Crisis and Opportunity

``unstinted cooperation`` to US cannot be extended without a bloody civil war in Pakistan... Currently the most powerful people in Pakistan are the extreme right wing wahabis in Pakistan Army/ISI. They provide ``unstinted support`` to extremist religious groups inside Pakistan...

Mr. Minai

I dont know when did you write this article but the recent development in investigation (or whatever US government is trying to project through media) has shown that the porblem has its bases in the Arab and middle eastern grievances. OBL is a Saudi dissident (as projected by Western media), he is opposed to US occupation of Iraq and neghboring countries, then there is palestinian issue, issue of US support of despots in the region, the issue of exploiting and plundering of natural resources in the region. The language of US officials recently is indicative of the fact that they dont have a problem with Taliban as long as they hand over OBL.

In other words, in Arab world OBL appears as a hero or David if you will, who has shown his courage that he can stand upto the Goliath and the despots and cronies as well. If today, OBL is killed, he will appear as a martyr who stood up to the tyrrany and died. If the issues in the region are not handled carefully the whole region will just be a big incubator ready to hatch more OBLs. OBL is a symptom of a bigger, more vicious disease. US MUST let go of the old paradigm of seeing the world as ``blacks-are-violent`` and ``Arabs-are-rabid`` or the ``Oh-its-the-Islamic-fundamentalism``. A whole new outlook is required based on rationality, without prejudices, and a lot of introspection. If we dont meet these issues head on now I am afraid to say that we are heading toward more deadly and more serious crises in near future. If you tighten the noose around future OBLs they will only become smarter, deadlier, more elusive and more sophisticated. WE must eradicate the causes of the disease.

Excellent article. Thank God for thinking that is not influenced by the propaganda war.

I would like to add my voice to those who suggest that caution and judiciouness should be our guide post when thinking about any kind of military reaction.

Those who advocate absurd military scenarios for taking on the Taliban or the equally absurd ``Get Osama`` schemes should take time consider that it did not take an army to unleash the atrocity in NY or DC. This should be sobering, but perhaps this sobriety will come later, after more tragic events.

Finally a good article on this sad tragic event by a Pakistani.

I agree with all you wrote. Appreciate your honesty (very difficult to see on Chowk) that it was both America and Pakistan that used one another, not just America using innocent Pakistan.

Much water has flown now. Time to put things right though it will be very hard. It needs courage not running away from hard facts.

Ali Ahmed

[[``Whether it is the US or Pakistan, what I see is a remarkable degree of short-sightedness on the part of leaders who overestimate their own capabilities and underestimate the magnitude of the forces unleashed by their unthinking folly.``]]

Truer words were never spoken before.

Khuda jub Husn Deta Hai,

Nazakat Aaah hee jatee hai

Regards,

Shirin

Do not compare Pakistan and Afghanistan with Germany and Japan. Germans and Japanese were educated, industrious and talented societies. All the Americans had to do is to channel their energies to productive uses. Any amount of $$$ is not going to stop honor killings, bride burnings etc. in Pakistan.

Pakistani leaders under Zia deliberately channelled all aid to fundamentalist groups during the Afghan war. There is not much CIA could do about it. Don`t blame the Americans for arming the Jihadis. Your leaders controlled who got the money.

Pakistan has been playing this Islamic militant card for 20 years. Time is up. I hope that Pakistani generals see the daylight. Otherwise Pakistan will be sent to the stone age. Don`t think for a minute that your nukes will deter the Americans.

Re : AA Minai

Your have rightly raised the questions about the US role in creating Bin Laden and the Taliban when it suited their global interests. All over the globe people are asking these questions and demanding some sort of democratic consensus for some rules for international affairs where people do not feel that they are being threatened by rich and mighty. But I am surprised at the solution you suggest. The same power (US) which you yourself suggest is part of the problem is to be entrusted with its solution. For people to have any faith that US can be trusted with this job they have to show that they are prepared to behave in a humane fashion and not trample other peoples human rights for their own economic interests. A good start will be a change of course for a just solution of the Palestine question, end to the economic blockade of Cuba and an immediate halt to the illegal bombing of Iraq.

Excellent suggestions; I agree with many of your points.

What A piece of Nonsense

There is a price for everything. American`s day to day liferun on business model. Everything seems to be in the form of a contract- written or unwritten. So if Pakistan helped US during Russian invasion of Afghanistan, US paid them handsomely. Where does it say that US has to keep feeding hungry Pakistanis for ever ? Where does it say that Pakistan Army will be on ``permanent stipend`` for indefinite time. I remember the state of Pakistan economy in 1978 with Pakistani youth unemployed and nowhere to go. Tens of billions of dollars in American aid poured in from 1979 to 1990.

Your article suggests that UN/US should post its personnel in Afghanistan and take responsibility of feeding them for ever where not even a blade of grass grows. Feeding the snakes with milk is counter productive. UN and US has been feeding them with food for ten years now and look what they are doing. Only a well fed person can fight and not hungry stomach. First they fight themslves, then they kill their own, then go to neighbouring countries in Pakistan and India, then tell their women they can not work, then the dress code, then Bin Laden, then warn Hindus to wear bindi, then tell Muslim women to wear Burqa,then deny education to women,then Bamiyan icons to be torpedoed,then warning to US, then a general warning to all infidels of the world,then television sets to destroyed by the millions,then accusing UN workers who came to feed them as Kafirs who have come to destroy Islam, and MUCH MUCH MORE of the garbage with nod and acive support and approval from Saudis and Pakistan - and now it seems that world has had enough. AND YOU SUGGEST THAT WORLD SHOULD BE ``THEKEDAR`` to feed them forever. They were never good citizens of the world if you look at their history. At the height British Empire when they had the whole world under them, England chose to leave them alone. There was nothing to be gained and why get involved with them with wars. Only Sikhs defeated them.Ranjit Singh was Punjabi from Gujranwala.

As for Pakistan, it is shame that it does not learn from history. It perceives the events from a groundglass and gets unclear picture. Pakistan has been myopic. Pakistan can not get away now. It is no more a bishop or a horse but will play a role of pawn which will be sacrificed at the opportune moment for a game to succeed. Pakistan was never a horse but has always been a pawn from Liyaqat Ali days. Pakistan is still thinking of providing unconditional support to US when America is asking for more. America is not content with the duplicity. It is pay back time and moral support is not what they are asking for. US is saying either you do it or let us do it. Once US is on Paki soil and achieves its obective with surgical precision it is simply not going to walk away. Next will be restoring democracy in Pakistan which means civilians and not military. It means US presence for a long time overtly or behind the scene for civlian democracy to succeed and flourish. In other worlds bye-bye Generals so they will not be able to blackmail the Pakistani Prime Minister anymore. To keep the Pakistani economy going and for return of dollars - Pak nukes will have to be finished. Pakistan will say ``look how about Kashmir ? We helped you in time of need`` Do you really think US will exchange a country just because Pakistan helped secure one person called Bin Laden. Pakistanis are obssessed with India just as Afghan`s are.

Some one asked how many Pakistanis are dead in WTC ? Not many since majority is not savvy enough to work in WTC but driving taxis on the streets of New York. Last three days have been bad for them and Pakistan`s economy. PAKISTAN STAY ON THE PATH TO DESTRUCTION OR BE CIVILISED.

faridinkum #!: ``Currently the most powerful people in Pakistan are the extreme right wing wahabis in Pakistan Army/ISI.``

In an effort of controlling to misinformation and hysteria that is already created, could you point out which group of the current Generals in the Pakistan military (there is only one heading the ISI) belong to extreme right wing wahabi groups. I would be interested in finding out. Nearly all of them are from Karachi, at the moment. Please read Najam Sethi`s article about Gen. Ghulam Ahmad, who just died in a car crash, in last week`s edition of the Friday Times site.

Also, don`t you think by making statements like, ``extreme right wing wahabi`` you are becoming part of the sectarian problem in Pakistan. It is no different than blaming Shias for everything in Pakistan. I would suggest their is already enough sectarianism in the world. Why add to it?

````unstinted cooperation`` to US cannot be extended without a bloody civil war in Pakistan... ``

There will be no civil war in Pakistan. The only problem will occur, if the USA goes outright and just throws caution to the wind and kills innocent Afghanis. In such a case, there should be legitimate uproar. If the US carries out small surgical strikes, then nobody is going to complain. Please listen to Qazi Hussain`s interview on BBC, as well as Aslam Beg`s.

Pakistan needs to tread very carefully, and ensure that it doesn`t end up in a post-Afghan war scenario again.

I will be eagerly awaiting your list of extreme wahabi leaders currently in the Pakistan military. I know some of them through acquitances, and they do not seem to have any kind of extremism.

Another good one by Ayaz Amir: http://www.dawn.com/weekly/ayaz/ayaz.htm

In any event, we must look to our dignity, or what after our perennial begging bowl is left of it. While there can be no question of Pakistan staying aloof from any concerted effort against `global terrorism` - never mind the fact that apart from being the sole superpower the US is also the world`s leading lexicographer, giving its own spin to words and their meaning - Pakistan should be allowing no one to walk over it.

The manner in which we delivered Ramzi Yousef and Aimal Kansi to the US was less that of a sovereign country and more that of a vassal state doing the bidding of a distant godfather. What did we get for our pains? There are just so many blows our battered dignity can take. While doing the right thing we should take care not to be stampeded into ill-considered acquiescence. (Ayaz Amir, DAWN)

If Pakistan decides to bend over backwards to assist the US, then it must ensure that the US govt. gives a public statement that they will come to the assistance of the Pakistan, when Pakistan feels the reprecussions of a counter-attack. Many people don`t know that Pakisan was the biggest effectee of terrorism in the World during the Afghan War.

Many repliers on this board used to criticize Pakistan`s policy during the Afghan war. Now many of them seem to be ready to bend over backwards to get Pakistan involved in a similar situation again. They will then jump over to the other side and start criticizing Pakistan`s policy again when Pakistan feels the counter-attacks. If someone can fly into a WTC, then what will stop him from flying into a building in Karachi, if he puts Pakistan in the same bucket as the USA.

Here is another piece of encouraging news from the Indian newspaper Milli Gazette:

``Bangladeshi Muslim woman to head Amnesty

Dakar: When 44-year-old Bangladeshi Irene Zubaida Khan took over as secretary general of Amnesty International on 18 August, she became the first woman, the first Asian and the first Muslim to head the human rights watchdog.`` (http://www.milligazette.com/Archives/01092001/04.htm)

I feel and agree 100%. I envy your clarity of thought process and the writing skills.

fairdinkum: I dont think there will be a civil war if the government roots out Mullahism. And if there is, then so be it. The alternative to civil war is worse, as the Taliban rule in Afghanistan should have made clear to all but the terminally confused.

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An excellent piece on the cause, repercussions and solutions.

I also hope this knocks some sense into the Arabs as to what the abject lack of democratic recourse in their societies is getting them into.