The writer is a retired army officer and a freelance columnist

pineswah@tx.micro.net.pk

So then, whilst I get an average of 12 E-mails from my readers every week in response to what I write, I have received sixty-six since I have been writing about the New York Madness. May I here take the opportunity of thanking from the bottom of my heart those kind people who empathised with me for my son's temporary "disappearance" during the Madness, and who wished him and I, well. To explain the feedback further, exactly fifty-eight readers agreed with what I said, two were neither here nor there, and six were denunciatory and wrote me hate-filled messages: one wished me death, at least two called me a CIA agent, and the rest just fulminated, seemingly not having comprehended anything of what I had said.

So then, if this is not a clear signal for the government of Pakistan (a military government, mark) that the numbers of the 'fundos' are small indeed, that there is more noise than anything else in the horrors who hold our country to ransom, and that it should immediately start the cleansing of our society of those who kill their fellow Pakistanis (most of whom are Muslim, to put a fine point on it), nothing will ever be. As I start writing this on late Thursday (October 4th) afternoon, a full three days before the US-led assault on poor, already ravaged Afghanistan, there are reports that five innocent Namazis, all fellow Pakistanis, all with families who are now widowed and orphaned, were gunned down in Karachi as they emerged from a mosque after saying their prayers, after worshipping the Almighty. Why then, may one ask, is the government not applying the law of our land - the law on murder, say? Or on terrorist activity? Why is it sitting on its hands, what is it waiting for?

Why has it not acted against those that are crowing about the suicide attacks on the State parliament in Srinagar at this fraught and delicate time? Every newspaper, even those that advocate the "crushing" of India have come out openly against the perpetrators; every newspaper has condemned the timing of the attack. What is the government doing about it? Does it realise that all of the goodwill, all of the brownie points our General earned during his visit to India has/have been swept away in one fell swoop? What is holding the military government back, please?

What is the new excuse being put forward by the movers and the shakers, the inept cabinet of the Land of the Pure, particularly the Interior Minister of the federal government, the Governors of the provinces? Is it that action against the armed and deadly sectarian outfits - threatened by General Haider upon many an occasion, all the roars becoming mere whimpers three days down the line - should be held off until the Taliban are sorted out by the "allies" in Afghanistan? Is the newest spin that the Taliban are responsible for all of Pakistan's sectarian problems, and that if they are despatched, all should be well? If that be the case, the spin is wrong and deceitful. The sectarian issue raised its poisonous head long before the Taliban were even heard off. Long before. Whilst it is true that the sectarian Mafias took advantage of the fact that the Taliban would help further train its cadres in the art of killing in cold blood, and by hosting the wanted Pakistani criminals who took refuge with them in the name of their own version of our religion, the fact still is that our country had long since sunk into the mire in which we now find ourselves, ever since the hateful time of the despicable Ziaul Haq.

It was many years ago that mullahs in Malakand undermined the very Constitution of Pakistan when they ordained that their very own version of the Sharia was the law of the land instead of the law that the Constitution of the country applied. It is silly for our State to wait for the fall of the Taliban to enforce its own laws. It is silly, because for it to act after it is all over will send the message that it is doing so at the behest of others. The time to act is now (late enough as it is) as many people, including yours truly have said repeatedly. The time is here to, at long last, establish the writ of the Pakistani State.

But, let us come to the present. Does it not boggle the senses to read what our great pundits have been writing, even in this paper, after the New York Madness? Does their writing not defy logic, just four weeks after the event, and one after the assault started? Why in heavens name did they think the United States would not hit back massively and hugely, with all the tremendous firepower at its command? Why in heavens name did they think the United States would pause and reconsider its position when it had been hit so massively, in its heart and soul (may I repeat myself)? Do these chaps read at all? Do they surf the net, for example? Do they know that fully 91 percent of Americans want to "Go to War", as I have said repeatedly in my despatches every single week since the Madness? Am I a CIA agent just because I caution my country to beware? Should I be wished death just because I faithfully bring to my readers notice what I see, what I observe? God, have mercy on us all. And another thing - may I say to those who thought the Americans needed us so badly because they could not take off from Indian airfields and hit their targets in Afghanistan: "Sirs, all the B-2 bomber flights take off from a USAF base in Missouri, USA; fly to Afghanistan, drop their horrible bombs, and fly back to that same airfield in Missouri, USA. So much for your (a la Aslam Beg) strategic defiance!

So then, some of the Napoleons have been sacked. And not a day too soon, whilst I do grieve for the early retirement, without the fourth star, of my course-mate Muzaffar Usmani. He is a good man, Muzaffar, and I wish him well. General Musharraf must now purge the intelligence agencies of all of their rogue elements, completely and without mercy. Enough of playing great warriors, enough of the bloody Great Game. Let us now learn, for the time is here, that we must stay within our own (rather tight fitting) boots. Or we shall be put into them without much ceremony.

Another piece of advice (with due and deep apology to Charlie and his aunt) to General Musharraf: Disarm the ham-handed police on riot-control duty - they, all of them have two left feet and don't know their elbows from their bottoms - let us not give the fundos anymore dead bodies of the illiterates who do their bidding, so that they can then use the corpses for their awful purposes. Just use the danda, hard and aimed at the right place - where it hurts. Take a page out of the horrid Zia's book - overwhelm the rioters with sheer numbers. If you have to put the army into police uniforms (for forms sake), do it. And whilst I urge all my fellow Pakistanis to support you in this, our country's greatest trial, may I ask you to please kick your cabinet into shape too - why have most of them not come out publicly in your support, and therefore, in your defence?