Pakistan: Seeking an end to terrorists funding

Notwithstanding the deaths and injuries the terrorists' caused on Friday, the scorecard of terrorists' strikes in Pakistan reads: two explosions took place one each in Hangu and Kohat's Dhoda area; a cracker bomb was thrown at an Awami National Party (ANP) National Assembly candidate in Landhi; and a convoy of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) in Mach faced gunfire from the militants. In Islamabad, an advisory issued by the Intelligence agencies claims that the Tahrik-e-Taliban Pakistan has reportedly made a comprehensive plan to kidnap former President Pervez Musharraf for which it has constituted different teams. This is not the first time that the intelligence agencies through its mouth-piece the interior ministry have made revelations, predicting more bomb blasts and suicide attacks in various parts of the country. Some of these predictions, during the period of the previous regime even came true, giving the former interior minister Rehman Malik a chance to brag. But practically, the non-stop chatter of Rehman Malik miserably failed to counter or to foil the attacks he had predicted. Thus the militants gained a significant strength in the previous regime, leaving him with the title of 'motor-mouth'. He is gone. Hopefully he will never come back but the spirit of modus lingers on in the ministry. The ministry still believes in telling the people about the information it gathers. It is not the ministry's job to tell people about terrorists' plan; rather, its prime duty is to protect the people from the destruction the terrorists wreak. Mere vague predictions of the coming evil without any effective plan to make them not come true, create panic and better when avoided. The repeated failure of the government agencies in performing their duties has rendered the entire country vulnerable to the terrorists. Numerically terrorists' ratio to the Pakistan military might is insignificant but the militants' tactical planning, conviction and courage to execute what they believe in is arguably far more superior. The militants, on both sides of the Durand Line, strike at will the Pak security forces' check posts, kidnap the personnel there with the dreaded outcome of finding the slaughtered bodies of the abducted personnel on the roadsides. All these incidents are not mere acts of terrorism rather it is a proxy war that the Blackwater agents and their cronies have unleashed on Pakistan. Islamabad should take up the matter with the USA leadership in categorical terms to seek an end to the foreign support and funding to the terrorist outfits, failing which Pakistan cannot win against militancy, otherwise, Islamabad would need to revisit its policy on the war on terror. In fact, Pakistan must withdraw its support and cooperation to the foreign forces in Afghanistan till they stop backing the militants operating in Pakistan. Our forces have been stretched to the limit; yet, they are putting up a brave fight. The patience of the people, however, is running short, and the time is not far when the people of Pakistan first will throw out the American stooges sitting in the corridors of power and then stand up against meddling of the foreign forces in the country. The masses have already turned back on all the coalition partners-ANP, PPP and the MQM--who had served Americans' interests in the region without caring much about the loss of human life and material that Pakistan suffered during last five years or so. The verdict of the people is already in the form of 'writing on the wall. Read it, come May 11.