Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Recognition of a problem is first step towards solution

It is universally accepted reality not restricted to any particular domain of human knowledge and humans over the centuries have overcome many seemingly impossible tasks by putting this dictum into practise. Like for example political tensions in Ireland. British government tried and failed in their every effort to bring situation in Northern Ireland under control until they realised that they had a problem. After this recognition they set back and devised a peaceful way out of this crisis before it could turn from bad to worse.
As things stand now in Pakistan we do not have this luxury because every other commentator you listen to instead of making situation understandable they on the other hand make it more complex and confusing. Like for example the issue of Taliban of Pakistan. For last two and half years Taliban have killed more than 1000 Pakistanis both civilian and security personals yet Pakistanis are yet to come up with any clear cut and unified position on Talibans. It boggles mind that whenever Taliban kill innocent people in Pakistan their barbaric actions have always been condemned with qualifications like drone attacks, the US war on Afghanistan as if Talibans were bunch of peaceful people. As if they had a civilised administration in Kabul where civil liberties are well protected and women had freedom like any civilised society in the world. As if they morphed into present state of ruthless, barbaric and inhuman beings only after the invasion of the US led coalition forces in Afghanistan.
Nobody in his sane mind would argue the fact that Pakistan is facing an existential threat and present administration in Pakistan is in a state of denial. And things are getting more and more confusing because almost every important organ of state has been infiltrated by Taliban apologists who were nurtured over the years by successive military regimes since late seventies. Media particularly electronic have been dominated by rightists and they give more space to views of people like born again Muslim Imran Khan, General Hameed Gul and Ansar Abbasi and Shareen Mazari etc. These people try insanely to provide rationale to Taliban brutalities. This is a recipe of disaster for the state of Pakistan. Today the state of Pakistan is trying to re-establish its writ in North West Frontier Province and Balochistan but if things did not change it may neither have land nor power to exist beyond few miles radius of Islamabad.
Therefore it is important for every Pakistani not to underestimate the destructive powers of Taliban and they need to show political maturity to stand up for protecting their civil rights enshrined in the constitution of Pakistan. No matter how much appeasing we do we cannot guarantee any protection for our civil liberties. These extremists are a cancer we cannot make peace with cancer, we fight it and try everything to expel it out of our body if we want to have a health living. And it is the only way we can actually defeat extremist onslaught and save the future of our children.

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