August Issue 2013

Talat Hussain’s cover story last month painted a rather bleak, yet accurate, picture of the various security and terrorism issues in Pakistan. But I think the army generals he spoke to have over-emphasised the foreign hand behind the various terrorist networks attacking Pakistan. People here love playing up the victim psyche and like to believe that CIA, RAW and the Mossad are behind everything.

There is no global conspiracy against Pakistan. Instead, we seem to be shooting ourselves in the foot with a deadly blend of incompetent governance, corruption and lawlessness, not to mention the pervading distrust in society of people of different faiths, ethnicities and sects.