Galib Iqbal, Pakistan’s Consul General to Toronto, spoke to a meeting of the South Asian Political Forum last Wednesday on “Pakistan’s role in the War on Terrorism.”
Iqbal’s first statement was that terrorism does not have a fixed definition but is defined to suit each country’s agenda. He said that he does not have any definition himself.
“Terrorism is not a Muslim, Christian, or Jewish belief,” Iqbal said, “but is like a piece of abstract art” that can only be understood when its origins have been found. He was direct, however, in pointing out that only a small proportion of Muslims engage in terrorism, and that as a whole, Islam is a peaceful religion.
Iqbal pointed to deprivation, hopelessness, powerlessness, and frustration as the roots of terrorism. He said that these injustices have to be resolved in areas like Palestine, Kashmir, and Kosovo in order to prevent the birth of militancy and to end the cycle of terror.
“[Pakistan] has been playing a vital role in fighting terrorism and dismantling all its structures,” said Iqbal. He added that Pakistan condemns all forms and manifestations of terrorism and said it has been successful in de-weaponizing its society, which he sees as a step to terror prevention. He went on to say that joining the United States in the fight was the only wise choice for Pakistan, since the Taliban (which Pakistan had formerly recognized as the legitimate Afghan power) had become a liability for Pakistan and the Muslim world. Pakistani troops have been vigilant against the “urban terrorists” who, according to Iqbal, are “plotting to destabilize the country and the present government of Pakistan.” Iqbal said that these terror networks have been significantly diminished by these military manoeuvres and that al-Qaeda is losing influence in Pakistan.
In spite of all the rhetoric, the Consul General was unable to give any precise details on how these policies on the War on terror were being implemented; he simply referred to “an Operation against [terrorist networks],” and conceded that Pakistan’s condemnation of terrorism after September 11, 2001 was in “ambiguous terms.”
When asked about Pakistan’s policy toward India regarding the Kashmir-Jammu conflict, Iqbal replied that Pakistan fully supports Kashmir’s right to self determination and wants to help the people “determine their own destiny.” However, he added-paradoxically-that the region is “logically meant to be a part of Pakistan.”
Iqbal said that there has been a thaw in the India-Pakistan relationship recently, however, and links, including transport and communications, have been restored, along with dialogue between the governments of India and Pakistan.
Confronted with the question from the audience as to whether Pakistan would support the United States if it were to invade Iran, as it supported the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, Iqbal said that Iran is a “brotherly country,” that the situation in Afghanistan was completely different, and that Pakistan had only provided logistical support to the U.S. The Consul General said that Pakistan’s policies are “based on national interests, and these interests are supreme.”
