Our friends in the East
From Mr Rand/hr Singh Rains Sir: Andrew Roberts (With friends like us. . . ', 27 October) claims that the West seldom stands by its friends and often leaves them in the lurch. While this may be true in the majority of cases, there are some notable exceptions.
When the Soviets invaded Afghanistan in December 1979, Pakistan was under the military dictatorship of General Zia-ulHaq. His decision to allow Pakistan to act as a front-line state against communism was amply rewarded by the West. The CIA knew about his 'strategic denial and deception' policy on the nuclear weapons programme all along, yet the West chose to look the other way. And today, thanks to the generosity of the West, Pakistan is a nuclear weapons state.
Mohammed Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, was also a great friend of the West. The British used him and his Muslim League as a counterweight against the Indian independence movement. However, when independence came, the British did not dump him. He was duly rewarded for his loyal service to the West, although he did not live long enough to see that his reward — the creation of Pakistan — was a hollow victory.
Randhir Singh Baths
Gants Hill, Essex
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