Nobody can justify the cold-blooded massacre in Paris nor the unjustified wars that have ravaged Iraq, Libya and Syria
LAHORE: Nobody can justify the cold-blooded massacre of innocent unarmed citizens in Paris last Friday, nor the unjustified wars that have ravaged Iraq, Libya and Syria. Those involved in the Paris attacks have violated the laws of Islam and have done a great disservice to their religion. Jihad has become a commercial venture for mercenaries who brainwash young recruits to fight wars, but seldom do these traders of war put their own children in harm’s way. It is time to ruthlessly crush and eliminate the Islamic State (IS) and respect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all nations, including those with Muslim majorities.
Men like Ziaul Haq allowed our country to become a base for launching a war in Afghanistan, to fight the Soviet Union, in return for money and legitimacy of his military takeover. All the world’s unwanted extremists were provided a sanctuary, funds and weapons to fight a war in which we should never have been involved. While a few became billionaires, Pakistan’s sovereignty and national interest were dealt a big blow and to date, we suffer the consequences with over a million dead, displaced and disabled, and our economy in shatters. Pakistan, once a peaceful country with fairly good law and order and a developing economy, has since then become a victim of terrorism. The federal government and the establishment must tackle threats by Maulana Aziz in Islamabad and cut him down to size, because Pakistan can ill-afford more of this perverted distortion of our religion by self-proclaimed ‘guardians’ of faith. There should be zero tolerance for private militias and armed groups, whether they belong to some religious group or to a political party. The West must also re-evaluate armed interventions in its bid to control the Middle East’s oil resources and its obsession with securing strategic partners by redrawing boundaries and creating more turmoil in the process with the emergence of a Frankenstein like the IS.
Malik Tariq Ali
Published in The Express Tribune, November 17th, 2015.
Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.
