Wise steps

This refers to the article ‘Afghanistan: a history of blunders’ (July 10) by Saleem Safi. The writer has talked about people’s misconceptions about the withdrawal of US troops. He said that many people, including the Taliban, think that once the US leaves Afghanistan, the situation will get much better. The shocking reality is that the possible situation is just the opposite. The US army is equipped with modern and sophisticated technology and is capable of attacking its targets that are miles away from the US. Previously, it used drones to attack various targets in both Afghanistan and Pakistan. The precision of this technology was indeed unparalleled.

The writer has also mentioned the current financial position of the US. The strong economy of the country raises the following question: Has the US been defeated in Afghanistan? Economically, the US is one of the strong world powers. It is important to mention that after the withdrawal, Pakistan will have to play a vital role in bringing peace and stability to the region. The country should make timely efforts to convince the Afghanistan government and the Taliban to have a peaceful dialogue. Peace in the region will also result in peace in Pakistan. However, if a civil war breaks out, the US can attack the Taliban remotely by using its advanced technology. Then, the situation will take a horrible and terrible turn and put our security at risk. Pakistan has to take its decisions wisely to ensure that it doesn’t bear the brunt of American aggression.

Faqir Usman Masood

Peshawar

*****

Nobody wins if Pakistan continues to suffer and its citizens feel a sense of deprivation. The decision by PM Imran Khan to initiate the process of healing wounds and alleviating the sense of deprivation among citizens of Pakistan, especially residents of Balochistan, was long overdue. It will yield desired results only if we accept that the people living in Balochistan and erstwhile Fata were wronged and that they suffered miseries, displacement and even deaths because of the ill-advised policies of the Ziaul Haq and Pervez Musharraf governments. The choice of the individuals who are given the task to bridge the gaps will depend on the confidence and trust the individuals enjoy among those who are aggrieved. Political dialogue alone can achieve a breakthrough. We, as a state, must accept that we have made mistakes and must take steps to restore the trust of those who feel betrayed. It’s time to restore Quaid’s vision of a modern democratic welfare state. For over a decade, Musharraf pursued ‘strategic depth’ beyond our borders only to face high levels of terrorism and extremism within our geographical boundaries. Before that, Zia pushed the country into America’s proxy war. This was done despite knowing the fact that there is a long history of the US exploiting the greed of the few to achieve their short-term strategic objectives only to pull out and let the host country face consequences. We witnessed this happening under the Ayub government when they imposed sanctions in 1965 – although we had defence pacts like the Southeast Asia Treating Organization (SEATO), the Central Treaty Organisation (CENTO) etc., which were one-sided only for the benefit of American strategic goals.

Citizens of this country living in areas adjacent to the Afghanistan border bore the brunt of relentless wars.

Malik Tariq Ali

Lahore