Wrong side of religion!

[Guest guest]

>Title: Wrong Side Of Religion! >Author: C R IRANI >Publication: The Statesman

>Nov 18, 2001 > >Ever since Americaís world-wide campaign against

terrorism in >early October, we have been crying ourselves hoarse that

>Pakistan and Taliban are locked in an inseparable embrace and >Pakistani

inputs would be misleading. They are now finding >out for themselves, which is

always the best way to learn! >Witness the fiasco over commando raids inside

Taliban >territory and the murder of Abdul Haq, a Northern Alliance >commander,

led to his death by Pakistani officers in league >with Taliban. They did not

even allow his family to bury him. >Vladimir Putin, having failed to convince

Bush of the true >nature of the Pakistan/ Taliban axis, did not waste time;

>black belt karate experts tend not to do so! He went straight >to Burhanuddin

Rabbani, once president of Afghanistan, living >in Dushanbe, which persuaded

Bush that if he wanted an end of >Osama bin Laden and terrorism, he should be

careful about >humouring Musharraf. > >Bush and Musharraf then turn into

traffic cops, asking >Northern Alliance to stop outside Kabul, meander around

it to >the south, there to wait until Bush, Blair and Musharraf give >further

instructions. The Alliance have benefited from the >fearful American bombing

but Bush also knew that only their >troops could defeat Taliban. The fall of

Kabul was greeted >with jubilation; television screens gave the lie to

>Musharrafís simulated fears. > >It is time to correct misconceptions fed to

America by >Pakistan: > >1) The Taliban must be part of any new government on

ethnic >grounds. All Pashtuns are not Taliban nor are all Taliban, >Pashtuns.

Taliban include, Arabs and Pakistanis among other >fanatics. The impressive

Foreign Minister of the provisional >government set up by the Northern

Alliance, Dr Abdullah >Abdullah is a Pashtun. The majority of commanders of the

>Northern Alliance are pashtuns. > >2) The reason for Musharrafís panic is clear

enough. >Pakistani regulars fighting alongside Taliban were in danger >of

exposure; it transpires that 19 Urdu speaking Pakistanis >were captured in

Kabul in one go. Jubilant crowds greeted >Alliance troops shouting ó death to

Taliban!, death to >Pakistan! Children spat on the dead mercenaries. Retreating

>Taliban took young women with them. Protection of virtue and >prevention of

vice ó my foot!Ý > >3) Pakistan shares a long border with Afghanistan and

>therefore any new administration in Kabul must be friendly to >Pakistan. The

short answer is that India has a longer border >with Pakistan and no

friendship! By Musharrafís logic, >Islamabad should change its government! It

is no part of the >duty of any country to pass a friendship test imposed by a

>neighbour. Friendship is a two-way street; unless Musharraf >is wanting yet

another bonus from America ó at Afghanistanís >expense. > >4) A desperate

Musharraf is demanding United Nationsí >intervention, which he can manipulate

with American help. >This is merely absurd. Dr Abdullah has invited all groups

to >come to Kabul to discuss a new government. That is how it >should be and

the UN could be a facilitator. Kofi Annan has >already asked all outsiders

(including Pakistan) to stay out. > >5) Afghanistan is Pashtun. This is simply

not true. The >population is mixed; although Pashtuns are the largest single

>group, they do not constitute a majority by themselves. Does >Musharraf order

his own country on ethnic lines? Does he >allow representation for Shias,

Mohajirs, Ahmediyas and the >rest? Does he give any Pakistani for that matter,

any say in >the countryís affairs? By what right then does he preach to

>others? Mutatis mutandis, this goes for Bush and Blair too. >Religion plays no

part in their affairs; neither does ethnic >extraction. Why then must these be

relevant in Afghanistan? >Why cannot all those who inhabit Afghanistan be

treated as >Afghans? > >6) Afghanistan has Islamic fundamentalists and the rest

and >the divide is sharp. The Taliban would not allow men to >shave, women to

work, girls to go to school or music or chess >to be played. The name of the

game is oppression and >oppressors must be crushed, not invited into a new

>government!. The first edict of the Northern Alliance in >Kabul was to remove

these restrictions. Music is playing, men >are shaving beards and women have

come into their own. >Musharraf would herd these two incompatibles into one

>government, hoping that while the cats quarrel, he can run >away with the

nuts! The world is not that dumb. > >7) Now the riddle. Musharraf is not a

fundamentalist, yet he >has forged unbreakable links with the Taliban and is

>desperate to give them a place in the sun, something rightly >denied by the

Northern Alliance and other countries including >France. Apart from the greed

involved in drug trafficking, >his excuse is religion, his objective, Kashmir.

He needs >fanatics to die for Islam there. It is now proven that >Taliban have

used mercenaries including Pakistanis. Why does >Bush say he will not give

Northern Alliance any favours? >Nobody has asked him for any!Ý > >Afghanistan

has a right to be treated as a civilised country. >We must not accept the wrong

side of religion. >

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