BUTCHERS OF PESHAWAR--- ARE THEY GOOD OR BD TALIBAN

http://www.dsalert.org/dialogue/2014/12/butchers-of-peshawar-are-they-good-or-bad-taliban/

Killing of 140 or more innocent school children is such an inhuman and a barbaric act, which can only be performed by desensitised and deranged people. No civilised person would accept this diabolical carnage, however one dislikes the other person. Pakistan must realise that demons have come to live within Pakistan and their population is on the increase day by day. If left unchecked, it would be catastrophic for Pakistan as a polity. India cannot feel comfortable at a destabilised Pakistan. Pakistan establishment ought to take this viewpoint of India seriously because India no more lives in 1947 and to her Pakistan is a reality as a neighbour. It is this lack of confidence that makes Pakistan view her as an enemy till eternity.

‘Butchers of Peshawar’ ought to make Pakistan’s establishment realise that there was nothing GOOD about Taliban; it is all BAD and horrific. It is time for Pakistan and its leadership to realise that Taliban has outgrown its desired role and become a monster, nibbling at the very foundations of Pakistan. Pakistan has been rearing and nourishing a devil in its backyard, hoping to use it as a strategic asset to create ‘strategic depth’ in Afghanistan. Taliban cannot be treated as a STRATEGIC ASSET anymore.

Pakistan must give top priority to its KHYBER PAKHTUKHWA (KPK) and tribal areas and put Kashmir in a deep freezer, at least for next 10-15 years. Save whatever is existing as Pakistan. In the past, their bid to annexe Kashmir, led to loss of its Eastern wing, ie Bangladesh. Now KPK and tribal areas are threatening to fall apart, while Pakistan military has been busy manipulating events in Indian Kashmir. Its focus must change. It must smash the inexorable head of this snake gobbling up Pakistan.

Pakistan must come out of the mindset of 1947 and reorient itself as a people of 21st century. Its hatred of India has led it into this psyche. The other day after the champion trophy semi-final match between India and Pakistan at Bhubneshwar, this hatred was unequivocally displayed by its hockey players. The obscene gestures reflected the venom that has been stuffed into every Pakistani over the years by Pakistan’s ruling junta. Officialdom in Pakistan continues to blame India for Kashmir conflict and creation of Bangladesh, while true facts are otherwise.

It is this hatred which led her to three and a half wars with India over Kashmir. When it realised that it cannot annexe it through a military conflict, it unleashed WOM (War by Other Means) in Kashmir and India through its “Irregular Soldiers”. Later it tried to co-opt Talibans into this venture when Soviets went out of Afghanistan. “Jihad Factories” sprang up in its tribal areas of KPK.

But two events in the decade of 90s set at naught Pakistan’s WOM in Kashmir. First was the First Gulf War of 1991 and second was the 9/11 incident. In the first instances, the Gulf War allowed the leverage to India to pull Kashmir out of the jaws of Pakistan. “AZADI Movement” lost its shine because of West’s attention having different priorities. In the second case, Taliban fell out of favour with USA and Pakistan lost its greatest ally against India. Thereafter it was all a slide down in Pak-Taliban relations. And Peshawar massacre shows that it has reached its nadir of enmity.

A Pakistani anchor on ARY TV channel has blamed India and RAW for this carnage. He quoted from an article in Urdu Express newspaper of a few days earlier, where it was alleged that RAW would engineer two major terrorist incidents, one each in India and Pakistan, to put the blame on India. However India could retort back that it could be ISI job for its known connection with Taliban. Such a blame game is not the solution to what Pakistan faces internally. Therefore, it would be stupid of Pakistan to blame India for Peshawar genocide. Instead, it must seek Indian cooperation to deal with this monster. It cannot do so by blaming India as an excuse for raking up Kashmir. This issue has to go into a deep freezer, at least for next 5-10 years. Besides, Pakistan military ought to realise that without Indian help it cannot tackle Taliban effectively. If Pakistan continues its adventure in Kashmir, India reserves the right to exploit Taliban. And what it often accuses India of, might become a reality one day because nothing is impossible, when money plays its game.

Pakistan is always in a denial mode when told about Pakistan sponsored terrorist attacks in India, particularly Kashmir. In fact it calls the terrorists as ‘Stateless Actors’ though they roam about freely in Pakistan. Pakistan is not taking action against Hafiz Saeed, mastermind of Mumbai terrorist attack of November 30, 2008. Lack of evidence is cited as a reason, despite a full dossier having been handed to the Pakistan authorities by India. Now, what other evidence it wants. Hafiz is closely associated with Taliban.

Time for India and Pakistan to behave as responsible nations of the GLOBALISED world. The “Butchers of Peshawar” and “Killers of Mumbai” must be brought to the book at the earliest for endurable peace to be ushered in South Asia. And the ball is in Pakistan’s court.