Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the real life “Apprentice”
“The house-arrest of Hafiz Saeed has yet again raised question marks on the basis of government’s decisions in Pakistan – whether they are driven by the pressure exerted by the world’s Super Power, and her interests, or Pakistan’s own.”
Not long after he took office as President of the United States, President Trump placed a travel ban denying entrance to the US for travelers from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Sudan, and Libya for the next 90 days, and all new refugees for 120 days. That’s not all; the executive order places an indefinite ban on acceptance of refugees from Syria.
The ban imposed has triggered outrage from all sides, escalating protests and aggravating protestors who were already on the streets against Trump’s charge of office. Analysts believe that the ban imposed is in violation of the 1st and the 5th amendment of the US constitution, and can be challenged legally in the court of law.
The Trump administration, on the other hand, is emphasising that the countries to be effected by the ban are the same that were highlighted by the Obama Administration as sources of terror, and are comparing the ban with the Obama administration’s 6 month ban on refugees from Iraq. The truth is that was not a ban, rather a slowdown of the processing of visa applications from Iraqi refugees.
Trump supporters, not to be left out here, are of the view that Muslims should not be offended by the Executive order, since they themselves for decades have banned Israelis from entering their territories.
Let’s promote Extremism!
The ban, whether placed in its trust intent to ensure security of the US citizens and boundaries, seems to have further strengthened Trump’s image as an anti-Muslim hardliner committed to isolating the Muslims. Muslim countries placed under ban have already reacted to the move by White House. Iran and Iraq in particular are vowing to respond reciprocally and appropriately to what is – in their view – an unjust act.
Trump’s initiative is likely to increase the already existing gap between the US and the Muslim World, pushing the Muslims towards exploring options other than the US, and thus strengthening the extremists’ anti-US viewpoint enabling the extremist organizations like ISIS to gain – not just by attracting more recruits to adhere to their extremist philosophy, but also to sell their political view point which may result in their emergence as a political power in the region, and become an even bigger problem later on.
Trump’s executive order might set free the – otherwise more or less contained – genie of extremism from its bottle.
“Greatness for a country lies in promoting values of freedom, equality and peace not only within its boundaries, but across the boundaries as well. If the new US administration is aspirant of making US great again, it must resort to a global approach.”
US’s wish is my command?
With Trump sworn in as new US President, Pakistan expected to be in the line of fire, as the latter took a tough stand on Pakistan during his election campaign. With the new US administration in place, and its inclination towards India as a regional strategic partner, pressure on Pakistan to act against Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), and its supposed front, Jamat-ud-Dawa (JuD), both led by Hafiz Saeed was already there.
The “Muslim ban” added to the pressure, which apparently has resulted in the detention of Hafiz Saeed, considered by the US and India as the alleged master mind of the 2008 Mumbai attacks, which nearly resulted in a fourth war between the two hostile neighbors. Indirectly, there were messages communicated to Islamabad by the new US administration warning Pakistan of tough sanctions, and possible black-listing if required action was not taken against the banned outfits, and their wanted leader with a $10 million bounty on his head.
The house-arrest of Hafiz Saeed has yet again raised question marks on the basis of government’s decisions in Pakistan – whether they are driven by the pressure exerted by the world’s Super Power, and her interests, or Pakistan’s own.
Whatever the case, it is imperative that the power corridors in Pakistan clarify their position on the issue, and take the nation in confidence on the core basis of the decision solely being the national interest.
A peek into the crystal ball
While President Trump’s mission to “make America great again” has kicked off with getting tough with the Muslim World, and sending out a clear message that they’re on their own, analysts believe that a tough measure like this should have followed concrete diplomatic engagements.
This move could already set the unstable region of the Middle East in a wrong direction, which can very well prove to be an opportunity for extremist organizations to cash in on their agenda, and strengthening their base further, undoubtedly resulting in an escalation of violence in the peace seeking troubled region.
It is essential for the Trump administration to ensure that the anti-Muslim outlook it carries is not reinforced by the decisions taken in the White House. The Muslim World hosts key strategic locations, and natural resources, and therefore, holds the potential to deliver good to the World, if given the opportunity.
Greatness for a country lies in promoting values of freedom, equality and peace not only within its boundaries, but across the boundaries as well. If the new US administration is aspirant of making US great again, it must resort to a global approach. Rest assured continuing on the current path, the US might take a walk of atonement on the road to greatness.
