WAR ON TERROR NEEDS CHANGE OF COURSE

There has been severe criticism against Pakistan for not doing enough; an allegation that is far from true. Pakistan has deployed about 80,000 thousands of army personals along the Pak-Afghan border to stop cross border infiltration. Since 9/11 Pakistan has lost billion of rupees in War on Terror campaign along with thousands of army and paramilitary forces to win US cause. A recent study has mentioned that during 2006, Pakistan government has detained about 1552 people on various charges. Despite detention of thousands of suspects there has been rise in attacks throughout Pakistan. Only in tribal areas there has been 144 attacks during 2006 resulting in 379 killings and thousands of injuries. One such incident was Bajaur, where 80 students were killed during an air strike, despite a peace deal. A recent incident took place at Zamazola on January 22; where 35 suspect militants and 105 army soldiers lost their life. The ratio in this incident is three to one, a very high price Pakistan is paying for US cause. Ironically such sacrifices are never mentioned in the Western media.

The NWFP has been a peaceful province since partition. There has never been any outstanding issue with the Federal Government (of Pakistan). There was a time, when a Political Agent was competent enough to administrator a tribal agency through tribal elders and jirga system; which has become a lost dream now. After 9/11 the peace in tribal belt has been shattered; the loyal tribesmen have become militants willing to kill and die. The reason for such change of heart has been the indiscriminate use of force by the government forces who have destroyed homes and villages on the slightest suspicion; a mistake for which Pakistan government is paying dearly.

Force may be one-way to solve a problem, but it is killing the sick not curing the disease. The consequence is a cry for revenge in all-tribal agencies. Revenge forms the foundation of Pakthun society; retaliation is now taking place in various forms including attacks on the government officials and installations throughout Pakistan. These attacks are carried out not by Al-Qeada, but by the local people who became militants due to the use of excessive force. Some of the recent incidents include suicide attack in Peshawar where 16 police officers were killed, the incident in Islamabad airport and the suicide attack on provincial judge in Quetta, all are indications of people’s war. In the words of Hamlet,’ the heart of Denmark is rotten”, the statistic portray an ominous beginning for Pakistan where much can be lost; if this crisis is not resolved sagaciously.

The simple way to solve the tribal crisis is return to Peace process initiated earlier by NWFP Governor Orakzai. The peace process in tribal areas must go forward and should be binding on both parties. Unfortunately despite the Peace Deal; there have been attacks against tribal people that must be halted; and all affected families should be immediately compensated. The reason for such approach is practical because the cost of continuing war is not only soaring up, but it is also bringing instability to the government institutions, which if not checked can create mayhem in Pakistan.

If Pakistan has lost money and life, US is not far behind. US cost of War on Terror according to Linda Blimes is US$ 2,267 billions. US has deployed 1,40,000 thousand soldiers in Iraq and 100,000 thousand US contractors; which makes the figure of US deployment 2,40,000 excluding the forces from other 45 countries. President Bush has requested for 20,000 thousand additional force that will raise the cost of war further. Overall, each individual soldier deployed in Iraq for a year costs about $275,000. US have lost more than 3000 soldiers; which excludes the US contractors that could raise the total figure. More than 18000 thousand US soldier have been wounded in Iraq, most of whom would be never able to walk again. The simple question for American people is; how much more they are willing to pay before the war comes to an end?

The political price Bush Administration is paying is much higher. The first injury in War on Terror was Collin Powel who could not agree to Bush agenda. The second injury was the long-term hawk Donald Rumsfeld who was removed despite being architect of the war. The recent loss of election is a final reminder that American people want change. At international scene Bush has lost its closest alles, Tony Blair and John Howard. All these failures confirm that the world community does not favour invading foreign nations.

President Bush's war policy has received less than enthusiastic support. Senator Jim Webb of Virginia has voiced loudly for “an immediate shift toward strong regionally based diplomacy”. Even though Bush has defended his plan to send 21,500 more troops to Iraq in a short-term surge, it has received little support. Howard Coble, Republican of North Carolina seems doubtful; "I'm just not convinced that deploying 20,000 additional troops is going to resolve anything favorable for us’. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has also voiced the concern, as he added “ the president has not listened to Americans' single greatest concern: the war in Iraq".

The loud voice for change in course has many reasons. One main reason is too much reliance on military might. The war between Shia and Sunni is spreading in the region including Syria and Lebanon causing damage to the America’s reputation around the world. The issue is credibility of US as pointed out by Senator Webb, US has “lost opportunities to defeat the forces of international terrorism”. A recent poll by Bloomberg has shown the dwindling approval rating of 31 percent for President Bush, an all time low.

The need for change also comes from the top brass of US force. Admiral William Fallon mentioned there is “ a need for a comprehensive approach to Iraq, including economic and political actions to resolve a problem that requires more than military force”, an approach direly needed in Afghanistan as well. Fallon confessed, “What we have been doing has not been working," which makes its essential for Bush administration to redefine its goal and tactics. “We lost our majority in the Congress last November primarily because of the issue of the Iraq war”, Coble lamented. Again it would be the War issue that will decide the next president of USA.

Looking at facts and figure and the losses of the past five years, it is clear that use of military might is not solution for a political problem. The excessive force has created a political movement all over the world with a strong-anti-US emotion that can be observed from Latin America to Iran and Russia. US may be the only super power in the world; however it does not mean giving up the diplomacy and rely only on force; which is causing more harm than good. One main reason for the fall of Communism was one-way thinking; US foreign policy is having the similar approach. At a time when Congress and the top brass in US is calling for change, the Bush Administration needs to wake up and learn lessons from history that political problems have never been solved through military might alone. The clear option for President Bush and Mushraff is to change course from military to diplomacy that is the only workable solution.