“I am haunted by the images of the attack and burning down of the KFC outlet in Gulshan. The most shocking part was the deliberate burning of the six employees who were trapped inside, and the mob knowingly burned them alive.”
Ayazuddin asserts that this horrific incident should have been emphatically condemned by all, particularly the religious leaders:
“The perpetrators are not Muslims, and the Ulema should join together in condemning this atrocity. The silence on behalf of the Ulema is deafening. I, as a Karachiite, am ashamed that this atrocity was committed here in our city…”
In particular, his analysis of Saddam Hussein’s execution is particularly powerful in which he criticizes the public broadcast of his hanging as this stirred sympathy for the fallen dictator and “created a hero from a wicked cruel despot,” writes Ayazuddin.
This argument has assumed a powerful new resonance in light of the disturbing images of a severely wounded Gaddafi which were continuously broadcasted on all news channels.
In his article, The Neo-Con Miscalculation, he analyses how the U.S. policy advanced by the neo-cons could have disastrous consequences, particularly with regard to recurring tensions with Iran:
“With Iran’s 4 million barrels per day, just the thought alone has the market at $60 a barrel, which is a admittedly artificial price. The oil companies are reaping a bonanza, but it may unravel very quickly. And if an attack on Iran is launched then $200 a barrel, would destroy the purchasing power of every housewife in Europe and Japan…That is the beauty of the free market economy – you raise the price before the price has been passed on to you.”
His articles provide a soberly realistic assessment of the problems faced by Pakistan and the world today. His command of the English language and his turn of phrase alone make his columns worthwhile.
