8/9/2019 AfghaniPak Letter 051109

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Dear Sir,

The news today that 5 British soldiers have been murdered in Afghanistan by an

Afghan policemen, together with the latest atrocities in Pakistan, leaving over 100

innocent people dead and dying in Peshawar, 20 or more dead in Rawalpindi and the

horrific suicide attacks on UNDP personnel in Kabul on the same day, are one and the

same problem.

Pakistan and the modern Pashtun majority state of Afghanistan are simply names

unrelated to the reality of what and who the people are. The Durand Line between

the two countries was drawn up during the days of the British Empire in 1893 and

simply maintained when Pakistan was created as a separate Muslim state upon the

Indian declaration of independence from Britain. Afghanistan emerged as a state in

only 1747. Pashtuns have been fighting wars against Persian, Turkish and many other

insurgents for centuries.

The problems in these areas are psychologically deep rooted: Anti-Colonial; Anti-

Foreigner; Anti-American; Anti-Western; Anti Indian. The latest manifestations of

these problems simply utilises Al-Qaeda or The Taliban as a rallying label orvehicle for that hatred engendered in angry poorly educated young Islamic men and

women whose ancestors were not particularly well treated by various parties.

The hatred in the minds of those men and women who are willing to carry out such

attacks is beyond our comprehension. But then, lest we forget as we buy our little red

paper poppies at the station, so is the concept of climbing out of a muddy trench

somewhere in Flanders and plodging towards a series of German manufactured

machine guns For King and Country.

If UN forces and staff move out of Paki/Afghani-Stan, followed by the withdrawal of

(predominantly) UK/US forces in the area, the vacuum which inevitably follows will

in all likelihood lead to the disappearance of that already fuzzy colonial Durand

border line. One is led to believe that the implications of this are all too clear and that

this is why every effort must be made to ensure that it does not happen. This is

speculative.

Fifty five young American men lost their lives last month, mostly in Southern

Afghanistan. Over 100 people, including many children, have been blown up in a

market The suspected car bomb scattered body parts and filled the streets with blood

and burning rubble in a grim scene that one resident likened to doomsday (The

Guardian, 29th

October, p.6).

In Vietnam 58,000 (or more) Americans lost their lives in what was ultimately a futileaction against the domino effect spread of communism. Or so it was said. Modern

day Vietnam has not turned out too badly after all that waste of life.

Perhaps it is time to leave the people of Pakistan and Afghanistan to determine their

own future(s), as we would expect to be able to do for ourselves were we in the same

situation, rather than maintain and foment that long running battle, be it against the

Mongols, the Persians, the Turks, the British, the Russians, the Americans, etc. etc.

etc..

8/9/2019 AfghaniPak Letter 051109

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If we have indeed entered into a period of (for want of a better phrase) Holy Waror

Clash of Civilisations, then attempting to control and subjugate vast areas,

including supporting corrupt and ineffective Musharraf/Karzai style Governments in

order to curtail that, at great cost, is ultimately futile and doomed to fail

Any discussion about Defeat, Victory or Giving in to Terrorism is irrelevant ,since no further encouragement is required to be provided to such murderous intent. A

dogmatic hierarchical authoritarian culture can only be defeated in this case through

the use of argument by civilised people within those religious cultures who

instinctively oppose such ways and actions. As we have seen in Iran yesterday in anti

government protests. With some help from outside of course.

Eventually the forces representing Western Democracy will leave Iraq and Paki-

Afghani-Stan. Lets just hope that can be done before George W. Bush, Dick Cheney,

Donald Rumsfeld, Karl Rove, John There is no such thing as the UN Bolton et. Al.

get back into The White House and decide to invade Yemen or Indonesia or

wherever.

Yours Sincerely,

C.R. Golightly

Brussels, Belgium

http://www.chowk.com/ilogs/65724/47736