Does President Zardari Share Mohtarma Bhutto’s Philosophy about War on Terror?
By Rais Khan
Fremont, California
Mohtarma Benazir in her book entitled ‘Reconciliation-Islam, Democracy and the West’ has dilated upon the present crisis of the so-called ‘war on terror’ and given her views as “I would assert that the true War on Terror is not between Islam and the West but rather between moderate and extremist forces within the Islamic world. The war on terror reflects intra-civilizational conflict, which confounds and contradicts the thesis of emerging inter-civilizational conflict as the central reality of the post-Cold War world.”
She further consolidated her philosophy by writing therein the words like ”Applied to Islam, it substantiates my position that the most significant clash of our modern era is not between Islam and the West but rather is an internal fight within Muslim states, between the forces of moderation and modernity and the competing forces of extremism and fanaticism.”
President Zardari has endorsed her philosophy and views in the epilogue section of her book. But the most important question is regarding his position on the subject as President of Pakistan.
Does he still hold the same position? Is he inclined to believe that the present war is an intra-civilization affair and the West is not involved in it? Does he think it is a conflict within the Islamic States between moderates and extremists or it has mechanics transcending the Muslim borders?
Will President Zardari explain his position on this important issue facing the nation?
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