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Filming death
The Taliban recently released a video showing the brutal execution of 15 Frontier Constabulary personnel.
This video, we can be sure, will be used for propaganda purposes by the Taliban. PHOTO: AGENCIES
Many people in this country seem to have an odd definition of sovereignty: to them its violation seems to be applied selectively. Thus, the Nato attack on Salala checkpost counts as an aggressive violation of our sovereignty — which it undoubtedly was — and a possible act of war but when the Taliban, who are harbouring many foreign militants in their midst, release a video showing their brutal execution of 15 Frontier Constabulary personnel, their actions barely solicit a yawn. This double standard translates into misguided policy. We have taken punitive action against the US for the Salala raid; cutting off land routes for Nato supplies into Turkey. The Taliban, meanwhile, end up being rewarded and have legitimacy conferred on them as the government treats them like an equal by inviting them to peace talks. What this video should teach us is a lesson that we should have already learned. We are locked in an intractable battle against an enemy that does abide by the rules of war. An enemy like that cannot be trusted at the negotiating table. This is something that should have been clear from previous peace deals, which the Taliban merely used as a breather to allow them to regroup stronger than ever. This has been a lesson we have studiously ignored. If we refuse to listen to the strategic case for refusing peace overtures, perhaps now the moral case can be more persuasive.
This video, we can be sure, will be used for propaganda purposes by the Taliban. Other Taliban and al Qaeda factions will watch the executions of the FC men and celebrate it as something to emulate. Rather than become further fodder for the Taliban propaganda mill, the civilian and military leadership needs to stop being so indecisive about their options in the fight against militancy. The fact is that peace will only be achieved through a military rout of the Taliban, with the dangling of the negotiation carrot coming only later, to a weakened enemy.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 26th, 2012.
Reader Comments (19)
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Just as I thought. Not a single comment on this particular news item, apart from mine.
I have to condemn this absolute barbaric and callous murder by these Taliban goons. They are not Muslims but a bunch of animals as absolutely nothing justifies cold blooded murder. Each and every Taliban and their supporters should be given the same punishment after due process.
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It really is baffling – an attack on soldiers by US ( which it claims was a mistake) raises a hornet’s nest. But cold , brutal and deliberate murder on same soldiers makes people pretend nothing has happened?
I really donot understand this? Can someone enlighten me?
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A. Khan, I agree wholeheartedly.
The sad fact of the matter is, our society is rotten to the core. We’ll justify ANYTHING to ourselves as long as those carrying out the actions claim to believe in Islam.
Similarly, we’ll look for ill intent wherever the other party does not identify themselves as muslim.
We tolerate lying (check Maya Khan for a recent example), or barbaric acts by Taliban and justify this rubbish to ourselves.
Our Army, the proud institution that has lost every single war it has participated in, needs to grow a backbone and take on these barbarians. We have a plethora of weapons, it is time we dusted them off, aimed them west instead of east and took our the taliban safe havens without any restraint.
This cancer plagues Pakistan and the longer we let it fester, the closer it brings Pakistan to disintegration.
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what we should not do is condemn the army filming these cockroaches… where is asma jehangir’s ”human right watch” now?
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Unfortunate reality, Both US and Pakistani Taliban have killed Pakistan servicemen, but we will talk to both of them. Same goes other way around, Pakistan has killed Taliban directly (including one similar senario where execution video came out) and US servicemen indirectly by supporting Afghan Taliban against US forces and they both still want to talk to us. Lets hope one day talks prevail and all stop killing each other.
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Down with Taliban. If you are listening taliban, Please know that the people of Pakistan hate you to death. You don’t belong here. I am neither liberal nor conservative.
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And America was right after all in fighting with Taliban and forcing them to talk only in a position of weakness .And they are right when they said that the feeding hands are getting bitten by these poisonous snakes. But hold on, right or wrong, the Americans said that and hence we will not follow that and ignore them . But to whose peril ?/
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No surprise here – if the Pakistani establishment started making nasty anti Taliban speeches someone might ask them why they haven’t mounted a serious military campaign against the Taliban – or why they allow the Taliban to control large sections of the country. Pakistan leaders don’t like to answer tough questions.
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The Taliban are valued guests since the nation is banking on them to get a foothold into Afghanistan. Are the Public so naive they cannot see why the Taliban should be negotiated with. What if a few citizens are killed in the cause of strategic depth, the deep state does not care a dime. If the civilian Government were to challenge the monsters another memo will be pulled out of the hat to harass them. Taliban sympathizers may disappear but not the Taliban.
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@A. Khan:
@Feroz:
I agree with you and most of the comments above. If we keep playing with snakes they are going to bite us. Where is the rightwing rage after the killing at the hands of Taliban terrorists? It is reserved only against the NATO when even by a mistake some are killed. Duplicity is our middle name.
Regards,
Mirza
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Long live strategic assets and strategic depth ! No wonder ISI is considered world’s best intelligence agency. It is only a matter of time…
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Another attack on the reputation of pakistan army………..
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And Imran Khan wants to talk peace with these animals. These animals are not interested in Islam, they are just drug lords & smugglers wanting this area to be lawless so they can trade drugs & guns freely.
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ANIMALS
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Looks like asking where the GHAIRAT BRIGADE is now doesn’t pass the moderation censors at ET!
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Proper security procedures and absolute sealed borders can rectify all problems.
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Very sad what do you tell the families of these soldiers ?
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I think that the video of anti state criminals shooting Pakistani soldiers to please their foreign masters will only solidify the resolve of the Pak nation to defeat these cowards.
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I do not want to side with either the ghairat or be-ghairat brigade and neither do I want to be counted among the laal topi brigade accusing yahoodi saazashein but the definition of sovereignty as per this author has been defined in the simplest of ways that sounds extremely ridiculous to me. This is like comparing apples to oranges. There is not a simple straight forward way of defining sovereignty. It would be like Americans considering the murders committed by mexican war lords in American territory an act of attack on their sovereignty by comparing it to 9/11.
A heinous crime committed by a world power cannot be compared to an act of violence committed by your own people. I have used ‘your own people’ just to please my masters as they had been stating it time and again that these Taliban are Pakistani Taliban (Punjabi, Wazir e.t.c). This is no justification to allow NATO supplies (its hardly upto the people of Pakistan to decide though). Dear Author, shall we also stop Taliban supplies ? well certainly we should.
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