Ahmed Rashid on the Purpose of Waziristan Offensive

In Ahmed Rashid’s latest piece “Waziristan or Bust,” the renowned Pakistani journalist and author of Descent into Chaos: The United States and the Failure of Nation Building in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Central Asia, grapples with the immense pressure Pakistan faces to succeed in its Waziristan offensive.

“The success of the offensive could be critical for the fate of Pakistan which is financially broke and politically paralysed,” he writes. He connects the financial crisis with the controversial Kerry-Lugar bill, “The army was furious that the government had agreed to US-imposed conditions, which only insisted that there be civilian control of the army, democracy be maintained and the fight against extremism continued. The army with its deep tentacles in the Pakistani media and among opposition politicians, whipped up a storm of public opinion against the deal.”

All this, he laments, was utterly ridiculous as the country was crying out for aid and assistance in the midst of the terror threats, poverty, and a generally harsh quality-of-life.

The fact remains that Pakistan has to pull itself away from the brink, and the measuring standard for just that will be this offensive. Its results will be telling, a trusted barometer for whether the Zardari administration can command the army and be supported by a public eager to end extremism.

Rashid notes President Zardari seems happy to talk peace and trade with India, aid in the stabilizing of Afghanistan and improve ties with Iran. He welcomes aid from the west so that his country can become stronger and secure. Yet, there is an intense backlash against his efforts, indeed, Rashid writes, “Zardari’s attempts to build up public support for these logical civil demands have been stymied because of public disillusionment with the civilian government.”

We can all agree stability can only happen when all sides come to the table, with an agreed upon set of priorities. A common plan to combat extremism whilst working out itnernal issues is the critical key to moving the country forward.

To Rashid and countless others, that looks like a tough hill to climb.

The truth will set you free

How many deaths will take it til they know that too many people have died?

Innocence lost, lives brutally snatched away. Weeping women, stunned men, dead children.

It becomes easy to lose count of the terrorist attacks when they happen in rapid-fire succession. It becomes easier still to keep from crying, as the deaths desensitize you time and time again.

But some things become harder.

It becomes harder to call extremists “Islamic” when they insist on killing students at segregated Islamic universities. It becomes harder for men like Nawaz Sharif and Imran Khan to watch the families of the victims wail in agony, since their sympathies are only for terror suspects killed by American drones. It becomes harder still to box extremism in the far-flung regions of the country.

I see something in the images of terror’s after-math. Amidst blood-splattered rubble lies a complicated reality: extremism is not just in FATA and the NWFP. It is slowly seeping into the heartland of Pakistan and will continue this trend; it has already reared its ugly head in the capital city of Islamabad, and threatens the urban centers of Lahore and Karachi. The entire country is on its way to a culture of fear and paralysis.

Pakistanis must, absolutely must acknowledge this. When will the country realize that the problems and failings of Pakistan can never be pegged on conspiracy theories, involving any combination of Israel, America and India? The problems are home-grown, the failings are organic.

To save Pakistan, we must realize that extremism is breeding, at an alarming rate, throughout the nation. The threats are real, sickening in their unreasonable goals.

Just look at who they have killed.

The dead are not enemies of Islam. They are teachers, police officers, aid workers, students, children too young to even understand why someone can hate. The victims are ordinary, hard-working Pakistanis, they lived with allegiance to their country’s flag and wanted a stable life. They are dead, and undoubtedly more will die. But the question is…how many more deaths will it take before Pakistanis fight back and save their nation?

Meaning of the Attack at IIU

Yesterday, six people were killed when two suicide bombs went off at International Islamic University. It was the most recent in a series of attacks to rock the nation.

A video on the University’s website sums up its purpose, “At International Islamic University, Islamabad, we are for knowledge beyond boundaries.”

The Pakistani public and various media commentators seem to be bewildered at the choice for the twin attacks. After all, this is an institution that emphasizes Islamic principles and lifestyle choices with the technological world.

“International Islamic University represents the sphere of deliberation and institutionalized religion which attacks the very notion of militant warfare that is being espoused by groups like Al Qaeda and the Taliban that see themselves as counterrevolutionary forces,” said Rafia Zakaria, a columnist for Dawn, the country’s most prestigious daily newspaper.

Why would extremists harm this institution and Pakistani students?

The answer is simple: we are dealing with groups that have no respect for life or liberty, and they are entering into a new phase — one in which any death is acceptable. In the days leading up to the Pakistani Army’s offensive into South Waziristan (which began Saturday), Pakistan saw attacks and fatalities almost every day.

These are people who live in a world of inconsistencies and general hypocrisy. They would berate the US and the West for allegedly wanting to take over their country, while killing their fellow citizens. They claim to treat women better and respect them more than the West does, but will not hear of equal education. There is a reason a bomb was detonated specially in the women’s area of the University.

Public opinion has been staunchly against the Taliban, but has never transferred over fully into support for the administration’s anti-Taliban efforts.

It is time to fully support Pakistani initiatives to free the country once and for all…we need to stop losing the bright, caring and hard-working people to these extremists.

Hamid Mir and his Ridiculous Benchmarks for Success

If anyone needed more proof of the media being overrun by the disgracefully uninformed, here it is. In
this preposterous piece, Hamid Mir makes outlandish demands of United States’ policy whilst having the nerve to wonder at the mistrust between the US and Pakistan. The fact that this man is executive editor of Geo TV in Islamabad is troubling.

Taking a deep breath, I feel the only way to tackle this monstrosity of distorted facts and hysteria is to go through it, point by point.

At the end of his first paragraph, Mir brings up the favorite punching bag of Pakistan’s obsessed media, the Kerry-Lugar bill. One has to wonder: now that the Pakistani public seems to be embracing the aid package, will the pseudo-journalists go through withdrawal symptoms once this this is no longer a relevant topic?

Mir writes: “Very few people in Washington realise that tension between Pakistan Army and President Zardari were actually created by Kerry-Lugar Bill.”

Quite off the mark, the statement goes to illustrate Mir’s love for simplified truths. The Kerry-Lugar bill was up for debate for many months. The writing, drafting, research and of course, floor debate and vote process was very much an open process. Throughout this sequence, there was no outcry to be heard, no fear of losing sovereignty to be felt. If anything, Pakistanis should be aware that tougher, far more intrusive clauses were actually not approved and the bill was full of immense respect and recognition for Pakistan at the time it was signed into law. Mir misses the point that tensions between the Pakistani Army and President Zardari’s administration are mainly over the new role the army must now play: to serve the federal government. We have in Pakistan a fledging democracy, and we absolutely must give it a chance to flourish. The Army has the noble task of protecting the people from danger, and it must work with President Zardari’s government to meet that goal. Tensions are natural when the role of one entity changes, and as Kerry-Lugar also notes, the Army is on its way to becoming a powerful, professional force in place of a political one.

Mir’s next paragraph launches into a recap of a conference on US-Pakistan relations that took place at Harvard University. Mir cites Ambassador Haqqani’s declaration that democracy is the only way forward for Pakistan. Indeed, Ambassador Haqqani has said as much from Day One, and worked tirelessly towards that end. Mir laments that his question, “Why the US is not listening to the voice of democracy in Pakistan coming through an elected parliament?” went unanswered. The answer, boys and girls, is taught in International Relations 101: diplomatic relations between nations are between the federal executive branches. President Zardari will not be setting up meetings with elected members of American state and city governments, as his work directly leads him to President Obama and the State Department. Realizing that Mir is unaware of this plain fact (and also knowing this is only the second point in his article) makes one uneasy about the rest of Mir’s piece.

Does Mir advocate American involvement with the Parliament? Does Mir forget that he just mentioned the rift between Zardari and the army and that too, over American involvement? The United States most unequivocally supports democracy in Pakistan, any question of that at this point is beyond ludicrous.

His third paragraph states, “No doubt that the US is the most controversial country in Pakistan and Pakistan is the most misunderstood country in the US. There is a huge mistrust on both sides but even then both countries need cooperation of each other because they are facing some common threats. Pakistan lies in one of the world’s most important geopolitical regions surrounded by Afghanistan, Iran, China and India.”

The fact is, the US should not be hated by Pakistanis but rather identified as a true ally. The anti-terror, pro-democracy goals of both nations are so neatly aligned, it just does not make sense for conspiracy-minded Pakistanis to break up this valuable bond. There are many in Pakistan who acknowledge the US’s extended hand and are grateful for it, because they understand a stable future for their country depends on it. Others will, however, continue to blast away at the US and the West in general in visceral, illogical ways. That is why the US is controversial in Pakistan. As to why Pakistan is misunderstood…it’s simple! American taxpayers are sending over an incredibly generous, well-thought out $7.5 billion in non-military aid alone, and all across their papers and televisions are reports of Pakistanis caught up in a fury. Of course this leads to confusion, how can they be anything but confused and frustrated? Any cooperation must come with respect, and if Mir believes in the spirit of partnership, he must lead the charge and do his best to bolster US-Pakistan efforts.

In ill-structured form, Mir abruptly cuts off topic and discusses the US drone attacks. If the US is so worried about the border, he asks, “Why is there no fencing and no proper border check posts? There are more than 350 illegal entry points on the Pak-Afghan border. Every day more than 20,000 vehicles and 45,000 people cross the border without proper documents.” Once again…how can we go from hearing “The US is intruding and will soon take over the country” to “Why isn’t the US building a proper border fence?” This is absurd and baffling.

Pulling another 180, Mir begins demands for a timeline for troop removal from Afghanistan, going so far as to say the replacement of American troops with UN peacekeeping forces would be better for the nation. There are a myriad of reasons as to why all this is utterly useless. The United States has a solid interest in Afghanistan, and will do its best to stabilize the country. The entire world in invested in Afghanistan, with billions in aid coming from Afghanistan’s neighbors, the EU, USAID as well as individual donations. Mir’s recommendation exposes he clearly does not know President Obama’s administration is working on a new strategy for military operations, and are contemplating a troop increase. UN peacekeeping forces would not be able to accomplish as much, nor have equal clout as, American troops.

Towards the end of his piece, Mir must have challenged himself to spit out the most bizarre statement he could muster. And he rose to the challenge.

Nobody can deny the fact that Pakistan and Afghanistan have become unsafe after the arrival of US troops in the region.

Is one to assume Afghanis were “safe” under the tyrannical, murderous Taliban regime? That the quality of life, civil liberties, access to education were readily available to all people? Is one also to forget all she knows about Pakistani history and pretend Pakistan through the 90s up until the attacks of 9/11 was a perfectly safe country? Hamid Mir, you should be ashamed of yourself. The horrors that took place should never be forgotten, and you have some absolute nerve as you try to rewrite history.

There is one thing all people need to understand at some point, and that is that the United States of America is not interested in taking over another country. We are all living in the era of globalization, our successes and failures are tangled up. It is disingenuous and immoral to lie when you are in the media, in the name of a noble profession — journalism. Perhaps Mir and others like him will slowly come around. If not, we can all be grateful cooler heads seem to be prevailing. As Pakistan is rocked with tragedy after tragedy at the hands of the extremists, the public is slowly realizing the importance of a partnership with the US.

The goal, for all of us, is a stable, prosperous and modernized Pakistan.

Tune in for Another Maddening Episode of “Meray Mutabiq” with Dr. Shahid Masood!

Just posted this here and here .

The most recent episode of “Meray Mutabiq” with Dr. Shahid Masood was yet another display of just how much Dr. Masood enjoys one-sided, deceitful “debate.” To be sure, he is not alone by any means — the nation’s media is saturated with “fundos,” a term used to describe narrow-minded characters parading as journalists. His show, however, is an exercise in frustration, as it gives other ignorant commentators a platform.

This episode is question tackled the issue of the Kerry-Lugar bill and the National Reconciliation Order. Dr. Masood invited fellow ranter, Ansar Abbasi and between the two of them, Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira barely got a word in.

The facts remain the same: Kerry-Lugar will help the country of Pakistan by improving the general quality of life for all her people. The funds will go towards police training, health clinics, education, etc thereby improving economic opportunities for all. Slowly but surely, extremism will be wiped out. We can all be thankful the chorus of doomsayers and conspiracy theorists is dying down, and cooler heads are realizing the Kerry-Lugar aid package is not an attack on Pakistan’s sovereignty but rather an attempt to help a friend.

Insofar as the National Reconciliation Order goes, this is not a new subject. It has been around for years, Gen. Musharraf even supported it in his time. The fact is, there has always been a history of fabricated cases against the PPP. Saifur Rehman the then Chairman of Ehtesab Bureau and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif are on record saying this, and that should shed light on this political reality. Many cases have hung in the courts for a decade or longer — that is absurd! We as a nation need to move past this ugly political culture and into an open-minded fair discussion. The years of political wrangling has kept the country backward. It is about time that we ignore the trivial issues and do something concrete for the betterment of its people.

What we see on “Meray Mutabiq” is a snapshot of ignorance. The malicious perspective of vindictive individuals is a real shame — as journalists, they should be fair and logical. Dr. Masood and others like him do Pakistan absolutely no good.

Gunmen attack, Pakistan burns

29. 23. 41.

The numbers are chilling. The horrifying wave of attacks Pakistan is currently dealing with has sunk the nation into a dark grief. These attacks are well-coordinated – like today’s attacks in Lahore—and strategically targeted – like the UN World Food Program office.

More numbers: 6. 9.

In an attack early Thursday evening, a bomb exploded in a parked car, killing a six-year old boy and wounding nine others – mostly women and children.

These attacks are the extremists’ way of warning the Pakistani government to leave them alone, allow them to fester and continue to grow within the country. What we need now is to band together behind the Zardari administration, heed the words of Rehman Malik and Liaqat Ali Khan and work together against this evil.

That is the only way to keep Pakistan from burning.

In Defense of Kerry-Lugar

The passage of the Kerry-Lugar bill (formally known as the “Enhanced Partnership with Pakistan Act of 2009”) has brought out Pakistan’s homegrown instability creators—the tunnel-vision conspiracy theorists—in droves. Far too much paranoid and tremendously inaccurate ink has been spilt on the matter, saturating the media with an alarming level of vitriol. All this is working against the country’s very self-interest. It is time Pakistanis were given a point-by-point summation of Kerry-Lugar, allowing them to see the vast advantages of this aid and how it will Pakistan and lay the path towards a stable, secure future for coming generations.

Firstly, it is imperative to note the purpose of this legislation is to change the relationship between the US and Pakistan. Pakistanis bitterly regard US aid as historically transactional and short-term. Kerry-Lugar seeks to ease that anxiety: not only does the law authorize $1.5 billion for the next five years but it also advocates for an additional $7.5 billion over the subsequent five years. This is demonstrative of the marked shift in policy: the US recognizes the need for long-term, bilateral relations with Pakistan.

Secondly, the language of the law contains complete respect for Pakistan’s sovereignty. That anyone would seriously advocate Kerry-Lugar as a slow takeover of Pakistan would be comical if it weren’t so damaging to the nation’s credibility. One needs only to read the law: Section 2 strongly distinguishes Pakistan as “a major non-NATO ally of the United States and a valuable partner in the battle against al-Qaeda and the Taliban” while firmly declaring “…but much more remains to be accomplished by both nations.” Here we have clear admittance that much needs to be done, a fact that almost all Pakistanis will agree with, and yet the United States’ attempt to do more has been met with irrational wrath and contempt.

Third, we must never forget Pakistan’s fight against extremism has led to the death of thousands of civilians over the past seven years. Pakistan has helped capture top leadership of al-Qaeda, and as a result, incurred the rage of the extremists. We have seen tragedy after tragedy, hotel after mosque after school blown up, innocent Pakistanis killed as the administration fights to keep extremism out. The most recent attack on the offices of the UN World Food Program further illustrates that extremists are willing to massacre noble Pakistanis working to feed their starving fellow citizens.

Pakistan needs help. The US has legislated assistance that will benefit all aspects of society: improving the educational system, building clinics with well-trained staff, drilling wells, reforming police and solidifying the democratic process.

Pakistan ranks 136 out of 177 countries in the United Nations Human Development Index. The Zardari administration fervently hopes this aid will change that ranking, and will administer the funds towards that end.

The “conditions” and “shackles” critics of the aid rant about are all perfectly in line with the President’s policy positions: internal improvement, counter-terrorism strategies and a general push on all fronts to improve the quality of life for Pakistanis.

Both the US and Pakistan are heavily invested in the fight against terrorism. It is no secret that the best long-term strategy is a modernized, economically stable and prosperous Pakistan. Kerry-Lugar is an attempt on the part of both nations to achieve that very goal.

It is time to end the self-defeating attitude, and participate on the world stage as a rising democracy and a leading player against extremism. Within this lies the future success of Pakistan.

WFP attack stuns and angers the world

The attack on the UN World Food Program offices in Islamabad was ruthless and sickening in every possible way.

As of right now, five people are reported killed: two Pakistani men, two Pakistani women and an Iraqi man. The WFP, citing security for its staff, has temporarily closed its offices throughout the country.

Though suicide bombings have become frequent, the world is appalled at the latest act of savagery. What is the logic of such attacks? Who did the attackers hope to impress by killing innocent people, who dedicated their time to feeding their poor, hungry displaced brethren? What goes through the mind of these monsters as they plan, fund and carry out attacks?

Let’s learn from this grim development and face the hard truth: Pakistan needs assistance to excise this internal cancer. Pakistanis can no longer afford a nonchalant attitude, not when their own citizens are being targeted and killed by extremists.

There has got to be an end to the media blasting aid from foreign powers when the fact is, Pakistan needs it. Its hard-working and noble citizens need it. Its prosperous, stable future hangs in the balance.

Pluralism in Pakistan…and not a moment too soon!

At an iftar in honor of the visiting Governor of Sindh, Dr. Ishrat Ul Ebad Khan and the Mayor of Karachi, Syed Mustafa Kemal, Ambassador Husain Haqqani spoke movingly about what it means to be a Pakistani.

“This embassy is the embassy of all Pakistanis, regardless of ethnicity, province, religion, sect,” he declared.

In one fell swoop, the Ambassador made it clear that more than six decades after being carved out of British India, the national identity of Pakistan was finally on its way to being recognized.

That Pakistanis should have had such a struggle defining themselves will hardly come as a shock to those familiar with its history. It is a nation that has consistently longed for democracy but has been prone to military dictatorships and martial law. It is a nation that has turned down the idea of the theocratic state, yet has been (and still is) vulnerable to extremist Islamic ideologies.

Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah sought a nation that would guarantee Islam – the security Muslims so desperately wanted to practice freely. The Quaid’s brilliance lay in his ambivalence – Islam played a massive role in what became communities and then states and who the leaders would be to inherit those states – but the role of the religion in government was never clearly defined.

Earlier generations, too, wrestled with the relationship between Islam and government. The revered Muslim thinker, Abul Kalam Azad (1888-1958) championed the thought that an Islamic state would protect the concept of “universalism.” The universalist valued the pluralism within Islam. Another noted thinker, Abul Ala Mawdudi (1903-1979) was a staunch believer in “one-and-only-way-of-Islam,” and would go on to found the Jamaat-i-Islami Party in 1941.

The goal to equate “Pakistani” with “Muslim” was a critical error in judgment. Furthermore, it opened the door to loud disagreements and then appalling violence when Pakistanis sought to define “Muslim.” The Ahmadis have been treated with disdain for not following proper Islam, and indeed, denied citizenship because of this. The Shia minority is routinely accused by the Sunni majority for not believing in the right interpretation of Islam. Pakistan has been wracked with sectarian violence, hundreds killed and the nation living in a culture of fear…over what? A national identity.

It is high time we stop being uncertain about our identity. The lack of consensus has harmed us beyond belief. While the Zardari administration has many clearly stated domestic goals, one of the implications of its policies has been to redirect the public’s thinking. Working towards stability in the NWFP and FATA, taking care of the IDPs, uniting other parties behind a peaceful and progressive agenda, the PPP is en route to making Pakistan a country for all Pakistanis…”regardless of ethnicity, province, religion, sect.”

Determined Democracy

True patriotism serves the ideals upon which a nation was founded, and it hates injustice in its own land more than anywhere else. True patriotism strives to leave a better world, a more peaceful and harmonious world, to the next generation of citizens.

In all respects, the brave villagers of northwest Pakistan are to be commended. Hundreds of villagers, though poverty-stricken and away from their families, have volunteered to join the army in the fight against the Taliban.

How many among them would be Pakistan’s future professionals, destined to bring noor to their name by becoming lawyers, doctors, thinkers, teachers? Imagine the young, shy teenage boys who somehow muster up the courage to take up arms against an ideology that will never grant them liberty. These boys know they may be killed, but they take that chance so that in their country, founded upon the Quaid’s dream of a prosperous state, others shall enjoy the peace that was denied them? That is what it means to be true patriot.

The villagers, in forming these lashkars, have done nothing short of a remarkable job. Pakistani military officials credit them with helping defeat the Taliban in the Swat Valley, and in ridding whole districts of their once shining militant ideology. These men have an instinctual knowledge of the land, it is that skill they share with the Taliban. By assisting the federal government’s efforts, they acknowledge the future of Pakistan is at stake and they will do whatever they can.

No one wants to live under Taliban rule. No one should ever have to be caged in an unforgiving, miserable, heartless existence.

Fortunately, the country is working with all its might against the Taliban and their sympathizers and the results are slow and steady.

The past several months have shown the Zardari administration’s policies to be fruitful. The President called for unprecedented unity amongst the political factions; their resounding call for the defeat of the Taliban most certainly sent shockwaves not just to the extremists but to the international community as well. It was refreshing to see the country speak as one. That set in motion a series of tough decisions on the part of the President, coupled with strong action and unwavering support from the people have done the people well.

The Taliban are losing, and they are afraid. Where once extremist ideology found a safe haven in remote villages, now they are chased out as Pakistanis rise up against their internal cancer.

For awakening this national pride, we can thank the men and women who stood in the halls of power and demanded we take action, we can thank Pakistanis all over the world who wish to see a stable homeland, and we must continue to thank and support the village lashkars, for they serve as their President’s front-line against an appalling evil.