Trump’s got it the other way around
“The message sent by Trump’s ban is negative and links terrorism to religion,” – Shah Mehmood Qureshi to DNA.
US President Donald Trump — in response to criticism against his immigration ban on seven Muslim countries — said the ‘Muslim ban’ is about “keeping bad people (with bad intentions) out of country”.
The current political scenario in the US resembles the totalitarian society in George Orwell’s ‘1984’. Therefore, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Trump establishes his own ‘Thought Police’ as a measure to counter ‘bad people’ from Muslim countries.
Pakistan, however, has been excluded from the list of banned Muslim countries that includes Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. Most policy experts questioned why the country has been spared from the list despite allegations that the roots of most terrorist groups can be traced back to Pakistan.
US media claims that Pakistan’s multi-faceted relation with the US in terms of security and economic factors could be one of the reasons why the country has been excluded.
However, Pakistan cannot be exempted from the implications of the order and could risk joining the Muslim majority countries unless it combats homegrown terrorism.
“The US is still engaging in Afghanistan and needs Pakistan’s support to solve the crisis. Pakistan is actively supporting the US in the fight against terrorism,” said analyst and journalist Zahid Hussain, while talking to DNA.
Pakistan has cooperated as an ally with the US in the ‘war on terror’ but has been criticised on most occasions for not apply a more vigilant approach to curb terrorism.
Recently, the Trump administration convinced Pakistan to take action against Jamat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed or else face sanctions.
Pakistan must address the potential implications of the Trump administration’s policy in order to remain an ally.
Pakistanis travelling to the US already face rigorous scrutiny for visas and the ‘extreme vetting’ procedure will impose further complications.
Despite the lingering threat of domestic terrorism and sectarian violence, Pakistan’s inability to eradicate the local insurgency has been frequently criticised internationally.
Pakistan must prioritise its national interests by countering terrorism without succumbing to any external pressure.
“The national consensus has determined that Pakistan will not allow its soil to be used as a terrorist breeding ground,” said former Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi.
“Pakistan military’s progress in the fight against terrorism has been negatively affected because of the lag in the implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP).”
“Muslim countries have always been divided and rarely converge on to a point, therefore, a unified response opposing the policy should not be expected,” – Zahid Hussain
In the past, Pakistan itself has faced the risk of being labelled a ‘terrorist country’. However, independent national interests with the US have muffled the reactions of the ‘approved’ Muslim countries like Pakistan, further dividing the already divorced Muslim community.
Furthermore, there has not been a unified outcry from the global Muslim community condemning the ban. In fact, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates welcomed Trump’s initiative.
“Muslim countries have always been divided and rarely converge on a point; therefore a unified response opposing the policy should not be expected,” said Zahid.
Even the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has remained silent about the injustice against their own people.
On the other hand, the European leaders, the United Nations and other western countries have condemned Trump’s decision.
“The message sent by Trump’s ban is negative and links terrorism to religion,” added Shah Mehmood. “Terrorism is not geographic, ethnic, or religion specific, therefore Trump administration should avoid religious profiling.”
The banned Muslim countries are mainly the victims of terrorism and need the international community to provide security and economic support.
Pakistan, like other Muslim countries, is under severe political pressure from the US, with the lingering threat of political isolation from the world’s super power.
The US under Trump has presented the Muslim world with a choice where, seemingly, it might become imperative to choose survival over justice.
