Marginalize Taliban/Omar’s Thinking Line
It has been almost two decades that Taliban line of thinking, which is inspired by broader Al-Qaeda thought, has served as a source of conflict and violence in Afghanistan and the region as a whole. This extremist line of thinking neither reflects the core and essence of Islamic teachings nor does it allow for development and prosperity of the societies.
The leader of Al-Qaeda, Osama Bin Laden, who blurred the image of Islam, which is a religion of peace and coexistence, by spreading violence and terror was killed and it is hoped his violent philosophy will also die and give its place to the, as in Obama's word, "moral force of non-violence" spearhead the peaceful youths in Arab world. But the leader of Taliban, which is regarded to be as satellite branch of Al-Qaeda network, is still alive and continues to order the fringes under his command to kill, slaughter, wound and kidnap innocent people in Afghanistan.
On Monday, May 23, 2011 it was reported that the one-eyed leader of the Taliban has been killed in Pakistan province of Balochistan. But the militants' spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid has denied the reports saying, "This is absolutely wrong. It's only propaganda and we completely deny these rumors. He is inside Afghanistan and he is busy directing military operations with his commanders."
No doubt, Afghan families who have lost their loved ones in terrorist and insurgents' attacks led by Mullah Omar almost in the last two decades will be happy to hear his death. Whether he is killed or kept alive, it is important to marginalize and kill his thinking line that claims to have the key to truth, and kills whoever refuses to subscribe to it. Afghan people have already been witnesses to the legacy of Taliban thinking: massacres of their fellow-citizens in different parts of the country, destruction of their cultural heritages, years of deprivation of education and obstruction of progress and development.
Even today Afghan people continue to beg aid from international community to build schools to educate themselves and rebuild their country but since the militants are not defeated and dismantled, Afghans see the signs of Taliban and Mullah Mohammad Omar's thinking in torched schools, bombed roads, destroyed bridges and sometimes cruelly beheaded men and women of their country. Afghanistan deserves to be home to new thinking that would attach value to human life, stimulate development and civilization and allow interaction with civilized world.
Dependence on Foreign Aid! Until When?
According to economic experts Afghanistan will need foreign economic aid at least until 2023. But that is just estimation. Keeping in view the current economic standing of Afghanistan, one can easily say that Afghanistan – in order to stand on its own feet– would need longer terms. If the international aid poured in Afghanistan in last ten years had been properly utilized, the condition would be much better today. Afghanistan stands among the most corrupt countries of the world and over the time this problem has become more severe making all financial assistance go futile.
For an economy to nurture, investment plays the role of a backbone. As we can see, both domestic and foreign investments are negligible in Afghanistan due to high business risks. These risks are given birth by lingering insecurity and political and social instability. The security expenditure is so high in Afghanistan that if it could have moved to this country's reconstruction, we would see miracles. Unfortunately, despite huge investment on security, the situation seems to be deteriorating further.
Afghanistan is a country where every sector requires investment – mining, construction, energy, telecommunication, agriculture, transport and education, to name a few. But again security is the biggest problem which has made Afghanistan a hard place for doing business. Businessmen face serious obstacles. If they somehow try to overcome the strict policies of government at hand, on the other they have to keep themselves and their businesses safe from terrorists, kidnappers and other criminals.
Although the government has failed to address the hindrances in the economic sector, Afghanistan cannot remain a burden on the shoulders of international community. Afghans are needed to be taught to catch fish, rather than being gifted. Afghanistan has vast deposits of natural resources. For centuries, these resources have remained unutilized. Afghanistan with trillions of dollars worth mineral resources beneath its earth is one of the poorest countries of the world. It is felt like the time has come to properly utilizes Afghanistan's own deposits for its development and reconstruction. This is the only way economic prosperity can be achieved in Afghanistan.
The Assault on Mehran Base
The assault on Mehran Base in Karachi, Pakistan has added another episode in the terror of Taliban who have been terrorizing the country vehemently since the death of Osama Bin Laden. Though it was not the first target of their retaliatory mission as earlier they had targeted the paramilitary cadets, which killed about 80 cadets, it was more serious than that. Not because of the casualties it caused but because of the questions that are raised after the assault regarding the security lapse.
Mehran Base is not a sort of naval bases that can be neglected by any sense. Penetration through the security checkposts and the ability to vie the Pakistani forces for almost 17 hours are the matters of concern. It must be added that the attackers were also able to destruct two US-made surveillance planes, kill 10 Navy and 2 Ranger personals and injure 15 others. They were heavily equipped with guns, grenades and RPG's and suicide vests; such bulk of weaponry cannot be easily hidden under arms and are not easily portable.
International community is already questioning the security measures regarding the Nuclear weapons of the country, this lapse would further appreciate the world to do so. From Pakistan's point of view the assault adds another question mark regarding the security of the important assets of the country. People of Pakistan have been deprived of their basic requirements because of the heavy costs of keeping such an expensive defense mechanism and yet the security arrangements are to provide the country with solid defense. Even the security forces and the assets of the security forces themselves do not seem much secure.
The point that can be raised here regarding the nature of the attack made by Taliban on Mehran Base, which seems to be not very different from some of the attacks made recently in Afghanistan by the Taliban, especially the attack carried out in Kandahar, is the initiation of the attack by suicide bombers which is then followed by extensive firing and firing grenades.
Such attacks are really hard to counter as the attackers are ready to die, and they have no intention to avoid any casualty. In that regard the carelessness regarding the security arrangements must not be exaggerated but the questions can be raised regarding the role of secret agencies that are working in Pakistan and have had important role in the security of the country. How couldn't they have even the slightest of the ideas that Taliban were to carry on such a major assault, though such assaults require planning for weeks, and the country was already expecting retaliatory reaction from Taliban.
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