Introduction
This paper aims to discuss the speeches of two leaders from two countries that are affected by the problem of religious extremism. The two countries are Pakistan and Afghanistan. The leaders whose speeches will be discussed are Benazir Bhutto and Pervez Musharaf.
The first speaker is Benazir Bhutto who was a former prime minister in Pakistan. She was preparing to go back to her country and participate in the electoral process of that country. She wanted to vie for the leadership of Pakistan. The other speaker is Afghanistan president, Hamid Karzai. He is addressing the sixty-third session of the United Nations General Assembly.
Bhutto is arguing that extremism in Pakistan has flourished under the dictatorial regimes of General Muhammad and the current General Pervez Musharaf. She is launching her candidature of the Pakistanis premiership. Her argument is based on the fact that she was a former prime minister and she is saying that her former regime was the best since it upheld the rule of law and therefore was able to keep the extremists at bay. She is stating that the only way that extremists can be gotten rid of is by removing General Musharaf from power. Bhutto is also calling for a coalition that will be composed of moderates who will take on the extremist militia. She argues that the installation of a democratically elected government in Pakistan is the best solution to counter the extremists instead of negotiating for endless ceasefires.
As promised Benazir Bhutto returns to Pakistan and launches her candidature for the prime minister’s position. She was however assassinated on December 27, 2007.
Karzai’s speech on Afghanistan
According to the speech by the Afghan president, there is development in the country. He says that the citizens of the country are now educated and their lives have greatly improved. There has been an increase in the number of schools constructed. The economy of the country has hit the double-digit mark and thus improved the lives of many Afghanis. The levels of corruption have also greatly reduced in the country. The production of poppy in the country has also reduced and he says that the number of provinces that are poppy-free has increased to eighteen. The president indicated that half of the country is now free from drugs.
These developments according to my view have been achieved through the help of the international community and the United Nations. The return of democracy is another aspect that has led to the rise in development in the country.
These two countries can be seen as one issue to resolve. This is because these two countries are neighbors and they are affected by militants. These two countries have been victims of international terrorism. The extremists in Pakistan have ceased to seek to destabilize Afghanistan alone and are now targeting the people of Pakistan. The extremists have killed political leaders in both countries. Terrorists have attacked Islamabad and the Indian embassy in Afghanistan. Therefore these two countries should be discussed as one problem by the United Nations and the members of the United Nations Security Council.
It is only by the democratization of the region can the problems of these two countries be tackled. The two countries must be empowered to fight extremists and also ensure that the borders are properly checked to prevent these extremists from crossing over.
Conclusion
This paper has discussed the two countries which are affected by international terrorism propagated under the guise of religion. The ways of fighting this vice have also been discussed since this problem of these two countries can be termed as one.
Works cited
Associated Press (2007). “Bhutto Assassination Throws Pakistan Into Chaos”. Fox News. Web.