Allowing party workers to take the law in hand for selfish political reasons today would only embolden them in future.PHOTO: AFP/ FILE
What is more, the Pentagon decision to hold trucks in Afghanistan for now, because of the safety threat to drivers, given the strong arm tactics of PTI workers, damages Pakistan’s image with regard to security and stability. This cannot be good for it. Given that Washington has also made it clear that it has other options to pull equipment out of Afghanistan — the reason for which the convoy movement continues for the most part — it is odd the PTI would want to stop this. It must also be noted that allowing party workers to take the law in hand for short-term selfish political reasons today would only embolden them to act in a similar manner were they to protest against the K-P government at some future date.
The real question is what the federal government intends to do about the situation, given possible implications for Pakistan-US relations and other complications given that the war in Afghanistan has been sanctioned by the UN. Moreover, such actions may also hurt other Muslim countries like Turkey, along with other friendly countries. While law and order fall under the K-P government, the highways which run through the province are controlled by the centre. The Nato issue, too, involves national-level policy. The US has said it is willing to watch and wait for a while. Action is necessary before patience runs out to get things back on track, restore the routes and prevent the unnecessary hardship this is causing. The farce needs to end so that things can get back to normal. Decisions need to be taken now rather than being unnecessarily delayed for no good reason at all.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 6th, 2013.
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@Toticalling: "..... some one like him, born with a silver spoon to make such claims. I would like him to go and live in an area with those jobless people who have difficulty in making both ends meet. That is the problem in Pakistan. Give emotional speeches, raise the tempers of average guy and hope that you win more votes. . Correction may be in order. The Silver Spoon for all practical purposes turned out to be a Golden one in his case. He never had a 9-5 job all his life. He knows what being jobless means.
Amazing the Imran Khan would sink to this level of demagoguery to gain political advantage. He let's all of us that saw some semblance of hope and a better future with him, down.
The blockade has worst impact on Pakistan-US relations on one hand and on KP and Federal Government on other. True, we lack unity in our ranks and it led to our economic backwardness and bad governance
The International media has been living on a prayer and a hope that Pakistan can reform itself. They have been unable to see the militant mindset of those running the country since Independence. Pakistan is so lost in its own make believe world it cannot fathom or understand that hosting and sheltering terrorists from across the World can bring no gains, only losses. The blow back from the policies followed for decades has almost completely destroyed the country but everybody seems oblivious. While guarding its front door Pakistan failed to guard its rear door. The kind of indignities and violence thrust down the throats of the Afghan people over the last four decades is now likely to come full circle, with strategic depth playing out in reverse. There is no better time for those still rational enough to think, to pack their bags and move on.
E.T., you're seriously in need of a better editor. A good web page interface and a neat layout is not enough.
@Toticalling: You're worried about the livelihood of several hundred truck drivers? PTI is protesting because of selfish reasons? What selfish political success does the PTI stand to gain by supporting the people of FATA whereas most of the vote bank is in Punjab? Shouldn't IK have just thrown some job at some bureaucrats like NS and shut both them and the journalists up? You want to live in a democracy? Get used to protests, they are a part of any democracy. . People like you want Pakistan to turn into another Lebanon, Israeli F-16s flying over downtown Beirut, firing a rocket here and missile there, while cashed up liberals party on the beaches.
I do not hear from any quarter posing the real question to Imran Khan or the Prime Minister, that is, when are we going to get rid of the murderous philosophies driving Taliban to kill us and the people in Western countries? Taliban had allied themselves with Al Qaeda in 1990s bringing all this mess on to our doors. We must clearly and in unambiguous terms reject their deeds perpetrated in the name of Islam. Why are we afraid of Islamic parties in the country who always use religion for committing all sorts of violence. One major section of our society considers Taliban and their cohorts righteous and martyrs while the others, like myself, believe them to be murderers and terrorists. We cannot have any negotiations while the killing rampage goes on. Mr Khan should tell this to his brethren. The US will never sit idly to let these Taliban flourish even if their forces completely depart from Afghanistan. All such protests by Mr Khan are nothing but self-inflicting damage. The situation in Pakistan will remain the same, that is always under attack by the US, unless we curtail these brutal religious philosophies and reclaim religion from the religious parties.
@Toticalling:
Everyone in Pakistan believes that somehow the USA has paid Pakistan for permission to use drones --- that's nonsense. Did the USA pay Pakistan to perform the Abbottabad mission? Much more likely that the most powerful military on the planet gave Pakistan a choice - drones or boots on the ground and neither the govt or military wants to acknowledge it. What ever the reason - holding up a few supplies isn't going to influence the USA policy on drones.
I agree if IK's action means loss of livelihood for so many people, how can this protest be termed as success. I hear IK saying we should not be blackmailed for a few dollars more. It is so easy for some one like him, born with a silver spoon to make such claims. I would like him to go and live in an area with those jobless people who have difficulty in making both ends meet. That is the problem in Pakistan. Give emotional speeches, raise the tempers of average guy and hope that you win more votes. But if that means hunger and misery for some, it matters little, as long as it does not hurt me. These hapless people involved in such transport do not spend summers in cushy Chelsea in London.