AS in the past, on the occasion of Eidul Azha this year, President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai and Taliban leader Mullah Omar delivered messages to their people. They wished them on this auspicious occasion and renewed their pledges to continue the struggle for the welfare of the masses. Mr Zardari and Mr Gilani on their part stressed restoration of peace in the country and issued directives to law-enforcement agencies to further step up efforts to protect the citizens. Mr Karzai once again asked rival groups to come forward to play their role in restoring peace in the country. However, this time his behaviour was different. In the past, he used to refer to his opponents as his brothers but this time he said that after the cold-blooded murder of Prof Burhanuddin Rabbani continuing the dialogue with the Taliban would be a waste of time. He did not repeat soft words for the Taliban nor did he describe them as sons of the soil.

Taliban leader Mullah Omar also delivered a message to his followers … but … his message [too] was quite different. He asked the Taliban to stop killing ordinary citizens…. Ironically, despite his message, nine people … were killed in a blast in Badghis province which … further scared the people. …Mullah Omar has delivered a very good message for peace but it has unfortunately fallen on deaf ears. There was a time when the people took Mullah Omar's statements seriously in almost the whole of Afghanistan but now one cannot believe his statements. According to the Taliban, the bomb that recently exploded had been planted long ago … The US-led Nato forces are also claiming to be in the country to restore peace. Conversely, they are killing innocent people in the war-torn country. If the Taliban, being citizens of the country, are also bent upon killing innocent people then what is the difference between the Taliban and the Nato forces? In the prevailing situation, the Afghan nation cannot expect any good from the Taliban or the Nato forces. The only option available to the people is to offer prayers for another force…. — (Nov 10)

Selected and translated by Ali Hazrat Bacha