The brutal killing of Indian embassy staff and local Afghan guards and others, in Kabul, the Afghanistan capital, on July 7 is a cruel act that no-right-thinking person would ever condone. We should not play with human lives to achieve our targets.
The civilised world would never approve such criminal acts. When things of this nature happen, one has to consider carefully the causes, reasons and mind-sets behind these acts. The recent decision by the Indian authorities to grant a considerable block of Kashmir Muslim land for the construction of a Hindu place of worship could be a reason. The idea behind the grant was to demoralise people, and minimise the Kashmiri issue, which has remained unresolved since 1947. In such cases, it is advisable to take the pulse of the people of the area.
When the authorities do not make proper decisions, the people make decisions on grounds of religion, motherland and security. India not only learnt a bitter lesson but also had to abandon this project. This in turn resulted in bitter feelings, disturbing the peace on all sides.
In such a situation, it is unfair for the Afghan or Indian authorities to blame Pakistan. Pakistan is facing severe problems because of this war. Afghan insurgents have filtered into the mountain regions of Pakistan, destabilising the area. There are more than 30,000 Afghan refugees taking shelter in Northern Pakistan. In such circumstances, Pakistan would never attempt to rock the boat.
The occupying forces have brought on misery, famine and disaster to the innocent people of Afghanistan, not only destroying their civilisation but also making them displaced persons in their own motherland.
Hilmi Junaid,
Secretary General,
Sri Lanka Friendship Association of Islamic Nations | 
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