Donald Trump, the outspoken and controversial Republican front runner, made an outlandish claim. He Tweeted that he alone can solve terrorism.
Trump was condemning the terrorist attack in Lahore, a metropolitan city of Pakistan. The attack claimed more than 70 lives and left over 270 injured.
Another radical Islamic attack, this time in Pakistan, targeting Christian women & children. At least 67 dead,400 injured. I alone can solve
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 27, 2016
There are many points of interest in Trump’s statement. The first one being the incorrect assumption that the attack was carried out on Christians.
Having lived in Lahore for 28 years, being visited the bombing site Gulshan-e-Iqbal part, I can tell you that this claim sounds appalling. The park is densely crowded on any given Sunday, not just Easter. Citizens of Lahore go to this amusement park irrespective of their religion and religious festivals.
To target people of one race or religious beliefs is virtually impossible.
The impression in the international media that the attack was targeted at Christians is stereotypical. Of the 57 victims identified thus far, 40 have been found to be Muslims and 14 Christians.
Global terrorism problem Vs. Terrorism in Pakistan
The dynamics of terrorism in Pakistan and Afghanistan are different than the rest of the world. There is no ISIS in Pakistan, despite propaganda – ask any Pakistani and he will tell you. The motive of Pakistani terrorism is largely a reaction to US drone attacks and a US funded operation in Waziristan, the tribal areas of Pakistan.
Pakistani people protest against US drone strikes. (PHOTO: The Independent)
How, then will Mr. Trump solve the terrorism issue in Pakistan?
Having lost the war on terrorism in Afghanistan (or at least not getting the desired results), US has been deadlocked in dialogues with Afghan Taliban for more than a year now.
Unlike ISIS, an all-out attack on Taliban is not the solution to the problem. Will Donald Trump use diplomacy? – I think not. Trump is under the impression that a military operation will eliminate terrorism from Pakistan and Afghanistan – The exercise is currently proving to be futile.
Pakistani terrorism cannot be solved by US intervention, on the contrary it will move towards a solution when US pulls out of the region. All terrorism experts agree on that.
PHOTO: Yvonne Vermillion/ MagicGraphix.com
Does Donald Trump plans to withdraw from Afghanistan completely? – If not, then his “solution” for terrorism is nothing but a misguided political statement.
The terrain of FATA, the tribal belt of Pakistan makes it near impossible for anyone but the locals to penetrate. Donald Trump’s populist stance of “crushing” terrorists might work on ISIS but on Taliban (both Afghan and Pakistani), it will provoke more terrorist responses. It will result in losses and casualties that people of this region will bear, not Donald Trump.
Perhaps he is forgetting that it was the United States that created Taliban during the Afghan war.
According to experts, who understand the dynamics of Pakistan and Afghanistan, the only real solution to terrorism lies in termination of foreign interference.
