THE RECONSTRUTION OF KOSOVO

Columnist Col (Retd) SYED TAHIR HUSSAIN MASHHADI discusses the need for re-construction of this region destroyed by the Serbs

Scorched fields, devastated landscape, burnt house razed buildings, infrastructure destroyed or damaged beyond repair, shops looted, scattered minefields and booby traps. All physical manifactions and debris of a shaltered, battered and brutalized land-Kosovo. NATO troops who entered Kosovo in the wake of the peace agreement helplessly watch as the withdrawing Serbs in their last acts of hate and venom burn the houses and barns, lay booby traps and hidden mines even as they leave. Because no ground troops were used the Serbs army, para military forces or even the police and thugs who had been responsible to perpetuate the worst large scale most brutal of crimes against humanity in their campaign of ethnic cleansing of the Kosovars (the Albanian Muslims) of the region had not been defeated or disgraced. They were just an occupation army that was leaving having fulfilled their vicious, evil and most sinister missions of rape, loot, plunder, destruction, devastation, murder, torture and all other evils that man can possibly commit against his fellow beings. securing peace is often more difficult than waging the war. At present it is most important that demilitarization, disarmament and demobilization is carried out to ensure security to the Kosovars, most of whom will be returning from the refugee camps. In most refugee crises, a large number, sometimes a majority of exiles do not go home again. They either disperse to third countries or settle in the haven that first took them in. In the Bosnian War, inspite of presence of 22000 NATO troops there even after a period of four years since the peace accord was signed, majority of the ethnic refugees have still not gone back to their homes. It may be slightly different in Kosovo as the refugees will be moving back to a region where they would be a overwhelming ethnic majority. Rebuilt homes, roads and bridges alone will not be able to restore the Kosovars to their prewar state. There exists a complete disintegration of civility and safety. Resettlement in Kosovo is bordering on the realm of the irrational and opposing trends. One the fear of growing clamity and the other of hopeful remedies. One historical fact is clear-the lambs and wolves cannot co-exist. Despite social restraints passions will always overwhelm reason. There is a long road to the political, social and economic reconstruction of Kosovo. Justice must be done by NATO and the west and this justice must be seen to be done. The world is a spectator (the muslim world being as usual the silent most spectator) of the grave human drama being enacted on the stage of Kosovo.

Morality dictates that intervention should have had only the aim of immediate alleviation of the suffering and injustice. The NATO intervention by long range and almost remote control only made the suffering worse and killings more. War and intervention can only be justified on basis of humanitarian objectives. The NATO action was run without serious reference to these or even any fathomable military objectives. The lackluster aerial bombing had hardly anything to do with protecting the Kosovars or bringing them justice or independence. It was a display of military might from long range, the result of which was disastrous. The NATO operation against Yugoslavia at best must be taken with a pinch of salt and large measure of skepticism, if not downright suspicion. The military strategy employed was related neither to the area or people requiring protection nor to the forces meant to be restrained. It was not even commensurate with the aim desired to be achieved. Most damming evidence of all is that the air strikes did not target the Serbian ground forces or vital military installations till full 80 days into the conflict. In fact there were reported and known concentration of over 300 tanks and 40000 Yugoslav troops ready to move into Kosovo. Even these vital military targets was not bombed. By this lapse the Serbian ground forces were explicity helped and were let off scot free to disperse and reinforce the paramilitary thugs operating in Kosovo. In fact, NATO air strikes proved instrumental in greatly facilitating the fulfillment of the Serbian objectives, of ethnic cleansing and mass displacement of the local population of Kosovo by the brutal Serbs. This is all very intriguing but what is more surprising and alarming is that although this gross planning failure resulted in major losses to the Kosovars cause along with the massive tragic humanitarian consequences, the United States or NATO did not react or change their military plans. They continued to reinforce failure. This flawed policy has contributed greatly to the tragedy suffered by the Kosovars. Good faith and noble humanitarian intentions of the Western powers can not be determined by their rhetoric, they can only be judged by their actions and ground realities. When time for action comes many a myth explodes. There are values and principals which people must live for and if need be ready to die for- otherwise they become mere hypocritical rhetoric’s.

The quick ground operation initiated by NATO after the cease fire agreement was signed was to some extent far better than their aerial bombing operations and may have contributed to saving Kosovo’s Muslim Albanians from total annihilation. Any delay in dispatching military forces into Kosovo would have proven fatal. During the hostilities and while the operations were in progress wittingly or unwittingly NATO had only helped the Serbs. NATO’s inaction in sending ground troops into battle granted the Yugoslav forces freedom of movement to move their military fighting machine comprising of men, weapons and supplies to the safety of mountainous areas. The Serbs became well entrenched and in position to undertake long protracted insurgency operations. Milosevic was forced to come to terms only because of the brave and gallant ground actions by the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) who attacked and forced the Serbs forces out of their fortified and well camouflaged positions, making it possible for NATO aireal bombing to inflict casualties and finally force the Serbs into submission. Had the KLA ground operations not been undertaken the outcome would have been delayed by long and disastrous war of attrition. There is no doubt that a human tragedy of grotesque proportions was enacted in Kosovo. The genocidal atrocities and pitiable plight of the refugees only came about due to American unwillingness to allow NATO to put together an effective force for the timely protection for Kosovars from the Serbian monsters at he beginning of the crises.

The war may be over but it should not be mistaken for victory. There is no cause for triumphalism, rejoicing or celebrations. The wily fox Slobodan Milosevic may have signed just one more treaty to violate. His past history is testimony to the fact that he is quick to break his promises. Milosevic is the Balkan enigma. He is known for his ruthlessness and mercurial propensities. His cunning, his deceit and his cruelty make it impossible to trust or tolerate him. The only way to ensure lasting peace in the Balkans and to remove the threat of World War III is to handcuff this monstrous Serbian dictator and dilver him to the Hague to face war trials. As long as Milosevic remains free and in power in Serbia, Kosovo is just a another episode in the long saga of mans inhumanity to man. The conflict in Kosovo is far from being resolved. The Serbian genocidalists have to be punished. In fact they are at present being protected and helped to continue their rule and reestablish their soverignity once again over Kosovo. Although it is obvious that the very presence of Serbs in Kosovo will destabilize the region. From the salient features of the peace occord it becomes obvious that NATO and the western agenda is quite different or at extreme variance from the desire, aspirations and demands of the people of Kosovo. NATO has managed to stop the continued mistreatment of the ethnic Albanians of Kosovo, abet as usual too late. NATO will now ensure demilitarization, disarmament and demobilization of all ethnic groups including the K.L.A. Strange justice treating the wolves and the sheep equally. Although the Western powers have announced that no aid will be given to Yugoslavia as long as Milosevic is in power, never-the-less the western countries are sure to flood Yugoslavia with aid and all kind of financial assistance in name of "humanitarian aid and assistance." Double standards never cease. Another Saddam Hussain in garb of Slobodan Milosevic has been created. Only the poor Muslim populace as is the case in Iraq is destined to suffer while the dictators and their unpopular dictatorial regimes flourish. It is clear that co-existence and reconciliation is impossible amongst the brutal Serbs and brutalized ethnic Albanians of Kosovo and yet NATO is insisting and working towards this impossible aim. Worst of all the independence of Kosovo, the basic right and demand of 90% majority of Kosovo, has suffered a great setback with NATO insisting on the integrity of Yugoslavia.

The delayed response and permitting the long continued rape, butchery and ethnic cleansing of the Muslims of Kosovo before any action was initiated makes it amply clear that the real reason for western interference was not to help the poor Kosovars. It was one more game of super power rivalry and upmanship. NATO’s aim is to ensure that no strong slavic state emerges in South Eastern Europe that is sympathetic to Russia and able to accord them presence in the Adriatic. The air campaign did not save even a single Muslim from being raped, brutalized or thrown out of their homes. On the countary the air campaign helped and expediatiated Serbs preplaned programme of committing murders, assaults, rapes and atrocities on Albanian Muslims and throwing out a million Kosovars from their hearth and homes. Military targets or Serb army or para military personal or equipment were not targeted. Yugoslav infrastructure was hit. This was followed by systematic devastation of the metal processing, chemical and oil industries (backbone of medium siged industrial Yugoslavia) to ensure that Yugoslavia becomes and remains a backward subsistence economy at mercy of the West. The Western powers game plan will become visibly clear in the days to come. What ever be the real or perceived objectives of NATO and the west with regards to Kosovo. Their delayed response and subsequent actions in Kosovo are open to scepticism and suspicion. In the aftermath of the peace accord the immediate priorities are clear. A massive international aid programme is required to cater for and expedite the return of the million Kosovars refugees to their war ravaged and Serbian scorched earth and devastated homeland. Demining of the area, rebuilding the houses and infrastructure, reestablishing the agriculture and economy, providing medical care and feeding the Kosovars is of immediate concern. One thing is clear if justice is done and ethnic Muslim Albanians are permitted to return and reestablish themselves as the 90% majority in Kosovo once again, the NATO backed military presence in Kosovo whether it is for 5 weeks or of 5 years duration is nothing more than an interim step on the road to Kosovo’s independence. That is the only obvious just and permanent solution. Will the West accept or allow it? That is the question only time will answer.

The real problems of Kosovars remain a cause of grave concern. Urgent attention is required to ensure that the returning Kosovars are provided security and economic assistance. The refugees must be extended every assistance to enable them to return to their homes, most of which have to be rebuilt. Apart from a political solution that respects the rights and desire of the Kosovars for an independent state, those guilty of massacres and ethnic cleansing must be brought to the book by war crime trails. Any further inaction will prove fatal. A just and viable political, military, economic, social and humanitarian solution to the Kosovo problem has to be found and enforced. This can only come about by getting the Serbs out of Kosovo. In Kosovo as in other ethnic related human emergencies, it is obvious that no lasting peace or settlement will be possible or feasible unless all Serbs-military, para military, guerrillas, thugs or police remain in the province. The actions and reactions of United States and her NATO allies and most of all the champions and darlings of the Serbs-Russia so far have been most intriguing, suspicious and disappointing. They have fallen far short of reposing any confidence towards an just and honourable solution forthcoming. They only people so far who have been punished and are suffering are the Muslim Kosovars. They have been butchered, raped, brutalized, rendered homeless, dispersed and scattered. They are going to be forced to live with and under the same Serbs who committed the most inhuman of crimes on them. In addition their dream of independence has been shattered and retarted for the immediate future at least. As things stand now the Serbs have succeeded far beyond their wildest dreams of last 500 years. In the whole exercise in Kosovo, the world has witnessed a badly botched up, rudderless and spineless military operation. A vague and unsatisfactory peace agreement and a mixed up implementation with a drama being enacted with Russia over the future role of peace keeping force which is sure to remain in Kosovo for many years to come. Is NATO and Western World really serious or is it one more case of sorid military-economic adventure for profit and opportunism to rule the world by the USA, or is it a simple super power game or just another simple betrayal-natural victims once again being the Muslims?

About the Author

Col Syed Tahir Hussain Mashhadi (Retd) was commissioned in 1968 and got release on own request in 1993. A graduate of Command and Staff College Quetta, served as a Brigade Major and General Staff Officer Grade I in GHQ and School of Army Air Defence. He held many other staff and command appointments. Commanded both an Artillery and an Air Defence regiment. Saw action in Dacca during 1971 War. Was a POW in India for almost four years. Received his education in England from Queens College, Taunton and University of London from 1950 to 1962. Belongs to a prominent family of Sindh. His father Syed Zakir Mashhadi was a worker of Pakistan Movement and Secretary undivided Punjab Muslim League.Tahir Mashhadi takes a keen interest and is also prominent in social, welfare, human rights and cultural life of Sindh. He is serving on a number of committees dedicated to providing justice, relief, redress of grievances to the poor and suffering masses. Writes articles as a freelance columnist and has in the first year of his new career had over 25 articles on various topics.