|
"Know that your people will judge
you on what you can build, not what you destroy."
President Barack Obama, January 20, 2009
"The US-led war on terrorism
has left in its wake a far more unstable world than existed
on that momentous day in 2001."Ahmed Rashid,
Author, Descent
into Chaos
Pakistan seems to be imploding in
front of our very eyes, while the US continues its myopic
foreign policies in the region. Obama continues to
authorize unmanned drone attacks in Pakistan, in direct contravention
of international law, and despite the rise in civilian deaths
and increasing hatred for US presence in the region.
In view of recent events in Pakistan, we
can't help but ask the following questions:
- What is Obama's plan for Pakistan and how will unwelcome
drone attacks help the situation?
- Is the US sabotaging the country's fledgling democracy?
If not, why don't we see US support for the lawyers' movement
which will strengthen the people's resistance against military
dictatorship?
- How come there is no commitment to resolving the Kashmir
dispute and on-going tensions with India?
We urge Obama to invest in restoring
lasting peace in the region. In order to achieve long-term
stability in the region, Obama must focus on settling the
Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan. The constant threat
of imminent war with India has bolstered the Pakistan army's
ties with the Taliban and Jihadi extremists. Once this threat
is removed, instead of investing in military spending and
supporting Jihadists, Pakistan should be encouraged to invest
in its people by providing them with REAL education.
We urge Obama to invest in building
Pakistan's educational institutions and healthcare facilities.
This will help erode support for those madrasas that produce
ill-educated children who are groomed to become fighters in
violent causes instead of becoming civlized citizens who use
peaceful means to redress the country's socio-political and
economic problems. Education will also counter the power of
uneducated mullahs who bully people through fear-based rhetoric
and violence. We must help Pakistan become a more progressive
state where women have equal rights and access to education
and jobs.
We urge Obama to support Pakistan's
lawyers and civil society activists the country's only
hope for bringing about true democracy to counter extremism
and corruption. Pakistan should be encouraged to revamp
its military and intelligence structure, by acknowledging
that reliance on a Jihadi movement to strengthen the country
is in fact weakening its very core. Building the pro-democracy
movement by supporting the lawyers and civil society activists
is the best way of countering the Jihadi extremism, chaos,
lawlessness, and rising corruption within the country.
|