Peshawer---A New Twist

Dear Fatima Rizvi,

I am regular reader of your column on newsvine.com. I am surprise to see your shifting stand on the issues.In the last article you have taken completely opposite stand what you have taken in this article. I would love to see the rational clarification from you, so we can discuss the global as well as local issues with the help of reason and rationality. Intellectual discussion should be based on rationality and reason, it should not be based on any prejudice and biased emotion. Please do not misunderstand me, I am trying to bring the truth from the ground. Finally.. as you know ..truth prevails...

As far as article is concern it is not wise to blame any other for our own deeds. Pakistan is accused of being the epicentre of terrorism. Pakistan itself is a victim of terrorism but that does not absolve us from the responsibility of controlling and curbing the activities of non-state actors such as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan the Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed or other jihadi outfits bent upon unleashing death and destruction.

In an interview to the German magazine Der Spiegel President Barrack Obama's advisor Bruce Ridel said about Pakistan: "International terrorism, nuclear proliferation, drugs, democracy deficit, the threat of nuclear war, and Islam, all come together in an extraordinarily combustible way."

Blaming others will not solve our problems. We have to take stock of the situation and take serious or even unpopular measures to win back our rightful place in the world. Pakistan today is not under threat by any external power, the threat is internal and the very existence of the country is at stake. If the religious fanatics and obscurantist forces are not reined, in the country could end up on the dust heap of history. Our founding father Mohammed Ali Jinnah advised the first Constituent Assembly of Pakistan to ensure that the lives and properties of all citizens are protected. He also made it crystal clear that religion is not the business of the state and that Pakistan will not be a theocracy ruled by the mullahs with their myopic, obscurantist so-called divine mission. Jinnah's vision and objective was betrayed when the Constituent Assembly adopted the Objectives Resolution on March 12, 1949, just six months after the death of Mohammed Ali Jinnah. The Objectives Resolution introduced the element of religious discrimination and prejudice in the body politic of Pakistan.

Political leaders, intellectuals, influential media personalities and the military leadership of the country have to be united on a single-point national agenda: the elimination and total destruction of all militant organisations and their supporters from the soil of Pakistan. The blame game has to stop. We just cannot afford to indulge in conspiracy theories and blame every body under the sun for our own home grown indigenous misfortunes. Our self created terror structure has to be destroyed; we just cannot afford to support, pamper and nourish the jihadi outfits mistakenly labeled as our strategic assets by successive previous regimes and our intelligence agencies.

Since the birth of Pakistan, the leaders and parties have never differed on Kashmir or the nuclear policy why can't they unite on the policy on terrorism? Nawaz Sharif, Imran Khan, Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman and the leaders of the Jamaat-e-Islami have to stand up and be counted. Our leaders and security agencies are not blind to the fact that many of the religious seminaries are the breeding grounds of terror and religious intolerance. Have we forgotten the lessons of Lal Masjid? Why have we not heard anything about reining in fanatical mullas preaching hatred and sectarian violence in the madras?

Thanks.

This is a major human tragedy and whoever perpetrated it must be condemned.

Historical events suggests that India and Pakistan have done a lot to hurt each other rather than help and resolve issues with each other.

In particular India helped in the break up of Pakistan in 1971 and Pakistan continues to support freedom fighters in Kashmir. So to say specifically that a possibility of India and Pakistan acting against each other to foment trouble and violence in each others countries and interests is a valid statement based on past behaviours. Neither Government is helping the other sincerely to resolve regional issues of terrorism, violence and on top of all more important poverty and hunger and economic issues of the great majority of suffering the root cause of problems. India may sound like more industrialized and economically in better shape but the gap between haves (a tiny minority) and have nots (a vastly large majority) is so great that the communist insurgency of Moist is taken over many small towns in several states where the economic plight of people is really miserable. Who is supporting the Maoist ? Many hindu militant extremist organizations are quick to blame it on pakistan. Whereas it is internal problem of India with possibly some support from outside. Who is supporting insurgents in Pakistan ? . Many extremely patriotic pakistanis blame it on India. Again mostly it is Pakistan's internal problem rooted in economic, political and religious exploitation with some support (opporitunistic) from outside anti - Pakistan elements.

Unless the root cause of the issues are addressed (specifically India and Pakistan themselves), the problems will continue to stay.