Is Nikki Haley trying to be more Indian than American or More Loyal than the King Himself?
Opinion piece: Brig (R) Saleem Qamar Butt
On 10th December 2018, Media reported that US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley had said, “Pakistan continues to harbour terrorists that turn around and kill American soldiers”, further asserting that Washington should not blindly give Islamabad even a dollar until it steps up efforts to combat terrorism.
Nimrata “Nikki” Haley is an American politician serving as the 29th and current United States Ambassador to the United Nations since 2017(surprisingly resigned in early October, to be replaced by new nominee Heather Nauert by end of 2018). In September 1996, Haley married Michael Haley with both Sikh and Methodist ceremonies. Haley identifies herself today as a Christian, but attends Sikh rituals too. A member of the Republican Party, she previously served as the 116thGovernor of South Carolina from 2011 to 2017 and is a former member of the South Carolina House of Representatives. Haley was the first female governor of South Carolina, and the second Indian-American (after Bobby Jindal) to serve as a governor in the United States. Haley was born Nimrata Randhawa to an Indian American Sikh family in Bamberg, South Carolina. She has always been called “Nikki” by her family. Her father, Ajit Singh Randhawa, and her mother, Raj Kaur Randhawa, emigrated from Amritsar District, Punjab, India to Canada and then to America. Haley has one sister and two brothers. Her sister Simran, is a radio host and Fashion Institute of Technology alumna, and was born in Canada. Her brother Mitti is a retired member of the United States Army Chemical Corps and served in Desert Storm while her other brother, Charan, is a web designer.
Nikki Haley resignation as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations gave birth to many speculations. Did she resign because she wanted to run for President in 2020, or because her influence at the U.N. had been “blunted,” or because she wanted Lindsey Graham’s Senate seat if he becomes Attorney General after the midterms, or for some other reason? So, what else might be beyond Haley’s shock resignation? Here are a few theories: one, she got edged out by the likes of Bolton and Pompeo; two, she needed to make some money because according to Haley’s 2018 financial disclosure, she reported a significant number of outstanding debts, including somewhere between $25,000 and $65,000 in credit cards, a mortgage in excess of $1 million and a line of credit between $250,000 and $500,000. With one child in college and another headed there in the next few years, Haley could well have been lured by the seven-figure salaries available to someone with a resume like hers in the private sector. (Also worth noting: Citizens Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a government ethics watchdog, requested an investigation into Haley’s acceptance of seven free flights from South Carolina businessmen in 2017.); third and most important, does she want to run for president in 20202 or even in 2024? Since Haley became U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, multiple pundits had opined that she could become a possible Republican presidential candidate in the future and could, in fact, win the White House. Trump was said by his staff to be grooming her in October 2017 for a national political role, having many private meetings with her on Air Force One after she had befriended his daughter, Ivanka. There’s very little doubt that Haley has her eye on the White House at some point in the future.
Nikki Haley is an established hyper-active politician who has to keep all sides balanced in order to continue to achieve her ultimate goal in American politics for which she has to keep her vote bank as well as supporters well aligned. Her statement against Pakistan could either be seen as an attempt to prove more loyal than the king himself by just reinforcing Trump’s tirade against Pakistan in November this year, which was mitigated by statements coming quickly by US Department of Defence and then the State Department. A closer look at Nikki Haley’s rise in American politics clearly indicates a lot of support from Indian diaspora, lobbyists and now by Israeli lobbyists due to her close relations established with President Trump’s daughter Ivanka and son in law Jarred Kushner. Nikki’s unexpected and uncalled for outburst pleases many anti-Pakistan camps with one shot i.e. President Trump himself, his hawks in the US Administration, Indian incumbent Government led by hard core extremist and anti Muslim BJP leader Narender Modi and hawkish Jewish lobby working hand in glove with Indian lobby. Thus Nikki’s rant serves well constructed anti Pakistan joint narrative by the above mentioned forces both in America as well as in India and Israel…..serves Nikki’s personal political interest above all.
As if Trump’s earlier tirade, closing all civil and military economic assistance, squeezing by IMF and FATF, and not paying even overdue CSF was not enough to further spoil Pak-US bilateral relations, on 11 December 2018, The United States said that it had added Pakistan to its blacklist of countries that violate religious freedom, ramping up pressure over the treatment of minorities in the country. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he had designated Pakistan among “countries of particular concern” in a congressionally mandated annual report, meaning the US government is obliged to exert pressure to end freedom violations. Pompeo a year earlier had placed Pakistan on a special watch list — a step short of the designation — in what had been seen as a US tactic to press Islamabad into reforms. It is typical and hypocritical pressure tactics always used by America which has been rightly renounced by Pakistan Foreign Office. The 4 % minorities in Pakistan have reserved quota in Pakistani Parliament both at national and provincial levels, they are proudly serving in Armed Forces of Pakistan at all levels, playing pivotal role in education sector and above all Pakistan apex courts have had Chief Justice Bhagvan Das and Justice Cornelius as Chief Justices…..something unlikely to happen in USA or India for a Muslim. Well kept churches and other places of minority for worship, release of Christian women Asiya Bibi in a blasphemy case by Supreme Court of Pakistan and arrest of protesting religious bigots led by Khadim Rizvi, opening Kartarpur corridor allowing suppressed Sikh minority in India (Nikki Haley’s ancestors) speak volumes about Pakistan’s care and equal citizenship rights to minorities, which is giving red faces to India that busy in persecution of minorities in Indian Occupied Kashmir, lynching Muslims and Christians all over India and America which is seeing clear division of White and non-whites with clear symptoms of re-emergence of Ku Klux Klan( KKK), hostile anti- immigration policies and aggressive Islamo-phobia.
It tantamount to Pot calling the Kettle Black!
Saleem Qamar Butt, SI (M) is a senior retired Army officer with rich experience in Military & Intelligence Diplomacy and Strategic Analysis. (sqbutt61@gmail.com)
