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A wrong perception of the enemy
Pakistan is acting more effectively against the Americans than against the Taliban.
This screen grab from a video released by the Taliban to the AFP shows men wielding an axe and AK-47 rifle as they stand over severed heads of Pakistani soldiers. PHOTO: AFP
Just as Pakistan is preparing to deal with its internal contradictions about tackling the Taliban in North Waziristan, it is losing its security personnel to an enemy it doesn’t know how to identify. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has released another video that shows a terrorist commander posing with the heads of 12 Pakistani troops saying, “Praise be to God that the mujahideen in Bajaur Agency have managed to kill the infidel soldiers of Pakistan”. The carnage took place in the tribal agency where the Pakistan Army is supposed to have pushed back the militants.
Hardly a month ago, the TTP proudly claimed responsibility for the targeted killing of a brave leader of Pakistan’s paramilitary force known for his performance against the terrorists. Pakistan has acknowledged that “15 troops were missing following fighting with militants in Bajaur three days ago”. The operation during which the 12 went missing was mounted to “repel Taliban militants who had crossed over from Kunar province in Afghanistan and occupied a village in Bajaur”.
On the same day, the TTP attacked Peshawar killing 11 people including “an officer of the North Waziristan political administration, his brother, son and cousin” with an explosives-laden Alto parked in the centre of a bazaar. In Quetta, five more Shia Hazaras were cut down by bike-riding Taliban killers near Sabzi Mandi, notching up the total number of Pakistanis killed by the Taliban to 35,000 since 9/11, which most Pakistanis believe was staged by the Americans themselves. They also believe that the Taliban are our own ‘offended’ brothers who will calm down once the Americans are defeated in Afghanistan.
Pakistan is acting more effectively against the Americans than against the Taliban. Its last act of derring-do was the arrest and conviction of Dr Shakeel Afridi through a jirga for “looking after the Taliban wounded” (sic!) while his real ‘crime’ was that he had helped in tracing Osama bin Laden to Abbottabad and thus facilitating the American commando attack that killed the father of terrorism. Pakistan has shown misplaced bravado by refusing to consider the idea of exchanging Dr Afridi with Dr Afia Siddiqi. The new ISI chief has said that “the US should consider the chapter of Dr Shakeel Afridi, who helped the US locate al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, as closed”.
It is clear that Pakistan sees America as its enemy, not the Taliban whom everybody now believes to be the dominant factor in Karachi. The ‘logic’ that shifts the onus of terror from the Taliban to the Americans is the assertion made by Pakistani officials that the TTP is being sheltered and funded by the US from Afghanistan. To make the case more convincing, they add India to the ‘evil conspiracy’ against Pakistan even as we make efforts to normalise ties with India.
Pakistan has been subjected to a massive misdiagnosis of the disease of terrorism that it suffers from. The people of Pakistan are now more or less totally anti-American in response to these official concoctions about who the real enemy of Pakistan is. They look askance at any realistic move made by the Pakistan Army to end the country’s international isolation by negotiating a common strategy against terrorism with the US and its Nato allies. So intense is the public self-deception that when the army chief said the war against terrorism was Pakistan’s war, no one accepted it. Pakistan is wriggling in the vice of its self-deceptions.
What is coming next is the people’s choice of government in 2013 when the country goes to polls. Anyone who does not depict himself as an enemy of America will not get their vote. Pakistan is fast moving to the state of popular mind in South America where leaders are putting their countries at risk by posing as anti-American warriors: Venezuela and Bolivia are now followed by Ecuador in what looks like an unrealistic pantomime as the lives of the people they lead are endangered by faltering economies. Pakistan has even fewer choices because, unlike South America, its people are at risk from its own terrorist gangs.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 2nd, 2012.
Reader Comments (27)
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Pakistan Army Commanding Officers,
If you watched the video what did you feel?
I need to know.I pay you from my not substantial pay to protect me,my family and my nation.
If you can,t protect your men,how can you protect me.
I need to know now or else go hand over command to the men who can.
Years of interference in the nation,s polity has made you just like my politicians then I am afraid my nation is not looking but slipping into abyss.
If you can,t do this then take help from who can,US,Uk,Israel oreven India who has the skill to do this.
Save Our Soul.Recommend
I can point out so many contradictions and deliberate twist in the language and assertions of this editorial. For God sake and for the sake of this country speak truth dont berak the foundations of this country in your America Nawazi. Kawa chal Hans ke chall or apni be bhole gia.Recommend
Very apt and erudite analysis of the current state of confusion and self-deception ruling the Pakistani minds. Recommend
Shame for Army Chief. Take revenge or step down.
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@ editor – ET. “Pakistan is acting more effectively against the Americans than against the Taliban. Its last act of derring-do was the arrest and conviction of Dr Shakeel Afridi through a jirga for “looking after the Taliban wounded” (sic!) while his real ‘crime’ was that he had helped in tracing Osama bin Laden to Abbottabad and thus facilitating the American commando attack that killed the father of terrorism”
I am not taking sides here as you have shown in this article. So you are suggesting that Pakistanis should drop their pants/Shalwar and comply with uncle Sam demands?
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Nice Editorial — but I would add that the TTP attacks from Afghanistan are recent phenomena and the anti American propaganda has been the cornerstone of the political/military/religious elite for as long as I can remember. Further — it’s obvious that the TTP really don’t need to find sanctuary within Afghanistan – they can behead Pakistani soldiers in any part of the tribal territories they choose.
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@Tariq Mehmood
Why dont you point out these contradictions and deliberate twists in the language?
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The wrong perception is due to our paranoid schizophrenia and other collective mental psychosis and delusions. Not sure how to remedy or treat such mindsets.
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Truth is bitter. This is a very honest editorial. 99% of all readers who live outside Pakistan would agree in full with what this editorial has to say. But I will be surprised if even 20% Pakistanis agree to it. Even the Pakistanis who live and work in US would not believe it in full. Such is life. More dark days are ahead for Pakistan. You have reached your full slide to the bottom yet. Scary, isn’t it?
The practice of educating hate and false historical facts via the school system, the idea of becoming the fortress of Islam- having no tolerance for anything – all of this will never let you arrest your slide on the slippery slope that you find yourself in. Recommend
@SAK… Revenge is not the solution. ISLAM is the solution. Let the madressas teach the true meaning of ISLAM. Let the normal schools teach the basic education. Tolerence is what is required.
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This peril state is result of our own hands, our duplicity in saying and practice. Who asked our men in power to take things in their own hands and act according to their own will and self created reasons, when they are indeed not able to cope with those things. For us Muslims, the way other then the prescribed one is and will always be a disaster.
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With friends like Taliban, who needs…?
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Excellent editorial. The current situation is the result of decades of brainwashing the public, flaming relgious bigotry, distorted history teaching, denialism to the extreme, blatant lies about all the wars with India, suppression of reports like Hamudur rehman on bangla war etc etc by the army and the civilian govt. Do u think there is any single short term solution, None, Right education from the schools is the only way to correct and that will take atleast 25 years to bear fruit.
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Is it an editorial from Express Tribune or Herald Tribune ? Oh it’s Herald Express Tribune. Recommend
this is called fooling all the people all the time.
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i am tired of seeing and reading this on a daily basis,,,,,,,and still on media we are debating this
is not our war……
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ET
Do we have real general who not only can fight the enemy but more importantly recognise the the enemy.The helplessnes of the whole nation against the real enemy shows clearly that there is none.
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@Tariq Mehmood: “I can point out so many contradictions and deliberate twist in the language and assertions of this editorial.”
Ah but you chose instead to simply refuse ointing out even one discrepancy.
“For God sake and for the sake of this country speak truth dont berak the foundations of this country”
Wel why don’t yuo enlighten us with he Truth which will save the foundations of your country? It is unclear whether you are offended by the questioning of the blind anti-Americanism or the support for a firm stand against TTP and other terrorists within Pakistan
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This editorial is the trumped-up and misleading story. TTP is the enemy of People and State of Pakistan whether it has the approval of Editorial Board of the Express Tribune or otherwise .Such invention would not have been fabricated by Bal Thackeray which our highly regarded author has endeavored.
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Well this is just an opinion of one person, which MAY or MAY NOT be the truth!
Whether people like it or not, but our biggest enemy right now is not USA, not India, not Israel, but its EXTREMISM. Others / conventional enemies are just making the best use of this WEAKNESS of ours (Muslims) to their full advantage!
The only way out is by getting rid of this EVIL from the roots and to STAND on our feet! Afterwards we can think of fighting US / Israel and India!
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Whoever carried out this act must be dealt with full force and such events must be stopped by taking necessary protective measures. A fully equipped quick response teams like SWAT must be introduced and deployed at various locations. The military must adopt advance tactical measures and methods to avoid their losses and civilian causalities at all cost.
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It’s a brave Editorial from ET… Well done
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Pakistan is getting shafted by both the Mullahs and Americans – there is a third way, declare independence from both Mullahism and American cash!
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we have long been discussing an issue: corruption has severely damaged the professional spirit of Pak Army. Furthermore, its the history that Pak Army uses more the civilian militants against enemies specially India than using its own personnel. These militants have written a marvelous history with their bravado against India. Pakistan Army appears to have lost this important asset by complying American dictations against Talibans. Its a big question whether Pak Army can really win the battle against Talibans who proved as great succour against India.
So far Talibans are winning…….
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@Riaz Ahmed
These militants have written a marvelous history with their bravado against India.
I agree with you.
Bravado-A pretense of courage; a false show of bravery.
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‘Pakistan is acting more effectively against the Americans than against the Taliban’.I may this one line from the editorial. Pakistan is acting more effectively against itself than against the Taliban.Recommend
@Riaz Ahmed:
You appear to be a great sympathizer of TTP who have killed thousands of innocent civilians in Pakistan. Shame on you for backing these savages and undermining the competence of your security forces who are more than capable in defeating this deadly outfit.
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