Today Swat, tomorrow…

Thursday, April 16, 2009

April 13, 2009, will always be remembered as a sad day for Pakistan. The government and the parliament together in a matter of few minutes gave in to terrorists and militants by handing them a valley we once used to call the Switzerland of Pakistan. Why the government preferred to relinquish its writ remains unclear. I for one cannot believe that army, intelligence and the entire government machinery put together could not have fought and dismantled the Taliban in Swat. And if they genuinely could not, I like many others feel vulnerable sitting even in Karachi.
The proceedings in the parliament added to the frustration of ordinary citizens. Not only our law enforcement agencies, army and government incapable to contain Taliban but our public representatives seemed too 'scared' to utter a word. What do hapless citizens do now? Today it is Swat; tomorrow it could be some other city or town – oh what a terrible precedence has been set.
Having said this, however, I must pay my sincere respects to Ayaz Amir for taking a most courageous stand on this issue in parliament. He not only spoke but spoke fearlessly. Thank God for people like him. Also, while I am certainly no MQM supporter, I do feel that they also deserve a big 'shaabash' for taking a courageous stand against the Taliban. All of their members stayed away from voting in protest. We need such bold people in our assemblies. Even one JUI member stood up to ask which Sharia was going to be imposed.
Strangely – and sadly – not a single woman MP stood up to say even a word against the deal which is certainly going to affect women the most. All the so-called activists who perhaps find it fashionable to talk about women's rights were exposed when the time came to stand up for those rights.

Junid Zuberi
Karachi

*****

The lives, honour, respect, future and destiny of more than two million people of Malakand and Swat have been placed by our democratic government in the ruthless clutches of the Taliban.
Yes, it may bring peace but the kind that one finds in graveyards – where one doesn't hear any sound. The people of Swat and those who live in the adjoining areas will now know what it was like to live in the Swat of yesteryears – and how different their lives will be now.
Sarcasm aside, I am terribly dismayed at the lack of spine showed by the ANP-PPP coalition – particularly the ANP which has exhibited rank opportunism. Instead of keeping the long term interests of its people as it top priority, this apparently 'secular' party succumbed to power of the Kalashnikov wielders. I have nothing against Shariat or the Nizam-Adl but against the way and circumstances it was adopted – where it was forced on a population which had otherwise voted for the ANP.
As Churchill once said, war is too delicate a matter to be handed over to the generals. The same applies here: Sharia is too delicate a matter to be handed over to mullahs let alone the ruthless Taliban. God save Pakistan.

Bahadar Ali Khan
Markham, ON, Canada