I was deeply shocked to hear about the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon, which have resulted in such a tragic loss of innocent lives. These were innocent people who were not at war. They were just going about their daily lives unaware of this evil terror that struck them. May God ease the pain and suffering of the families who have lost their loved ones, and may God give them strength to recover from this irreparable loss.
I hope that those who are behind this attack are apprehended and punished. The planet seems to be united in its determination to root out terrorism from its face. President Bush has received calls of support from a large number of countries including Russia. All fingers seem to be pointing in one direction, Osama Bin Laden and his "protectors," the Taliban, the rulers of Afghanistan. The Taliban has refused to hand over Mr. Bin Laden, insisting it will only consider his extradition if the US provides "solid and convincing" evidence of his involvement in terrorism.
The tension between Taliban leadership and Washington has so widened that a peaceful resolution seems unlikely. In fact, war on Afghanistan seems imminent as the US calls in its reserve forces and looks to establish a base in the region. Under intense media coverage, the US government has favored Pakistan, a Muslim country that borders Afghanistan, for this purpose.
Pakistan's President, Chief of Army-Staff, and Joint Chief of Staff, General Pervaiz Musharraf has promised his assistance. In an address to the nation, he said, "We share the grief of the American people in this grave national tragedy. We strongly condemn this most brutal and horrible act of terror and violence." He has also promised President Bush Pakistan's "unstinted cooperation" in the fight against terrorism. Unfortunately, Pakistan's sincere offer of cooperation has not played well with the western media. The media seems to be undermining the General's claim by calling Pakistan the Taliban's "strongest ally" and one of the only three countries that recognizes the Taliban regime.
I followed the press conference called by Secretary of State Colin Powell and I must say that some journalists were posing questions that implicated Pakistan as an accomplice of the Taliban and Osama Bin Laden. This is certainly not good journalism and as a Pakistani, I am deeply saddened and upset that at a time of international tragedy, some anti-Pakistani lobbyists are trying to exploit the situation. Some are pushing the US government to settle old scores with Pakistan.
Why is nobody asking why Pakistan tolerates the Taliban? Just as one should be asking why the US was targeted instead of some other country in the "free world." Surely the Majority of Pakistanis do not agree with the Taliban style of government. Their treatment of women and girls, who are forbidden to attend school, shows their ignorance of Islam's basic principles of tolerance.
What Pakistan has done is accept the reality of the Taliban rulers. They occupy more than 95 percent of Afghanistan while their rivals, the Northern Alliance - composed of old warlords - occupy just one small portion of Afghanistan. We wanted to see a stable neighbor in the northwest of our borders just as the US wants to see a stable Mexico on its southern borders. The Taliban is the only strong force with the resources and strength to provide that stability.
Pakistan's northern cities are already flooded with over a hundred thousand refugees who have been there since the Cold War started. I was just a little boy but I still remember the good old days of the early 80's. The Cold War was still on. I lived in the beautiful warm city of Karachi, bustling with foreigners, especially Americans whose then-Vice President George Bush Sr. met Pakistan's Military dictator General Zia and called Pakistan a "close friend" and an ally in the fight against communism.
The war was bringing in hordes of refugees from Afghanistan, but we were not concerned. American aid, both military and financial, was pouring in. Our currency was strong against the dollar. Then the war ended.
The USSR lost and became Russia. The mission was accomplished and the American assistance started dwindling. The refugee problem became a nightmare creating a law and order problem for Pakistan. The training camps installed by the CIA, where many like Bin Laden trained to fight the Soviets, became terrorist camps. The refugees never went back. Pakistan's economic situation worsened and lawlessness started to override our cities. My beautiful city of Karachi was engulfed in violence, terrorist activities, illegal drugs, and bombings.
Now the US demands the Pakistanis' assistance once again - a country facing US sanctions "up to their eyeballs." The Pakistani government has rightly offered its fullest cooperation to eliminate this menace. But what we fear is that we shall be caught in the middle of the crossfire, and that the US will leave us once again to deal with the ravages of this first war of the 21st century. It seems to be a "no-win" situation for Pakistan.
Pakistan's alliance with the US has already infuriated the Taliban who share miles of open border with Pakistan. The Taliban can launch a preemptive strike on Pakistan any time it wants. If the US sides with the Northern Alliance to eliminate the Taliban, Pakistan will see hordes of refugees coming into its territory.
Secondly, the Northern Alliance has great animosity with the Pakistanis for their support of the Taliban. With the never-ending hostilities, with India over the Kashmir dispute, no one in Pakistan wishes to make new enemies who can easily infiltrate their territory. One can only pray that the Pakistani delegation visiting Afghanistan can convince the Taliban to hand over Osama Bin Laden and avoid any more bloodshed.
Just last month, film star Angelina Jolie visited Pakistan and wept at the plight of Afghan refugees. These people have been ravaged by two decades of war. Almost 25 to 30 children die every day in Afghanistan due to malnutrition. The Taliban, ignorant of the world around them, are still living in medieval times, unaware of what they are up against.
This was not just an attack on Americans, but an attack on the entire world - citizens of many countries worked at the WTC. There were about 500 Pakistanis who worked at the WTC. God knows how many of them have perished in this despicable act worthy of the strongest condemnation.
America is a great nation and it will recover from this tragedy. It's a nation that we hope will not act in a fit of anger but with wisdom. It will not vow revenge but international justice.
For many like me, the horror lies in the days to come. As hard as it may be to accept, the truth is that we have been marked for life because of the hideous acts of a few individuals. Everyone will now look upon us with an eye of suspicion and fear that we may be terrorists. When I arrived back in Boston after this summer ended, the immigration official processed my papers and said, "Welcome back!" When I cleared customs, the officer there took my form and greeted me with Assalm-ul-ikum-Peace be upon you. I have traveled to many parts of the world including Europe, and I can say without a doubt that the United States is by far the freest country to travel in. Sadly, it shall be no more.
Asif Elahi is a senior majoring in economics.
