General Musharraf has assured us that these people are a small minority and are simply a misguided emotional lot. Meanwhile, the situation on the Afghan-Pakistani border had already become increasingly tense. Earlier, Pakistan had closed the border, turning away thousands of Afghans seeking to flee from the country. Both countries had stepped up their military presence along their 1,500-mile long border, sending in additional troops and weaponry. Pakistan’s cooperation with the USA in its coalition against Osama is likely to result in a quick lifting of USA sanctions imposed on Pakistan in 1998 for the nuclear testing.

For its part, the Musharraf regime had dismissed suggestions that Pakistan wanted sanctions eased and aid resumed in return for cooperating with the USA. It was widely understood in Pakistan that some monetary assistance from the USA had already been agreed upon, however. Is General Musharraf correct in his new policy regarding the USA and the Taliban?

We believe that General Musharraf is acting wisely. So far he has taken correct decisions to safeguard Pakistan’s security. In fact, when pushed to the wall by the USA on the Taliban issue Pakistan had apparently little choice in the matter. It could not afford to antagonize the USA at this point in time. The country is sandwiched between Afghanistan on the west and its biggest enemy India on the east. Any wrong move could have spelled disaster for Pakistan, says General Musharraf. We think that in this assessment he is surely right.

The Retaliation by the USA: The Emerging Scenario

A massive strike against the Osama-Taliban network was now inevitable and imminent. The USA had been wounded and shaken by the incidents and now it shall surely flex its muscles and inflict gruesome damage to the Taliban-Osama network. It shall swiftly strike at centers of radical Islamic fundamentalism sympathetic with Osama’s “cause” in both Pakistan and Afghanistan. The Government of Pakistan would have us believe that strikes inside Pakistan are not possible, however. The evidence points otherwise. How the USA carries out its new war shall determine the future of our region in more ways than one. We can only hope that the war drums are lowered in the USA and no massive killings of Afghanis take place.

Meanwhile, the status of Pakistan has been lowered suddenly to that of a protectorate of the USA. This is a fact notwithstanding the official rhetoric. The weakness of Pakistan is now very apparent. We succumbed to the USA pressures. The USA wanted immediate following to its dictates vaguely disguised as requests. The die was cast and we did not have much of a choice in the matter. But the USA is warned that wholesale killings of Afghanis will surely backfire and the conflict will widened further. Taking revenge for the September 11 incidents should not become an obsession for the lone superpower.

The USA should pause to reflect why it evokes hatred in the Muslim world at the popular level. There are many reasons for that occurrence. Obviously, the Israeli military occupation of Palestine is one such reason. Other Muslim causes like liberation of Kashmir (where the USA is not directly involved) also somewhat figure in the deliberations. The Pakistanis wan justice in Kashmir and want the USA to support the Muslim Kashmiri cause. As the USA does a repeat performance of the earlier Gulf war by building a formidable alliance, the Pakistanis are getting very nervous on what can go wrong with this USA adventure.

Therefore, Patience is advised. This is the least that the USA can do at this critical moment in our history. The situation is getting very complex which requires dispassionate, cool, and serious analysis and not blood thirsty acts of vengeance on the part of the USA. The arrogance of the USA will lead it into deeper trouble in the long-run. That is for sure. Resentment against its policies shall build up with time. Will the USA follow the course of prudence and far sight? Will it act with patience and employ wisdom in this matter? Or, will the USA act rashly, recklessly and widen the conflict even further. We hope and pray that the USA shows restraint and acts as responsible superpower that it pretends to be. Otherwise, the conflict between it and radical Islam is going to become very real and also very bloody. Let us hope the USA is able to act in moderation no matter what its hurt and loss because of the September 11 incidents. The USA should heed to the words of caution expressed by some of its European friends and China which had reminded it that military retaliation for the September 11 attacks would only aggravate terrorism and violence.

James Lindsay, in his article “Lashing Out is No Answer” (The Guardian, September 18, 2001) has most aptly said: “President Bush faces intense political pressure to act. Many Americans do not want to wait for investigations to unfold. Congress authorized Mr. Bush to retaliate even before knowing whom he might retaliate against. Many dismiss concerns that innocent civilians might get caught in the crossfire. But lashing out in a rage is no answer. No one benefits from the creation of a new generation of terrorists armed with fresh grievances. Nor does it honor the memory of those who perished last week to embrace the same disregard for innocent life as those responsible for their deaths. There are signs the Bush administration understands this.Americans confront the challenge of deciding whether to remain engaged in the world. Some will argue that Tuesday’s attacks prove that the world is a boiling cauldron of ethnic and national hatreds, and that we dabble in it at our peril.

Such claims are not new. They dominated American thinking until Pearl Harbor. It would be an epic mistake, though, if Americans decided that safety lay in retreating into Fortress America. Isolationism is a not a real option. America’s economy and interests are too deeply intertwined with the rest of the world to permit withdrawal. The perpetrators of last week’s tragedy were driven by hatred of the values that Americans, and by extension, all liberal societies, represent. That is why they targeted the twin towers of the World Trade Center—powerful symbols of western capitalism and modernity. Changing what we do will not change who we are. The temptation to turn inward can be resisted. For now Americans understand that international engagement is important. But proper political leadership, abroad as well as at home, is also essential …Americans need to know their allies will stand by them. The US has known great challenges before. More often than not it has risen to meet them. With a little luck, and some calm and wise decision making, it will do so again.”

We can only hope that the great wisdom of the above article is not lost on the USA at this most critical moment in its history. Failure to heed to such advice shall surely bring more unnecessary destruction and killings.

Let sanity prevail in the lone superpower of the world and it act with calmness, patience, and wisdom. Any other rash act will surely bring more conflict in our region. The world will be worse off in that eventuality. The future of our already impoverished region depends upon the behavior of the USA. Meanwhile, we pray the USA does not act irresponsibly. Punishing the terrorists should not mean escalating the conflict between the USA and radical Islam.