War on Terror: Time to pull out?

DAVID Miliband’s assertion that the ‘war on terror’ was a mistake, together with Nato’s Secretary-General Jaap De Hoop Scheffer’s criticism of pro-American Afghan President Hamid Karzai clearly indicates a rift between Europe and America towards Afghanistan and Pakistan.

International relations and global realities have changed tremendously since 9/11. The war on Iraq has exposed the limits of American military might. Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghuraib exposed the moral bankruptcy of American regime which tremendously weakened American political power.

The resurgence of Taliban in Afghanistan is testing the commitment of International Security Assistance Forces. The conflict between Georgia and Russia and now between Europe and Russia over gas supplies has marked the return of a belligerent anti-western power to the international stage.

The Iraq war and the recent butchery of Gazan Muslims in Palestine have exposed the bias inherent in international institutions such as the United Nations towards the West and its interests. And, above all, the most severe economic crisis has hit the West and crippled its economy, shattering the core capitalist principles of free market economy.

All of these factors have weakened western powers and their ability to influence states like Pakistan. Now is the time for Pakistan to review its foreign policy and make radical changes in it. The challenge on the eastern front provides Pakistan a golden opportunity to make a case for pulling out from the self-destructive war on terror.

The Pakistani government has already indicated that it would pull out from the war on terror if India isn’t reined in by the international community. After the rift increasing between America and Europe over the war on terror, Pakistan should actually move beyond just sending signals.

MOEZ MOBEEN
Islamabad

DAWN - Letters; January 22, 2009

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Protests @ LUMS against Israeli agression & International communities role in Gaza crisis.

Students at LUMS held a protest today, Tuesday, the 6^th of January, against the continuing, genocidal Israeli assault on the people of Gaza. Over a hundred students assembled on the LUMS campus in the afternoon, holding placards denouncing and condemning the illegal and unjustifiable Israeli aggression, as well as the stark inadequacy of the response of the international community, including the government of Pakistan.

Various students and distinguished members of the faculty, like Dr. Rasul Bakhsh Rais and Mr. Abdul Rehman Mustafa spoke on the occasion, highlighting the plight of the people of Gaza and the complicity of the United States in their oppression. The US government was chided for thwarting all international efforts to broker a ceasefire between the warring parties. Shock was expressed at the lackadaisical attitude of the United Nations Security Council in brokering a ceasefire and addressing the gargantuan problems of the Gazans. The humanitarian crisis in Gaza due to the 2 year long blockade of the territory by Israeli forces was also highlighted by the students, with appeals made to lend a practical helping hand through the provision of humanitarian aid to the terror-stricken residents.

The students spoke about the need to continue their efforts to contribute to the international pressure being built on the Israeli government to withdraw their forces from Gaza and lift the illegal blockade.

In the end, the students put their names and signatures to a petition being sent to the US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice by Amnesty International to urge the US to prevent the unfolding humanitarian crisis in the Gaza strip.

After offering Fateha for the deceased and praying for an end to the suffering of those caught in the ugly conflict, the students then dispersed peacefully.

UN official praises Pakistan’s cooperation

By Anwar Iqbal

WASHINGTON, Dec 23: A senior UN official has said that Pakistan has extended full cooperation in implementing UN sanctions against Jamaatud Dawa and Lashkar-e-Taiba.

Richard Barrett, the Coordinator of Security Council’s Al Qaeda and Taliban Sanctions Monitoring Committee, told CNN-IBN in New York that the United Nations had received “across-the-board” cooperation from all Pakistani civil and military agencies.

The committee is responsible for monitoring sanctions imposed by the Security Council on individuals and organisations declared terrorist.

Mr Barrett said he found “very good atmosphere of cooperation” in all his dealings with officials in Pakistan, “whether it’s the government, elected officials, ministries, the intelligence services or the army”.

UN official praises Pakistan’s cooperation -DAWN - Top Stories; December 24, 2008

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