Pakistan in Media

Editorial, The News International, Pakistan
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Maulana Fazlur Rehman has shaken the spirit of unity over the operation in the northern areas by staging a walk out from the National Assembly. He has denied his party backs the action and claims they were never consulted. This damages the claims of the government of support from all major parties, though a new attempt to forge cohesive thinking is to come through the All Parties Conference on security which the PM has said will be held. Creating unity is good. But of course it is not always possible, in a democracy, to keep all dissent at bay. Indeed some dissent is important because it can help trigger debate and thus play a part in rationalizing opinion. This is what should happen now. The JUI should be asked to explain how it would deal with a situation such as that in the northern areas. The time has come to abandon the air of apology we see too often in discussions regarding the Taliban and to speak out openly and without ambiguity. Attempts to defend men who have seized state and private property, burnt down schools, whipped people, posted heads atop stakes and paraded them in cities and dug bodies out of graves are simply ludicrous. Such behaviour cannot be condoned. Those who attempt to do so should be made to justify their stance so that the Taliban can be more fully exposed for what they are.