NEW DELHI: This is with reference to Hisham Wyne’s article of October 22 titled “No one wants anarchy on their doorstep”.
What he has written is worth reading and it is well-argued. However, I would have to say that if he is trying to convince the powers that be of the objective reality, he should have saved his breath. The reason is that they are, in all probability, quite aware of the situation and it is they who have created it.
The various jihadi outfits running amok in Pakistan and the political class and media lauding them as ‘our own people’ is not something that is accidental. In fact, this narrative sustains the establishment at two levels. First, it helps them secure domestic support in the name of ghairat. And, more importantly, it helps them in blackmailing the rest of the world by claiming that other countries should realise the dangers that lie with ignoring Pakistan.
If the writer was trying to convince the average Pakistani, then that is a fine intention. However, the choice of language in which the writer has written negates his effort. In any case, to disabuse the average Pakistani of the notions drilled in to him through decades of schooling, media bombardment and Friday sermons, one article in one newspaper is hardly sufficient.
Vikas Kumar
Published in The Express Tribune, October 24th, 2011.
