Those who think that he was Pakistan’s friend, need to think again.
JUBAIL, SAUDI ARABIA: ‘Brother Leader’, ‘King of the Kings of Africa’, author of the self-proclaimed greatest literary work of all time, the ‘Green Book’ and what not, Qaddafi was nothing but a tyrant who made his country a laughing stock among the international community. He ruled his oil-rich country with an iron fist and he did this with the help of an extensive intelligence network and secret police. He was an opportunist and his only aim was to stay in power as long as possible and to enrich himself and his family. And those who think that he was Pakistan’s friend need to think again because in recent years, in a post-Saddam world, he divulged details about the nuclear black market to western countries, in the process bringing immense pressure on Pakistan.
The time now is to move on and recognise the new reality in Libya. The transition will be a delicate period for Libya and it needs to be ensured that the leadership of the National Transitional Council does not use the power vacuum to appropriate dictatorial powers to itself. One cannot expect the Arab League, or the OIC or the western world to safeguard the rights of the people of countries such as Libya, or Egypt, or Tunisia.
This has to be done by the people themselves — they need to safeguard the gains made through such revolutions so that they and their future generations can benefit from the change.
Masood Khan
Published in The Express Tribune, October 22nd, 2011.
