@firstbullet:
It is not the case that "we" need her back in Pakistan, It's just that if we are going to extend due process of law to mass murderers like musharraf, zardari, Kiani, or Satan's breastfed minions like benazir et allum and even a national hero like AQ Khan (whose actions by all accounts were potentially cent times more deleterious) then the same should be reserved for Afia, this is assuming that she WAS in fact a terrorist. Now of course, we do not know is she was or wasn't. I'm going to assume at the very least she was sympathetic a la the Tipton 3.
That was never and to his day has not been proven.
What we DO know allegedly by her account and other prisoners in Bagram is that she was gang raped multiple times, tortured and subjected to sexual humiliation (the latter 2 also backed up by her examining doctors and shrink) and really it is not that hard to believe that (and no inquiry or follow up on that btw). And that's what should horrify every single decent human being. This was done to her not by some wayward militant group, or rogue elements of the military or government but by the instrument s of the government itself. Where is the justice and inquiry on that?
There isn't any, that would be a new can of worms and embarrassment.
The horror is that this could happen to any one. The horror is that this was done to her by an evil regime (US/Pak whatever the imagination springs up doesn't matter), breaking its own laws and international standards of decency and laws to which it is a signatory.
Now of course, given that masses and especially those of 3rd world countries are largely apathetic because their ELITES are apathetic (so nothing shocking about your comments really), it is not only refreshing and heartening but also surprising to see an upstanding elite making a principled stand with sound consistent arguments. And that is of course Imran Khan. I don't think any other politician or civil leader apart from a few media personalities come close.
This is not propaganda or gaining political points. This is a willful expending of time, energy and parlance by an individual who is horrified ( and that's why Imran Khan is a weirdo, but I would rather have this sensitive weirdo on my side when they come for me and so would most of you) that no one is bothered by this? And that's why he has said more than once, had this woman been an American or a Western woman you'd see all kinds of activism and anger, from the very liberal to the socialist leftist(dumfvcks) to the likes of Geert Wilders (Wilders is the type who uses tragedy to score political points based on bigotry), everyone coming around this national rallying point. Think of pfc Jessica Lynch who was captured by Iraqi troops. Her honor became the rallying point for all Amerians regardless of how they viewed the war. Of couse when the truth came out that she wasn't raped in fact treated with utmost love and care by the Iraqi medical staff and in fact her life was put in danger by the "daring live" rescue is another matter, and the fact that the most hawkish of the warmongers in the republic than dissed her for being upfront (Kudos to Lynch for telling the truth, but more on that latter). The point is, that there are certain things which rouse resilience in nations, even in he apathetic masses....all masses.
That too is gone from Pakistan.
Hence Imran Khan is clearly a deviation from the avg Pakistani elite, I would liken him to Jinnah in that his mentality is more Western than regional (and I use the term Western cautiously as I don't really believe in such dichotomies, only Universals). This is to an extent disturbing for it would imply that the any spark or shred of anger left in pakistani public is gone. In many ways, pakistan itself is much like Afia, repeatedly gang rape, humiliated, spat upon, accused of things whose truth may never see the light of the day.
Posted 2 years ago on 08 Mar 2010 3:18
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