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| A redeeming feature |
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| Simultaneously, with swirling clouds of internecine conflict between the partisans - ruling and the opposition parties - some good things are also happening. There is realisation at least in some US quarters that Pakistan needs massive financial support to overcome the gargantuan challenges faced by it. Democratic Senator John Kerry and Republican former senator Chuck Hagel, now holding chair of the Atlantic Council think tank, would release a formal report appealing for international help to stabilize Pakistan. "The United States and Europe must give Pakistan $4-5 billion in urgent aid or risk seeing the nuclear-armed country slip into chaos", they said in the report. Senator John Kerry and Republican Senator Richard Lugar would soon introduce legislation aiming to provide Pakistan with 7.5 billion dollars in non-military aid during the next five years. If one sees statements from other friendly countries also, one can find the concern they have for Pakistan. But the PML-N, one of the two major parties is hell-bent to participate in lawyers' movement for restoration of deposed chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry. PPP leaders are also oblivious of the gravity of the situation, and in quid pro quo issue provocative statements that mar the political atmosphere.
There are also good news from Malakand division, including Swat and FATA. It appears that Sufi Muhammad of Tehrik Nifaz-i-Shariat Muhammadi, after having realised about the sinister designs of Pakistan's enemies - US, India and Israel - took the initiative of bringing peace in strife-ridden Malakand division and Swat, and has been successful in achieving the objective. The US and India have been completely unnerved by this peace agreement because they had malicious intentions against Pakistan. For some time, the US has been propagating that Pakistan's nukes could land into militants' hands. And the idea was that when things would spin out of control, they would find justification to go into Pakistan with a view to achieving their 'coveted' goal of taking out Pakistan's atomic teeth. India's Pranab Mukherejee's statement, read with Holbrooke's warning of threat to US and the world, speaks volumes about their sinister designs. Meanwhile, the militants active in North and South Waziristan agencies have been directed by Mulla Omar to immediately stop their attacks on the Pakistani security forces. According to press reports, Baitullah Mehsud and other leaders have favourably responded to his call. Of course, earlier Baitullah Mehsud was reported to be playing in the hands of those who wish to cause harm to Pakistan.
Some analysts had been raising questions that why US drones killed many Al Qaeda operatives and Taliban militants in other parts of FATA, whereas no such deadly operation was conducted on Baitullah Mehsud's stronghold? Mulla Omer must be aware of this dangerous liaison against Pakistan, which is why his message came within 24 hours after Taliban had formed a new alliance under the nomenclature of Shura Ittihad-ul-Mujahideen in the twin agencies of North and South Waziristan of FATA. According to a report in English daily, Mulla Omar first sent an envoy to the local Taliban and then wrote a letter to the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) admonishing its leaders and telling them that fighting Muslims could not be described as Jihad so they should immediately cease attacks on the Pakistani security forces. He told them: "If they really want to participate in Jihad, they must fight the US and NATO troops inside Afghanistan because their attacks on the Pakistani security forces are undermining the objectives of the war against the invaders and cause of the Taliban movement". But the problem is that even if they stop fighting Pakistan's security forces, but continue to cross the border over to Afghanistan to fight the US and NATO forces, Pakistan would be blamed for aiding and abetting them. It is hoped that Taliban would see reason and stop using Pakistani soil to launch attacks in Afghanistan. |
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