With the tragic end of Colonel Qaddafi, the last flag-bearer of Arab nationalism, the notion has almost died. His death has also sealed the liberalism of North-African countries. Although death knells were ringing for him for quite sometime, yet he stubbornly stuck to his guns. Apart from the fact that he ruled his country for 42 years, he had a charismatic personality and had the guts to face eye-ball to eye-ball some of the western powers.
His death has also sent a message that a change of power is inevitable in most of the Arab countries and it is creeping over them slowly and steadily. Unity amongst Arabs is critical at this crucial juncture. Otherwise, the history of this region will be quite different in the coming two to three decades.
IFTIKHAR AHMED
Islamabad
(II)
The message from Qaddafi’s killing is that those who surrender their nation’s strength and pride, asset and sovereignty to others are doomed to perish. And that the intransigence without strength and without the position of strength is the act of fools. Qaddafi lost the battle both on diplomatic and war fronts; he succumbed to US pressure, allure or whatever and gave up his country’s nuclear program to the superpower, considering that he and his regime would now be secure for all times to come. But the trap continued to squeeze, noose gradually tightening. His sins of Lockerbie, blast in Germany, blasting at the Saudi king in a conference, and above all becoming approver in the “Pakistan’s nuclear network” case ultimately led to his October 20 terrible fate.
The timing of the newsbreak and horrible scenes of Qaddafi’s killing shown on TV coincided with the final-worded crucial Hillary-Dempsey-Petraeus meeting with Gilani-Kayani-Pasha at the PM House. The message, untold, was clear, and the conclusion to be drawn out must be clearer than ever. Submission and surrender to every ‘do more’ has resulted in displeasure and dissatisfaction. Only those can be regarded or considered equal who show the spine and speak out of reason and strength. Our national assets, regardless how deep we have plunged into the worst economic crisis, continue to be our position of strength. It is we who have to decide either to die for it or live for a perpetual death.
ALYA ALVI
Rawalpindi
