After all the battering that Pakistan has taken and continues to take, due to the war against terror, it is being labeled as non-serious and being asked to prove its seriousness in dealing with the despicable issue of terrorism. The US President Barack Obama has said the latest mass killing of university students underscored the need for more decisive action against terrorists, urging Pakistan to show it is ‘serious’ about crushing extremist networks operating on its soil. Over 20 people were ruthlessly massacred when four Taliban terrorists stormed the Bacha Khan University in Charsadda district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa on Wednesday January 20, 2016.
After all that Pakistan has lost in money terms (billions of dollars) and in terms of human lives (numbering hundreds of thousands) in the process of fighting the long-drawn war against terror the blatant statement of the US President that Pakistan should prove that it is serious in crushing the extremist networks operating in Pakistan is not only spiteful but also totally unjustifiable. By making such unkind remarks particularly in an interview with the Indian official news agency ‘The Press Trust of India’ Mr. Obama has, in fact, added a pinch of salt to the already profusely bleeding injuries of terror-stricken Pakistan.
Pakistan, as known to all, continues to fight the devastating war against terror all by itself with very little or no support from the international community. The damage this war has caused to Pakistan is beyond ones imagination. It has caused serious harm to the economy of Pakistan. It has badly shattered the confidence of the foreign investors, thus seriously retarding the progress of the country. The loss that Pakistan has suffered and continues to suffer due to the menace of terrorism is colossal. Under the circumstances what one fails to understand is how could Pakistan be non-serious in dealing with this issue effectively? Why would Pakistan not make sustained endeavors to completely wipe out the menace of terrorism from its soil once and for all?
The fact of the matter is that Pakistan has had to bear the brunt of this menace more than any country of the world. Terrorism, the whole world knows, has taken a heavy toll on the lives of innocent people (men, women and children) of this country. Thousands of jawans and officers of the gallant armed of forces of Pakistan have laid their precious lives in the ongoing war against terrorism. What else does the world community desire that Pakistan should do to prove its seriousness in dealing with terrorism and the perpetrators of terrorism-the pitiless and hideous terrorists?
One couldn’t agree more with the US President Barack Obama when he says “In the region and around the world, there must be zero tolerance for safe havens, and terrorists must be brought to justice.” Pakistan too firmly believes in what President Obama says, and is doing whatever it can to completely eradicate terrorism from its soil. However, the fact remains that Pakistan cannot fight this deadly war that overwhelms not only Pakistan but the entire world today, in epidemic form, all alone. The US in particular and the world community in general must appreciate this fact with honesty and strengthen Pakistan’s hands, in every possible manner, to fight terrorism effectively and bring the terrorists to justice.
M FAZAL ELAHI
Islamabad