Unholy deeds

Published in Khaleej Times on January 9, 2006

I NEVER thought I would see the day when Muslim fundamentalists and those on the other side would see eye-to-eye on any issue. Mr Sharon’s stroke and coma are seen as divine retribution by US Christian evangelist Pat Robertson for “trying to divide the land of Israel.” Jewish fundamentalists say the same thing, but according to President Mahmoud Ahmedinijad of Iran, Mr Sharon is being punished for killing thousands of Muslims. Needless to say, this is the opinion of most people in the Muslim world too. Should we not expect similar punishment for those who are responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis in recent times? And to avoid more suffering of Israeli politicians for causing the division of the Holy Land, why not hand over the whole territory to the original inhabitants (the Palestinians)?

—Shakir Lakhani,

Karachi, Pakistan

No use talking to the Taliban!

More on Taleban talks

Published in Khaleej Times on February 16, 2014.

During the height of the cold war, the attitude of the Russians was, “What’s mine is mine, what’s yours is negotiable”.

This is exactly what the Taleban are saying to us. They want the state to stop arresting militants and to ignore the repeated suicide bombing of our cities and killing of our policemen and soldiers. As Gen Pervez Musharraf once said, “There is no use talking to them, they think they are right and everyone else is wrong.”

We all knew that these talks would serve no purpose other than allow the Taleban to regroup and capture more territory, which will happen when their demand for withdrawal of the army from Waziristan is accepted. Those who favour talks should realise that if the war is lost, it’s the people who will suffer, since the politicians will flee to safe havens where they have property and huge bank accounts.

Shakir Lakhani

Karachi

Taleban's brilliant googly!

Taleban googly

Published in Khaleej Times, February 5, 2014

 

The selection of Imran Khan by the Taleban to negotiate with the government on their behalf is a brilliant move by the militants. It proves that they have advisers who are much smarter than the ones the Pakistani prime minister has. I urge Imran Khan to agree to the Taleban request. After all, his party’s agenda during the elections was to hold talks with the militants. He should consider it an honour to be thus selected by them to negotiate on their behalf.

Shakir Lakhani

Karachi

An Indian who speaks the truth

SPEAKING THE TRUTH

Published in Khaleej Times on  November 11, 2011

It’s heartening to note that there is one courageous Indian who has the guts to say what Indians need to be told again and again. “Eighty per cent of the people are living in horrible poverty, unemployment, facing price rise, healthcare,” said ex-Supreme Court Judge, Markandey Katju.

The country’s leaders are only fooling themselves by projecting a false picture and calling it “Shining India”. They should try to reduce hunger and poverty in India before trying to achieve superpower status for their country. For a start, the two billion dollars India gives to Afghanistan every year should be spent to alleviate poverty in India.

Shakir Lakhani

Match-fixing in Bangalore

DOUBTS ON MATCH

Published in Khaleej Times on March 3, 2011

It’s going to be very difficult to prove, but the Bangalore fixture between England and India appears to have been fixed. First of all, Shane Warne confidently predicted that it would end in a tie in the middle of the match. Secondly, millions of rupees were bet on the match ending in a tie. If Pakistan had been one of the teams, the ICC would have cancelled the results and penalised a couple of players.

Shakir Lakhani

Karachi, Pakistan

Why do they worry about Pakistan's nuclear weapons?

Nuclear Safety

Published in Khaleej Times on  February 11, 2011

With reference to Jonathan Power’s article ‘Beijing not much of a nuisance militarily’ (KT, Feb10), I wonder why he (and many others) are so deeply worried about Pakistan having nuclear weapons.

The US and Russia have thousands of nuclear warheads, enough to destroy the entire planet many times over, and yet no one thinks that these are vulnerable to theft or misuse. The probability of nuclear weapons falling into the wrong hands or being launched accidentally is much greater in the US than other nuclear-weapons states.

Shakir Lakhani, 

Pakistan

British P.M.'s biased stand

Pressurising Pakistan

Published in Khaleej Times on August 2, 2010

Embed from Getty Images

This is with reference to British Prime Minister David Cameron’s remarks against Pakistan on his visit to India.

Can you really blame Cameron for saying what he did? Do you think he’d have succeeded in selling almost a billion dollars worth of weapons and equipment to India, if he had referred to the situation in Kashmir or if he had told his hosts not to buy unnecessary aircraft and arms, but to invest the money in those Indian states, which are in the grip of Maoist insurgents?

Shakir Lakhani,

Karachi

Dismantle nuclear weapons

Published in Khaleej Times on  December 8, 2009

With reference to the letter, ‘India and NPT’ (KT, Letters to the Editor, December 5), there was no need for India’s sudden decision to go nuclear and provoke Pakistan to follow in 1998.

India and Pakistan should take the lead in announcing a unilateral dismantling of their nuclear weapons.

Shakir Lakhani

Karachi, Pakistan

Nuclear India

Published in Khaleej Times on October 5, 2009

This is with reference to the letter ‘Why Nuclear Weapons?’ (Letters to the Editor, KT, October 2). Pakistan, of course, went nuclear because of India’s 1998 explosions. But why did India go nuclear?

Shakir Lakhani

Functioning government?

Published in Khaleej Times on September 22, 2009

This is with reference to the Opinion article, ‘Democracy at Gunpoint’(KT, September 17). While the US led invasion of Iraq was immoral and unjustified, the war on Afghanistan was sanctioned by the UN, because the Taleban government had refused to hand over the Al Qaeda leaders which it had been sheltering.

How can the writer call the Taleban government ‘an existing, functioning government’? The Taleban ruled by terrorising the population and were universally hated. Again, it is a fallacy to think that the Afghan war is not winnable.

I would like to remind the writer that the areas now comprising western and northern Pakistan were once inaccessible and equally unconquerable in the beginning, but were conquered and civilized by the British in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

The Western powers should make sure that these men who have made life hell for Afghans and Pakistanis are destroyed before they begin to spread out and impose their perverted ideology on other nations.

Shakir Lakhani

Co-existence

Published in Khaleej Times on August 11, 2009

This is with reference to the letter ‘Living in Harmony’ (Letters to the Editor, KT, August 10). It’s only natural for humans to be suspicious of those who look different from them or whose religion is different from theirs. That is why people tend to live in localities where their co-religionists live. Like it or not, it will be many years before Hindus, Muslims and Christians learn to tolerate each other.

Shakir Lakhani

Ayodhya hypocrisy

Hypocrisy?

Published in Khaleej Times on 13 July 2009

It is, of course, good to hear that many Indians "feel that the new, forward-looking India of the 21st century has moved on from the divisive, temple-mosque politics of the last century." However, you cannot be sure that a Babri Masjid type incident will never be repeated.

I have a horrible fear that one day someone will claim to have found a statue of a Hindu deity while digging in the fields near the Taj Mahal.

This could well lead to a "Taj girao" movement on the grounds that it’s been built over the ruins of an ancient temple. Let’s hope my fears don’t materialise.

Shakir Lakhani

Be convincing, Obama

Published in Khaleej Times on June 8, 2009

To convince Muslims that he’s sincere, Obama should have threatened to carry out drone attacks on illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank. After all, he’s bombing Muslim terrorists. So what’s stopping him from doing the same thing to Jewish terrorists?

Shakir Lakhani

Anomaly in Democracy?

Published in Khaleej Times on May 23, 2009

I would like to congratulate the Congress Party for winning the recent elections in India. It’s nice to know that the Indian voter is able to distinguish between those who can deliver from those who can only talk. However, I would like to know why the Congress did not field the incumbent prime minister from any of its safe constituencies.

The result is that Manmohan Singh is probably the only Indian Prime Minister who has never been directly elected to the Lok Sabha. In the world’s largest democracy, this is, indeed, anomalous.

Shakir Lakhani

Nature's revenge

Published in Khaleej Times on May 12, 2009

About two billion people could be infected with the swine flu virus, according to the latest estimates. Although that is one third of the total world population, there is no need for alarm, as most people would have mild symptoms and wouldn’t even realise that they have been infected.

However, children and aged people will be at risk. It all depends on how soon an effective vaccine is developed.

However, in certain countries, the virus could spread faster. In Pakistan, large gatherings of people are very common, and this could cause the virus to spread fast.

It seems we do not need wars any more to reduce population. Nature is taking its revenge.

Shakir Lakhani

Qasab Deserves Fair Trial

Published in Khaleej Times on May 7, 2009

With reference to the letter ‘Strange but true’ (KT, May 6) where the writer has advocated a swift trial and capital punishment for Qasab, it should be noted that capital punishment has been abolished by many countries (including UK and EU).

Even Pakistan has suspended it for the time being. Secondly, a swift trial would be a mockery of justice. Aimal Kansi’s trial by a US jury took six years after he was arrested and spirited out of Pakistan.

Qasab may definitely be guilty of the crimes he’s accused of, but he deserves a fair trial. Who knows, maybe his trial will reveal many facts not yet known to the public.

Shakir Lakhani

Cockroach pudding, anyone?

Cockroaches and Inventions

Published in Khaleej Times on March 22, 2009

This is with reference to the letter “Cockroach solutions” (KT, March 18). The writer wonders why no one has yet invented something that will eradicate cockroaches. It is doubtful if humans will ever be able to do so.

Cockroaches have been around for 350 million years and are likely to be here long after humans cease to exist. I once saw a Chinese man eating live cockroaches in a television programme. Humans, in future, may be compelled to consume this versatile insect in times of food shortage. Cockroach pudding, anyone?

Shakir Lakhani, 

Pakistan

Zardari’s Mistake

Published in Khaleej Times on  March 16, 2009

With reference to the editorial “A dangerous showdown in Pakistan” (KT, March 13), President Zardari can blame no one but himself for the current situation. He made the mistake of believing that people have a short memory and would forget the promises he made during the election campaign and after his party’s victory.

The situation has deteriorated so much that two party stalwarts have resigned (something which must have surprised him, since he apparently believed that all politicians are unscrupulous and can be bought).

And the latest ban on a popular television channel (which led to the resignation of Information Minister Sherry Rehman) proves that his government is on the verge of collapse.

-Shakir Lakhani, 

Pakistan

Israel wants peace!

Published in Khaleej Times on January 5, 2009

Reference to Kitty Levy’s letter (KT, Jan 4), if Israel really wants peace, all it has to do is comply with the various United Nations resolutions requiring it to return the occupied lands back to the Palestinians.

By continuously building more and more settlements on the land, which rightfully belongs to the Palestinians, and carrying out massacres, Israel is ensuring that there is no peace in the region.

Shakir Lakhani

Karachi

Obama and Voters

Published in Khaleej Times on October 20th, 2008

Embed from Getty Images

This is with reference to the article ‘So What If Obama is Indeed a Muslim?’ on October 16. I agree with the assumption that Barack Obama is at a disadvantage because of the colour of his skin.

Even though he’s ahead in the polls, there is a strong suspicion that many whites may not poll for him on the fateful day.

To add more confusion, he is being presented as a Muslim.

The media in the West has left no stone unturned in demonizing Muslims, which is why most white Americans believe that Islam is synonymous with terrorism.

-Shakir Lakhani, 

Karachi