Pakistan should come first [Archives:2003/696/Letters to the Editor]

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December 22 2003

Barkatullah Marwat
Kuwait
[email protected]

'Pakistan not doing enough to curb terrorists: Zalmay' (The Washington Post, November 19, 2003). It's really disgusting and annoying to see that almost all the Afghan leaders, viz, Mr Hamid Karzai, Mr Abdullah Abdullah, Mr Abdul Wakil and now Mr Zalmay Khalizad (US Ambassador to Afghanistan) have been highly critical of Pakistan role for Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan, notwithstanding, Pakistan's efforts to curb the national and international terrorism is being ignored. I think they are of the view that perhaps Pakistani authorities are sitting cross-legged and have finger in what's going on over there. Some questions arise;
First, let's know whether Taliban are in Pakistan or in their sweet home?
Second, what can now Pakistan do when Taliban are no more in power?
Third, what for the US Marines, NATO and other coalition forces have been deployed over there?
Fourth, whenever Pakistan says or does anything else, then it stands sheer interference. Why?
Fifth, being imported from USA, when they themselves are unable even in the presence of foreign troops to tackle Taliban, then what can Pakistan do?
And finally, do they want Pakistan Army (from A-Z) to be shifted and deployed in Afghanistan to fight off Taliban now as they had fought against USSR Red Army?
I am afraid Pakistan is engaged by its domestic mess, and unable to poke its nose into Afghanistan affairs. So please let's solve first our own problems as 'Pakistan comes first'. I believe Pakistan position has been quite critical in terms of terrorism because the world, specially Western countries, are facing up only terrorism while Pakistan is fighting on three fronts, i.e., terrorism, extremism and sectarianism.
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