Imran Khan: “War on Terror has become a War of Terror”
August 17th 2007 00:14
Imran Khan: “War on Terror has become a War of Terror”
Unless you have been living on Mars for the last 30 years you would know the name Imran Khan. He is the most famous and the greatest Pakistani Cricketer in history. There is no doubt that the glory days of Pakistan cricket are always associated with his name. It could be argued that he more than anyone has put a friendly face and rational voice to the outside world. Yet since retiring from cricket he has not vanished into the tabloid haze of sublime stupidity but has instead engaged his community. The death of his mother prompted him to raise money to build the first cancer hospital in Pakistan. At the time the achievement made world headlines but the same time it I had been totally absent from the Pakistan media. Instead he came under constant political attack and accused of wanting political career. This was a strange attack as he had not even mentioned that he would be interest in a political position. He did become a member of parliament in 2002 and has remained so.
So what does he have to say about the war on Terror as seen from his Pakistani viewpoint?
The most famous quote was that he said, “The War on Terror has become a War of Terror.”
In a television interview on ABC TV he explained that situation in Pakistan after the Bush administration launched the ‘War on Terror’.
Prior to the ‘War on Terror’ General Musharraf was considered to be a dangerous dictator and Bill Clinton refused to shake his hand. Now Musharraf has become the ‘Blue eyed boy’ in war against extremism. Mass arrests and human rights abuses have been totally ignored. Today Masharraf remains in power due to his control over the military and has no popular support from the people. Khan claims that Musharraf has been playing to the Bush administrations ‘War on Terror’ to maintain his power base and supply of weapons. However there has been no real progress against the Taliban in Pakistan or even Afghanistan.
He sites that just twenty years ago when The Soviets occupied Afghanistan the Reagan administration did everything possible to support the radical Islamists. The supplied them through Pakistan with weapons and even Stinger missiles. They also encouraged Muslims from around to world to turn this into a holy war. A delegation was brought to the US White House to meet with Ronald Reagan where he compared them to the American Forefathers fighting for their land. No expense was spared as long as they continued to fight the Soviets in the proxy ‘Cold War’. It is these very same people that are now being targeted in the ‘War on Terror.’
The accusations that Pakistan has done nothing to stop the Taliban from the remote rugged area close to Afghanistan conflicts with reality of what can be done. Though there is a border on the world map there has never been an enforced border in its entire history. No central government or occupying force has succeeded in controlling that area since that time of Alexander the Great. It is at best a tribal no mans land that has fierce tribal loyalties that no military solution can repress.
Imran Khan predicts that quagmire of Iraq will be dwarfed in a few years but the quagmire that is building in Afghanistan. The blind stupidity of the successive US government to not understand why they are not popular is part of the problem. He says an example of this was the expectation that the US forces would be greeted with garlands when they entered Iraq. Such expectations are contrary to any example of military occupation in history and the hundreds of thousands of dead Iraqi’s does nothing to help this image. The popular support for the Taliban is still in the Afghanistan/Pakistan bordered areas and as such it will never be weeded out by military force alone. Military force was actually making the movement more popular and building a bigger problem.
If we look at Imran Khan’s assessment there is a lot of truth in it from an historical perspective.
Afghanistan has never been successfully occupied in its entire history for example: The Soviets marched out and even for the first time in its history the British Army marched out of an occupied land. Here is Rudyard Kipling’s assessment of the British occupation in Afghanistan:
When you're wounded and left on Afghanistan's plains,
And the women come out to cut up what remains,
Jest roll to your rifle and blow out your brains
Whether you wish to agree or disagree with Imran Khan’s assessment is you own decision however he is much closer the problem that many who sit in safe havens of the White House and CIA headquarters.
Cricketer, playboy, reformed and now an opposition paliamentarian
So what does he have to say about the war on Terror as seen from his Pakistani viewpoint?
The most famous quote was that he said, “The War on Terror has become a War of Terror.”
In a television interview on ABC TV he explained that situation in Pakistan after the Bush administration launched the ‘War on Terror’.
The Wrath of Khan.
He sites that just twenty years ago when The Soviets occupied Afghanistan the Reagan administration did everything possible to support the radical Islamists. The supplied them through Pakistan with weapons and even Stinger missiles. They also encouraged Muslims from around to world to turn this into a holy war. A delegation was brought to the US White House to meet with Ronald Reagan where he compared them to the American Forefathers fighting for their land. No expense was spared as long as they continued to fight the Soviets in the proxy ‘Cold War’. It is these very same people that are now being targeted in the ‘War on Terror.’
His own words
Imran Khan predicts that quagmire of Iraq will be dwarfed in a few years but the quagmire that is building in Afghanistan. The blind stupidity of the successive US government to not understand why they are not popular is part of the problem. He says an example of this was the expectation that the US forces would be greeted with garlands when they entered Iraq. Such expectations are contrary to any example of military occupation in history and the hundreds of thousands of dead Iraqi’s does nothing to help this image. The popular support for the Taliban is still in the Afghanistan/Pakistan bordered areas and as such it will never be weeded out by military force alone. Military force was actually making the movement more popular and building a bigger problem.
If we look at Imran Khan’s assessment there is a lot of truth in it from an historical perspective.
Afghanistan has never been successfully occupied in its entire history for example: The Soviets marched out and even for the first time in its history the British Army marched out of an occupied land. Here is Rudyard Kipling’s assessment of the British occupation in Afghanistan:
When you're wounded and left on Afghanistan's plains,
And the women come out to cut up what remains,
Jest roll to your rifle and blow out your brains
Whether you wish to agree or disagree with Imran Khan’s assessment is you own decision however he is much closer the problem that many who sit in safe havens of the White House and CIA headquarters.
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Comment by David
This is quite possibly the most sensible quote regarding politics I have seen on Orble ever:
The commentators on AFL often change their mind about whether a goal was a goal or not when they see the kick from another camera angle. (And they're considered the experts on 'the game').
As one of my cricket-loving schoolmates used to prophesy: "No one Khan like Imran Khan."
David ...
Comment by Damo
For the Sake of Argument
My Apologetics
Thanks for waking me up from my late night hangover. I was watch an Australian made zombie show till late.
The funny thing is that my wifes Uncle has been running a Catholic school in Pakistan for 30 years and he is saying almost the same thing that Imran is saying.
Comment by Howard
Real Crash
Comment by Damo
For the Sake of Argument
My Apologetics
Thanks for your comments.
I have had an interest in that Indian Subcontinent for a long time.
I think that post war America has been cursed with the motto that: 'The enemy of my enemy must be my friend.'
This why they seem to love some Dictators one years and hate them the next.