Where is Mullah Omar?

Mullah Omer

Letter to Editor

As the UnitedStates has issued a warning to its citizens travelling to Pakistan in the wakeof possible terror threats in the country, the top American general, JohnAllen, who is commander of the US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, said in anarticle published on Tuesday that the Taliban leader, Mullah Omar, was hidingin Pakistan along with his commanders. The article focused on the recentincrease in the attacks on the US troops from the Afghan security forces, whichthe Taliban claim the responsibility for. “Omar lives in Pakistan, as do manyof his commanders. From that safe vantage point, they’ve sent hundreds ofyoung, impressionable, largely spiritual and helpless youths to their deathsand detention in Afghanistan. For this, they must forfeit their honor and anyclaim to Islamic virtue.” The point is whether Mullah Omar and others arereally in Pakistan? If yes the where? Do the Americans know? If they know, whydon’t they pin-point? Earlier they have been giving ambiguous statements aboutOBL’s presence along the border areas of Afghanistan but never hinted of hispresence in or around Abbottabad. Despite satellite-watch, hi-tech groundgadgets, surveillance and detection facilities they remain unable to determinethe OBL’s or that of Mullah Omar’s exact abode. They have been claiming of thepresence of Quetta Shoora, which the time proved that it existed nowhere.

Pakistan arrested Mullah Dadullah who has now reportedly been killed in droneattack. The question is whether the Americans are keeping it as a secret? Whatfor? Is Pakistan not willing to dismantle the hideouts of terrorists, who areposing threat to its own security? It means there is lack of intelligencesharing viz the mutual trust. Why? Are the over 40,000 deaths of Pakistanipeople and soldiers not enough to prove of their sincerity?

The fact of thematter is by putting blame on Pakistan the Americans are trying to divert thereal of issue of threat from within Afghanistan, that too not from the Taliban,but from their own trained Afghan security forces, whose personnel, thoughindividually, are frequently targeting their American colleagues. An Afghan isAfghan, either Taliban or ANA personnel. He is unpredictable when it comes tochallenging his honour and pride. Pakistan is nothing to do with it nor does ithouse Mullah Omar or any other. If these people are in Pakistan and Americansreally know it, they need to share it with Pakistan so that it could catch themor expel them in order to save the country from ruining at the hands of anendless war on terror, which the Americans started and is now ours in the wordsof Pakistan army chief, Gen Ashfaq Pervez Kayani.

If by all meansMullah Omar is listening and he is reportedly against the deaths of civiliansand attacks on Pakistan security forces, he should himself come out and leavethe country for its people’s sake, please.

Mullah Omer