By Ghazala Khan
Western media is trying hard and has largely succeeded in making terrorism synonymous with Islam, and the terrorists in our FATA region are actively strengthening that image with all the evil efforts. Terrorism is an act of evil, which has been committed by people of all religion, but due to the US war on terrorism, and the stubborn attitude of Taliban, Islam is now quoted where terrorism is mentioned, which is very much sad and wholly false.
Enough ink has been spilled over the last four years since the Army operation has been launched in the Waziristan agency, which is a lawless tribal belt, once thought to be the start of our strategic depth. This difficult terrain is inhabited by the tribes who live on both sides of a murky and un-demarcated border, which is loosely controlled and mainly consists of high barren mountains and parched deserts. An ideal place for terrorism to breed, and an ideal place for a world power to prolong the war to keep an eye the regional interests.
Pakistan is said to be the front-line ally of United States in its war against terrorism, which is by all means has become now Pakistan’s war. In 2007 only, Pakistan was the victim of 56 suicide attacks; the spate of these attacks is carrying on in 2008. Along with mega operations in South Waziristan, Darra Adam Khel, Swat and Balochistan, little operations in Karachi, Mardan, and Kohat and in other cities of Pakistan have become a norm. In every operation, the terrorists inflict heavy damage upon the security forces, before perishing themselves.
The roots all these terrorists converge in the tribal region, where Baitullah Mehsud, the so-called successor of Osama Bin Laden and the chief of Pakistan Tehrik-e- Taliban is coordinating , ordering and masterminding the terrorists attacks in the towns and cities of Pakistan. This criminal has now announced an umbrageous unilateral ceasefire, which is just another attempt to shoo way security forces to reinforce the crumbling terrorists’ activities.
Government should take a page out of history, and gather support from within the Mehsud tribe against terrorists. They should start a comprehensive political and economic strategy of meeting people’s needs and honoring their nationalism, while at the same time isolating and suppressing the terrorists. Unfortunately the message of Islam has been distorted by the enemies of Islam.
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Ghazala Khan manages The Pakistani Spectator
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