Every sovereign country has a red line which it never allows to be
crossed. And if it is crossed the whole nation
stands up to stop the aggression and fight without any fear till the
last drop of blood. If you consider that bombing the civilians by an
enemy is our red line then it has been crossed by US by repeatedly
bombing the innocent civilians in our tribal areas. If you think
that meddling in our nuclear programme is our red line then be
mindful that our nuclear weapons are slowly and gradually going into
US control. If you consider the Kashmir cause to be our red line
then beware it has been compromised. If you consider the ideology of
Pakistan (Islam) to be our red line then wake up it has been
abandoned. If you say that torturing and imprisoning our citizens in
foreign jails is our red line then listen that hundreds of our
citizens are being tortured and humiliated in foreign jails, one
such example is Dr Afia as the issue has been highlighted in the
media. If we consider that setting up bases and forts in our country
by an enemy is our red line then browse the newspapers to see that
America has bases in Pakistan, Shamsi air base and America is
setting up its 2nd biggest embassy on an area of 18.5 acres which is
not less than a fort. If you consider the lowest GDP in last 38
years to be your red line, Pakistan had the lowest GDP in the last
38 years during 2008. If you consider looting the resources and
public properties is our red line, then it’s noteworthy that chagi’s
gold mine (Ricodhik project) has been sold to a foreign company and
already the natural gas reserves have been privatized and there are
freedom shouts in the resources rich province at the behest of
global powers. And if you don’t consider any one of above your red
line then tell me what else a red line is?
—Islamabad
People and leaders Quraysh Khattak
The spirit of thousands of host families in Mardan, Swabi and rest
of the country deserve commendation. These families have very
generously shared homes and their scarce resources with the
displaced people. The nation salutes those people who have vacated
their homes to accommodate the displaced Pakistanis. And hats off to
all those who are making efforts to make life in displacement
bearable for the homeless people living in camps or off camps. Many
have adopted the IDPs families and are helping them both with cash
and kind.
While the overall response from the general public in NWFP is
welcoming and accommodating, It is very unfortunate that our key
political leaders are lacking far behind of what is desired of them.
The nation laments the inability of our political leaders who have
failed to show statesmanship in this moment of crisis. The IDPs
issue has been given an ethnic colour in Sindh where the MQM and
some Sindhi nationalist parties have serious apprehensions over
resettlement of IDPs in the province.
The head of the state has also not fulfilled his due
responsibilities as leader of the nation. The general public is not
happy over President Zardari long absence from the country at a
dangerous time in the history of Pakistan. Some political analysts
are more critical of him over his indiscretions abroad. His
embarrassing press interviews, they believe, has done more damage to
the image of Pakistan than the much – maligned extremists could ever
have done.
There are very few who trusts our national leadership. Even response
from the international community to the UN appeal for helping IDPs
is not very encouraging. The UN has appeal for $543million but had
received only $88 million so far. Response from Muslim world is also
sluggish and not a single country has committed anything to help us
in this crisis.
Locally, in Pakhtoonkhwa (NWFP) people are not happy with absence of
President of Awami Nation Party Asfandyar Wali Khan from the scene
when they needed him the most. There were rumors that the ANP chief
had fled to Malaysia. After returning home last week, Asfandyar
clarified that he had gone to Malaysia for collecting donations for
the IDPs as a large number of Swatis and Buneris live there. But he
did not disclosed how much money he had collected and what is going
to be done with that money?
—Mardan
Quaid’s missing portrait Zeenate Nooure Jehan
Allow me to say that few of your contributors [ lesser celebrity ]
but with vision kept reminding your readers since long that the
walls of President and Prime Minister Houses were not only missing
portrait of Quaid-e-Azam but also the concept of Pakistan.It is
getting relegated to Bhuttoism and soon you may only see photographs
of Zaradri and Bilawal hanging. The other day I read your columnist
cautioning an alternate capital in Sind being planned despite worst
possible of socio-economic problems issues besetting country.The
PPP-AZ and its opportunist partners ,MQM,ANP,MMA and corrupt
bureacrats,busineesmen of all types. It is time to wake up and
frustrate such designs and revive Quaid-I-Azam Pakistan.
—Karachi
Surviving without Pakistan?
Attiya Imdad
Pakistan is at the road crossroad. Anyone having an eye on the pulse
of the nation can tell you that Pakistan is weak and in dire
straits. Many foreign elements are ready to explode new wars in
southern Punjab and Balochistan. Weak political leadership couldn’t
turn the domestic support it garnered at electoral forum into a
bargaining tool with America rather believing in the mantra of
“worst democracy is still better than the good dictatorship” the
government is bent proving itself as a worst democracy. Looking at
the plethora of the internal and external problems being faced by
Pakistan one is literally amazed at the tenacity and fighting power
of the common Pakistani who just keeps hoping in the deliverance of
the Pakistani soil. Yes it’s the brave people, the common folks of
the Pakistani soil who are just not letting the hope and the dreams
in their eyes otherwise they may also have according to their means
and resources would have escaped to the greener pastures of abroad.
I mean who in his right senses would like to live in place where law
and order situation is deplorable, electricity unavailable and the
cost of production higher than the profit earned and still taxes
paid by small fishes while large cartels of vultures left to hound
others.
The arrival of Arabs in Sind was a prelude to the establishment of
idealogical State of Pakistan and ,therefore, come rain or hails or
storms this State of ours must survive at all cost. We the
intellengensia and common people of Pakistan have to keep believing
in the deliverance of the Pakistani soil. It is fertile, its green
and its ours and all we need is to start owning it in a more
passionate way. No leader will save it,no military or no great power
from outside,its the collective dreams of Pakistanis who really love
this land that it would survive all conspiracies and evil plots of
subjugation hatched against it. We must rise for this motherland of
ours. We must rise by taking strength from our religion and history
both of which are beacon lights in the abyss of darkness that we
find ourselves as a nation now.
—Islamabad
Indian Navy acquisition
Zahir Kazmi
So what if Russia announced that it would commission its Nerpa
submarine later this year and then lease it to the Bharat Navy for a
decade at a paltry payment of $ 500 million? To understand the
implications of such a development just replace word Bharat with
Pakistan and the analyses will pour in your palm in a jiffy. The
entire world will demonize Pakistan and the country X that enters
such a deal, the media will be abuzz with grave consequences of
Pakistan ‘s second strike capability, its fallout on world’s
strategic stability and how it runs against the world wide notion of
disarmament. You may even read about the possibility of a Pakistani
nuclear submarine being hijacked by Taliban since they are only five
miles away from Dockyard and can swim. Conversely, you may only hear
a squeak by some spokesperson condemning the Indo-Russian deal that
will not even be picked by diplomatic community across the
Constitution Avenue .
Whatever the challenges, the fact is that Bharat is heading in the
direction of developing blue water navy, attain second strike
capability, become a counter weight to China and act as a buffer for
America . While I am a great fan of Mr. Obama’s slogan for nuclear
zero, his silence once a strategic ally is violating the concept of
disarmament baffles me. If this nuclear submarine deal with Russia
is benign and not worth blocking, will someone let Pakistan buy a
nuclear submarine or even its nuclear power pack? After all Pakistan
also intends to maintain a credible and survivable nuclear deterrent
over the long term and development of SLBMs capable nuclear
submarines fleet is not only prudent but necessary. A few words of
caution to the world bewitched by Bharat: the present day Pakistan
sent a non-state actor around 321 B.C. to Bharat from Taxila-a place
closer to Islamabad than where Taliban reached recently. To calm
jumping nerves let me assure you that Chanakya Kautaliya’s ashes
were swept by Ganges long time ago but there is a small problem; his
ideology survives in Bharat to this day. They still learn his
timeless laws of political deceit, war and diplomacy. Though Bharat
is being propped up as a counter-weight to China it is not necessary
that it will do its mentors’ bidding in the longer run. Opening the
technological doors to India will only spur Pakistan to build or
acquire a matching capability. Even if the West is bidding on the
wrong horse, Pakistan still provides an easy opportunity to shift
the blame later. After all it was a resident of Taxila who taught
Indians the art of deceit; ironically his own natives didn’t learn
from him.
