KARACHI, Feb 22: American unilateralism and its attempt to bypass the United Nations are significantly contributing to global instability after the 9/11 incident; and the situation must be reversed.
This was the consensus among the participants of a workshop— The World After September 11: Challenges and Opportunities— organized on Saturday by the Department of International Relations, Karachi University, under its programme on peace studies and conflict resolution, in collaboration with the Hanns Seidel Foundation.
The “preventive defence” paradigm of the US, which means bypassing the UN, was considered a “very dangerous notion”, especially as it focuses mainly on the Muslims world over. Questions were also raised about the American definition of terrorism and it was emphasized that the UN was the best medium to resolve conflicts.
It was noted that the biggest casualties of the 9/11 incident were Pakistan-India relations and the SAARC summit.
In his keynote address, Pervaiz Iqbal Cheema of the Policy Research Institute Islamabad said the tragic event of September 11 had not only led to the international coalition against terrorism but had also caused the US-led war against Afghanistan; and now another consequence could be seen in the preparations for war against Iraq.
He dwelt on what exactly constitutes terrorism and how best to counter it. He also spoke of the conveniently ignored difference between terrorism and freedom struggles, with particular reference to Kashmir.
Ross Masood Hussain of the Hanns Seidel Foundation defined terrorism as a form of low-intensity warfare.
He said the worldwide surge of terrorist activities was a result of the interplay of political, social, economic, cultural and psychological factors that had releazed a process of socio-psychological disruptions causing sharp ideological, ethnic, linguistic, class, religious, cultural, economic and communal divisions and conflicts.
Dr Moonis Ahmar in his paper held that terrorism was a major destabilising factor even before 9/11, but things had taken a critical turn with the United States and its allies launching a major offensive against Al-Qaeda and intensifying pressure on various groups and states. He said it was time to objectively analyze the situation and reach some logical conclusions. Mr Haider Nizamani said the means and methods employed by the US to root out terrorism were highly questionable to many nations and the Muslim masses perceived the war on terrorism as a euphemism for anti-Muslim policies adopted by the Bush administration.
Ammara Durrani’s paper dealt with the role various actors have played to influence the war on terror in view of Washington’s blatant display and use of power.
Noman Sattar noted that the role and status of American Muslims had changed in many ways and they were under severe strain because of targeted attacks, surveillance of individuals and the registration procedures by the INS.
Sridhar K. Khatri of the Regional Centre for Strategic Studies emphasized the need for creating profiles of terrorist groups to examine their objectives , motivations, leadership, organizational structure, decision-making process, strategies and source of funding. Earlier, during the inaugural session, Dean of Karachi University’s Faculty of Arts, Dr Abu Zar Wajidi, expressed the view that terrorism was a special form of political violence aimed at creating a climate of extreme fear in a wide target.
Prof Wajidi maintained that 9/11 had posed a challenge to the United Nations Security Council and the international community, and that it should be met through concerted efforts.
He said the international community must take notice of state terrorism unleashed on helpless people in Palestine and Kashmir.
Resident Representative of the Hanns Seidel Stiftung, Germany, Dr Andreas Rieck, said terrorism was a sensitive subject that should be discussed in a cool and dispassionate manner.
Chairperson of the KU Department of International Relations, Dr Talat A. Wizarat, opined that the spirit of justice must be ensured in international dealings, and that there was a need to promote understanding among nations.
