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Main battle must now be fought by the people: Lahore Note Book Rahim Sheikh lOur office is just 25 yards from the place terrorists attacked the 15 Police Rescue office. My office is no more. Why attack an ambulance and rescue service? This is a clear sign of desperation. This is a call to all Pakistanis to weed out extremists living among the community. My view is that the real target was the ISI office just across the street. Two senior Army officers have also been killed, so tells us official sources. This is besides the over 40 policemen and citizens who perished in this mindless blast, not to speak of the hundreds injured, some very badly. The "recoil" of the military operation in the NWFP will continue, as the terrorists, clearly enemies of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and his religion of peace, hit back before finally being overwhelmed. In an earlier piece one had said that we should not live in an illusion. This is a fight to the end. But mind you, the terrorists will be overwhelmed by the people. Yes, the Pakistan Army and the police of all the provinces will bear the brunt, but the main battle must now be fought by the people. The main action was an initial gunfight, followed by one explosion. The rebound of the blast was as severe. After all, a 100 kilo bomb is no joke. This was a huge attack, very well planned and one is also hearing reports of two persons firing after the blast and escaping. We also hear of six arrests, maybe half of them innocent, or so it seems. But even in this hour of anguish, Pakistanis must not lose their head. This is going to be a very long and bitter fight, and we must not lose sight of the objective … that is to save Pakistan and make it a true Islamic republic where no Islamic political parties are allowed to function to promote the exclusion of other Muslims. That is why such moves on the political front, in the Constitution, are critical. The war against terrorism must now be widened to include the people of Pakistan. The people of Lahore and the Punjab will also be hit, and hit badly. In return the people of the NWFP, FATA and PATA know full well that enough food will be provided by the Punjab to keep going. That is why this war must be fought in every village of the NWFP and Punjab. It must be organised at the village and streets level. All religious leaders must be kept under scrutiny and all 'talibs' must be watched, especially by their own families. This war will have to be fought at the family level. We have lessons in our own history to learn from. Take the Thug Campaign. That was a war won by the intelligence services and by the ruthless elimination of all thugs. Mind you even that was a religious sect. They had to be eliminated. Sadly, that happens when beliefs cross all reason. It hurts humanity, and humanity must never be violated, just as the Taliban are doing. But on the other side of the spectrum we must accept that Pakistan is a very corrupt society where honest effort is not rewarded. Governance is bad, justice is denied and economic development is ignored. As in our case this entire mess has been triggered by the Afghan War, we must accept that the entire world should assist. But, in the end it is our country, and we have the motivation to beat these extremists. That is why we must make sure that terrible attacks like the Lahore Blast must not derail our effort to eliminate the Taliban. They are a genuine threat to Islam and to our way of life; they are a threat to the entire female population, to all educated men, to men of vision and to the wise old men of our villages and cities. In short, this is a threat to our civilization. Let not this blast derail the war. Battles are lost, of that there is no fear. But we must not lose the war.
The Frontier Post:May 28, 2009 |