12
speak up!
Beware the vengeance
of the Pashtun
by Eric S. Margolis
PAKISTAN’S once beautiful
Swat Valley has been turned
into a battlefield. Earlier this
month, Pakistan finally bowed
to Washington’s angry demands
to unleash its military against
rebellious Pashtun tribesmen of
the Northwest Frontier Province
(NWFP) – who are mislabelled
“Taliban” in the west.
The Obama administration
had threatened to stop US$1.2
billion (RM4.3 billion) annual
cash payments to bankrupt Pa-
kistan’s political and military
leadership, and block US$5
billion (RM17.8 billion) future
aid, unless Islamabad sent its
soldiers into Pakistan’s turbu-
lent NWFP along the Afghan
frontier and crushed attempts
to re-establish Islamic Law.
Pakistan’s army and air force
killed some 1,000 “terrorists”
(mostly civilians) and almost
emptied the valley of its inhabit-
ants, turning 1.2 million people
into refugees.
Pakistan’s armed forces, who
are being paid by the US to fight
Pashtun tribes, have scored a
brilliant victory against their
own people. Too bad Pakistan’s
military does not manage to do
as well in wars against India.
Blasting civilians, however, is
much safer and more profit-
able.
Unable to pacify Afghani-
stan’s Pashtun tribes (again,
lumped together as “Taliban”),
a deeply frustrated Washington
has begun tearing Pakistan
apart to end Pashtun resistance
in both nations. CIA drone
aircraft have so far killed over
700 Pakistani Pashtun. Only
6% were militants, according to
Pakistan’s media.
Pashtun, also improperly
called Pathan, are the world’s
largest tribal people. Fifteen mil-
lion live in Afghanistan, forming
half its population. Twenty-six
million live across the border
in Pakistan. Up to three million
Afghan Pashtun are refugees in
Pakistan.
Britain’s imperialists divided
Pashtun by an artificial bor-
der, the Durand Line (today’s
Afghan-Pak border). Pashtun
reject it. Many Pashtun tribes
agreed to join Pakistan in
1947 provided much of their
homeland remain autonomous
and free of government troops.
Pashtun Swat, where Islamic
Sharia law was in force, only
joined Pakistan in 1969 after
assurances of autonomy and
religious freedom.
As Pakistan’s Pashtun
increasingly aided Pashtun
resistance in Afghanistan, US
Predator drones began attack-
ing them. Washington forced
Islamabad to violate its own
constitution by sending troops
into Pashtun lands. The result
was the current explosion of
Pashtun anger.
I have been to war with
Pashtun and have seen their
legendary courage, strong sense
of honour, and determination.
They are also hugely quarrel-
some, feuding, prickly, and
notorious for seeking revenge.
One learns never to threaten
a Pashtun or give him ultima-
tums. These mountain warriors
defied the US by refusing to
hand over Osma bin Laden
because he was a hero of the
anti-Soviet war and their guest.
Doing would have violated their
ancient code of “Pashtunwali”
that still guides them.
Now, Washington’s ham-
handed policies and last week’s
Swat atrocity threaten to ignite
Pakistan’s second worst night-
mare after invasion by India:
that its 26 mil-
lion Pashtun will
secede and join
Afghanistan’s
Pashtun to form
an independent
TELLING IT AS IT IS
Acting Editor-in-Chief: Chong Cheng Hai
Consultant Editor: Zainon Ahmad
Executive Editor: Lee Boon Siew
Deputy Editor: Patrick Choo (Production),
Editor: R. Nadeswaran (Special Reporting and Investiga-
tions)
Pashtun state, Pashtunistan.
This would rend Pakistan
asunder, probably provoke its
restive Baluchi tribes to secede,
and might tempt India to inter-
vene militarily, risking nuclear
war with beleaguered Pakistan.
The Pashtun of Northwest
Frontier have no intention or
capability of moving into Paki-
stan’s other provinces, Punjab,
Sindh and Baluchistan. They just
want to be left alone. Alarms of
a “Taliban takeover” are driven
by ignorance or propaganda.
Lowland Pakistanis have
repeatedly rejected militant
Islamic parties. Many have little
love for Pashtun.
Nor are Pakistan’s well-
guarded nuclear weapons a
danger – at least not yet. Alarms
about Pakistan’s nukes come
from neoconservative fabrica-
tors worried about Israel.
The real danger is in the US
acting like an enraged masto-
don, trampling Pakistan under
foot, and forcing Islamabad’s
military to make war on its own
people. Pakistan could end up
like US-occupied Iraq, split into
three parts and helpless.
If this continues, at some
point patriotic Pakistani soldiers
may rebel against the corrupt
generals and politicians on
Washington’s payroll.
Equally ominous, a poor peo-
ple’s uprising spreading across
Pakistan – also mislabelled
“Taliban” – threatens a radical
national rebellion like India’s
Naxalite rebels.
As in Iraq, ignorance and
military arrogance are driving
US Afghan policy. Obama’s peo-
ple have no understanding what
they are getting into in “Afpak”.
I can tell them: an unholy mess
they will long regret.
Eric S. Margolis is a contributing
editor to the Toronto Sun chain
of newspapers, writing mainly
about the Middle East and
South Asia. Comments: letters@
thesundaily.com
General Manager, Advertising and Marketing: Charles Peters
Senior Manager, Production: Thomas Kang
Senior Manager, Distribution Channels: Joehari Abdul Jabbar
letters
letters@thesundaily.com
Listening is a sign
of strength
IN AN interesting but encourag-
ing turn of events we finally seem
to see some light for an amicable
solution to the Perak crisis that has
paralysed not just the silver state
but the nation as a whole. The
willingness of Prime Minister Datuk
Seri Najib Abdul Razak to have talks
with the Pakatan Rakyat is a positive
sign that must be a sigh of relief for
many. It is further encouraging that
opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar
Ibrahim has also agreed to the talks
without any pre-conditions.
Malaysians hope a meeting of
BN and PR leaders will materialise
soon to enhance democracy and
government institutions in Perak.
It would also augur well for democ-
racy in the country.
Both the BN and PR leaders
should realise that whatever deci-
sions they take should be for the
Coutre well-being of the people of Perak
and not to strengthen their own
king political positions. They must there-
celebrates fore be willing to compromise for an
30 years amicable solution to the crisis. The
cooperation between them should
in dress- be based on mutual respect and
making adherence to the law whereby the
pg 20 winner must be the rakyat not any
individual or party.
It is of utmost importance that
both parties must agree to uphold
and respect the constitution and the
rule of law at all times as failure to
do so is the cause of the ongoing
crisis. The state and all govern-
ment institutions too must abide
by the law and act impartially and
unemotionally if they are genuine
in wanting to overcome the political
impasse. Taking sides in the conflict
by the various public institutions is
not only wrong but will only compli-
cate further the complex situation.
If the prime minister can bring
the constitutional crisis in Perak
to end in the way the people want
and in accordance with our nation’s
KTMB doing the best it can
LAST week, I was taken aback
when I saw a photograph of a KTM
Komuter Electric Multiple Unit train
hitched up behind a diesel locomo-
tive with KTMB managing director
Abd Razak Abd Malek smiling and
flagging off the train.
I could not imagine why Abd
Razak was smiling. KTM Komuter
service is effectively regressing.
Going back to diesel locomotives
to pull these Electrical Multiple Unit
(EMU) trains is sad and it should
never have happened – but that is
what you get with poor planning
and a lack of investment from the
government.
Before you complain to a KTMB
employee about poor service or
breakdowns, please remember that
KTM Komuter is carrying three times
the number of passengers it carried
in 1994 – using a fleet that is less
than half of the original fleet. On a
good day KTM Komuter has 25-30
trains operating.
The fleet is breaking down and
it is expected to carry three times
more passengers – but where is the
investment from the government?
New four-carriage EMU trains
will arrive this year but the govern-
ment only bought 13 train sets. KTM
Komuter needs at least 100 new
train sets to offer a decent level of
service and higher frequency of 7
minutes – which might encourage
more passengers to use it.
KTMB management is very inno-
vative and trying to do more in the
situation that it is stuck with.
I recall speaking to KTMB man-
theSun | MONDAY MAY 18 2009
Sun Media Corporation Sdn Bhd (221220-k)
Lot 6, Jalan 51/217, 46050 Petaling Jaya.
Tel (General): 03-7784 6688
Tel (Editorial): 03-7784 6688 Fax: 03-7785 2624/5
Email: newsdesk@thesundaily.com
Tel (Advertising): 03-7784 8888 Fax: 03-7784 4424
Email: advertise@thesundaily.com
constitutional and democratic
principles, he will have all to gain as
by doing so he will be able to win
the hearts of the people. On the
contrary any delay in submitting to
the wishes of the people will only
erode the trust and confidence of
the people in the BN government.
The public debate on the Perak
crisis has provided an in-depth
knowledge and understanding for
Malaysians on their democratic
rights, the doctrine of separation
of powers, the status of a house
speaker and the constitution pro-
cedures in the appointment of the
head of a government. The crisis has
made the people wiser and politi-
cally more mature.
This is mainly due to advances
in the cyber-media, emergence of
vibrant and investigative bloggers
and journalists, and a new breed of
young politicians who have risen
above the racial divide to work to-
gether as Malaysians. With greater
wisdom and maturity, the voters’
demand for political credibility,
respect for the rule of law, natural
justice and good governance is
going to increase with time. Every
leader, however, high ranking and
even the rulers are not going to be
spared from public scrutiny. Malay-
sians are not going to be passive but
are going to insist to be part of the
decision-making process.
To the people the solution to this
crisis is simple; return to them the
right to re-elect the government of
their choice. This has been opined by
legal and political experts, veteran
politicians, Suhakam and even by
members of certain component par-
ties in BN. With such a widespread
and united call for re-election, it will
be unwise to ignore the feelings of
the masses.
Dr Chris Anthony
Butterworth
agement in mid-2008 during the
height of what I described as a “Ko-
muter crisis” and gave a suggestion
about running shuttle trains pulled
by extra diesel locomotives.
Apparently, the new KTM
locomotives bought in 2007 were
underpowered so instead of being
used to haul freight wagons they
are being used to pull passenger
carriages.
I presume that KTMB does not
have enough passenger carriages to
be pulled since the Intercity service
is seeing growth, so it is innovating
again by making use of the “dead”
EMU trains.
KTM also innovated with the
“New-Q system” last year – another
example of the company trying to
make the best of a bad situation
– and we hope that it will continue
innovating and doing its best.
But it is sad to see that we have
reduced KTM Komuter service to:
using weak, underpowered diesel
locomotives pulling “dead” EMU
trains that can no longer move
under their own power – just so it
can provide a level of service that is
way below expectations.
KTMB is listening and innovating
and doing the best it can with the
few crumbs it has been given – but
it is the politicians who really need
to hear what is being said.
I salute the employees of KTMB
and managing director Abd Razak
for putting on a brave face.
Moaz Yusuf Ahmad
Subang Jaya