Let Libyans decide

Muammar Khaddafi is a dictator who should have been thrown out long time ago; but that does not give anybody from outside the right to interfere in the affairs of a sovereign state. The Libyans should be left alone to decide their own fate. It is doubtful that the government or the rebels hold any mandate of the people. And it is highly debatable if the majority is supporting Khaddafi or the rebels. But, it is of concern that valuable lives are being lost in the troubled country, but interceding from outside can never be a good thing, as we have seen in Iraq and Afghanistan. Western interference has not been able to restore stability in those countries even after years of bloodshed causing untold suffering and debilitating regression in all spheres of people's lives. In Saddam's Iraq, his decades of tyranny did not kill as many people as the allied forces' friendly invasion and occupation did. There is no solution in the foreseeable future of the chaotic situation. Probably, Iraq needs to be divided into three parts namely, Southern Shiite area, the Northern Sunnite Kurdish region and the Middle Sunnite Arab region. There are other ethnic groups such as Turkish Sunnites that constitute not so prominent a minority and have mostly merged with the Arabs, save their sharp features and indigenous Turkish surnames. The external forces under the umbrella of UNO should therefore mediate between the warring parties in Libya rather than take sides in the name of saving lives and punishing the so called tyrant. We have seen the champions of truth and democracy inventing stories and presenting absolutely false pictures to the world to get at Saddam. Hypocrisy par excellence! After a truce is enforced, keeping the status quo in Libya, an election (referendum) might be held to decide the fate of the country and the rulers that be. An invasion or any kind of armed intervention is unnecessary and ill advised. Whatever is done should be done in the interest of "Peace", not to punish a dictator or help arm the so called pro-democratic forces. Mir Mahboob Ali Dhaka