On the eighth anniversary of the war in Afghanistan, when a strategy shift is on President Obama's table, it is essential to increase the pressure for constructive non-military solutions to stabilize Afghanistan and strengthen Pakistan's fragile democracy.

As a Pakistani American who grew up under General Zia's dictatorship in the 1980's, I have seen the consequences of a military strategy in the region, up close. I have seen rows of trucks carrying arms and ammunition into Afghanistan. I have seen Afghan refugee camps swell up as 3 million Afghans fled their country and crossed the border into Pakistan. I have seen the rise of Islamic rhetoric to support the "jihad" against the Soviet invasion. I have seen the consequences of a ruthless, American-supported military dictatorship in Pakistan.

The situation is equally dangerous right now and even more certain to devolve into a catastrophe. American presence in the region and American drone attacks are not minimizing terrorism or instability, they are creating it. For example, suicide bombings were unheard of in Afghanistan and Pakistan before the American invasion in 2001. Now they have become part of everyday life.

What we have conveniently lumped together and branded as the "Taliban" is a mixture of many diverse elements. In Afghanistan, it's mostly Pushtuns trying to regain control of their territory by ousting American troops. In Pakistan, a country plagued by poverty and injustice for most of its population, there are elements of a class struggle involved - there is a strong desire for democratic governance as evidenced by the Lawyers' Movement. And then there are those who have lost everything to drone attacks, and they are naturally absorbed by the resistance to foreign occupation.

Instead of inciting more resistance and hatred, we need to pull out of Afghanistan and Pakistan NOW. We must stop droneattacks. We need to distinguish between our opponents and not fight a fabricated homogenous enemy. We need to negotiate with Taliban leaders who are interested in collaborating with us rather than detaining them at Bagram. We need to develop a regional solution to the instability and involve Pakistan, India, Iran, China, and Russia by dealing with their concerns. And we must act NOW to change this course of action.

MARA AHMED, PITTSFORD

Mara Ahmed is an activist filmmaker whose documentary "The Muslims I Know" was shown on WXXI in May as part of the HighFalls International Film Festival.