Khawaja Asif has spoken boldly and bluntly against militant outfits like the Lashkar-e-Taiba and has rightly called it a liability for Pakistan. The criticism of various right-wing politicians against Asif’s bold stance is not based on any logic and does not carry much weight. The minister has also correctly reminded the US that it was largely its government which planned, financed and outsourced private militant outfits against the Soviets between the 1970’s and 1980’s.
Pakistan is only reaping the outcome of those flawed policies under which the country made the mistake of becoming a pawn in the deadly game. No doubt our armed forces performed bravely and brought a semblance of stability to Pakistan. But to achieve peace, all militant outfits active in Pakistan must be defeated.
Akbar Jan Marwat (Islamabad)