The African country – Libya – which got the status of an independent country in 1951 is facing a revolt by the people who have had enough of injustice by an autocrat. After its independence, it had the status of a constitutional monarchy. And, in 1969 after the military revolution by Colonel Qaddafi Libya, it became the Libyan Arab Republic. In 1977, it was then turned into the Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
Qaddafi did not face any difficulty when he changed the basic structure of his country due to his fame at that time. The people had also given his the name of leader and guide of the revolution. But those times are long gone and Qaddafi is now a relic of the past.
But nowadays, the revolutionary leader is facing peoples revolution against himself. Despite the unequivocal voicing of the opinion of the people, he is not ready to leave his people at any cost. The Qaddafi government has so far killed thousands in the last ten days of the peoples revolution.
The protesters while talking to foreign media opined that this violent suppression was not totally unexpected and the people had anticipated this brutal reaction from the Libyan autocrat. They said that the loss of precious lives will contribute to their eventual victory over the forces of oppression. The media reports coming in from the country also suggested that the Qaddafi government has control over Tarablus and few other areas. However, the government’s control over the rest of Libya has been lost before the strength of the people.
The world’s tenth largest oil exporter – Libya – has been the victim of human rights violation by internal and external forces. Western countries have been heavy-handed in their treatment of other countries and they have prioritised their own interests over the rights of the locals. Instead of taking recourse to actions that they took in Iraq and Afghanistan, America and Europe should consult the local Libyan leaders and resolve the current crisis in the best interests of the local people and play their role as responsible members of the international comity. Qaddafi, himself, should read the writing on the wall and desert his current position and let the will of the people prevail.
Translated from the original Sindhi by Aftab Channa
Daily Kawish
