made Pakistan as the “Radical Islamic Trash Can’ of the world. Other than that, Taliban was the creation by Pakistanis and was the only achievement of Pakistani Army other than capturing power within Pakistan.

Since US and allies started pounding the Taliban back to Pakistani Caves after attack on it soil and Indian Army emerging as the potent counter-insurgency force, the radicals shifted its focus on Pakistan itself. 1971 defeat, Baluchistan and its experience with guerrillas in Afghanistan, section of Pakistani Army knows that there is little it could do to contain these radicals. Instead of Pakistani Army controlling the Taliban, it appears Taliban is controlling sections of Pakistani Army. Pakistani Army finds it easier to hoodwink US and world, than fight with Taliban.