As innocent Pakistani civilians are hit yet again, this time in Wah, by the mindless and ruthless Taliban, Pakistan's clueless leadership continues its now familiar infighting. While I fully expect them to escape-goat Musharraf and the military once again for this latest outrage involving the massacre of over 70 people, the fact remains that these inept politicians will now have a much harder time justifying blaming someone else. They are now fully in charge and they must accept responsibility for the security and well being of all Pakistani citizens. To paraphrase former US president Harry S. Truman, "the buck stops at Zardari's desk".
While the world must hold Messrs Zardari and Sharif responsible, I believe it is time for all Pakistanis to stop being ambivalent about the Taliban and join the fight against them. The Taliban perpetrating these atrocities in the name of Islam are criminals and thugs. They are no friends of Islam, Muslims or Pakistan and they must be stopped, not for America’s sake, but for the sake of Pakistan. The anti-American attitudes in Pakistan must not be allowed in get in the way of fighting the terrorists who target innocent Pakistani civilians to achieve their nefarious political aims. Please read my post about the Taliban's atrocities to get the full picture of Taliban’s ambitions and the ineptitude of our current leadership.
To those who defend the Taliban or the Lal Masjid terrorists or sympathize with their radical ideology, here’s what I’d like to say:
Let’s not be blind to the wave of deadly suicide bombings in Pakistan and the rest of the world unleashed by your jihadist friends who have killed large numbers of innocent, nameless, faceless people, mainly Muslims, and innocent civilians of other faiths.
Let us not be blind to the threats issued by your Lal Masjid friends to Najam Sethi recently and many more media men and women in the past.
Let us not be blind to the broadcast threats of your radical Lal Masjid friends who threatened to throw acid in the un-veiled faces of Muslim women in Islamabad during their reign of terror.
Let us not be blind to the desecration of mosques in Pakistan by your friends who turned them into arms and ammunition depots and launch pads for vicious attacks against fellow Muslims who disagreed with their extreme interpretation of Sharia.
Let us not be blind to those who are trying to impose their violent version of Shariah by the force of arms.
Let us not be blind to the atrocities Taliban and Al-Qaeda and their sympathizers have committed against the poor Aghans during their short rule and later, particularly against the weak including women and girls whose schools have been shut down or burned down. or the barber shops which have been shut or burned down for shaving men’s facial hair.
Let us not be blind to the fact that any one, including Musharaf ( and I admit he is no angel) , who challenged your extremist friends engaged in violence against fellow Muslims, has become the object of hate by you.
Let us not be blind to the to the fact that your radical “Islamic” friends have done more to damage the name and perception of Islam and Muslims than any one else in the history of the world.
Acknowledgment: Taliban Cartoon Sourced from The Economist
