Massacre In Afghanistan By Taliban: Lessons For Pakistan – OpEd

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After the USA dropped the “mother of all bombs” on ISI activists in Afhghanistan, the Taliban retaliated by killing over 140 unarmed Afghanistan soldiers, who were in the mosque or in the canteen. While Americans killed ISI activists by bombing, the Taliban have killed Afghan soldiers in return.

While it is difficult to argue as to which killing was right and which killing was wrong between Americans and Taliban, there cannot be any difference of opinion that terrorism has to be stopped at any cost. While many groups may have their own ideas and vision which they are entitled to have , killing innocent people to establish their presence and strength is an unacceptable and barbaric practice.

The terrorist attacks in Afghanistan and Kashmir, Pakistan has been accused of giving space to such elements on it’s soil. The latest is that US media reports have said that Pakistan is giving protection to some Egypt born terrorist in Pakistan. Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence Agency have been accused of giving such protection.

Pakistan does not seem to realize that by giving protection to terrorist groups on it’s soil, Pakistan itself has become target of terrorist attacks. In recent times, Pakistan has been one of the countries where maximum number of people including innocent women and children have lost their lives due to terrorist attacks. Whenever such attacks happen, Pakistan government and it’s army have said that it would fight against terrorists and eliminate them at any cost but this has not been happening.

India is repeatedly complaining that Pakistan is enabling infiltrators from Pakistan to enter into Kashmir and cause disruption and violence. As a matter of fact, the Pakistan government itself has said on several occasions that it supports the secessionists in Kashmir and several resolutions have been passed by the Pakistan parliament encouraging the terrorism in Kashmir. It is surprising that Pakistan seem to be failing to realize that it cannot encourage terrorism in another country, while fighting against the terrorists in it’s own soil.

In the last few decades, Pakistan has lost huge opportunities to move on in the path of progress, by preoccupying itself with pledged hatred against India. With the weak economy, it has been spending huge money in building and maintaining its military base.

In the recent past, Pakistan has been building significant level of industrial and economic relationship with China and allowing China to build economic corridor in Pakistan , which would make Pakistan’s economy go under total control of Chinese government before long. Of course, Pakistan is entitled to have its own plans for progress by collaborating with China. However, considering China’s territorial ambitions, many people seem to think that Pakistan is taking a calculated risk in opening it’s door to economic domination by China , where Pakistan is an unequal partner.

Perhaps, Pakistan is resorting to make it’s economy and industry to move very close to China, since it thinks that such relationship with China would enable Pakistan to continue to have spiteful relationship with India. Obviously, these are counter productive strategies.

Even the presence of terrorist groups in Pakistan may largely be due to its hatred against India.

The terrorist elements in Pakistan seem to be targeting the Chinese investments and Chinese workers in Pakistan also and Pakistan has to give massive protection to the Chinese in Pakistan now.

The recent attack in Afghanistan by Taliban have made many US agencies suspect that such elements are occupying Pakistan base and Pakistan is unable to or unwilling to control them for whatever reasons.

The attack on Afghanistan by Taliban cannot but be viewed by the observers around the world without linking “the unwilling role” of Pakistan.

N. S. Venkataraman

N. S. Venkataraman is a trustee with the "Nandini Voice for the Deprived," a not-for-profit organization that aims to highlight the problems of downtrodden and deprived people and support their cause. To promote probity and ethical values in private and public life and to deliberate on socio-economic issues in a dispassionate and objective manner.

4 thoughts on “Massacre In Afghanistan By Taliban: Lessons For Pakistan – OpEd

  • April 24, 2017 at 6:14 am
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    I think the befuddled author needs to look up the definition of combatants and non combatants. Security forces and soldiers are combatants. While a shame at the loss of life but no one said war is easy and the afghans really can’t press and click combat like the US. The rest of the article has nothing to so with the incident at hand so sloppy work but in line with the Indian obsession with Pakistan hiding behind every tree and what not.

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  • April 24, 2017 at 2:23 pm
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    I think the author has no idea what he is writing about. He has written ISI instead of ISIS. Moreover, his allegations on Pakistan pertaining to giving so-called protection to terrorists shows his very typical Indian nature rather than a current affairs writer. Auther needs to learn a lot about ground realities, geo-strategic studies, and unbiased writing. Furthermore, he must be knowing about kulbushan Jadhav.

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  • April 24, 2017 at 3:54 pm
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    The author made a mistake. The mother of all bombs was targeting IS and not ISI agents. Indian government and the press are fixated at everything anti-Pakistan. They want to destroy Pakistan by any means possible. Indians have destroyed SAARC. Dreaming to become the only bully in South Asia is not going to happen. Pakistan will keep competing in their own backyards and more. This competition is illogical and must end for the sake of the other nations nearby. The smaller nations should rise up against the big bullies in South Asia.

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  • April 24, 2017 at 11:40 pm
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    When Indians clumsily try to link Pakistan with everything unsavory they betray their poor grasp of geopolitics of South-Central Asia. Had Venkat any serious scholarship on this unfortunate event, he would have found that the attack in Northern Afghanistan away from Pakistan was Pashtun revenge for killing of top Taliban leaders in the North. It had nothing to do with US bombing of Daesh in Nangarhar; in fact Taliban are at war with the same Daesh themselves. So Venkat comes off looking Super silly. Then he quotes the zany theory from a dying magazine whereby we are led to believe Pakistan is protecting a dying Egyptian Zwahiri so that he can hijack a Pak Navy vessel to attack US. So what is the benefit to Pakistan if this actually happens? I mean how stupid would Pakistan be to invite Trump to make a horrible example of anyone who attacks US? Then Venkat states that Pakistan has missed opportunities to achieve progress- though IMF / WB would disagree as Pakistan’s growth rate is surging to 5+%. Then he does a 180 and advises Pakistan to NOT take the opportunity afforded by Chinese mega investment as it is counterproductive!!!! Why do Indians keep offering gratuitous and condescending advice to Pakistan ?

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