04th January, 2011

4^th January, 2011 was the longest day for Pakistan. With an attack on a school bus followed by killing of a professor and ended up with an assassinating Governor of Punjab. There are neither rules nor limits to this ugly game anymore. Anyone can be or becomes a target. The object here is to terrorise the masses which is successful so far.

A remote controlled bomb has ripped through a bus carrying children (age 8 to 12) of paramilitary soldiers in southwest Pakistan. The area of attack was Turbat. One might ask what kind of a strategic advantage is in mind while attacking a school bus. It was not a supply line, no arms and ammunitions for neither the soldiers nor any soldier was present in the bus.

The next news of the day was of Professor Syed Munir Hussain Sherazi who was shot in Dera Islamil Khan (D.I.Khan) by the sectarian terrorists yesterday. There was a time when teacher was a respectable figure in our society and people looked upon him for guidance. But now you will be judged by your belief and faith rather than to be allowed to profess your religion freely. In the past, the fundamental rights were fought for by us but now they are being fought by us for our interpretation of freedom.

The last news was a déjà vu for something similar had happened long time ago in India. Prime Minister Indra Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguard. On the dreadful day of 4^th January, 2011 Governor Punjab Salman Taseer was brutally assassinated. Both assassinations were religious in nature but were very different from each other. Salman Tasser protested against the abuse of blasphemy laws in Pakistan as Muslims will victimse non-Muslims, especially Christians. He was killed by being shot by his bodyguard and then the murderer surrendered by giving up his rifle and is now being praised as a hero all over the country. National Assembly adjourned the session without taking any agenda item to mourn the killing of Governor Punjab.

A terrorist attack followed by an ethnic murder and then a political assassination. Enough to prove that we are still not civilised enough to settle our differences without a gun. We once believed in fundamental rights and now we are too selfish to allow anyone to practice his right of freedom to life, religion, association and property freely. In Quran, only ‘Life for a Life' and no murder of any kind is allowed. The second possibility is when the mischief is responsible to spread lawlessness. Islam always professes that a murder of single human being is a murder of entire humanity.  No one has a right to take a life because of  a person's belief. We are allowed to profess our freedom without encroaching on the freedom of others. We are no longer a true Muslim let alone a decent human being.

RIP Osama Bin Laden

Its futile to reiterate the exact nature of the operation and the circumstances in which it took place; something thats all over the papers, 'free media', and the web at the moment, nor do I feel it pertinent to mention the state of utter crises that has suddenly engulfed Pakistan's name in the world arena ... as we speak. But what I do see is that the consequences will be dire, it will be grave and long term at the same time. It is certainly not something that the Pakistani public is not accustomed to after all these years (ok, nine years since September 11th) of conflict, chaos, sounds-of-gunfire, ambulance sirens and hysterical news reporting. On camparison with the 'jubilant' reactions of the American people on some foreign renowned news networks, yes, I am so not surprised by the state of disbelief (in comparative terms) that a Pakistani living in its own land suddenly finds himself in. Reactions range from staying mum to complete obliviousness, and from scenes of frustration and hurling abuses at the Interior Mnister to emotions of content and 'smiles' over a new bluff game emanating from the horizon.

Its too early to say anything and predict what the sign of things would be, but what I do see happening after the many related "exchange of intelligence official's comments", and the heated debates over the growing tensions between the two countries, the stakes of both the countries are really heavily involved. As for Pakistan, the stakes are much more higher. But what amazes a layman on the roadsid,e and if the wordmouth is anything of value, is that even with so much at stake, he is still kept in oblivion over the whole issue. Rationality seems to be lacking over the whole decision making process, and yes, it seems the nature of it is all the more elusive.

Waging a war over a foreign land, and as with all foreign operations, theres not too much to lose for the US. Yes, the aftermaths of such an operation and the consequences of it are tilted highly in favour of the Americans. Anlaysing the situation, one wonders about the circumstances in which the 'attack' actually took place, especially when the relations between the US and the Pakistani Intelligentsia were known to be at its 'lowest ebb' after almost a decade or more since the May 28th, 1998 Atomic Explosions in Chagai, Pakistan. It is also a fact that the 'war against terror' in the north of the country was never possible, and would never be possible without Pakistan's help in the entire process from supply of logistics to intelligentsia and to false and suppressed news reports in the local media that is bought and sold at will.(ref : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKRGMQJPTBc&feature=youtu.be )

Yes, the US is highly dependent and by however means we chose to negate this fact, it still remains a stark ground reality.

OBL's photograph widely circulated in the electronic media is claimed to be fake by many

There are two ways that any news analyst or common man sees this as being the 'aftermath' of such an operation:

1 - After showing to the world that US 'does actually achieve what it strives for' and portraying the killing of one man as being a magnanimous victory, the US would leave Af-Pak region pretty soon keeping in view Obama's promise to leave the region completely by 2014. The serious economic crises the US faces currently do not help but pushes the US elected representatives to call for a pullback anytime sooner than later. As the saying goes that 'wars are fought more in the minds than real', America seems to have already won this war with the chanting and the 'Go US' slogans at Times Square being obvious reasons to this effect.

With Pakistan portrayed as world's number one terrorist's hideout, the US can now aim to launch operations at will anywhere, anytime, without taking the 'dependency' factor into consideration. So without doubt, the killing of Osama gives a further 'free-hand' to America to bully around world's "Islamic terror" (or men in beards/women in hijab) at will !

2-  The US would not leave anytime soon. Over the past several years, with Pakistan declared a state engulfed with terrorism, together with the killing of an "house-hold icon" (the infamous Arabian 'bogey man'), the US is currently at complete liberty to launch operations anywhere inside Pakistan without slipping off from "moral ground" that today it chose to create.

With OBL killed within some hundred kilometres away from the place where Pakistan's highly secretive Atomic Research Laboratories are located, the US has grounds to lament further on the "nuclear free Pakistan" agenda - something claimed to be extremely vital to the very existence of Pakistan. 

Moreover, with the next year's US elections in sight, the US might never look to cease its operations here, but would aim for 'continued government policy to counter terror' to generate votes.

Whatever the circumstances or the path that they may chose to adopt, the US is in a winning position by far.

The question is, what Pakistan gains out of it?? Possible gain may come, in Imran Khan's words, "the US now has no reason to stay in Pakistan or Afghanistan and should leave immediately". Adopting such a policy still seems, to the common man, like asking too much from the current setup in place. Possibly some bucks to keep the 'big fish' thriving in the country can silent such voices further !!