Mini-3rd world war’ being fought on Pakhtun soil
Saturday, May 15, 2010
By Khalid Kheshgi
PESHAWAR: Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ameer Haider Hoti said that an undeclared mini-Third World War was being fought on the soil of Pakhtuns for the last many years.
“The US, China, Russia, Iran, India and other big powers are involved in this war being fought in the Pakhtun belt of Pakistan and Afghanistan,” he told The News in an interview. He said the world powers needed to sit together to find a negotiated political solution to the conflict in this region. He said these countries had chosen to fight each other on Pakhtun soil.
“Whether we like it or not, America can play a big role in this region, where Pakistan and Afghanistan are the main stakeholders. Pakistan and Afghanistan should have developed trust in each other and if these two neighbouring countries come close to each other for the sake of their own people, the US should support this process,” he suggested.
He said thousands of Pakhtuns had been killed in this war of aliens which would continue for many years if the foreign forces continued interfering in the region. The chief minister said the province and the entire Pakhtun belt, being frontline region, had suffered a lot in the war against terror but unfortunately they had received meagre financial support from the international community and the federal government. “Our sacrifices and sufferings are numerous but rewards are meagre. There are so many unfulfilled pledges from the international community for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the war-affected province, particularly Malakand division,” he stressed. However, he appreciated the assistance from the USAID for the development of health and education sectors in Malakand division.