Tuesday, March 06, 2007

Pakistan: between Iraq and a hard place

And we're not helping:
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Jehadi militants backed by the government apparatus have caused more harm to Pakistan than to India and brought the country to the verge of being declared a terrorist state, former law minister and human rights activist Iqbal Haider told a panel of the International Commission of Jurists during a hearing in Islamabad.

Under the false notion of 'strategic depth,' Pakistan supported the policy of the United States, which recruited mercenaries under the banner of Jehad to fight its war against Russian forces in Afghanistan, banned political parties and gave free rein to religious zealots, he told the panel on terrorism and counter terrorism comprising Arthur Chaskalson of South Africa, Hina Jilani of Pakistan and Vitit Muntarbhorn of Thailand.

During the process, lethal weapons had been provided to militants and the whole society had been depoliticised. Prior to that, Pakistan had a civilised and peaceful society without the evils of drugs and arms, Dawn quoted Haider as saying before the panel, which began two-day hearing on Monday.

Now, he said, the US is responsible for the misuse of terrorism law in Pakistan and this law was being used to settle political scores and rivalries, and for arrests, disappearance and handover of innocent people to the US government in return for some money.

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