From Daraa to Damascus
Syria is exploding. The pressure tactics adopted by the Baath Party to quell the uprising have now resulted in mass massacre.
From Daraa to Damascus, there seems to be no respite in midnight knocks, arrests and torture of political opponents, and people being gunned down with impunity. Amateur footage from the flashpoints is quite gruesome and predicts a horrible future for the country, which is geopolitically sensitive and socio-culturally, the heartthrob of the Middle East.
Violence cannot be allowed to continue and it is high time the administration of President Bashar Al Assad mends its ways, and ceded ground to the people on the streets who have been demanding their fundamental rights and an equitable distribution of power and resources. The rolling down of tanks and sending in of shooters will not work.
Assad, who had ably handled intrigues and foreign aggression designs for long, should take a lesson or two from the fate of Hosni Mubarak and Ben Ali. If his role model is the embattled Libyan leader, then he is definitely treading a losing path. Assad, who talked high of social and cultural values, and had worked at length to modernise society should not undo his achievements by indulging in a genocide of his countrymen, that too for the sake of expediency.
The Assad legacy, which spans almost five decades, had been respected and admired even by his adversaries for the smooth running of administration and being able to cater to the needs and aspirations of a heterogeneous society. But what is happening now is purely power politics and that too with a stink of egoistic arrogance.
If even governmental estimates are to be believed, more than 500 people have been killed in the month-long uprising, which had also seen thousands disappear under the dark shadows of terror. This goes on to reflect the regime’s desperation and failure in finding an amicable solution to the dispute.
Irrespective of severe international pressure to curb the violent tactics, the respite for the regime should come in the fact that the world is yet to demand the exit of Assad. This is the moment from where Assad can pull back and put a halt to brutal tactics. The Syrian army, which had been thoroughly checking Israeli designs, should not kill its own people. This is most disturbing. Assad has to work out a solution before it gets too late.
Post Osama revelations
Even as US President Barack Obama paid tribute to the victims of 9/11 at Ground Zero in New York on Thursday, questions pertaining the killing of Osama bin Laden remain unanswered.
The decision to not release pictures of Bin Laden’s body for the sake of deterring violent reprisals and inciting extremism has led to questions on the veracity of the operation.
The raid on the compound Bin Laden was living in has resulted in the possession of documents that revealed plans for future terror attacks targeting US railways and major cities. This proves that Bin Laden may have been actively involved in the planning and execution of terror attacks till the end contrary to the impression that he had been reduced to a mere figurehead. It is hoped that the data retrieved from the site may also lead to the trail of other Al Qaeda leaders, currently at large.
However, the operation has caused major embarrassment to Pakistan. The revelation of facts such as the CIA observing the compound from a safe house close by and the apparent ignorance of Pakistani authorities of knowing Bin Laden’s presence in a house in close proximity to a military academy is bad enough. It has also prompted a raging debate in Pakistan on the military’s involvement and/or its ability to protect the Pakistani people. Another hot issue is the question of sovereignty that has reared its head again in the wake of US Special Forces having conducted the operation in radar jamming stealth helicopters.
The furore over the issue has been loud enough for the Pakistani Army chief to have issued a strong statement warning a review of military/intelligence cooperation with the US in case of another such unilateral attack. According to Pakistani military sources, the CIA did not seek to share further development of intelligence on the case despite Pakistan intelligence informing the CIA of the cellphone details of Bin Laden’s courier. Moreover, the Pakistan military has demanded a further reduction of US Special Forces personnel in the country which was already on the cards post the US agent Raymond Davis incident in which three Pakistani nationals got killed.
Despite the reassurances to Pakistanis of the military’s capability to protect the country’s strategic assets, clarifications are being demanded. The Republicans have already moved a bill in Congress demanding a stop to the $3 billion aid for the current year unless Pakistan proves that it had not given sanctuary to Bin Laden. It is hoped that Pakistan provides the answers sooner rather than later in order to quell the clamour at home and abroad.
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