Might alone cannot make it right

America's 'smoking out of terrorists' from their infernal 'holes' has come a long way since September 11, 2001 attacks. Osama bin Laden, the supposed mastermind behind the attack on America, is still at large. The carpet bombing of Afghanistan has blasted any goodwill that America might have enjoyed in this war torn historical land.
While civilian casualities might be dismissed as 'collateral damage' by American power brokers in smartly tailored suits and polished shoes, the fact remains that the absence of reconstruction programmes in Afghanistan is seeing the civilian population siding with the lesser of the two evils-the mujahideen.
Greg Mortenson, an American, who has built numerous schools for the various tribes inhabiting the Karakoram mountains of Pakistan, feels that the war on terror has compromised the future of the general population severely. In absence of schools parents turn to madarsas, of which there is no derth, to educate their wards. The madarsas also ensure that their children are clothed and fed. The end product is young men indoctrinated in parochial, violent outlook of their tutors. Mr Mortenson talks about his meeting with Sadhar Khan, the commadhan of Badakshan (Afghanistan), in his book 'Three Cups of Tea.' Khan, a local leader who struggled against the Soviets and the Taliban during the Cold War era, wanted Mr Mortenson to build schools for boys and girls in the region to ensure that the children at least got primary education. According to Khan this was the only way they could make the "sacrifices" of those who fought the "Russians and the Taliban, worthwhile."
Khan's voice of reason and Cold War lessons seems to be lost on the USA. The proven corrupt and weak Hamid Karzai regime backed by America is only further villyfying Uncle Sam in the eyes of the general population of Afghanistan.
The long drawn honeymoon between the USA and Pakistan has began to sour. A spate of corrupt leaders with political astigmatism have failed to channelise the dollars for development programmes. The gargantuan defence expenditure coupled with accumulation of personal wealth, by those occupying the highest echelons of power, has seen little or no development in the spheres of health, education, housing, agriculture, land-reform and infrastructure development. The general public is disillusioned with its leaders and the USA whom it views as a bully nation arm twisting Pakistan into doing it's bidding. Besides it is no secret that the mujahideen are not lacking for sympathisers within the rank and file of the Pakistan Army and the ISI, again a Cold War legacy. Where does this leave Pakistan as a nation? Says writer and filmmaker Tariq Ali "According to health workers, between twenty-five to thirty thousand women lose their lives each year because Pakistan lacks basic social infrastructure. How is one supposed to begin to put a stop to all this?" Mr Ali further assersts that the voice of extremism has gained ascendancy in the country as government has all but forsaken the welfare measures for its citizens.
Coming closer home to Kashmir. The beautiful valley has been bullet ridden since Maharaja Hari Singh signed over his kingdom, with a majority of Muslim population, to India. Mr Jinnah cried foul and a tug-of-war for the control of the valley was set into motion. Pakistan army and the mujahideen, along with homegrown separatist organisations like Harakat ul-Mujahideen, Jaish-e-Mohammed, and Lashkar-e-Taiba, have torn asunder the social and cultural fabric of the valley. This and the excesses by the Indian Army on the civilian population have lead the people here to be caught between the devil and the deep sea. The young in the valley want jobs and a dignified living. The failure of the government to fulfill these aspirations and the human right violations by the Army finds vent in anti-India rehtoric. An English news channel while covering the socio-political environment in Kashmir saw many youngsters openly show their contempt for those locking horns over the control of the state. "Rozi, roti, kapda, makaan, bijli, pani, jobs, medical and educational facilities," were high on the wishlist of these youngsters.
Bombs and bullets have failed these regions. Intimidation has lead to an increased resistance and loss of human life. Now that might alone has failed to set things right, isn't it time we stop using just brute force to smoke out the extremists and bolster muscle power with some intelligent reasoning.