Zeinab Merai, Sada al-Mashrek
In part 2 (صدى المشرق (sadaalmashrek.ca)), Sayyed Haider Mehdi discussed why former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan is completely different from other people in power and why the US continues to tighten the grip on Pakistan.
In this part, the commentator and blogger shares an insight as concerns a NATO mission in Afghanistan and the cautioning he made against intervention. Mehdi also warns of what might be in the offing for Pakistan.
Don’t send Canadians to certain death & injury
The commentator and blogger shares an insight: He was asked by Canadian officials in 2015 about his views on Canadian defence forces participating in a 50,000-strong NATO force, which they said would stay in Afghanistan for 5 years to stabilise the country. They needed his input to give a recommendation to the Canadian Ministry of National Defence.
Laughingly he told them that they could add additional zeros to 50,000 and the 5-year number but that they would never be able to ‘stabilise’ Afghanistan as they understood it. All they would do would be sending Canadians to certain death and injury.
“It’s the single biggest mistake you can ever make. If I were you, I’d save Canadian lives of young men and women that you’re sending to certain death. Don’t become part of this NATO force; it’s a non-starter… Don’t go there,” Mehdi remembers saying, but adds that they didn’t listen, “The NATO force were there… They came out in 6 months touching their ears.”
In criticism of Canada’s submission to the US, the renowned Pakistani Canadian commentator asserts, “These are poor guys, you know, they’re like the country cousins… The big cousin says ‘Do this, do that,’ so Canada cannot do anything in foreign policy and go against the US.”
In for a very rough ride
As concerns former PM Imran Khan’s party, they were accused of receiving ‘illegal funds’ from foreign countries – just another attempt to eliminate him completely from power. And on August 5, the Tehreek-e-Insaf Party announced they’d give an ultimatum to Sharif’s US-backed government: the PTI would wait no longer than a month for the National Assembly to get dissolved and for fair elections to be held. Warning against further destruction of the economy, the popular party have threatened to take action if their requests aren’t met in time.
In this regard, Mehdi asserts that “the people of Pakistan have decided and that the only way out for Pakistan is fair and free elections, which are not tampered with... Imran will come back with a two-thirds majority. The only question is when and will it be done peacefully? The powers that be, General Bajwa especially, realises what a massive existential situation he has created for Pakistan by allowing this current terrible status quo to be maintained.”
“We need to have, immediately, a fair and free election so a new government comes in, takes control and tries to fix Pakistan. We’re in for a very, very rough ride, even when Imran comes back… People have lost faith in the government, and this uncertainty is killing investment, investment confidence, businessmen and their ability to do,” says Mehdi, who now warns of violence, massive anarchy, perhaps even civil war...
“They’re so desperate to eliminate Imran in a seemingly legal manner, as they ousted him in the vote of no-confidence, and as they want to ban him in this election... But there’s nothing against him. All this data has been with the election commission since the last seven years, so there’s this desperate desire to eliminate him, and God help Pakistan if that happens,” says Mehdi, who describes himself as a “poverty-alleviation activist, a socialist at heart and a man who’s passionately committed to Pakistan becoming a self-respecting social welfare state.”
Eventually, it’s just another big mistake that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s officials are making: staying in the shadow of US President Joe Biden’s. An influential strategic partnership could have arisen between Pakistan and Turtle Island, especially when the latter’s been revitalised by the contributions of its large Pakistani communities.
Prayers for Pakistan.
Thanks for following. You can find Sayyed Mehdi Haider on Twitter: @SHaiderRMehdi and me: @Zeinab_Merai.
Photo: By www.kremlin.ru, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=79705657