Press Action ::: Ravaging Homes

Saturday, February 21, 2004

Ravaging Homes

By Abu Spinoza

The Pakistan army, which has a rather long history of massacres, genocide, and human rights violations, is now threatening the destruction of homes of tribal leaders in the provinces of Pakistan bordering Afghanistan to induce support from tribal communities for capturing bin Laden and al-Qaeda members, according to a news report filed by Bradley Graham in the Washington Post.

It is really no surprise that the Pakistan army action has the de facto support of the U.S. military. Graham quotes U.S. Army Lt. Gen. David Barno (commander of approximately 11,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan) as saying that Pakistan army actions “show the greatest promise we have seen in a while” of flushing out al-Qaeda members. Lt. Gen. Barno also praises the Pakistan army actions as “quite innovative.” The U.S. military and General Barno are fully aware of Pakistan army threats to destroy homes as a tactic to solicit cooperation.

It should be stressed that Pakistan army actions of threatening to ravage homes and destroying the property of tribal communities is a very serious form of collective punishment and human rights violation. The tacit knowledge and approval of the U.S. military for destroying civilian homes would make it also a partner in crime. In its occupation of Iraq, the U.S. military has followed the not really “quite innovative” practice of collective punishment.

International human rights organizations and independent researchers and reporters should investigate Pakistani army actions and the complicity of U.S. authorities. Pakistani villagers do not deserve collective punishment meted out just because some members of al-Qaeda have presumably sought to hide among the population of remote villages in tribal areas.

Abu Spinoza is a columnist for Press Action.

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