It almost seems like there is a free for all show playing out in this country. All institutions are under attack and their credibility being questioned. I dare not suggest this is without reason but at times it almost seems excessive. Also the platforms being used to launch these attacks themselves are not above reproach. There is also no credible alternative to the existing system in sight and neither is any being offered by the people clamoring for change. What sends a chill down ones spine is that in absence of this albeit flawed order will come a sort of dis-order and chaos that we can only imagine and the forces who will benefit from that are those that want to take us back to the middle ages. They are armed and waiting in the wings. These are the people who burn girls schools, destroy music shops, ban working women and all technological advances that may broaden knowledge and encourage enlightenment. What I fear most is that they will come riding on the coat tails of the so-called liberal and enlightened forces who are spurred on by the anti-west hysteria and a zeal to bring the existing order down. We saw a pre-view in Fazlullah's Swat of what these forces of darkness can do and how they operate. Through their ingenious propaganda they convinced the people that their own security forces were against them and were infidels and hence should be attacked and eliminated. Swat was brought back from the brink by timely action but we may not be lucky the next time around. Good, bad or ugly these are our security forces and whenever there is a threat within or without they do come through. They may be reflective of the same divisions and currents flowing through the rest of our society. However by and large and acknowledged by experts the world over, they are a well disciplined and well trained force. Undermining them at a time when they are engaged in a conflict of such crucial proportions can only prove to be counter productive.
The freedom the media enjoys, the democracy we so cherish all comes with responsibility. A responsibility to exercise caution and show moderation and learn from history. Let us not in our zeal to prove our democratic credentials actually saw off the very branch we are sitting on.
The freedom the media enjoys, the democracy we so cherish all comes with responsibility. A responsibility to exercise caution and show moderation and learn from history. Let us not in our zeal to prove our democratic credentials actually saw off the very branch we are sitting on.
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