KARACHI: This is with reference to the news item “Kidnapped Red Cross official found beheaded” (April 30). The murder of Dr Khalil Rasjed Dale has not only brought a bad name to Pakistan, it has also demonstrated to the world how dangerous it is to live in this country. This tragedy serves to remind people how inefficient and incompetent the authorities are when it comes to providing security to foreigners. The Balochistan government and the law-enforcement and intelligence agencies are to be blamed for their failure to protect Dr Dale’s life.
The terrorists, who have targeted countless innocent people, are found on both sides of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. The statement by the Army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani that “we cannot wish for Afghanistan what we don’t wish for Pakistan” is a sufficient indicator that the futures of Afghanistan and Pakistan are interlinked. We need to find a common solution to the problems being created by non-state actors in both countries.
The state must act at both the national and provincial levels. At the national level, we need to decide whether we want to go it alone or be part of the grand coalition of nations to fight the war on terror. We must participate in the Nato summit being held next month and highlight the ‘external factors’ that we consider are negatively influencing in shaping the environment in our country.
At the provincial level, the government must prevent ‘jailbreaks’, murders, kidnapping and provide security to the people.
Muhammad Ali Ehsan
Published in The Express Tribune, May 1st, 2012.
