Letter in Pakistani newspaper (re US missile attack)

[Bhaisahab]

Published in Pakistan's Dawn newspaper

http://www.dawn.com/2006/01/25/letted.htm#1

American attitudes

IN its short comment titled, “US must apologize,” the Los Angeles Times has exhibited crass cynicism, while also trying to show some fairness (Dawn, Jan 20).

On the one hand, it has incredulously talked of Pakistani officials’ “claim” that the US bombing (in Bajaur) killed at least 17 innocent people and, “if so”, relatives of the dead deserve an apology and reparations from the US.

On the other hand, it proceeds to say that during the Pakistani prime minister’s visit to the US he should be reminded that if Islamabad actually tried to find al Zawahiri and his boss, Osama bin Laden, instead of just pretending to do so, such attacks would not be repeated.

It goes on: “More than four years after Al Qaeda’s 9/11 attacks, Pakistan continues to play a dangerous game. The government does as little as possible to hunt Al Qaeda operatives, lest their Pakistani supporters become even more upset with Musharraf. Yet Islamabad continually assures Washington that it’s in vigorous pursuit, in order to keep the foreign aid flowing.”

This is slander and cynicism at its worst and very painful for any Pakistani to hear. As a leading American newspaper, the L.A. Times should be well aware that nearly 600 Al Qaeda and other militants have been killed or captured by the Pakistani forces since 9/11, with the big fish having been handed over to the US.

A couple of hundred Pakistani soldiers have lost their lives in the process but some Americans remain utterly thankless.

One would like to ask such people as to why the US army, with around 160,000 troops and a large number of Iraqi soldiers and civilian collaborators, has not been able to capture Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the No. 1 man of Al Qaeda in Iraq? This should have been much easier to do in the Mesopotamian plains than to catch OBL in northern Pakistan’s extremely difficult mountainous terrain, although he may very well be in Afghanistan.

Should one claim that the American generals in Iraq do not wish to apprehend him for some reason or that the CIA has created a fictitious bogeyman in order to make the Sunnis and Shias fight each other?

It must be pointed out that the US fathered the Al Qaeda monster through a combination of selfishness and imprudence. First, by walking out of Afghanistan immediately after the Soviet Union’s defeat, instead of helping either Afghanistan or Pakistan — without their help the West’s success would have been impossible — to cope with the arms and drugs proliferation spawned by the decade-long war. In addition to these were the social and economic problems caused for Pakistan by the four million Afghan refugees and the presence of the armed mujahideen equipped and trained by the West.

Second, by the foolish insistence that Mullah Omer hand over OBL to the US for trial, which was against the Afghan norms of hospitality. Instead of attacking the country in 1998 and then again in 2001, they should have accepted the Taliban leader’s offer of trying him in an Islamic court domestically or even in another mutually acceptable Muslim country.

Third, by their invasion of Iraq based on lies and deception, they have opened up a Pandora’s box, as a consequence of which they want to draw everybody into their “war on terror” that has reached this gigantic proportion only due to Washington’s follies. Now, by rejecting bin Laden’s apparently very sincere offer of a truce (Dawn, Jan 20), they are showing the same egotism the Clinton administration did and it is a blunder they will regret.

On their part, President Musharraf and his government have been bending backwards to please America by taking military action against fellow Pakistanis in Waziristan, making a muted response to the US forces’ raids on our civilians and by undermining the Islamic character of the country. It is only poetic justice that many Americans are now doubting them.

A.ALEEM
Karachi