CHOICES have consequences and the choices that Pakistan is going to make today will have either positive or catastrophic consequences for the coming generations.
Let us hope and pray that despite incredible pressure from those who are determined to destroy Pakistan for working with the West to root out terrorism, and paradoxically, from the West for "not doing enough', Pakistan is able to get through this tremendously challenging time without any damage to the country.
However, if we as a nation are determined to succeed in the future, it is critical that we as a country must not forget our mistakes.
Regretfully, when unelected officials opted to involve Pakistan in the fight between the Soviet Union and the United States, Pakistan became the central hub of training for activists and militants who were driven by religious fervour to fight the communists. These activists and militants were recruited and trained in the name of religion from around the globe. In this process, nobody even considered the possibility of a religious fight against communism becoming a global threat, once the short-term goal of defeating the Soviet Union was achieved.
More importantly, and rather ironically, the decision makers in Pakistan utterly failed to understand that by fighting for one particular ideology, sooner or later Pakistan itself could become what Afghanistan was in the seventies and eighties: an international battleground where proponents of two very different ideologies would wage an intense war and subsequently, one or perhaps both sides would rely on increasingly brutal tactics to achieve victory. Hence the nuisance of terrorism for Pakistan.
According to a report by one agency in Pakistan, the country has suffered about 30 suicide attacks between January through September 2008, killing over 500 innocent civilians and critically wounding about 800. This terribly saddening report becomes even more depressing when we learn that Pakistan has been the target of more terrorist attacks than Iraq and Afghanistan, two countries where an all-out war is being waged. And yet, as cruel as it sounds, to the dismay of those who are suffering these daily bombings, astonishingly, Pakistan is blamed for not being a serious partner in the fight against terrorism.
Please, at least give Pakistan a break, if it can't get credit for all it has done so far.Before the devastating attack in Islamabad that destroyed the Marriott hotel and killed over 60 people, pundits in Washington, New York and London routinely and unnecessarily criticised Islamabad for not "taking on the terrorists'. While sitting in comfortable and safe studios, these so-called experts regularly pointed fingers at Pakistan for not doing enough, even though Pakistan was taking casualties day after day.
To support their unsubstantiated theories, these studio experts exclusively relied on statistics and computer-generated charts, but they failed to take into account the ground realities. Their analysis, with few exceptions, was superficial at best. Worst, this instant analysis was driven by the necessity of compressing complex issues into 30- or 40-second sound bites, and this practice perpetuated the myth of Islamabad being complicit in terrorism, an outrageous fabrication completely debunked by the number of deaths that Pakistan has endured, both on the battlefield against the terrorists and by civilians across Pakistan.
No country, government and society is perfect, and Pakistan is no exception, but historians looking objectively at the evidence relating to the contribution made by Pakistan since the late seventies would have to conclude that Pakistan has done more than most countries when it came to defeating the Soviet Union in Afghanistan, and now in the global fight against religious militarism.
Given Pakistan's record, it is absolutely safe to assume that Pakistan will continue to do whatever it has to do to save itself and the rest of the world from the nihilists. There shouldn't be any doubts about Pakistan's resolve to defend its culture, its heritage and its future. Therefore, it is both important, and wise that allied forces don't make this fight more complicated by invading Pakistan's territory.
Collaboration, not unilateralism, is the key to success, if we look at the recent war history, either in Afghanistan or in Iraq.
It is also worth noting that bombs and missiles alone won't be enough to win this fight. We also need schools, roads, hospitals, electricity, clean running water, a vibrant and growing economy that creates jobs, and for this to happen, the international community has to come forward with generous non-military aid. If the rest of the world is interested in seeing Pakistan emerge victorious and triumphant in the long and difficult war against terror, they should ask Pakistan what they can do to help, not lecture Islamabad about how to run its affairs.
Instead of pressuring Islamabad to fight day and night, the rest of the world should assist the government in developing and implementing a comprehensive strategy to combat social and economic challenges as well.
Leaving aside those who insist that dark and gloomy days are ahead for Pakistan, it is obvious that despite all that is going on in Pakistan, remarkably, the political leadership, or at least those who were elected in the last election, are demonstrating incredible maturity. Instead of denigrating each other now that they are no longer allies, Nawaz Sharif and Asif Zardari treat each other with respect and deference.
After losing the presidential election, Nawaz Sharif personally went to congratulate Asif Zardari, a supremely democratic gesture that made every Pakistani proud. These developments and more importantly, these gestures of cooperation and mutual respect, are crucial because the country cannot afford another political crisis. Fortunately, the nation is coming together to save itself from the negative forces bent on destroying national confidence by carrying out vicious attacks.
Despite the threat of terrorism, Pakistan is on the recovery path because of the thriving democracy in the country. For decades, the people of Pakistan have survived without any help from their government. The wheel of commerce has been in motion even when the business environment was not hospitable. The people of Pakistan are tough, and they have proved their resilience over the years despite coups, military rule and other challenges that tested Pakistan as a nation, and it is safe to assume that the country is not ready to give up on itself or its future.
