| November 20, 2001 | Tuesday | Ramazan 4, 1422 |
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Afghan history repeating itself
Promises for a Palestinian state
Constitution for Afghanistan
Homegrown terrorism
Festivals of minority communities
Advertisements everywhere
India’s interest in Afghanistan
CNN’s credibility
Dire shortage of food
Facts about Junagadh state
A humbling thought
Appeal to Qazi Sahib
An American’s advice to Jihadis
IMMEDIATELY after the Sept 11 events the US President declared war on terrorism and spontaneously targeted Osama Bin Laden as the prime suspect. Since the Taliban government headed by Mulla Umar in Afghanistan had given refuge to Osama and refused to hand him over to the American authorities, they were to face the consequences of the war.
Although war was ostensibly declared on terrorism, the main objective was to get Osama, dead or alive, and accordingly bombardment of Afghanistan commenced on Oct 7.
After a fortnight of heavy bombardment, which appeared to be abortive as far as the main objective was concerned, an unwritten alliance was made with the Northern Alliance to give air cover to their troop movement in Afghanistan, which in fact helped them to capture Mazar-e-Shareef and later on Kabul and other cities.
Now talks are going on for the formation of Afghan Council in collaboration with Loya Jirga under the aegis of the UN to administer Afghanistan. So it seems that getting Osama, dead or alive, has now receded in priority and that the main purpose of the war on terrorism was toppling of the Taliban government, which has been achieved.
But the objective of the coalition for eradication of terrorism should not end with the change of government in Afghanistan. They should ensure that there is no civil war in Afghanistan.
A.M. SAYIED
Karachi
AFGHAN history reveals that there is a great resemblance between the first Western onslaught on Afghanistan and the present US-led air strikes.
The first Anglo-Afghan war, which was fought in 1839, and the ongoing Anglo-US attacks against Afghanistan have the following common points:
The present supreme leader of the Taliban, Mullah Muhammad Omar, has been given the title of Amir-ul-Momineen. This title was also bestowed on the king of Afghanistan, Amir Dost Muhammad Khan, in 1839. The title was bestowed on him by a Loya Jirga, which the king had convened to seek a Fatwa about Jihad against the Sikhs and raising an army of tribal Pukhtoons for recapturing Peshawar and other areas of the NWFP from them. And it was for the first time in the history of Afghanistan that this title was used for the ruler of the country.
Like the present Taliban, Amir Dost Muhammad had also refused to accept the dictates of the then superpower, Great Britain, and was subsequently attacked.
Like the present circumstances wherein efforts are being made by the US and its allies to install the exiled king, Zahir Shah, after removing the Taliban from power, the then superpower had also installed an ex-king, Shah Shuja-ul-Mulk, on the throne of Kabul after defeating Amir Dost Muhammad. If the plans of the United States and its allies succeed, Zahir Shah would return to his country after three decades.
Interestingly, Shah Shuja-ul-Mulk was also enabled by the British India to reclaim his throne in Kabul after exactly 28 years in exile.
The similarity of events between these two wars against Afghanistan shows that history is repeating itself in the country. Though the results of the first Anglo-Afghan war are known and the British empire had confessed that it was the gravest misadventure in the history of British India, the results of the ongoing Anglo-US attacks are yet to be known.
FAZAL NIZAMANI
Charsaddah
ISRAEL has rejected a call given by the five permanent members of the UN, including the US, and has said that its forces will remain in the occupied Palestinian areas. Israel has also refused in the past to adhere to the UN Security Council resolution No. 242 and 338 which have demanded of Israel to vacate the Arab areas occupied during Arab-Israel war of 1967.
I would like to know what promises the US and British heads of state are making to the Palestinians when they cannot implement 30 years old UN resolutions? In the past, they have betrayed the Muslims. Same promises were made by Bush the Senior, during the Gulf War to get the support of Gulf countries but after the war, no oasis of peace was offered and Palestinians have suffered as more and more of their lands have been occupied by Israel.
This time too, when they felt the need for the support of Muslim states for the Afghanistan war, the US and the UK have given assurances for a Palestinian state but I know for sure that the Muslims will be fooled again. These are just empty promises.
ZULFIQAR ALI
Karachi
THE fall of Kabul to the Northern Alliance is a fait accompli. But a government consisting of only Alliance members cannot bring peace to the country. So to begin with Zahir Shah may be designated as President as he alone seems to be the acceptable candidate by all the ethnic groups.
He may form a cabinet of technocrats from Pakhtoons, Uzbeks, Tajiks and Hazaras in proportion to their respective population.
This list may be placed by Zahif Shah before the Loya Jirga for approval.
The cabinet will conduct the day-to-day administration and also draw up a draft constitution having the presidentional form of government. There will also be a with parliament whose members will be in proportion to the population of ethnic groups.
Lawyers with special knowledge of constitutional law may help the cabinet with the drawing up of the draft constitution.
The lawyers should also explain the salient features of the presidential form of government to the members of Loya Jirga so that when the draft constitution is submitted to them for approval they can critically examine the draft.
JALAL AHMED
Karachi
THE invective against Altaf Hussain (Nov 11) reminds me of one of the hikayat of Shaikh Saadi. A lion was shown a sketch that depicted a man killing a lion with his bare hands. The lion laughed and retorted, “Why not! The sketch was drawn by a man and not by a lion”. Goebbels believed that one should speak lies ad infinitum so that the public accepts them as a gospel of truth.
A privileged columnist, under the banner of freedom of press with unrestrained access to the media, can of course distort facts by following in the footsteps of Gauleiter of Berlin but he cannot suppress the truth for long. I wonder if the learned scribe, Ardeshir Cowasjee still remembers that the late Bhutto had also registered a number of false cases against him? So what does it prove? As for as the case FIR 211/91 of 24/6/91 filed by Major Kalimuddin is concerned, it is on record that Altaf Hussain had been acquitted of the charges honourably by the High Court. Tony Blair, in granting Altaf political asylum and British citizenship has made no exception.
Henry John Temple III, Viscount of Palmerston, one of his illustrious predecessors, not only provided political asylum to the most controversial revolutionary, Karl Marx, who was expelled from his own country, but also provided him free access to the British Museum from where he could release his monumental work Das Kapital in 1867.
Permit me to give a piece of advice to Cowasjee, “people who live in glasshouses have no right to throw stones at others.”
NASREEN JALIL
Karachi
IN many countries the heads of state or others in important public positions as well as the newspapers send greeting messages to the minority communities on the occasion of their religious festivals. This creates a feeling of goodwill among the members of the minority communities and strengthens their sense of belonging to that country.
Unfortunately in our country, only a few English newspapers regularly send greetings on such occasions to various minority communities living in Pakistan.
I have never come across any such message from the head of the state or from the head of any province on any festival of the Hindus, Christians or Parsis.
TARIQUE KHAN
Karachi
FOR those who may have missed watching Zavia on PTV, I want to translate what Ashfaque Ahmed said about the scourge of advertising.
Talking about ‘progress’ and ‘change’, he said that in the old days, hunters would go out to the fields with ‘beaters’ who would converge on the prey from all directions, beating their drums, cornering the prey, making it possible for the hunters to bag the animal.
These days, he said, it is the din of advertisements on TV, on billboards, on hoardings, accosting you here and there, as you approach a crossroads, as you go over a bridge, as you scan a magazine, as you vainly try to follow a TV play, in short, beating their drums at you from all directions, until they ‘bag’ you into making unnecessary purchases.
For those who have already been ‘bagged’ by the ubiquitous cable, my advice is that they spare half an hour on Thursday evenings to get a sense of the old world values.
To learn that change is good only if it improves the quality of your life and that of others around you, and not just for showing off that you can afford to discard the old for the new.
KHURSHID ANWER
Lahore
THIS is with reference to the UN chief’s statement that India is one of the countries with a direct interest in Afghanistan (like Pakistan and Iran). Will the UN chief please explain why India should have any interest in Afghanistan?
The people of Afghanistan are not Hindus, they have no ethnic relationship with Indians, and Afghanistan has no common border with India. Furthermore, why has India offered US $100 million to the Northern Alliance (money which would be better spent on feeding India’s own hungry millions living below the poverty line)? The Northern Alliance, by the way, are as harsh as the ousted Taliban.
The only reason for India’s unholy alliance with the Northern Alliance is to destabilize Pakistan. If not, why doesn’t India offer aid to Rwanda?
SHAKIR LAKHANI
Karachi
I never thought that the CNN could employ biased reporters. But the CNN story that two Pakistani aeroplanes landed at Kanduz to airlift Pakistan army personnel engaged in fighting there, proved otherwise.
This story appears to be entirely baseless and concocted. How could Pakistan, which is a member of the coalition against terrorism, send its army personnel to fight on the opposite side ? Secondly, how can Pakistani aircraft fly to Afghanistan without being detected by the US surveillance system which is in operation in that region these days?
Satinder Bindra reported this story, whose name indicates the country of his origin. Even at the CNN forum, he is carrying out a propaganda against Pakistan.
We also know that the Northern Alliance (NA) is being supported by the Indian Army. It is evident that the NA was advised to issue such a statement which was promptly reported by a CNN staffer of Indian origin.
But where is the credibility of the CNN now ?
HAMID MARWAT
Abottabad
RECENT reports in the press and statements by UNICEF and WFP representatives in Pakistan forecast a doomsday scenario in case sufficient food supplies don’t reach the Afghan refugees.
The most vulnerable are children who have suffered the trauma of displacement along with their parents. They need extra care and more nutritive and sufficient food intake and milk is their special need for resistance against diseases caused by food deficiency.
Powdered milk is being provided but it is to be mixed with water which is generally not clean. This preparation may lead to health problems. In the given situation, one possible and useful solution could be to arrange for packaged milk. This milk is fresh and safe and is ready to use.
Many companies are producing packaged milk. Relief agencies can purchase packaged milk from the Pakistani market and supply it to the refugees for their children.
DR NADIA TASLEEM
Islamabad
THIS refers to Ashfaque Naqvi’s letter (Nov 15) and an article by Haji Qasim Suleman (Nov 9) about Junagadh state.
Ismail Abrahimi, secretary for constitution affairs to Junaghadh state, met the Quaid-i-Azam on August 13, 1947 and communicated to him the decision of the state to join the Pakistan Dominion. The state formally acceded to Pakistan on September 15, 1947.
After this formal accession, the Indian leadership turned hostile and several towns and villages in the state were invaded. According to Sir Shah Nawaz Bhutto, Dewan of Junagadh “the administration of the state had been handed over to the Indian Union pending negotiations.”
According to a Press note issued by the Pakistan Foreign Minister on November 13, 1947, it was made quite clear to the Government of India that the Pakistan Government did not action recognize the Indian of Junagadh and could not regard the occupation as anything but an unwarranted violation of Pakistan territory. It added that after accept or neither the Dewan nor, for that matter, the Ruler himself had any authority to negotiate any settlement, temporary or permanent, with the Indian Dominion.
November 9 1947, reminds us of the forcible occupation of Junagadh state by India and the atrocities committed on the Muslim population thereafter.
It is most unfortunate that the Junagadh dispute does not seem to be on the list of United Nations agenda any more.
HAJI ESSA KATCHI
Karachi
OUR solar system is located at just the right distance from the centre of the milkyway galaxy at a distance of 28,000 light years. The earth is located at just the right distance from the sun to ensure the stability of surface water that gave rise to life on it. It has been reported that there is only a thin green belt in the middle of the milkyway galaxy that extends to about 12.50 per cent of its breadth extending over 100,000 light years that can ensure the formation of stars like the sun with heavy metals like iron and planets that could be safe from cometary collisions and exploding stars.
The above scientific findings remind us that as per the Holy Quran, Allah appointed man as his “khalifa” on earth which is a rare phenomenon in the Universe of which there is no like anywhere.
This is a humbling thought that we humans have been blessed with rare life supporting conditions on earth. How ungrateful of us humans that we have turned the earth into a vast killing fields and now in killing innocent civilians in Afghanistan in the wake of terrorists strikes in the US. There ought to be some other way of living peacefully on earth which is a gift of God to all of us. Let it not be misappropriated by a group of people to subjugate weaker peoples.
DR M. YAQOOB BHATTI
Lahore
I READ in recent newspaper reports that Qazi Husain Ahmad had appealed to the people to boycott all things American. In keeping with this, it would be appropriate for the Qazi Sahib to ask his children — who are American nationals — to return to Pakistan and to renounce their US nationality.
I also request the Qazi not to go to the United States for medical treatment.
Lastly, Islam abhors all forms of terrorism. I fail to understand why our ulema have not condemned this evil.
IKRAMUL HAQ
Faisalabad
BEWARE of unforeseen consequences of your doings. In striking the World Trade Centre, some fighters for Islam had wanted to hurt American capitalism. But they did not hurt the rich people. Many little people got killed, including about a hundred Muslims.
As business slowed down after the attack, many thousands of little people lost their jobs in the US and many millions all over the Third World, and in the Muslim countries. As tourism slowed down, many more little people lost their livelihood in those countries. The rich live as before and the stock exchanges kept functioning, now showing rising stock values. To change the spirit of America, the other martyrs, and now you, should take a different approach.
In missing the White House but striking the Pentagon, other fighters for Islam had wanted to provoke and hurt America, possibly helping the Palestinians in their fight for freedom and dignity against Israel. But what happened? America began restrained military action in Afghanistan. Israel, under Sharon, tried an aggressive copy operation by invading the Palestinian areas, killing 40 Palestinians by now and leaving devastation in the villages. The whole world, including Russia, Turkey, and Pakistan, clamped down on fanaticism and supported America To weaken America internationally and to help Palestine, the other martyrs, and now you, should take a different approach.
You want the Taliban Islam to be the dominant religion of the world. There are about I billion Muslims, in a world population of about 6 billion people. You have a long way to go. So-called “terrorist” acts bring you the admiration of some Muslims, may be some followers on the way to martyrdom. But the police organizations of the whole world will now catch more of the preachers and followers of your spirit and silence them.
The rest of the Muslim world will prefer a life in pious peace and personal morality.
To expand true Islam, the other martyrs, and now you, should take a different approach. We should never be foolish. We should never follow foolish preachers. We should follow the pious, the wise and the capable.
Why don’t you start a Muslim progress party that would help the Muslim people prosper in the modern world? Why don’t you do something for those Muslims who suffer? Your constructive force and charitable work would give glory to Islam, strengthen the Muslim countries - Why don’t you help to build a better world for us all, for you and me, your distant relative?
HELMUT SCHWAB
Princeton, NJ, USA
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