What is the point?... By Masood
09 October, 2012
Some right-wing media mongers in Pakistan are trying to convince the general public that, despite 'safety concerns', Imran Khan was proceeding with the long march into Waziristan to protest against US drone attacks. They cite safety concerns but do not tell from whom — from the Pakistan Army, the US drones or the Taliban themselves? It is obvious that neither the Pakistan Army nor US drones were going to attack the procession; the only hostile party left is the Taliban. In effect, Imran Khan was protesting against those who have established their announced/perceived rule in the tribal areas, who are involved in cross-border attacks and who are running suicide bombing production factories that churn out zombies to attack mosques, markets, schools and shrines in Pakistan. Imran Khan's protest is nothing but a political gimmick. It is to encash the strategy religious parties and their right-wing media mongers have worked out to fool the public into thinking that the Taliban are waging a holy war against the 'infidels'. It is wrong to presume that the Taliban are a product of the drones. In fact, it is the other way around. If the Taliban cease their activities in Pakistan and Afghanistan and kick out all the foreign militants from Pakistani soil, drone attacks will automatically stop as they will not be required. If 2,000 people have been killed in drone attacks (including several hundred top militants) in the last 10 years, then what about the 40,000 civilians and military personnel bombed by the Taliban? Is there any comparison between the two? If Imran Khan is so interested in long marches, then he should do it for some noble cause such as reviving the polio eradication campaign in the tribal areas, in the Pashtun localities of Karachi and Pashtun majority districts of Balochistan. MASOOD KHAN
Jubail, Saudi Arabia
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Reader Comments:
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Imran Khan's march was for the war stricken innocent people of waziristan, Not in favour of the Taliban. And whatever his political opponents may say, he has created the much-needed awareness in this regard, on national and international level.
The locals of Waziristan are peaceful people and victims of both the taliban and the drone strikes. To say that the drone strikes on the innocent are justifiable because of the taliban presence, would be wrong...
Bilal Khan, Pakistan - 09 October, 2012
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