Indians the self appointed champions of freedom and liberty they did exactly same with the Bengali refugees in 1971.

One great advantage of making such an arrangment is that they stay fresh in the memories of the world community as a war related issue, and moreover these people do not start in mingling in the affairs of the hosts.

It is a nice gesture to help and provide refuge to people in distress, but Pakistan and Pakistanis must come first.

As for Afghan refugees – now that’s a different issue. I suggest you read Akbar S. Ahmed’s anthropological study on “The Afghan Refugees”. Similarly, a lot of studies and articles are out there that goes into greater in-depth about migration and urban planning and politics that may provide you with the answers why a particular urban center becomes the hub for migrants.

For the neo-cons – the Armageddon crowd the war on terror is currently a war on Islam. McCain the Presidential hopeful continues to talk about the war on terror as a war against “Islamism” and the “moral monster” in Islam.

“JUSTATHOT” whatever that’s supposed to mean - at least it confirms the notion about your lack of self-esteem and great deficit of self regard. Your confidence level is closest to the point zero on a scale of 100; someone who hates even his name and identity how can he event pretend to be interested in truth, let alone standing for it.

Since you have referred to Mr. Siddique’s letter about my comments on DAWN’s editorial. Decency would have expected that my initial comments as well as my reply to Mr. Siddique would also be printed. But then, perhaps it’s too much to expect such finesse from you “JUSTATHOT”!

For your convenience my rejoinder follows:

Refugees in Karachi

I MUST respond to, though reluctantly, Mr I. Siddiqui’s letter, ‘Scarce resources’ (March 24), in which he fulminates about my remarks and position on your editorial, ‘More refugees in Karachi’ (Feb 28).

Interestingly, he finds the editorial ‘well-reasoned’ and at the same times my views ‘cynical’. He accuses me of “demanding that nobody else should henceforth be allowed to migrate to Karachi or Sindh.” On the contrary, my stand is in agreement with Dawn newspaper’s position, like any normal thinking person, that all Pakistanis (including from Waziristan) have every right to seek residence in Karachi and may access the same socio-economic opportunities available to other Karachi residents.

Whereas I did and still do question: Do sufficient and adequate health /educational facilities exist in Karachi? I fail to understand what in my letter has upset him, even so, Dawn mentions and most likely Mr Siddique suffers the “limited space and resources”, “and the already run-down civic infrastructure of Karachi”, which I agree, “will come under further strain.” All I am guilty of is that I have expressed my apprehensions regarding the trauma of forced migration, the pain of displacement and expectations and demands of rehabilitation.

In my opinion these are the victims of a war that Pakistanis find themselves into and are our national and collective responsibility; the burden of rehabilitation of these refugees cannot and must not be the sole responsibility of the city government of Karachi. It’s a national responsibility and we don’t want to take it away from them.

Of course, the Sindh province generally and the city of Karachi particularly have received all those displaced and rendered homeless; Sindh has graciously accepted us and we have always come here like one comes home without any reasons to explain. And that’s why I asked, and ask again if these refugees have a right to be rehabilitated elsewhere in Pakistan, including Lahore and Islamabad.

They are citizens of Pakistan, and the federation of Pakistan must provide them all the support. As our brethren in distress, they must not be made dependent on largess of our kind-heartedness or pity and altruism.

As far as the writer’s comments about my place of domicile is concerned, well, I live in the USA and have lived in the past in many other modern and civilised capitals of this, our, world (no I haven’t forfeited my Pakistani nationality or citizenship). And I daresay I am proud, fortunate, and honoured to receive here a clear understanding of education and freedom of mind.

AFTAB S. ALAM
United States

And recently you accused TPS of deleting your comments. When TPS suggested “perhaps the comment you made never sent to TPS from your side”. You say maybe you goofed up! I say you sitting with redneck Bushiites – perhaps need to get over your hangover before your start to leak all over Pakistani blogs.

But we Muslims should be focusing on the agents or proxies of the West: The Chalebi-Sistani-Barzani-Talabani-al-Hakim-Karzai-Musharraf-Mubarak and the likes.

It is time we see the true colors of the devil in disguise amongst our so-called Muslim elites. It is one more unveiling for us to see the true colors of the crusaders in disguise. The “war-on-terror” is NOT ambiguous – it is a religious crusade.