What else does the world community desire that Pakistan do to prove its seriousness in dealing with terrorism?
ISLAMABAD: After all the battering that Pakistan has taken and continues to take due to the war against terror, it is being labelled non-serious and being asked to prove its seriousness in dealing with the issue of terrorism. US President Barack Obama said recently that the latest mass killing of university students underscored the need for more decisive action against terrorists, urging Pakistan to show it is “serious” about crushing extremist networks operating on its soil.
After all that Pakistan has lost in monetary terms and in terms of human lives (numbering hundreds of thousands) in the process of fighting the long-drawn war against terror, the statement of the US president that Pakistan should prove that it is serious in crushing terrorism is not only insensitive but also totally unjustified. By making such unkind remarks, particularly in an interview with the Indian official news agency, the Press Trust of India, President Obama has, in fact, added a pinch of salt to the already profusely bleeding injuries of terror-stricken Pakistan.
Pakistan continues to fight the devastating war against terror all by itself with very little or no support from the international community. The damage this war has caused to Pakistan is beyond one’s imagination. It has caused serious harm to the economy. It has badly shattered the confidence of foreign investors, thus seriously retarding the progress of the country. The loss that Pakistan has suffered and continues to suffer due to the menace of terrorism is colossal. Under the circumstances, what one fails to understand is how Pakistan could not be serious in dealing with this issue? Why would Pakistan not make sustained endeavours to completely wipe out the menace of terrorism from its soil once and for all? The fact of the matter is that Pakistan has had to bear the brunt of this menace more than any other country of the world. Terrorism, as the world knows, has taken a heavy toll on the lives of innocent people (men, women and children) in this country. Thousands of jawans and officers of the gallant armed of forces have laid down their precious lives in the ongoing war against terrorism. What else does the world community desire that Pakistan do to prove its seriousness in dealing with terrorism and the perpetrators of terrorism?
One couldn’t agree more with President Obama when he says, “In the region and around the world, there must be zero tolerance for safe havens, and terrorists must be brought to justice.” Pakistan, too, firmly believes in what President Obama says, and is doing whatever it can to completely eradicate terrorism from its soil. However, the fact remains that Pakistan cannot fight this deadly war that overwhelms not only its own land but the entire world today, in epidemic form, all alone. The US, in particular, and the world community, in general, must appreciate this fact with honesty and strengthen Pakistan’s hands, in every possible manner, to fight terrorism effectively and bring the terrorists to justice.
M Fazal Elahi
Published in The Express Tribune, February 5th, 2016.
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