Dawn column: Easier said than done
In my latest column the Books & Authors section of Dawn, I found it necessary to write about the situation of the (now) 2.5 million people in who have been driven out of their homes by the Pakistan Army’s decision to attack the Taliban in northwest Pakistan, but I didn’t want to write what I think of as “mere commentary”.
Excerpts:
“This column is supposed to be more literary than topical. But where does one end and the other begin? As I observed two weeks ago, it’s impossible to avoid politics when writing about Pakistan. …
“There’s more than enough mere commentary out there — too much, in fact. The question is whether enough people outside Pakistan not only know about the crisis, but care about it and understand what’s at stake. …
“But the real shock for me last Sunday morning was when a woman asked me to explain what I meant by drone attacks. It was clear that she hadn’t even known they were happening. I’m trying to help bridge the gulf between the American churchgoer and the Waziri teenager — but it’s easier said than done.”
Frank Rich: “Pakistan is the time bomb”
From Sunday’s New York Times, columnist Frank Rich:
“Pakistan is the time bomb. But with a push from Cheney, abetted by too many Democrats and too many compliant journalists, we have been distracted into drawing the wrong lessons, embracing the wrong answers. …
“What we need to be doing instead, as [author Ron Suskind] put it, is to ‘build the thing we don’t have — human intelligence. We need people who are cooperating with us, who step up and help, and who won’t turn away when they see things happening. Hearts and minds — which we’ve botched — must be corrected and corrected quickly. That’s what wins the battle, not going medieval.’”
The question in my [Ethan's] mind is: Is it too late to “correct hearts and minds” in Pakistan, as Ron Suskind is awkwardly putting it? Is it still possible for the US to regain the trust and cooperation of the Pakistani public?
