Can the World Afford Another Yasser Arafat?

Can the World Afford Another Yasser Arafat?
Lalit Koul

January 12, 2002 was a historic day for Pakistan and its Dictator-CEO-General-President Pervez Musharraf. His speech was path-breaking. Or at least that is what political heavyweights all over the world declared as soon Musharraf concluded his speech:

The US Secretary of State Powell said, “Musharraf should be praised for declaring that extremism and terrorism have no place in Pakistani society."
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said, “Musharraf is on a right track.”
US Senator Lieberman called Musharraf’s speech a "principled" statement.
British PM Tony Blair applauded Musharraf's “courageous and forceful defense of a tolerant and moderate Islam and condemnation of all forms of sectarianism and religious hatred."

How could anybody argue differently when such political leaders spoke so highly of Musharraf and his speech? Let me take a chance anyway. Let us first take a look at some facts about Musharraf. He is the same person who engineered Pakistani army’s incursion into the Indian territory of Kargil in the summer of 1999. Even back then, he and his Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif rejected the accusation of Pakistani incursion by blaming it on Indian local terrorist elements. But later on when pushed by US President Clinton, Sharif and Musharraf retreated back their forces within days. Wasn’t that an admission of guilt of the crime against India?

Musharraf is the same person who engineered a military coup and toppled the democratically elected government of Nawaz Sharif in Pakistan and declared himself Chief Executive Officer of Pakistan. At that time, he promised to bring democracy to Pakistan within three years. And just few days back, he has now reneged on his promise by declaring that the democracy will be back in Pakistan by year 2007.

Musharraf is the same person, under whose guidance Pakistan’s intelligence agency, the ISI propped up and supported Taliban in Afghanistan until United States came knocking. He is the same Musharraf who presided over a country whose 45,000 madrassas (religious schools) in Pakistan were promoting hatred and religious terrorism by producing terrorists. He is the same Musharraf who made sure that terrorists infiltrating into India are provided cover by Pakistani forces. He is the one who made sure that all the terrorist training camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir are well funded and supported to produce terrorists who can deliver on his plans to create unrest in India. His very hands are soaked in blood of all those Kashmiri Hindus who were brutally killed in Kashmir as part of the greater scheme of ethnic cleansing of all non-Muslims in Kashmir. It is not Kashmir that runs in his blood. It is Kashmiri’s blood that is all over his body.

There is a saying in Urdu: “Nau Sow Chuhey Kha Kay Billi Haj Ko Chali”, which means “After killing and eating nine hundred mice, the cat is going for a pilgrimage.”

Now does that sound familiar?

Why doesn’t anybody pause and ask Musharraf that how come he did not see any trouble within Pakistan before September 11, 2001? Or was it okay to be a mastermind of terror activities as long as United States was not knocking at his door? How come nobody sees numerous examples of Musharraf’s admission of guilt in his January 12th speech? Didn’t he admit his lack of control over religious extremist forces in Pakistan? Doesn’t his speech speak of his role in fomenting Islamic terrorism in India and Afghanistan?

Is it the new world order that all past crimes will be ignored as long as you promise to reform in future? Isn’t that how the international community, particularly United States and United Kingdom, is treating Musharraf and Pakistan? Will it treat Slobodan Milosevic the same way if he promises to reform in future? Who about Bin Laden, who has killed a lot fewer people around the world than Pakistan’s ISI has in India? Would US let Mullah Omar go free if he turned in Usama bin Laden? Would the US provide billion-dollar aid to Mullah Omar if he promises to behave in future?

Haven’t we learnt any lessons from our past experiences? Let us not create heroes even before they show any remorse and repentance for their acts of terrorism? Let us not create another Yasser Arafat out of Pervez Musharraf by placing him at the top of the pedestal by condoning and ignoring his past behavior. Let us not give away Nobel Peace prizes before peace is actually realized. Case in point – Yasser Arafat.