Articles of the year 2009

In July 2005 I wrote in The Nation that the Taliban would be looking for soft targets, and sure enough they have not only entered the northern areas, but have routed the Pakistani Administration, and succeeded in displacing almost 2 million people now living in misery in makeshift camps that have been set up for them.

It is impossible to watch TV and not be moved by the abject misery that these poor refugees are undergoing. Their way of life has been shattered, their peace, their families exposed to severe cultural shocks which will leave many children traumatized forever.

What is even worse is the Panelists on TV Talk shows blaming the Americans for the Taliban actions in Pakistan, worse still they scoffed at the video clip showing the lashing of the young Swati girl, saying the clip was made in Bollywood! Are the IDPs trudging on foot and the tents also a creation of the media?

The JI and JUIF keep on insisting that the drone attacks are the root cause. When the question that begs answering is: What are the Al-Qaeda leadership doing in Pakistan in the first place? Can Pakistan afford to give protection to international terrorists, who have forced the raising of security firewalls everywhere, and have caused racial profiling to be used primarily against Pakistani students, as they are considered potential terrorists? No other ethnic community is being targeted in this manner.

The Pakistan Government should initiate action against any political party even remotely connected to the Taliban, for they have admitted their responsibility in the Lahore bombing yesterday leaving 26 dead and 200 injured in the heart of Lahore. Now with Bombings in Peshawar and DI Khan the army is fighting a tough battle, and the High command knows the stakes. It is therefore important that the minds of the politicians also be conditioned to remove any doubts regarding the loyalties of the Taliban towards Pakistan. They are enemies of Pakistan, and should be treated as such. The suffering shown on television must be shown as the handiwork of the same parties that preach hatred in the name of Islam.

This is war, and the religious Ulema have already given a unanimous fatwa (edict) declaring Suicide bombing, and attacks on the Government as haram. The fatwa must also be given against extending any support to the Taliban. As the Taliban have used religion as an instrument of war, and have caused misery to millions, exposing their true agenda, so too should their exposure and agenda be publicized throughout the country. All Pakistanis should realize the damage being done in the name of the Islam, to Pakistan and to the religion itself. Their means of support must be found and severed. The Pakistani Charity system is highly developed and organized, making Pakistanis the second highest charity donors per capita in the world, but surely these funds should not be misused to provide support to the Taliban? But the other empathizers such as the JUI, and the JI must be told to stay away from the enemies of Pakistan. For too long have these political parties provided a secure platform from which they have spread their networks throughout the country. Till now they feel that they can make a frontal attack on the State. By taking Swat they have shown they can, indeed, but hanging on is another matter.

Another major blunder has been the series of attacks on Lahore. The Sri Lankan cricket team attack then the Police training school, the Intelligence Centre and now the ISI blast. To mount these attacks the Taliban has raised the stakes higher, and the Army should apply a similar upgrade in their response.

The Army already has very good intelligence information of the location and operational network of the Taliban, but with the political protection granted them, they were not touched. Now with the outright declaration by the Taliban in laying claim they have declared their intention to wage war. It is now time to finish the militants off, without any mercy, for in mutilating the bodies of our soldiers they are violating the code of conduct, and should not be spared.

Any and every suspect especially those collecting and passing on funds should be stopped, and the disposal of funds should be scrutinized. War is a very expensive business, and the funds required are large, and difficult to move around. All the sources should be monitored, and the general public must be alerted to the possible misuse of their good intentions.

The Government should take these actions on a war footing, for we are at war.