Hush the Barking Dog

‘Barking dogs seldom bite’, but seldom they do bite. A sane person would never suggest taking a risk, so better take precautionary measures while you come across a barking dog.

History speaks of the plight that the allies and friends of the US of A have met. The USA has been directly and indirectly forwarding threats of attacking our homeland_ attacking an ally in the war against terrorism. The USA has made its intentions pretty clear. That they have the same policy on cards for Pakistan as is for Afghanistan should serve as an eye opener and make us realize where we stand. Our previous governments were subdued to the pressure exerted by the USA government and in utter allegiance gave it the status of the sacred cow. If standing tall against the USA was never advisable then where do we stand now having rendered all the services? Or, again, would it make a difference if we kept on cooperating with them and would it ensure peace, stability and respect for our nation?

General Kyani has finally broken the ice and has made it clear that no foreign aggression would be allowed within the Pakistani territory. If Kyani be resolute in his stance, the government would be left with the choice of either siding with the army or the old friend. I would leave it for the readers to make their own perception of this situation but I hold the view that it is always better to die with honour than live in utter disgrace, that it is better to die once than dying every other day. In the words of great Tipu Sultan, ‘A lion’s life of one day is better than a jackal’s life of hundred days.’

Time to Act, Mr. President

A joke goes that a suicide bomber was going to hit his target. Just when he reached there he pushed the button of the bomb attached to his vest. The bomb did not blast because of some manufacturing fault but due to shock and a sense of being torn into pieces the suicide bomber fainted. When he got back to senses he was in a hospital but he thought that he was already dead. As he forced himself on the stretcher his eyes caught hold of a beautiful nurse. ‘Subhan Allah’, he at once said thinking that the promise of heaven had been fulfilled. ‘A total of seventy hoors had been promised, where are the other ones?’ asked the suicide bomber again.

Exploiters and opportunists have long been playing their games in the name of Islam which heightens the ignorance of the common lot. To name only the few_ ignorance combined with absence of common sense, rampant social injustice and lack of opportunities are some of the reasons behind the creation of suicide bombers. The deprived, the downtrodden, and the ignorant can easily be brainwashed. Too many fanatical bigots have been created in the past few years. The peace situation, beside many others, should be the core issues for Zardari’s government to tend to. It is time when the government should aim at uprooting the evil rather then just brushing the leaves. It is most obvious that suicide bombers come from backward and neglected areas and possibly have also been a victim to injustice in one way or the other.

The government under Zardari should give more importance the areas that have been neglected in the past. Also, the slogan ‘Roti, Kapra aur Makan’ needs modification. That even the promise of the original slogan has yet to be fulfilled is another fact, a bitter reality that Mr. Zardari needs to realize. For a president like him having a yours sincerely kind of Prime Minister and a clear majority in the assembly, finding a solution to the country’s problem should not be an impossible task. But whether he succeeds or not would become clear in the time to come. However, if the President’s intention is to do nothing he can always leave it to the parliament which has already been given the task to decide on the 17^th amendment and the 58-2(b) issue.