[Tuba Omer]
“This is Pakistan’s war,” reads the headline of today’s newspaper, above a photo of a blazing Mariott hotel. And these are the words of Pakistan’s newly elected President, Asif Ali Zardari. The political situation in Pakistan has escalated to such an extent that citizens wake up hearing the phrase “terrorist attacks” and go to sleep reading the bulletin “terrorist activities responsible for mass killings.” The number murdered is irrelevant because, as President Zardari said, we are in a war, all wars have casualties and we do not count them until the war is over.
When this war will end, and how many victims must succumb to “honourable deaths” before this glorified war does, is the longstanding question on the minds of every Pakistani citizen today. Today terrorists attacked the heart of Pakistan, killing 60 people and injuring more than 200. As a result, a state of red alert has been proclaimed throughout the country and a sense of deep insecurity, chaos and panic grips the nation. But we are soldiers in combat, and we must continue battling.
How expensive is this war proving to be and is it worth it? One wonders if President Zardari thinks about this as he continues to put international concerns before national ones. Living in the economically and financially strained atmosphere that prevails in Pakistan today is proving to be extremely stressful for those of us ordinary citizens who do not have President Bush on speed dial. The existing electricity crisis has got so bad that there is currently a daily shortage of 700 MW. What this means is that even in metropolitan cities like Karachi, there is a daily power failure for 4 to 5 hours. Coupled with this are the rising food prices of basic amenities such as milk, bread and oil that have shown an overall increase of 10.2%. With the inflation rate already having reached 8% and continuing to rise further, incomes can no longer meet expenditures. The result is starvation. With one fourth of Pakistan’s population living below the poverty line, why are satisfactory measures not being taken to address integral issues such as education, health and our ever-growing trade deficit (now at a shocking $11 billion)?
Pakistan has survived economic upheavals such as these before. What it has not is the civil conflict that continues to brew as a result of fighting this war. Ethnic divisions are straining communities in this country. This is exemplified in Northwest Frontier Province which no longer has anything in common with the culture and history of Pakistan’s struggle. The fact that Swat, once Pakistan’s crown jewel in the tourism industry, has now been converted into a minefield, is evidence of this incomprehensible transition. All suspects, all suicide bombers who have been responsible for plaguing the country with bomb blasts are “Pakhtoons” (Pakistanis who are ethnically Pashtun) not “Pakistanis”. One suspect in the Mariott bomb blast, according to the police, is a 14-year-old boy. You cannot, at the age of 14, murder citizens of a country you call home.
And yet we are drawn into this war more out of compulsion than desire. The U.S is bent on eradicating terrorism at the grassroots level, and Pakistan is the base from which it launches its missiles. This is not to portray Pakistan in a meek, docile light, but to show how this state of affairs is a dead end. The U.S has two aircraft carrier groups in the Gulf with a third on its way. Their combined power could wipe out Pakistan many times over if it chooses not to cooperate. And every time President Zardari is seen shaking hands with President Bush, the militants are antagonised and the stage set for another bloody, flaming atrocity.
My concern is that amidst this battle, fighting a war that most Pakistanis do not even perceive as their own, I may lose my nationality. As the need for power and fame dominates world politics while hiding beneath a veneer of altruism, I see my doubts reflected in a text message that I just received:
“Pakistan for sale
Special 50% discount for U.S.A
Commision: 10 %
Contact Asif Ali Zardari for purchase.”
