Wages of appeasement by Ghazi Salahuddin #PakNewsStand When Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif left for New York to address the 68th session of the UN General Assembly, he intended “to share my vision of a progressive, democratic and developed Pakistan which has the desire to live in peace with its neighbours”. But the fact that Pakistan is not at peace with itself was resoundingly asserted by events that took place in the country while the prime minister was away. Ideally, a foreign tour is domestic politics by other means. The focus in the media is expected to remain on the leader, making his mark on a global stage. Our leaders try harder to make headlines when they speak to the foreign media. Unfortunately, the world media was distracted this week by – initially – that massive suicide bombing outside a historic Peshawar church on Sunday and then by other atrocities committed by the terrorists. On Friday, hours before Nawaz Sharif went up to the podium in the General Assembly, a bomb ripped through a bus on the outskirts of Peshawar, killing at least 20 passengers, mostly government servants. In a sense, Nawaz Sharif’s General Assembly appearance is not as conspicuous as the opportunity it provides to meet Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. This meeting is to take place today. It might amuse international observers to see that such a big deal is being made of a meeting between two leaders of neighbouring countries half a world away from their own capitals. And, as Manmohan Singh said in Washington DC on Friday, “expectations have to be toned down, given the terror arm which is still active in our Subcontinent”. He was obviously referring to the attack on a police station and an army base in Indian-held Kashmir on Thursday morning in which 10 persons including an Indian army officer were killed. This is how the militants have persistently tried to derail peace talks between India and Pakistan. At the same time, the logic for peace continues to manifest itself in the context of how it would benefit the two countries. ‘Aman ki Asha’ is kindled in the hearts of the people aspiring for a better life. On this front, Nawaz Sharif’s resolve is unambiguous. He seems fully convinced of the dividends that the two countries will reap if trade and cultural relations are normalised. Expectations have naturally risen with his assumption of the high office in Pakistan. So, why are we not moving ahead, irrespective of the endless debates and serious negotiations on a parallel track? The answer is simple. The militant mindset, nurtured by establishments on both sides, is the main barrier. As far as the surge of militancy in Pakistan is concerned, Nawaz Sharif has to deal with it. He has been fully engaged with the issue of holding a dialogue with the Pakistani Taliban on the basis of a somewhat timid resolution approved by the All-Parties Conference held earlier this month. But there is still some confusion about the government’s attitude towards all other militants, including the ones who would resist any meaningful peace initiative in the region. With so much happening on the political front, compelling Nawaz Sharif to respond to developments at home while engaged in his diplomatic engagements in New York, the elements have also intervened. A powerful earthquake ravaged some desolate districts in Balochistan on Tuesday. In addition to the hundreds of lives that were lost, the tragedy also underlined the deep-rooted discontent that has fostered separatist passions. This would put the spotlight on another kind of militancy that has simmered for decades. The popping up of a small island in the sea near Gwadar must have agitated the minds of the ordinary people as to whether it is a divine message that cannot be easily deciphered. However, Nawaz Sharif must take the messages that have been delivered by the terrorists in Pakistan very seriously. There should be no ambiguity about what they really mean. In his General Assembly address, he had to mention the Peshawar Church blasts in which more than 80 Christians had died. President Obama had also taken note of it. They would be expecting the prime minister of Pakistan to offer some explanation for the incident because treatment of religious minorities is major issue. Nawaz Sharif provided a valid context to the church attack when he said that it was carried out by the same elements that had attacked mosques, shrines, innocent citizens and members of the security forces. Talking about Pakistan’s encounter with terrorism, he said: “We have lost 40,000 precious lives of men, women and children, which include 8,000 defence and security personnel”. A question may have risen in the minds of the international delegates and observers: “Mr Prime Minister, you have suffered such huge losses over such a long period. So what have you been doing about it?” Though Nawaz Sharif himself is apparently becoming more realistic about the threat that is posed by the Pakistani Taliban, the collective wisdom of the political parties of Pakistan has already answered this question. It has most obediently invited the militants – in effect the Pakistani Taliban – for a dialogue. That the basic requirements for this dialogue process to begin are not yet available does not seem to matter. The fact is that the appeasement of religious extremism and militancy has long been a tradition of our politics. The rulers seem congenitally inclined to submit to any pressures that are supposed to carry a religious dimension. As if pacification of the religious lobby is an imperative for popular support. That is how even Zulfikar Ali Bhutto fell in the trap – and it brought him no political gains. On the other hand, he paved the way for his own execution. Losing 40,000 lives in terror attacks seems incomprehensible. The count obviously began with one and two. And with 1,000 and 2,000. What were the rulers doing when this score was building up, year after year? Why was the monster allowed to gain so much power? This is a question that demands a sober and painstaking analysis, if our rulers have the intellectual resources to do that. Meanwhile, you can marvel at the spineless reaction of our governments when some fanatics come out with a demand. This week, they were talking about how the Punjab officials stopped a school from teaching comparative religion. Why can’t Nawaz Sharif at least stop such transgressions? Why is YouTube blocked in this country since a year? Nawaz Sharif praised Malala during his present visit to New York. A fairy tale it would be if Nawaz Sharif brings Malala home and takes her advice on how to deal with the Taliban. thenews.pk/Todays-News-9-205048-Wages-of-appeasement
Posted on: Sun, 29 Sep 2013 04:19:21 +0000
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