What afzal Khan Lala saying

Pakistan, India and Afghanistan are busy in a destructive game

Muhammad Afzal Khan Lala



At the advent of 21st century intellectuals the world over predicted that the new millennium will usher in peace, human rights and dignity of man. Mankind will show tolerance, endurance and
maturity. The man of this planet who has conquered space will be a messenger of peace to other planets. But unfortunately this century began with such chaos, wars, religious and sectarian extremism, violence, brutality, suicide bombing, and destruction that it rather disgraced humanity. There seems no end to this phony, aimless reign of terrorism.

Life has become difficult for everyone. On the one hand the civilized nations claim to conquer space and universe but their war mania has made the world a living hell for human race. The new world is like a global village. Instead of

Love, brotherhood and harmony among the nations it has segregated and distanced the nations, waging wars, creating disturbances and bringing destruction. History testifies that war cannot bring peace. The use of brutal force cannot win over nations. Human hearts and minds are won by love and persuasion. The clouds of war have endangered the human species. The sea pirates hijack ships for million dollars ransom. Kidnapping for ransom in our region has reached its climax and no one is safe in their homes and even the heavily guarded are more at risk and vulnerable. Terror reigns supreme. The close examination of these events of blood shed, terrorism and turmoil has badly affected the three neighborly countries- Pakistan, India and Afghanistan. Uncertainty is the order of the day in all the three countries. The unfortunate part of this phenomenon is that our think tanks think that these conditions are self created.

First think over it that India has never accepted the division of sub-continent since inception and is aspiring for a united India “Akand Bharat”.

The all rightwing Islamist extremists and hawkish elements in Pakistan are determined to hoist green ‘flag’ on Lal Qila. The entire world voted for Pakistan in U.N for membership except Afghanistan, Evidently they have not accepted Pakistan and Pakistan is bent upon to conquer Afghanistan under the garb of strategic depth. I wonder how they will conquer it and achieve!!??

These experienced wizards don’t think for a moment that after Independence of Pakistan and India both the governments supported secularism. Extremism, violence, sectarianism and religious divide were almost non-existent. Gandhi ji , the follower of non-violence was assassinated by a biased Hindu with the support of Muslims. In Liaqat Ali Khan’s Govt. In Pakistan Sir Zafrullah Khan a renowned Qadiani was minister for Foreign Affairs and Jagirdar Lal Mandal , a Hindu of the lowest caste(Dalit )was holding the portfolio of Law Ministry.

Analyzing the religious fanaticism and hatred in the aforementioned perspective on both sides one is busy in establishing a Hindu hegemony “Akhand Bhart” in the region and the other is obsessed with the holy idea of hoisting the green crescent flag over the red fort( Lal Qila), resultantly the secular forces were being marginalized.

India still claims to be a secular state but the Hindu religious extremist leaders dominated and eclipsed the secular policy. On the eve of partition and creation of Pakistan, religious parties of undivided India and their veteran leaders were opposed to the creation of Pakistan. Even after partition, some of the religious parties sarcastically castigated Pakistan (Land of the pure) as “Na-Pakistan” (Land of the un-pure).

The successors of these religious parties who ridiculed Pakistan as “Na -Pakistan” (Land of the ‘un-pure’) and used derogatory language against Mohammad Ali ‘Jinnah’ are now the heirs more explicitly the MAMAS (Uncles) of Pakistan insisting shamelessly that Islam is the basis of Pakistan. One wonders if their leaders were wrong. Were they against Islam!!??

Today both the nuclear powers have billions of rupees defense budget and to defeat one another are always in warlike condition. Both of them are impediments in the way of their people’s welfare due to heavy defense spending. Religious extremism dominates both the countries and disrupting peace plans. Yesterday the extremist religious forces opposed Pakistan but today they are the ‘saviors’. But the question arises who waged this war? And who is inflaming this fire?

Europe has fought hundred years’ wars for liberation of its people from the clutches of the church and feudalism.

Today for the sake of a bright future they have a single currency. They have national boundaries on papers but there is a complete freedom of movement of the people, trade and commerce in Europe. We need visa and permit to visit our brother Islamic countries.

We are notorious for intolerance towards our neighbors. Accusing each other of conspiracies while suspicions are the corner stones of our foreign policy. Economy is shattered in Pakistan and particularly in Pakhtunkhawa. The Gateway towards central Asia for international trade is closed. The worsening law and order situations and fragile economy have led to capital flight. Investors in Hayatabad “Industrial state” are compelled to shift their business from Peshawar.

What to say of the sad story of capturing international market, our inter- provincial trade is discriminatory that in Punjab the quality, quantity and price are different. If someone purchases flour at cheaper rate in Punjab for his home, the Punjab police do not allow it. The resources of Pukhtunkhwa are freely exploited by Punjab without hindrance e.g., hundreds of tucks of precious marble are daily moving towards Punjab. This is a lengthy and separate issue which I keep aside for the present. My immediate concern is to deliberate upon the prevailing differences and armed conflicts among the three neighbors. All the three are equally at fault and are faced with identical problems like Suicide, bombing, terrorists insurgency, remote control blasts etc. If we look at the terrorists activities and the relations of these three countries, they should jointly expose and stop these hidden’ hands. Although all the three countries proclaim to be allies in the ‘war on terror’ in their heads of the states meetings, parleys but in practice it is not so. All the three suspect each other. This mysterious and doubtful attitude has made the task of the terrorists easier. It is very easy for the anti-human forces to engage these three neighboring countries in permanent hostility to maximize their socio-economic crisis and thus attain maximum benefits out of this volatile situation.

I have pointed out on a number of occasions and again reiterate my stance that peace in this region without peace in Afghanistan is impossible. This viewpoint is now crystal clear because this region has turned into a battlefield of the superpowers. If somebody eyes Afghanistan through its atomic prisms aspiring to rule it as a ‘client state’ that will be a ‘strategic death’ for them. Interference of one country into the internal affairs of another country is against the basic charter of the United Nations and the policy of armed interference in Afghan affairs has affected the people of these three countries, destroying its commerce, trade and society and this is a continuous process.

What the extremists forces are doing today here and who created them and against whom – who supply them arms and ammunition and who finance them? Who pay them salaries as a regular army? This whole investment is made by these countries against one another and thus feed the snakes. These insurgencies are undesirable.

Notwithstanding the three governments’ differences, if the enlightened humanist and progressive and secular forces are consulted, they will support peace efforts for the better future of the people of this region.

I as a Pakhtun nationalist finally believe that if internally the oppressed nations are given autonomy and externally the Pakistan, Afghanistan and India foil conspiracies and formulate a joint strategy to root out terrorism, peace can be restored.

I firmly claim that this is not a matter of years but days to resolve this issue if there is a will to do it. The fish cannot survive without water – same is true about the terrorists and extremists. If their funding is stopped and the three neighbors evolve a joint mechanism to combat terrorism, there is no justification for war. The accusations and suspicions will cease and as Europe and America have succeeded in the dominating the global economy, market, Asia will be second to none.

At the end, I appeal the nations of the world to help us in restoration of peace for the betterment of mankind. I especially appeal all Pukhtoon Afghans to stop this aimless war as this region needs peace more than any one!!

(This essay was written in Pashto language by Khan lala and translated by Akhtar Muneer Bacha, Zar ali musazai and Idrees Kamal)