Afghan Press Author: Rooh-ul- Amin

The discussion is not at all about the Hollywood film “Fear” that released in 1996 but it’s about the fear that quivered the country after the recent bomb explosion in Badhbair Police Station, second within this month targeting the same area, amid the celebrations of two co-incident events—the National Defence Day and the ordaining of Asif Ali Zardari as 12th president of Pakistan.

The bomb blast resulted at the loss of 35 lives including six police constables and 90 other casualties.

The detonation was so powerful that it caved in two buildings in its vicinity. This time its fear loomed large in the minds of public as well as law enforcing agencies as it unleashed more destruction than the previous one.

On one hand according to a police official it could be the aftermath of the recent operation against the insurgents in Mattani Peshawar while on the other hand Tahreek-e-Taliban (Darra) accepted its responsibility.

It has been reported that more than 60-kg explosive material was used and it was detonated by a younger of 20-year. The firing at Matta Mansehra cowered the masses further and caused a great unrest in the area as it claimed more than 20 lives coupled with two in Mattani and an explosion in the ISI office in Swat that razed its edifice the same day.

The incident baffled the government because its Ramadhan package (Ramadhan Peace Accord) with terrorists turned barren, as it could not abstain miscreants from plotting terrorist activities.

The blast was a token by the terrorists that Pakistan will not take a sigh of relief and more torturous incidents are yet to befall at their hands. Zardari could have selected another day for presidential election but he wanted to give the Army the impression that how much muscular man he is, now a days, in the political arena. One thing really very saddening was the coverage of Zardari that eclipsed National Defence Day and the tumult in Badhabair. One blunder he committed from the outset was his genial thank to Altaf Hussain for helping him bringing Zardari to this Zenith of power instead the nation.

We journalists criticise not for personal biases but for national interest and as a national black incident how one can forget the Karachi carnage of 12th May 2007 that added erupted ethnic crisis was fabricated by his hometown.

It was very odd to see dancing and chanting people over the victory of Zardari, contrary to it was the scene presenting a view of dooms day while watching the TV tube.

The inferno of the explosion dragged me back to the days of general elections 2008, when one of my co-leagues called me for the coverage of Awami National Party leader’s press conference. Presenting his motto to the newsmen during his election campaign Asfandyar Wali stressed for ‘peace’ in the Pukhtoons region and appealed for the end of their Bloodshed.

“For God sake don’t give my child a vest and bandolier of explosive material instead a bag of books and don’t give at my child’s hands a Clashinkove instead a pen” were the words that dominated the press conference and indeed it widened his party’s vote bank across the province. Declaring it a self-imposed malady he denounce it as a by-product of allying the US in its war on terror adding that Pukhtoons have nothing to do with terrorism. Many hearts might have blossomed at his words that now the fiasco will be over when ANP will come in power because their own Pukhtoon brothers allegedly terrorists will give an ear to them. But the past seven months after the election proved it as a misconception and witnessed severe surge of terror across the country.

The second point that he expressed was the re-nomenclature of the province as they have been demanding it since the birth of Pakistan but it was on spot criticised by a journalist in the conference hall.

Right after coming into power he took a bold decision by kicking at the call of Richard Boucher to US consulate at Peshawar.

A columnist hailed him with appreciation for his bold step but after attending a conference at GHQ along with other prominent politicians, where they were briefed with globalscenario and the challenges facing Pakistan these critical days, he preferred for silence. Since then he is under hibernation and his silence denotes two possible reasons that it’s not self-imposed war as conceived by him rather foreign-imposed and Pakistan has not the propensity to fight it on both the fronts. For him the second reason could be his words of pre-election times.

But after his silence another ANP leader added that till now the war has engulfed more than 0.5 million Pukhtoons.

Pondering over it, it shows that it’s the war against Pukhtoons only and not the Pakistanis. No doubt war on terror has been inflicting huge loss in men and material on Pukhtoons since its eruption but it must be taken as national issue instead regional. Lest it will undermine the sense of patriotism, which is considered the essence of unity and history has shown that the nations who have lost this sense have lost their identity. Don’t go far but see the story of Muslim empire in India, who ruled the revered land of Bharat Mata at least for 850 years But their strength dismantled forever when they lost their sense of unity. Now looking at the world scenario and rapid changes nationalist leaders must avoid regional politics and ANP now must come out of the narrow area as MQM is striding hard to grow its wings as a national party of Pakistan so why cannot it.

Until US tanks are lumbering around Pakistan and its aircrafts are hovering above its air, Pakistan will have to sustain its cost in shape of such anarchism for a famous American columnist once wrote that former US president Bill Clinton has already prepared an anti-missile system with an expenditure of $60 billion to be used against China, Iran and Pakistan. This missile system was named as MAD-2.

The countries were arranged with alphabetical order but it seems that for that system Pakistan looked more prone so it initiated its war first in Pakistan and will initiate in rest of the two countries later on. Till now for more than a dozen times US in its air strikes have violated Pakistan’s frontiers but a Colt Pakistan what can do in front of a turned-headed elephant like US.

Because Pakistan is neither Iran that has the courage to defy US decrees and nor China that has a non-violent policy and is a mute spectator. Anyhow both the countries are on the brink wherefrom it’s hard enough for them to runaway from such a situation. The policy of getting closer to US has made Pakistan stranded in world community so how can it directly clash with American interests in this region.

Gen. (Retired) Robert W-Ruskasy, who has been the Commander of American forces in South Korea, writes in his memoir, “for the US military interests Pentagon has devised a plan that for America will have to go another cold war. Therefore its essential for US to keep its army in Japan by any means.” In such a global scenario one can conceive the fate of countries like Pakistan, which seems to be drifting away from its proverbial and time-tested friend China. And the recent example is that Zardari received congratulations from Afghanistan, Iran and US but China refrained, which shows that some thing is black at the bottom.