Evidently, well conversant with the overall background of that catastrophic event, the United States had its own reasons to motivate the global community into the launch of the first ever war on international terrorism, under its leadership.
Primarily, focusing Afghanistan, from where Al-Qaeda's trained and dangerously armed terrorist groups were believed to be operating, the campaign spread to other areas and locations too. As for Pakistan's prompt participation in the global campaign as a front line state, there was little left to doubt about it too.
For having remained closely allied with the Americans during the Afghan war against Soviet occupation, during which terrorist groups, like Al-Qaeda gained their strength, it best suited Pakistan's own interests to do so.
It will be recalled that the fallout of the ouster of the former Soviet Union from Afghanistan, as also leading to its eventual break-up, had started casting its menacing effects on Pakistan, more so from the ingenious spread of multidirectional terrorism, which continued to grip this country from the dual thrust of proliferation of arms and drugs, thus brutalising the Pakistani society for long years.
Many and varied having been the forms and manifestations of terrorism in this country, the sway of its extreme religious and sectarian brands, as promoted from misguided efforts launched from mysteriously functioning religious teaching institutions, blew the mischief out of all proportions. For not only the unchecked spread of multi-fanged terror paved the way for political and economic instability inside the country, its ill-conceived export to areas far and near brought the country to grotesque disrepute in the community of civilised nations, as well.
All this, put together, should leave little to doubt as to why President Pervez Musharraf deemed it expedient to launch an all-out conscious effort to neutralise the menacing spread of terrorism not only inside but also outside the country. Needless to point out, while it has proved instrumental in arresting the pace of its seemingly unbridled spread, it has also earned the country increasing appreciation from the world community too.
Little wonder, considerable change has taken place in the world view in the matter of fixed notions of Muslims as an extremist and intolerant lot, for which no small a credit goes to Pakistan's multi-pronged initiatives. Now that Imam Hussain's supreme sacrifice is being commemorated in the midst of a grim situation in and around the venue of that earth-shaking event, it would have been in the fitness of things to focus due attention on the background and message of the tragedy of Karbala.
For it goes without saying that his epic sacrifice was aimed basically on the Islamic teaching of peace, harmony and tolerance. That could have been one unmistakable way of convincing the peoples the world over, including the misguided Muslims of the real message of Islam. That time has not yet passed us by. The message of Karbala needs be pursued with unceasing zeal for all times to come.