Is there no light at the end of the gory tunnel? No end in sight? If that is the truth then the civil-military leadership should come out clean with the nation.
Source/Credit: The News | Pakistan
By Talat Farooq | January 25, 2014
There has been an upsurge in violence yet again. Never mind the academic discourse or political discussions or the security assessment by ‘senior analysts’; this piece seeks to ask some simple questions that non-academic Pakistanis, untouched by the art of ‘tajzia nigari’ and the wisdom of the security wizards would like to ask.
For more than six decades the genuine needs of the poor people of Pakistan have been relegated to the requirements of the military. Their children have been denied good education, their near and dear ones have not had access to affordable and adequate health facilities; they have been held hostage to a corrupt legal system; they have been denied their right to social justice and equitable distribution of wealth.
And all this while our civil-military leadership did all it could to build a strong military. So then why is the Pakistan military unable to protect the citizens of Pakistan?
The Pakistani leadership went beyond the call of duty to beg, borrow and steal so Pakistan could become a nuclear power. Well, we are a nuclear power now. Does it really matter when it comes to these psychopaths blowing themselves up? Sure our nuclear weapons serve as a deterrent to our external enemies; but are not the TTP and its affiliates making sure the external enemy never finds it necessary to attack us?
Yes, we know our soldiers and officers continue to sacrifice their lives and limbs. But what is the senior military leadership doing? General Kayani spent six years at the helm of affairs but failed to take sustained measures to even weaken the TTP, leave alone uproot it. So then what are we to do? Are we, the ordinary people of this hapless country, to believe that state institutions are helpless in the face of terrorism?
Is there no light at the end of the gory tunnel? No end in sight? If that is the truth then the civil-military leadership should come out clean with the nation. Tell us what you can and cannot do and why. And will the PM please stop telling us – ad nauseam – how united we are because we are not. Because thanks to the military’s erstwhile allies – the mullahs and their apologists and protectors – we are no longer a nation that can think straight about issues that concern the future of our children and grandchildren. We are trapped in a web of conspiracy theories and blatant lies.
And why is the government paralysed? If it cannot do its basic duty of protecting our lives then it should resign and go home. The ordinary people, members of law-enforcement agencies, soldiers and media persons are under attack. People have been dying left, right and centre for so many years. These are human beings not worms and insects. And what has our leadership done so far? Provided terrorist networks the opportunity to flourish, regroup, raise more funds and recruit more youth?
The politicians appear to be very good at protecting their dynasties and financial interests. But when it comes to the interests of the people they just wake up when an explosion disturbs their slumber and issue a statement announcing how terrorism will not be tolerated. Yeah sure! In case they haven’t noticed, the Pakistani civil-military leadership has been tolerating terrorism for more than a decade now.
Under Musharraf the only policy was to have a two-faced policy and under the civilian governments the policy so far has been to have no policy. Since 2008, the politicians have been sitting on the side-lines while ordinary men, women and children are at the mercy of those who, General Raheel Sharif reminds us, are but a handful of terrorists!
How many more years do we have to wait? How much more blood is to be spilled before the army is galvanised into full-scale action? The Taliban criminals have killed thousands and thousands of Pakistanis. What more proof do we need of their enmity towards Pakistan and its people? Yet the government is reluctant to ask the army to take them on. Why?
What is this joke about holding talks with the killers of our brothers, sisters and children? Why should we talk to these cowards who use the name of Islam to gain more money and power? Why would they give up war when it has become a lucrative business for them? They are hand in glove with our enemies – the omniscient ‘secret hand’. Why should we accommodate these traitors?
These people are making a mockery of all that is sacred to us, be it our lives, our livelihood, our constitution or our religious and cultural values. Why should we talk to those who so obviously do not want to talk to anybody? Why would they give up violence when it has become a money-churning, power bestowing machine for them?
Drones or no drones these murderers will continue to find excuses to kill. Why do certain politicians and ex-servicemen continue to apologise for the enemies of Pakistan?
If the likes of Munawwar Hasan, Fazlur Rahman or Chaudhry Nisar or Imran Khan, for that matter, think that they can appease these killers into turning over a new leaf and transform into compassionate, contrite saints they are in for some bitter lessons learnt the hard way.
There comes a time in every nation’s life when it has to take up arms and defend its land so that its future generations can have an identity and live in peace. It is high time some tough decisions were taken and implemented in letter and spirit. The question is, are the state institutions ready to do so? Do they have what it takes to challenge our enemy and then fight then to death?
Yes, we know the situation is complex; yes we know there are dozens of militant groups under the TTP umbrella; yes, we know things are truly murky. So then what is to be done? Are we to leave it at that and hope for a miracle? Miracles don’t happen, they have to be created. And unfortunately APCs and drafts of counterterrorism laws that somehow never see the light of the day are not enough to make a miracle happen.
The writer is a PhD student at Leicester, UK.
Email: talatfarooq11@gmail.com
Read original post here: Perspective: Miracles don’t just happen
This content-post is archived for backup and to keep archived records of any news Islam Ahmadiyya. The views expressed by the author and source of this news archive do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of Ahmadiyya Times.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for your comments. Any comments irrelevant to the post's subject matter, containing abuses, and/or vulgar language will not be approved.