*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media By Tanveer Jafri
(NSI News Source Info) ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - July 13, 2009: Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari is the first head of Pakistan who has admitted that militants and extremists had been "deliberately created and nurtured" as a policy for "short term tactical objectives." 
U.S. President Barack Obama talks to reporters as he meets with Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai and Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari in the Cabinet Room at the White House in Washington May 6, 2009. Obama said on Wednesday he and the leaders of Afghanistan and Pakistan have agreed they share a common goal of dismantling, disrupting and defeating al Qaeda and its extremist allies.
The terrorists of today were the heroes of yesteryear until 9/11 occurred and they began to haunt us as well, said Zardari addressing a group of former bureaucrats of Pakistan. According to Zardari, this was a part of strategy of his predecessors. In a similar statement in Germany, former President General Pervez Musharraf too admitted that the mastermind behind the terrorist attack on the Indian embassy in Kabul, Sirajuddin Haqqani has links with the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI).
There is nothing new in the above confessions by the two Pakistani heads of state. The thing that matters is that it is the first time a present head of state has made such confessions which the entire world including India has been saying for decades. The analysts of South Asian politics are in confusion about why Zardari took so much time admitting this well known truth? And, why did he select this time for such a confession? It is the fact that Pakistan is the main ally of America in South Asia in "War on terror." So important and so old an ally that three decades ago it was only Pakistan that helped the US to create the terror network, and now it is taking an infinite amount of money from America to crush the same terror network. During the Cold war, America made Pakistan its main pawn against the Soviet Union.
Al Qaeda, Taliban, the opium and drugs trade prospering under their supervision, millions of automatic weapons spread from Kashmir to Pakistan, Afghanistan & former Soviet states of South Asia, are all 'gifts' provided by America during the Cold war.
Terrorism became a problem for the US only when it became capable of strikes such as 9/11. And Zardari too felt them as 'snakes' when these terrorists openly threatened the Pakistani establishment. Prior to 9/11, when former Afghani President Najib was publicly hanged by the Mujahideen, when the same Taliban were busy destroying Afghanistan with weapons and tanks, when the tribal people were busy struggling with themselves for years, until then it was not called terrorism nor did the US or Pakistan see them as the enemies of humanity.
When the same terrorism was destabilizing Kashmir and hundreds of thousands of Kashmiri people were compelled to leave Kashmir, then it was not terrorism but "short term tactics", in the words of President Zardari. But thank god, both America and Pakistan have started seeing them as terrorists, and not as Mujahids or strategic assets.
Promotion of terrorism by America is not new. When and where America wants to create tensions at the regional level or disturb peace, it starts supporting and encouraging a terror network there. Apart from Pakistan and Afghanistan, Iraq and Israel are also examples. Iran has accused America of this charge from time to time. Internal rebellion movements of many countries, either relating to the demand of autonomy or independence or separation, usually operate from the US.
In these circumstances, how it can be thought that America and Pakistan would eliminate the terror networks easily, which they themselves created & nurtured? However, in the name of fighting terror, Pakistan is receiving money from America, when and how much it wants. On the other side, it is necessary for the US to help Pakistan to eliminate more and more terrorists, to protect itself from another 9/11.
India has welcomed Zardari's confession and favoured it as a positive gesture. But after this confession, Zardari seems to be getting trapped himself. Zardari's main targets were Nawaz Sharif and Pervez Musharraf when he raised fingers against the previous regimes. Now it is to be seen whether Zardari's statement can be digested by Sharif and Musharraf.
There is also uncertainty about the reaction of the Pakistan Army on this statement. Some analysts are of the view that the Army can take this statement seriously, which would have far reaching impacts. Not only the Army, perhaps the ISI may not tolerate this.
From India and other peace loving nations, Zardari deserves a compliment not only for this confession, but also for his commitment to eliminate the blot of terrorism from Pakistan. America and Pakistan understood very late the consequences of the official patronage of terrorism. One understands the other's pain only when he himself passes through that stage. The commitment of Pakistan and America against terrorism is an important step in favour of humanity. But it is also essential to follow complete transparency and honesty in this mission.
Not only attacks on the US army, attacks within Pakistan or threats to the political elite of Pakistan should not be the only things treated as terrorism. The terrorist attack on Mumbai on 26/11 should also be seen in that category. And wherever there are people linked with the Mumbai attacks in Pakistan, they should also be treated the same as other terrorists. Otherwise, as the heroes of yesteryear have become terrorists now, similarly today's 'heroes' involved in 26/11 would become terrorists tomorrow, not messiahs.
U.S. President Barack Obama talks to reporters as he meets with Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai and Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari in the Cabinet Room at the White House in Washington May 6, 2009. Obama said on Wednesday he and the leaders of Afghanistan and Pakistan have agreed they share a common goal of dismantling, disrupting and defeating al Qaeda and its extremist allies.
The terrorists of today were the heroes of yesteryear until 9/11 occurred and they began to haunt us as well, said Zardari addressing a group of former bureaucrats of Pakistan. According to Zardari, this was a part of strategy of his predecessors. In a similar statement in Germany, former President General Pervez Musharraf too admitted that the mastermind behind the terrorist attack on the Indian embassy in Kabul, Sirajuddin Haqqani has links with the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI).
There is nothing new in the above confessions by the two Pakistani heads of state. The thing that matters is that it is the first time a present head of state has made such confessions which the entire world including India has been saying for decades. The analysts of South Asian politics are in confusion about why Zardari took so much time admitting this well known truth? And, why did he select this time for such a confession? It is the fact that Pakistan is the main ally of America in South Asia in "War on terror." So important and so old an ally that three decades ago it was only Pakistan that helped the US to create the terror network, and now it is taking an infinite amount of money from America to crush the same terror network. During the Cold war, America made Pakistan its main pawn against the Soviet Union.
Al Qaeda, Taliban, the opium and drugs trade prospering under their supervision, millions of automatic weapons spread from Kashmir to Pakistan, Afghanistan & former Soviet states of South Asia, are all 'gifts' provided by America during the Cold war.
Terrorism became a problem for the US only when it became capable of strikes such as 9/11. And Zardari too felt them as 'snakes' when these terrorists openly threatened the Pakistani establishment. Prior to 9/11, when former Afghani President Najib was publicly hanged by the Mujahideen, when the same Taliban were busy destroying Afghanistan with weapons and tanks, when the tribal people were busy struggling with themselves for years, until then it was not called terrorism nor did the US or Pakistan see them as the enemies of humanity.
When the same terrorism was destabilizing Kashmir and hundreds of thousands of Kashmiri people were compelled to leave Kashmir, then it was not terrorism but "short term tactics", in the words of President Zardari. But thank god, both America and Pakistan have started seeing them as terrorists, and not as Mujahids or strategic assets.
Promotion of terrorism by America is not new. When and where America wants to create tensions at the regional level or disturb peace, it starts supporting and encouraging a terror network there. Apart from Pakistan and Afghanistan, Iraq and Israel are also examples. Iran has accused America of this charge from time to time. Internal rebellion movements of many countries, either relating to the demand of autonomy or independence or separation, usually operate from the US.
In these circumstances, how it can be thought that America and Pakistan would eliminate the terror networks easily, which they themselves created & nurtured? However, in the name of fighting terror, Pakistan is receiving money from America, when and how much it wants. On the other side, it is necessary for the US to help Pakistan to eliminate more and more terrorists, to protect itself from another 9/11.
India has welcomed Zardari's confession and favoured it as a positive gesture. But after this confession, Zardari seems to be getting trapped himself. Zardari's main targets were Nawaz Sharif and Pervez Musharraf when he raised fingers against the previous regimes. Now it is to be seen whether Zardari's statement can be digested by Sharif and Musharraf.
There is also uncertainty about the reaction of the Pakistan Army on this statement. Some analysts are of the view that the Army can take this statement seriously, which would have far reaching impacts. Not only the Army, perhaps the ISI may not tolerate this.
From India and other peace loving nations, Zardari deserves a compliment not only for this confession, but also for his commitment to eliminate the blot of terrorism from Pakistan. America and Pakistan understood very late the consequences of the official patronage of terrorism. One understands the other's pain only when he himself passes through that stage. The commitment of Pakistan and America against terrorism is an important step in favour of humanity. But it is also essential to follow complete transparency and honesty in this mission.
Not only attacks on the US army, attacks within Pakistan or threats to the political elite of Pakistan should not be the only things treated as terrorism. The terrorist attack on Mumbai on 26/11 should also be seen in that category. And wherever there are people linked with the Mumbai attacks in Pakistan, they should also be treated the same as other terrorists. Otherwise, as the heroes of yesteryear have become terrorists now, similarly today's 'heroes' involved in 26/11 would become terrorists tomorrow, not messiahs.
No comments:
Post a Comment