ISLAMABAD, Jan 7: As the US prepares to launch a swift attack on Iraq, Quaid-I-Azam University academics have called for a sustained peace movement to halt the advancing US war-machine mobilized by Bush and Rumsfield.

At a highly charged discussion held on the university premises, speakers shunned the terrorism option. The topic of the discussion was “possible American attack on Iraq.”

Noted peace activist and physicist, Dr Pervez Amirali Hoodboy, said, “attack on Iraq was not a war against Islam, as Muslim fanatics would put it, but in fact it is a war in pursuit of American interests in the region. The war machinery will roll over any military resistance that came in its way.”

He said, the US had initiated some 34 major wars around the world since 1945 killing millions of people, most of them innocent civilians.

Muslims constitute a very small fraction of the war victims. Only in Vietnam, US troops killed around a million people, which is much more than causalities caused by the US against any Muslim country.

Dr Hoodbhoy said despite massive loss of life and property in Vietnam, it did not chose “terrorism option” to defeat US. “They mobilized people and created a world opinion against war and US policy in Vitamin. History witness that they succeeded in it.

“What we really need in the present crisis is the zeal, commitment and comprehension of the global situation that will launch a sustainable peace movement,” he asserted.

Dr Khurshid Hassnain described oil as the major cause of war. America is using all possible ways to capture resources. Muslim countries have been told by the US either obey us or face ruination.

Dr Jameel Umer said we made great progress in the natural sciences but in social sciences we could not do as much. The result is that advancement in natural sciences facilitated invention and mass production of sophisticated lethal weapons. Whereas the backwardness of social sciences hindered the growth of social consciousness against violence.

American society has made advancement due to development in both sides of the division but the system has inherent limitations and national interests. He said the situation was under control till the occurrence of two important events.

First, the disintegration of Soviet Union, which inter alia brought down the balance of power regime and second, 9/11 which changed the shape of international relations.

The peaceful aspect of the US society suffered a severe setback because of 9/11. In the past hawks in the US administration had to listen to these people and they felt “hesitation” in bringing their evil ideas to reality. But after 9/11 those who try to oppose their war plans are conveniently declared “anti-American” and “unpatriotic”.—PPI