Thaindian News

Washington, Mar 8(ANI): The “political case for billions in civilian and military assistance” by the United States to bring stability to Pakistan’s lawless regions will become complicated if the Pakistan Government gets intimidated by radicalism in the country, columnist Michael Gerson has said.

If Pakistan Minority Affairs Minister Shahbaz Bhatti’s murder is the last word, it will be a “significant victory for extremism. America depends on cooperation with Pakistan to gain intelligence on tribal areas near Afghanistan,” Gerson wrote in The Washington Post.

“The United States is spending considerable amounts on aid to Pakistan, hoping to bring stability to lawless regions. But the political case for billions in civilian and military assistance becomes complicated if the Pakistani government seems helpless amid chaos, intimidated by radicalism and desperate to appease the unappeasable,” he added.

Gerson noted that events such as the assassination of Bhatti elicit a difficult balance of attitudes.

“Some view every such killing as a confirmation of violence as the essence of Islam, thereby feeding the apocalyptic civilizational struggle that extremists fondly seek. Others, particularly in diplomatic circles, play down or ignore the role of religion in international affairs - an awkward topic on which they know little,” he added.

Gerson held the view that the alternative to “a conflict of civilizations or uncomfortable silence” lay in the steady, principled promotion of religious freedom.

“Freedom of conscience is not only an expression of respect for human dignity; it is essential to the consolidation of democratic institutions,” he said.

“Nations that honour religious freedom are far more likely to respect other rights. Nations that allow or encourage the oppression of religious minorities are enabling and rewarding extremism,” he added. (ANI)