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LETTER'S:

Post letters to Letters to the Editor, The Daily Times, 41-N, Industrial Area, Gulberg II, Lahore, Pakistan Phone: 92-42-5878614-19; Fax: 92-42-5878620 E-mail: letters@dailytimes.com.pk . Letters may be edited for length and clarity

One wo‘man’ show

Sir: Benazir Bhutto has announced that she will return on October 18. Her intended landing in Karachi seems rather strategic given the MQM’s strong presence in the city. Things are looking up for Bhutto and she has been rather expressive about her confidence, especially following reports that she will not be deported like Nawaz Sharif.

At this point in the PPP’s history, an important question needs to be asked: Given the party’s hyped desire for constitutionalism, rule of law and democracy, is it not fair that Bhutto should not be able to hold a third prime ministerial term? Why is no one else from the PPP allowed to represent the party? It is only logical that the party itself must become a democracy before it can bring democracy to the masses of Pakistan. So far, her life-time chairpersonship of the party seems rather autocratic, and also leads to personality-based politics instead of issue-based politics.
ADNAN QURESHI
London

Pakistan at risk

Sir: Until recently, the “deep-state” institutions such as the Pakistani intelligence community and the army’s special operations groups had not been directly targeted by suicide bombers. However, the attack on a bus carrying Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) officials in Rawalpindi on September 4, and the attack on the elite Special Services Group (SSG) in Tarbela-Ghazi on September 14 have illustrated the determination and sophistication of the Taliban-sympathetic insurgency.

Both these attacks have made it clear that the military and intelligence establishment is no more secure in their own headquarters far away from the volatile tribal areas. If the Pakistani army and intelligence community can attack insurgents in the tribal areas, the latter can also bring the conflict deep into the home territory of the armed forces.

Given the nature of the insurgency in the tribal areas and the general public disapproval of military attacks in the region, there seems to be no military solution to the problem. While it is necessary to conduct targeted, low-intensity operations aginst insurgents, efforts should be concentrated on securing political and economic changes in the tribal areas. For too long, the state has kept the tribal areas disconnected from the rest of the country. Only Political and administrative integration, as well as development projects aimed at improving the lives of tribal natives, will provide a long-term solution to the problem of extremism.
ATILLA AMIR IFTIKHAR
Islamabad

Reaction to military action

Sir: The attack on the SSG mess in Tarbela is condemnable. However, as the saying goes: as you sow so shall you reap. Isn’t this the result of our own state policies? Through our myopic policies we have made our security forces vulnerable to the anger of Islamist extremism. According to the laws of physics, every action has a reaction. Our military action on Islamist extremists and innocent people in the tribal areas has facilitated the current state of violence in our country. Anyone with some background knowledge of the tribal belt would acknowledge that the resolve of the people of that area is very fierce. A severe backlash should have been adequately anticipated during the Lal Masjid operation.

Pakistan is badly trapped. One the one hand, the US is urging Pakistan to continue as its frontline partner in the war on terror, and on the other, there is no short-term solution to the problems inflicting the tribal belt. The government should reconsider Pakistan’s policy in Waziristan because it is posing serious problems for the army and providing fertile ground for further extremism.
DR ABID RAUF ORAKZAI
Hangu

Mistaken identity

Sir: I am grateful to Maj Roy Joshua, President of the Pakistan Armed Forces Association of Canada, for pointing out that in my column, Postcard USA (Daily Times, September 16), I misidentified Lt Col Dr Syed Abid Husnain as Col Mehdi. My apologies to Col Husnain. It is just the sort of error to be expected from a “bloody civilian”.
KHALID HASAN
Washington DC

HEC’S digital library

Sir: This is with reference to the Higher Education Commission’s (HEC) new initiative to launch a national digital library to help students get easy access to books and other material of their choice online. According to the HEC, the electronic library contains over sixty-thousand books, of which 23,000 books went online some time back and 40, 000 more books have just been placed on its website to facilitate the students.

After hearing about this initiative, I tried in vain to search for some books through the HEC website. But whenever I tried to find a certain book, I was provided with links or other websites for the purpose. These links and websites do not provide the required material free of cost. HEC should have sorted out these issues before launching its digital library service.
YASSIR RASHEED
Rawalpindi

Untangling the army

Sir: This refers to your editorial “Implication of Al Qaeda’s attack on the Pakistan army” (Daily Times, September 13). It took the Government of Pakistan months to decide on an operation on Lal Masjid, the monster it had created by design or criminal negligence. Ever since, the situation has been deteriorating. First, it was just the suicide attacks. Now we are hearing of uncontested surrenders. Al Qaeda has done its homework well.

In 1958, the army decided to take on the role of governance as its main duty, neglecting, as a result, its primary duty of defending the homeland. It continued to create trouble for itself and the country. This trouble was in turn used to convince the Pakistani people that they needed the protection of the armed forces. As a result, we now have an over-involved military, and a poor fighting force.

The only solution that is available to Pakistan and its army, is to immediately restore genuine democracy by having honest elections and the army moving back to the barracks. We have trusted too many different entities with vested interests and have lost a lot in the process. It is time we listen to the people.
CAPT MANSOOR E KHAN
Via email

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