KARACHI: This is with reference to Talat Hussain’s article of January 24 titled ‘Ride to the moon’.
The writer certainly has exhibited great logic and imaginative capabilities. If an attack on the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and its government succeeds, then we deserved it. If it fails due to our forbearance, long sacrifices and the commitment of the people and civil society to democracy, then we ourselves planned the attack against us.
There were far too many coincidences in the Dr Tahirul Qadri episode that raised strong suspicions of a well-planned attack. Far too many actors known for their bias against the PPP took part in this so-called “jointly staged drama by Dr Qadri and the Federal Government”. Levelling the charge that the PPP itself was an accomplice in the attack against itself does seem a bit far-fetched.
The truth is that we acted wisely and with a lot of restraint. Today, everyone gives us the credit for defusing a very explosive situation without conceding a single millimetre on either the law or the Constitution.
The invoking of sectarian issues by the writer is very unfortunate. The rising political consciousness of the people of Pakistan and their consensus on democracy is gradually filling up the parochial fault lines dug up over the years by military dictators. There are sectarian killings but their unanimous condemnation by people of every sect is a very positive indicator. One does not expect senior and well-meaning journalists of the stature of Mr Talat Husain to invoke sectarian prejudices just because they want to prove a groundless thesis.
Taj Haider
General Secretary
Pakistan Peoples Party, Sindh
Published in The Express Tribune, January 28th, 2013.
