Daily Times

Sir: Osama Bin Laden (OBL) has been killed by American special forces after being fished out of a house located in Abbottababd, Pakistan. Many people are of the opinion that this is the end of the war on terrorism and Pakistanis will finally see peace. I am afraid that this is false hope and the problem is far deeper than it seems. I believe Pakistan is fighting a different war, which has nothing to do with al Qaeda. OBL ran al Qaeda from Afghanistan under the protection of the Taliban in return of hefty amounts of dollars, which the Taliban needed to purchase supplies from the black market.

Pakistan, on the other hand, is fighting against the Pakistani Taliban and other extremist Islamic groups found all over the country. Pakistan is fighting a war against extremists-turned-terrorists. This war is self-inflicted, as it is a direct result of the previous regimes of hard headed generals. Musharraf’s decision regarding the Lal Masjid operation triggered waves of hatred, which resulted in scores of suicide attacks. He also mishandled the Waziristan operation and as a result, every city in the north and south has become Waziristan.

The death of OBL will not change anything for Pakistan. The strategic issue related to the safety of citizens will remain a critical issue with no solution in sight. In my opinion, the events following OBL’s death will be very important for Pakistan. The US and its allied forces will now gradually pull out of Afghanistan after handing over control to Afghan forces. The critical questions therefore is: what will be Pakistan’s role in all of this? Only time can tell and provide an answer to this critical question.

NASIR RIAZ

Lahore