Your Villain My Hero

We grew up in an age of wars and global conflicts. Foreign diplomacy weighed by either international assistance or isolation. Where military maneuvers and political alliances go hand in hand.

Old folks tell us about times when there were initiatives drawn on common global interests and ideological identities. Those were times of Zulfiqar Bhutto in my country, King Faisal in Saudi Arabia, Anwar Sadaat In Egypt and Colonel Gaddafi in Libya.

Those were days when these men aspired their people with euphoria from an uncharted dreamscape. Equality, opportunity and above all sovereignty. Where no foreign aggression, occupation or diplomatic pressure could be exerted on individual states. Bhutto packaged "power to the people", while Arafat vowed for independence, Faisal voiced Palestinian Jihad, Qaddafi envisioned Muslim unity and governing reforms, so on and so on.

What happened, then?

• 24 March, 1975 - King Faisal was assassinated by his nephew.
• 4 April, 1979 - Bhutto was Hanged after a military coupe in Pakistan.
• 6 October, 1981 - Sadat was gunned during a military parade.
• 11 November 2004 - Arafat died in Coma, his illness remains a mystery.
• 30 Dec, 2006 - Saddam was hanged on Eid Day, after Foreign invasion.
• 20 Oct, 2011 - Qaddafi vandalized and killed by Libyan rebels.

Today the Body of Libyan revolutionary leader Colonel Qaddafi was laid to rest, before dawn at an un marked placed in Libyan desert.

What started in February was reported to be a public protest in couple of cities of Libya, against Qaddafi rule. Unlike Tunisian and Egyptian spring, Qaddafi used force against those protesters which quickly licensed NATO and US to start operating a bombardment program against Libyan Forces. International reporters were calling it a mere force of 3000 guerrilla fighters, up til few weeks earlier. Not to mention all the aerial bombardment inside Libya which systematically broke the Libyan defense force. Cruise missiles, drone planes, Italian, French fighter jets and bombers, with billions of dollars worth of sophisticated technology that first crippled the Libyan forces. Then city after city these rebels (turned freedom fighters) cleared the areas of any Qaddafi loyalists and supporters. Finally pushed back, in his home town Sirte, Qaddafi breathed his last. Where upon fleeing in a convoy he was bombed by NATO fighter jets, only to be later brutally vandalized and killed by a mob of rebels.

Where have all the good men gone?

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You may also like to read an old related Blog about Arab Spring:
Hot Pursuit revolt

Autumn in History

Alexander’s Retreat

[325 BC 120 km Off karachi]

Historical records show that Alexander passed through Khyber Pass region on his expedition into south east Asia, around September 327 BC. Two years later while retreating he passed through Makran Coastal desert in the autumn of year 325 BC.

There are two possibilities, explaining as to why Makran became his choice of passage. Firstly, Alexander chose the Makran desert route towards home, as a punishment to his army who had mutinied in India by refusing to follow him any further East.

Secondly to protect and supply, or be supplied by, the fleet. His fleet of ships was sailing side by side in the Arabian sea. Necessity of the fleet’s voyage along this coast? One reason most often suggested was to open up a sea trade route to India. For that to happen, the coast would have to be charted, landing sites and wells would have to be mapped. Commanding the fleet whose assigned job it was to travel along the coast, would meet with the army at various points, and supply them with grain and provisions. The army’s job, in return, was to provide wells and protection for the fleet whenever it put into shore to take on fresh water.

With the veterans gone and large part of the army sailing along the coast, he yet led 30,000 troops and half as many followers into the furnace heat and sandy dunes of Makran. Across the Hingol River in the desert proper sweet water was hard to find and food even less so. All Alexander’s plans to provision the fleet were failed.

Thirst and hunger raged through the army. When sweet water was reached men threw themselves into it and drank, sometimes dying from the excess. Hunger led others to butcher animals, then, carrying their goods themselves through the sucking morass of sand, they would lay down by the side of the road and die. Wagons broke down and the weak and wives and children unable to keep up were abandoned of their fate. None would stay behind to ease the distress of companions and loved ones, for it was important to get on.

Only half of those who had ventured into the Makran struggled into Pura (Bampur in Iran) two months later. Alexander had succeeded, but at a terrible price.