Ralph Peters:Ignores Harsh Reality of Life in NWFP Pakistan

Ralph Peters is lamenting Pakistan's internal situation through his NY Post piece titled "Coddling Killers". Making sweeping generalizations, he points  fingers at the Pakistani government for inviting the current situation by appeasing the fanatics.

He is missing a point. Pakistan's North West Frontier Province(NWFP) which is now seeing escalated violence and increased Taliban related activities, for long has been a troubled region. This didn't start after the government decided to appease the fanatics or after Pakistan decided to work with the US in the war against terror.

The region is remote, poor, and far from modern advances Pakistani cities like Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore have achieved. People there feel neglected, and sadly, Islamabad and the generals didn't pay much attention. Now that the anger has reached a boiling point, everyone including Mr. Peters, have their own theory to explain the situation(most of whom, not surprisingly, tie the problem in NWFP to terrorism, radicals and Taliban). Why is the economic and social situation of NWFP being ignored?

If the citizens there had been given the opportunity to educate themselves, improve their economic situaiton, proper health care facailities, and also considered part of Pakistani mainstream, the current mess could have been avoided. Yes, there is radicalism and fanaticsm but it sprung out of poverty, ignorance and neglect.

I hope pundits like Mr. Peters, writing their analysis on this trouble, sitting in air conditioned apartments in Manhattan or Washington DC, would take time to consider the reality people there face, and show some understanding and compassion.