Swat: Reporter Killed. Meanwhile, Pak wants Kasab.
Am i the only one losing sleep over the Pakistan issue? I mean, Pakistan’s our neighbour. And to think that we are so powerless… We have the fire-power, but can’t bomb Pakistan off the map. It’ll only throw it further into the grip of anarchy. We can motivate international propoganda, but it’ll be of no use. We can try securing our borders, but that’s futile too. What, i wonder, can anyone do?
150 km from Islamabad. And the Swat Valley has completely fallen to the Taliban. Girls can’t attend schools. Policemen get killed for serving their nation. People aren’t free to speak or do what they’d like. And as if to crown all-that, ‘unknown’ people murdered a news Reporter, barely a few days after a ceasefire was announced. I may stand waaay off the humanity and compassion scales of measure, but the murder of a journalist is not a palatable event – for me even.
When journalists begin to get killed – that’s when you realise that, for civil freedoms in the country, the death knell has been sounded. It’s obvious that Pakistan can’t do much to prevent what’s surely going to follow. [I'll be getting ahead of myself if i were to speculate what will happen.] I wonder, what can the world do?
And then, the same country that can’t ensure such freedoms, goes ahead and asks India to hand-over Kasab. Apparently, they say, India should have no trouble handing over Kasab to Pakistan, since he’s a Pakistani citizen, and would be tried by pakistani Law.
This, from a country, who first refused to admit that these terrorists were it’s citizens, put a blockade on Kasab’s hometown, refused to co-operate, did stupid things like put the conspirators on house arrest (when, infact, it was protecting the conspirators from the outside world by performing such an act), and even pretended that India did all this to frame Pakistan.
Yeah right, sires, we have no other job in life, than go around throwing muck on your face. Get a life, there’s too much muck there already. And we still haven’t forgotten about Dawood Ibrahim. Don’t come and ask us to hand over Kasab.
In closing – I really don’t hate Pakistan. Least so it’s citizens. I’ve interacted with a few, and found that they were much the same. And frankly, the problem of terrorism that they face in their country – well, India faces much the same – only, they’re called XYZ Sena (xyz=multiple options – all will be correct) and VHP and all-that. I really do hope that the civilians don’t have to bear for the errors committed by forces that are beyond civil control. I do.
I’m an atheist. But, for once, i won’t mind Praying. To God, even. If that’s what it takes to help solve this. Unfortunately, it’ll take a lot more. A LOT…
hell yeah! i know where you’re coming from :)
did you watch those reports on a pakistani tv channel towards the end of and immediately after the mumbai incident? the one where the old man was crapping about how india is trying to blame pakistan for something which indians had themselves done? i had my doubts then – are they journalists or a bunch of bitchy wives for god’s sake? ridiculous image the country is projecting of itself. im sorry for the sane people from there.
i just stumbled upon your blog n i love it!
aarabik
February 19, 2009 at 5:23 am
I think everyone is concerned about the Taliban influence growing in Pakistan, not too far from our own borders. I guess it was the Paki Govt’s (feeble) attempt at trying to gain some kind of control (even though it meant giving some of it away) and trying to get some peace.
The Pakistani people i guess are caught in the cross-fire of things.
What i see in the future is not anarchy. Instead i figure a day will come when the US, Pakistan and India will be fighting together against the Taliban. We may not be active participants, but definitely give our bases to the US airforce and help in food drops etc over Pakistan.
Avantika
February 19, 2009 at 1:57 pm
Yep, get it totally. What’s really scary is not what’s happening out there, but the fact that we (and anyone else) can do nothing about it.
Though I do think if India attacked the Taliban and wiped it outta existence now, it’d be much more of a “war on terror” than anything the US has ever done, and much more useful too.
That, of course, is a distant dream. And I’m sure there are many smaller Talibans waiting to spring into action if the big one is ever wiped out.
Mudra
February 23, 2009 at 11:27 am
Mudra,
Firstly, i doubt India (or ANY nation or offensive consortium) has the capacity to wipe the Taliban outta existence. This is more a war on an ideology, than one on a physical army. And it is an ideology that has grown from a simple proxy-war mentality to something that has so many facets and motives, that, frankly, i doubt it can be killed.
In terrorism, the men that feel oppressed or done-wrong-upon have found a new mechanism of protest. One which is limitless and unbound.
So, bottom-line : Taliban can’t be exterminated. Well, maybe it can. But the ideology can’t.
And even if the big guns go silent, it is the smaller ones that shall spring up.
Plus, to eliminate any big outfit, an assault shall have to be launched into the heart of Pakistan (et al.), and that shall crush the nation first. That, in itself will cause Pakistan to crumble into complete chaos (if it hasn’t already), and render a war of such scale too costly. It’ll consume the region. India can’t afford to enter such a state of affairs wherein it’s closest neighbour is a boiling stew of unpredictable pillagers.
Plus, such an offensive will give the terror-mongerers further reason to approach and recruit people who feel even a tad-bit along the lines as these mascots of Islamist extremism. [please, i do not want this statement to be misunderstood as an abuse to Islam. I am sure an Islamist shall agree too that murder in exchange for recognition is going-a-bit-too-far. If someone disagrees, i am open to debate. And incase someone disagrees vehemently, i am open to deleting my comment totally. I tend to value my life more than this comment!]
Sadly, for India, i can’t see a way out. Either it get’s in and gets into trouble, or, it stays out and trouble gets into it.
I do hope, that the men running the world, who are much much much wiser than myself, have brighter ideas than me.
I pray.
:P
February 23, 2009 at 8:24 pm
Well, about smaller ones springing into action – that’s part of what I said. But like I said, what’s the solution? This is the only one I can think of – and it IS a far-fetched one, I’ll be the first to admit that. :) In fact I remember having this exact discussion with a friend wherein I said more or less what you’ve just said.
But I still say, I’d rather we got offensive and kept them out than thought up ways to do damage control when they get in.
And yep, amen to that. Though “men running the world” in India simply means 70-year-olds who want to die in peace and/or make a lot of money. Ah well. That’s a rant for another day. :)
Mudra
February 23, 2009 at 9:53 pm