Timothy McVeigh & … In the aftermath of 9/11 The Frontier Post, Peshawar, published an article of mine, captioned “A request to Taliban & Osama bin Laden”.

I am pasting the relevant part of that article here for the readers:

… “Osama, my dear brother, it’s not honourable to put the mythical valour and fabulous hospitality of Afghans on trail, once again. You have a unique opportunity to develop the phenomenon Osama Bin Laden into one of the most remarkable legends of Islamic history by giving up now on your own. You can become a symbol of grace and the norm of morality by going along the demands of the Unites States for the time being.

Imagine yourself that you are holding a speech at the city court in New York, …“ although, I understand the magnitude of sheer frustration that drives well-educated promising youth to undertake such a drastic step as suicide bombing, I am not responsible for the attacks on World Trade Centre and the Pentagon. It was not even practically possible for me to orchestrate such a meticulously planned operation while living in Afghanistan and being the world’s most wanted person for last five years. Nor was I in position to provide logistical support for an attack of this scale.

“The only motive to give up voluntarily was that I couldn’t let my fellow Muslim brothers endure gruesome atrocities of infidels because of me. It was beyond my integrity to let thousands of innocent Afghans die due to my presence on their soil. My religious convictions couldn’t permit me to be a part of the scenario where Muslims were fighting Muslims. To contribute towards (further) polarization of the Muslim Ummah was the last thing I could imagine of. One man’s life must not jeopardize the existence of a whole nation.

“Every Muslim, being a victim himself of American sponsored terrorism, can feel the agony Americans are going through and we feel sorry for their plight. I have the moral courage to stand for my beliefs and to admit my part of responsibility (if any). I am standing here in front of you solely to expose the hollowness of American allegations, to tell the world that America was accusing me without any solid evidence, to reveal the injustices being suffered by the Muslims. I must add, sooner or later USA had to pay the price of the Muslim blood that has been so ruthlessly spilled during last 50 years with its tacit endorsement, if not at its direct behest.

“No one can subdue Islam, no one could get me here alive with force but I still opted to come to show the Americans how abhorrently wrong their government is, to prove that USA is its own biggest enemy. The strong aversion millions of people harbour against America is not without genuine reasons. The great Satan doesn’t need any external foe to meet its fate. No so-called superpower can survive the rage of Allah Almighty for malevolence and hypocrisy.

“Eliminating one Osama will not solve any of America’s many problems. Answer to your security concerns lies in the solution of Palestine problem and pulling out your forces from the holy lands of Muslims. Anti-missile shields at the cost of hundreds of billions dollars are redundant until and unless America doesn’t address its unjust policies. Poverty and injustice are the parents of terrorism. The best possible deterrent American government can provide to its citizens is to abandon its hegemonic designs, stop exploiting third world countries in general and Islamic states in particular”…

Osama, you can turn the tables on the US. A move of the sort would render the rhetoric of the United States about terrorism redundant and most of its arguments to launch the “crusade” superfluous. Depriving America of its moral leverage in the wake of attacks on civilian targets, pre-empting its plans to wage war against Islam under the cover of ”fight against terrorism” would be a brilliant move.”

Regards,
Riffat Jahan

Rightsizing of the Armed Forces Hello!

To my immense pleasure, the interaction so far has been very relevant and strictly to the point. A couple of clarifications would be in order.
An easy access to the Internet notwithstanding, [thankfully] I am pretty doubtful that I can be classified as “elite” by any measure. I stem from a simple rural set-up of northern Punjab with very mediocre financial standing. Obviously, not the lowest social strata, I can however claim to represent the mainstream society of Pakistan.
There is a gross misconception that the military is still revered by the 99 % [or for that matter even simple majority] of the Pakistanis. Presumably, some of the readers don’t have an idea that today even ordinary people -- right from illiterate lower working class to apolitical housewives -- have started squarely blaming Army for the sordid mess in the country. The intervening role of the army is no more a mere academic discussion. It is being discussed and denounced in remote villages as well as kachi abadis.

A pertinent question would be that why don’t we see any civil unrest in the country then? Please note, the [disappointment and] resentment of a common man against the junta is not equal to an approval for the political leadership either. In general, people are totally disillusioned on one hand and utterly despondent on the other. They have almost lost the hope and consequently vigour to stand up and fight for their rights. They are too pre-occupied with their daily life problems to partake in street politics. This silence is a sort of macabre indifference, not at all an endorsement of Musharraf & Co.

Now moving from the social/political issues to military aspects, I would warmly recommend a really nice thought-provoking article. Please, read it and have your own opinion.

Professionalism and Discipline of Armed Forces in a Society with Repeated Military Interventions — Case of Pakistani Armed Forces
http://www.defencejournal.com/2003/jan/military.htm

Regards,
Riffat Jahan

Some Burning Questions
Credibility, Dictatorship and Isolation
By Hussain Askari

Like most dictators, General Musharraf has been steadily cutting the branch on which he is perched.

On October 12, 1999, there were many who believed that Pakistan`s fortunes had turned for the better with a straight-talking general ousting a badly discredited elected government through a military coup. Three years down the road, the number of such optimists seems to have dwindled substantially. In fact, as the year draws to a close, even his most ardent supporters are beginning to concede that in the ultimate analysis, General Musharraf`s tenure may prove to be more detrimental for the nation and its institutions than that of any of his predecessors.

Even though his grip on government remains as strong as ever despite the elections, the moral high ground that he claimed on October 12, 1999, seems to have been washed away completely. And not without reason. The road that he has travelled from being a self-proclaimed savior to an outright adventurist, is pock-marked with many distinct measures that were taken only to preserve him in power, irrespective of their cost to the nation. For many, the speed at which he has frittered away his goodwill is matched only by that of the PPP leader Benazir Bhutto.

Monthly Herald
Karachi
January, 2003

Khaki wisdom -- One-way ticket to Hell Credibility, Dictatorship and Isolation
By Hussain Askari

Like most dictators, General Musharraf has been steadily cutting the branch on which he is perched.

On October 12, 1999, there were many who believed that Pakistan`s fortunes had turned for the better with a straight-talking general ousting a badly discredited elected government through a military coup. Three years down the road, the number of such optimists seems to have dwindled substantially. In fact, as the year draws to a close, even his most ardent supporters are beginning to concede that in the ultimate analysis, General Musharraf`s tenure may prove to be more detrimental for the nation and its institutions than that of any of his predecessors.

Even though his grip on government remains as strong as ever despite the elections, the moral high ground that he claimed on October 12, 1999, seems to have been washed away completely. And not without reason. The road that he has travelled from being a self-proclaimed savior to an outright adventurist, is pock-marked with many distinct measures that were taken only to preserve him in power, irrespective of their cost to the nation. For many, the speed at which he has frittered away his goodwill is matched only by that of the PPP leader Benazir Bhutto.

Monthly Herald
Karachi
January, 2003