Adil Najam
The headline screams out that more than 40 people are dead after a heartless and soulless suicide attack on a mosque in Rawalpindi. The story under it tells us that more than half of those butchered are children.
Numb. Enraged. Without words. One stares into space.
How many such headlines have we seen? How many more are we destined to see?
Carnage. Bloodshed. Callousness. Hatred.
These are not things that anyone with a modicum of humanity can become used to. Yet, the world passes us by. Its not even news for the rest of the world. They are too busy worrying about “their” Taliban, to care about what “our” Taliban are doing. In the crazy world that we have manufactured, not every death is created equal. And certainly not every life.
Once again, Pakistanis die. Once again, Pakistanis cry. Alone.
Once again, Pakistanis stare into the darkness of nothingness, looking for answers. There are few words of sympathy from those who claim to be our friends. There are only sneers and jeers from those who are our enemies.
Why, one asks, why? Why do they hate us so?
In this video interview one would-be suicide bomber speaks up. It is harrowing. Listen, if you will, to the voice of hatred. Listen, if you can, to what Pakistan’s enemy sounds like.
They are very clear about why they hate Pakistanis. They have declared it an apostate army. They are very open about what they have done and why. They have owned FIA building attack, GHQ attack, ISI building attack, Munawan attack,…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3av9s1j2m40…player_ embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0u-bP77R6Fc…player_ embedded
@Aamir Ali
“You don’t speak for the world.”
I think I do. I seriously doubt the world has any interest in seeing the Talibs back in power in Afghanistan.
“Obama speech was the end of the American war in Afghanistan and the beginning of American withdrawl, which will begin in 18 months.”
Incorrect. You have obviously have little experience in reading statements made by the White House, the intent is to placate political factions (in this case hardcore leftwing Democrats). Obama promised a surge, and that in 2011 troops will begin to come home. But what troops? The surged troops? A few troops? All the troops? Such vagueness is deliberate.
The US strategy is basically of conditional and possible withdrawal. By turning over peaceful areas of Afghanistan to local forces this frees up troops to focus on more contested areas or possibly to withdraw them. The US is also attempting to set up groups similar to the Awakening Councils in Iraq to fight the Talibs. Both of these strategies worked well in Iraq and they are hoping to duplicate it in Afghanistan.
You will note in the vid below that both Secretary of Defense Gates and Secretary of State Clinton avoid saying there is no deadline (for poltical reasons), but that is exactly what they mean. That is the art of political obfuscation at its finest.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1WjedQCOBw
“ Already Obama admin officials are talking about negotiating with some “moderate Taliban” and that Taliban is always going to be part of Afghanistan. Their last Hooah effort will not make any big difference.”
Actually such talk existed even during the Bush administration. It is not really a negotiation. Rather it is a general amnesty for the non-hardcore Talibs to lay down their arms and reintegrate into Afghan society.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5 hvWEqwq3CrRvaQCmt21MfoYhjZJQD9C7RR5O0
“Hence Pakistan focus should be on its problems and its external policies geared towards the day when Afghanistan returns to its old status in 1992”
So a return to the policies of promoting the Talib psychopaths? A surefire way to flush Pakistan down the shithole of fundamentalism.
“The US has failed in Afghanistan and is going to leave the region in a mess, just like in 1989.”
Is that a fact or what you wish was true?
@Ex-Muslim.
If you believe that, I am so glad that you ae an “ex” Muslim. Good luck to you.
It is so nice that people who believe such nonsense are leaving Islam. Can you please take all the Taliban with you. Since they are the only other ones who have same views like you. I guess if you had stayed in Islam you would have joined them anyhow since they have same beliefs as you.
So, sir/madam, can you please also take all your Taliban friends of you.
In gratitude.
Muslim.
1) I wish it was as simple/simplistic to understand what is happening in Pakistan as Pakistani generals’ desire for a ‘strategic depth’ in Afghanistan. Pakistan and India counter each other in any which way they can. That was true in the late ’70s and that is true even more. Afghanistan is a violent theater for that power projection.
2) By ‘supporting the terrorists’ in Indian-held Kashmir, Pakistan has managed to tie down 500,000 Indian security officials in that relatively small piece of land. The strategic planners in Pakistan play the numbers-game everyday.
3) Yes, Americans have given up on Afghanistan and are already there are talking about the area ‘to the East of Afghanistan’ being ‘strategic’ for Afghanistan. Americans would be content to leave the women-flogging Talibans in power in Afghanistan IF Al-Qaida is neutralized enough. Perhaps, if Osama Bin Laden is alive, then his elimination would grant a ‘moral victory’ and an ultimate-justification for an ‘exit strategy’. @Amir Ali is correct in assuming that Afghanistan may be back to 1992. A ‘good Taliban’ is a Taliban without Al-Qaida (if that can be made possible?)
4) Pakistanis and Pakistani media is never shy of admitting the follies of breeding religious-fundamentalists. There is a course-correction being attempted lead by the PPP govt. and its secular allies. To what extent it can succeed against parts of military-led Establishment largely depends on how much breathing-space India allows Pakistani Army to clean up the northwest. India does not need Divisions of Strike Corps to stop future Ajmal Kassabs; those Corps are for something else and not certainly for a Pakistani Army invading India in any suicidal rush through the deserts of Chowlistan and Thar.
5) A little understanding and humility will be better for Indians. They deny the liberal segments of Pakistan any concessions, any breathing space. Indian intentions are not entirely for ‘regional peace’ and ‘democracy’ blah blah. No one buys that line anywhere in this world except a pliant Indian population spoon-fed by a brainwashing media.
6) Again, there can’t be peace in Pakistan without Kashmir’s settlement. Today a part of Pakistani establishment is -trying- to not use ‘terrorism as a state policy’. Tomorrow, it can change its mind if the very fabric of Pakistani state is being unravelled. Yes, that could mean, under the nuclear umbrella, instigating acts of terrorism inside India on regular basis. Yes, there are enough nut-jobs in this Establishment who can do that.
7) Let’s pull back from this madness. The waters of the Himalayas can quench the thirst of all in India, Pakistan, China and other countries but the blood of human being cannot.
I am not sure why people are upset about what Calculating_Misfit or Omar are saying. There is quite a bit of truth in their posts. We are in the position we are in because of (short-sighted) decisions that we made in the past. If we do not face up to those decisions, how will we correct them?
The truth can be very painful, but we cannot afford to be defensive about our mistakes. We have to be introspective. Otherwise we are not very far off from the guy in the video.
We have to ask ourselves this: whether the US is there or not, what is in our long-term interest? It CANNOT be to continue to support the “good” Taliban in case we need them to counter India in the future. That strategy had backfired dramatically in the past.