Today Richard Holbrook met with the Pakistani administration to discuss the situation there. One thing very encouraging was duly noted.. the body language. Holbrook indicated that the world should understand the situation Pakistan is facing today. President Obama also spoke to the President of Pakistan and confirmed that his administration is willing to listen and review the policy of the previous eight years. The mutual trust and respect that President Obama had promised in his inaugural speech seems to be genuine.
I concur to the views of Pakistani foreign minister that there are two type of resistant force in the FATA region, the non-conciliatory and the conciliatory, and we should discriminate in our dealings with them. Not long ago in the times of Ayub Khan, Pakistan was an image of growth, prosperity and modernization. Today the face of Pakistan is completely distorted and smudged. However, 99% of Pakistani population is sincere and patriotic and it breaks their hearts to see an ailing Pakistan.
Talibanized, terrorized and backward Pakistan is not the dream of any Pakistani. They want to see their children compete and succeed on international level in academics, athletics, technology and innovation. Average Pakistani works hard to provide the best to their families, and they want to prosper and live a peaceful life today and in the future. A handful of people with their extremist ideologies and behaviors cannot and will not hijack Pakistan or hold it hostage to its crime. The people of Pakistan are not with them and announce jihad against such forces.