AgNoStiC MuSliM
ADVISORS
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2007
- Messages
- 25,259
- Reaction score
- 87
- Country
- Location
Whether or not a lack of knowledge/information absolves them from a legal perspective is not something I am getting into, but they are absolved from moral perspective - they are not supporting a group because they wish that group to commit terrorist attacks or kill innocents, and that dovetails with my point about an overwhelming majority of Pakistanis indicating in poll after poll that they oppose terrorism and attacks on civilians.So are the people who donate to a terroris organization w/o knowing that it is such absolved of their association with terrorism.. I dont think so.. Its the same as ignorance of law is not an excuse to break one...This holds true even more since LeT has been a declared terrorist organization within Pakistan for long. Somehow the logic that people of Pakistan dont know this, doesnt hold water...
And the problem with banning the LeT/JuD is that there was no trial, and the governments responsible during this time, Musharraf and the PPP, both had reputations of being 'US lackeys', which made their decisions and declarations (in banning the LeT and JuD) suspect, especially in the absence of a fair trial and the protestations of innocence from the JuD and LeT.
We have people on this forum who argue that the Pakistani Taliban are innocent, and if you paid attention you would realize that the PA's decision to escalate against the Taliban coincided with the shift in public opinion against the Taliban.So will a bunch of people who say that their impression of TTP is that of a group who is fighting for installation of Islamic Shariya rule in NWFP and hence they materially support TTP be pardoned of that association?? I would be highly surprised..
Secondly, the Taliban are openly waging war against the Pakistani State, they openly butcher and kill combatants and non-combatants alike, and in many cases proudly take ownership of their acts. When the guilt of a group(s) is so openly visible, then there can be no excuse for supporting them.
With the LeT/JuD that is not the case - they have rejected involvement in the Mumbai attacks and other acts of terrorism, and the JuD at least has called for a fair trial in an international court to validate their designation as a 'terrorist organization'. All of that plays favorably with people who then see them as innocent and being maligned by the the GoP at the behest of the US and India.
I just pointed out above that many of the examples of people attacking the West indicate a shift to radicalism while in the West, not in Pakistan, and Pakistan, because of the instability and lack of State control in FATA, serves as a training ground, and not as a source of radicalization.I dont disagree that what you are saying can be true. But the instance of Faisal Shahzad's case does not prove the point. There are significantly more examples to the contrary..
I however agree with you that its not Pakistan that breeds jihadists. However the policies of some of its rulers has had that effect. Gen Zia was one such example. I also believe that the recent establishments in Pakistan have been trying to reverse this effect but the success has been moderate..
Of course I am not saying that Pakistan does not have homegrown radicals, it is obvious it does. But what I am trying to point out is that the argument that Pakistan is responsible for radicalizing everyone, including many attacking the West, when it is clear they were radicalized in the West, is incorrect, as is the argument that it is somehow Pakistan's 'identity and DNA' that is responsible. Pakistan has greater issues than other countries on that count because militant groups have had a free hand in operating, and Pakistan did not realize the danger until it was too late, and not because of Pakistan's Islamic identity.