Reconciliation: Islam, Democracy and the West

Ganpat Ram

One way the West could buy Pakistan and Islamists off cheaply is by forcing India to give up Kashmir to Pakistan. Any thoughts on this?

Scott Martin

Sure, conceeding to terrorist demands always makes them go away. Just ask Israeli's in towns that border Gaza.

Wajid Shamsul Hasan

Richard Beeston observes in his review of Benazir Bhutto’s book ‘Reconciliation’, that the most damning evidence concerning who lay behind the first attempt on Bhutto’s life is that none of the investigators ever questioned her about the attack. This, and so many other ‘loose ends’ point to a deliberate policy of culpable neglect so far as security was concerned. Whatever the motives for killing her, and whoever the plotters were will continue to be discussed for a long time. But one simple, uncomfortable, fact will not go away. Why was there so little security provided, at a time of self-evidently heightened tensions in the country? It was even explicitly denied her, when she asked for it. Of course, the same problem confronted other opposition politicians, too. No doubt it was part of a deliberately planned, low-profile strategy by Musharraf’s regime to make political campaigning so dangerous that no rallies would be held. Let alone large ones. The fewer rallies or political gatherings, the fewer changes to the status quo there would be, namely the pro- Musharraf’ parties, who held power thanks to previously-rigged elections. You might call it a policy of low-level sabotage. When you consider that Benazir Bhutto’s killer in Rawalpindi managed to get within a couple of metres of her car before shooting and detonating the explosives, it begs the question: who, exactly, was responsible for this appalling lapse in security? Whether this lack of security was deliberate or otherwise should be for the courts to decide. Those responsible should be called to justice and answer for their neglect before a jury. Due process of law must be seen to be observed, or the country cannot move forward. Whether one supported Bhutto’s politics or not is beside the point. All loyal Pakistanis of whatever political stripe, and indeed democrats the world over, will surely join me in calling for this. Just where the trail of blame leads, is for an independent judiciary to establish, or better still, a UN enquiry. It is high time to clean out the Augean stables that are the military-intelligence nexus in Pakistan. They, more than perhaps any other part of successive administrations, have had a strong negative influence on Pakistan, going back decades. Enough is enough. Yours truly Wajid Shamsul Hasan Former Pakistan High Commissioner London NW3