The people of Pakistan need to learn a lesson from this — that if they become united they can do the unthinkable.
ISLAMABAD: We in Pakistan should all salute the brave people of Egypt who did not shy away from facing the wrath of their own army and managed to get rid of a dictator who had the backing of the world’s sole superpower — until his last few days in power, that is.
As for America, it needs to understand that backing non-democratic regimes in the Middle East and the Arab world is not a sustainable proposition because people in other Arab countries now know that they have the power to make the impossible possible.
The people of Pakistan also need to learn a lesson from this — that if they become united they can do the unthinkable. Of course, in Pakistan this may mean the coming of a theocratic state since the liberals are nowhere to be found, especially after Salmaan Taseer’s murder.
I also have a bit of advice for the Egyptian Army. The people of your country know that Hosni Mubarak was from the army and they will not be fooled anymore. There need to be free and fair elections, and a timeframe for that should be announced without delay.
Ali Iqbal
Published in The Express Tribune, February 13th, 2011.
