In fact, we should be thankful to the Americans for this free-of-cost gesture.
JUBAIL, SAUDI ARABIA: After the change of guards in Islamabad, a number of Pakistani politicians have recently been describing the drone attacks as being counterproductive. Yes, these are counterproductive except for the terrorists, who have been holding Pakistan at gunpoint for the last many years. Who can deny that after 9/11, thousands of Afghan Taliban and foreign militants moved from Afghanistan into the Pakistani tribal belt? Who can deny that these militants terrorised the tribes by killing hundreds of Maliks (tribal chiefs) to disturb the very fabric of the tribal social order? Who can deny that the Pakistan government struck several peace deals with the Taliban but they all turned out to be useless as the terrorists used these deals to rearm/ regroup? Who can deny that in 2009, Pakistan handed over the Swat valley to the Taliban, wherein their brutal rule ended up in the persecution and killing of the local population? Who can deny that the Taliban have killed around 50,000 civilian and military personnel? Who can deny that after several reluctant and semi-successful army operations in South Waziristan, and a few other tribal agencies, terrorists are now holed up in North Waziristan? Who can deny that the moment the military plans to launch an operation in North Waziristan, all the religious parties start protesting (to save their assets over there?); who can deny that the Taliban are involved in the destruction of hundreds of schools, health centres, power networks and substations, attacks on the army and the paramilitary forces, suicide bombings in markets, bus terminals, railway stations, airports and government buildings?
Drone attacks are used by religious and right-wing political parties and their mouthpiece media to divert the attention from the real issue — if the tribal belt is cleared of illegal foreign and local elements and the state’s writ is established by having the army guard its international borders, terrorist movements and attacks across the border can be stopped, thereby eliminating the need for drone attacks.
It is logical to presume that if the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan is disarmed, foreign militants are expelled and the army is allowed to take over the country’ north-western borders, drone attacks will come to a halt immediately. If that is not practical, then let others do the dirty job for you. In fact, we should be thankful to the Americans for this free-of-cost gesture. We should be mature enough to distinguish between reality and propaganda. Murder of 50,000 Pakistanis at the hands of terrorists is a reality. Let us be brave and call a spade a spade.
Masood Khan
Published in The Express Tribune, June 13th, 2013.
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