By Amir Zia
The News
September 16, 2013
Emotional posturing against the US drone strikes and attempts to neutralise terrorists through the policy of appeasement are not going to help.
It is now official. By offering talks to the ‘Pakistani Taliban’, the government-sponsored All-Parties Conference (APC) has formally handed over a strategic and morale-boosting advantage to the Al-Qaeda inspired and linked local extremists operating in the tribal areas of the country.
The APC resolution of September 9 gives a loud and clear message to insurgents as well as to the world that the Pakistani state is too weak to stand against a determined and resolute enemy and lacks the capacity and will to establish its writ. Rather than dispensing justice and working towards establishing rule of law, it prefers to negotiate and wheel and deal with those non-state actors who are responsible for slaying thousands of Pakistani soldiers, attacking sensitive military installations and killing countless innocent civilians, including women and children.
The ‘collective wisdom’ of our ruling elite as reflected in the APC resolution should send shivers down the spines of all those patriotic Pakistanis committed to Quaid-e-Azam Mohammed Ali Jinnah’s vision of a modern, progressive and democratic Pakistan. The declaration fails to grasp the gravity of the situation. It appears simplistic and naïve in tone and content and follows the tried, tested and failed strategy of appeasing extremists who defy and challenge the constitution and sovereignty of the state. This APC declaration would serve to further embolden violent non-state actors, and their supporters, who are trying to expand influence, dictate terms and run a state within the state.
Although the declaration says that “the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Pakistan are paramount and must be safeguarded at all costs”, in reality and in spirit it has undermined the state and its institutions. By offering talks, the civil and military leadership has implicitly accepted these militants as equal and legitimate stakeholders, forgiving and forgetting all their heinous crimes and atrocities committed in the sacred name of Islam. This policy will have dangerous implications for the country’s politics and encourage other such shadowy players – organised under the banner of various lashkars, sipahs and jamiats – to follow similar tactics. It is also a blow to the morale and confidence of all those who supported and stood loyal to the state and made sacrifices in this conflict.
Interior Minister Chaudhary Nisar’s ‘innocent’ assertion that “a dictator” dragged Pakistan into this unwanted and unnecessary conflict is flawed and exposes the limits of his imagination.
The conflict started when the then government, in line with its international responsibility and resolutions of the United Nations Security Council, attempted to ensure that Pakistani territory was not used for planning and fomenting terrorism and violence in neighbouring countries and around the world. This international obligation meant eradication of terrorists’ safe havens in the tribal areas where thousands of foreign militants and their local supporters have been operating.
The facts speak for themselves.
Osama bin Laden was found hiding on Pakistani soil. So are many other kingpins of Al-Qaeda and other extremist groups from Chechens to Uzbeks and Indonesians to Afghans. Pakistani authorities had been pressing the local warlords to abandon their support to these foreigners and hand them over to their respective countries for justice. But such a deal couldn’t be pulled through. Had the security forces not moved against these militants and attempted to establish the writ of the state in these areas, we would have been witnessing more than US drone attacks on our soil.
However, Pakistan’s internal contradictions and the mishandling of the war against terrorism by the United States and its Nato allies, in which they failed to address Islamabad’s concerns about Afghanistan’s 21st century Great Game, prevented a just solution to this conflict. But this does not mean that Pakistan should shut its eyes to the presence of international terrorists and their local allies, who have both regional and global ambitions. Dealing with these elements remains in our national interest and is a must to avoid making Pakistan a pariah state. The policy of self-denial followed by the mainstream political and religious parties won’t help Pakistan.
The international fallout should not be the only concern. Defeating these forces and the extremist mindset is all the more important for Pakistan’s own sake to prevent it from sliding into complete anarchy and collapse.
Ironically, none of the political parties including those which portray themselves as democratic, liberal and secular, have been able to raise themselves to the challenge and come up with a strong counter narrative to the religious and right-wing parties which have been acting as cheerleaders of the extremists and declaring this conflict for Pakistan’s survival as an ‘American war’.
The bitter fact is that the civilian leadership has been failing to give the much-needed support to the armed forces which have been acting as the vanguard in this conflict and declaring it to be ‘Pakistan’s war’.
Another ominous sign is that like the previous two APCs, the latest one also fell short of defining the rules of engagement or setting any pre-conditions for talks. Any negotiations between two forces are a game of give and take. The question is what the government plans to concede to the militants. Will it allow foreign extremists to continue to operate from Pakistan’s territory unchallenged and unchecked?
Will it allow them to rule parts of Pakistan according to their narrow and controversial interpretation of Islam, which has few takers even among learned ulema and clerics and the majority of Pakistani Muslims? Will it free all the terrorists and return the weapons and ammunition seized from their possession? Will it concede that Pakistan’s constitution is against the principles of Islam and democracy is an ‘evil system’? And will the government agree to pull back troops from the restive tribal areas to appease these militants? All these remain pertinent questions and need categorical answers not just from the government but all those political forces that advocate talks with the militants.
It is also shocking that our political leadership seems to take these non-state actors as a monolith force with a central command and control. Our security establishment must have explained Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, his close aides and the leaders of the main opposition parties the complex nature of this extremist challenge in which sectarian, Islamist, pan-Islamist and Afghanistan-specific small and big bands of warriors and terrorists overlap and support one another’s efforts as well as carry out operations independently. There are cells and sub-cells within each group, many of which see the Pakistan Army as their number one enemy. These forces are targeting the armed forces directly as well as trying to penetrate its ranks.
The APC’s declaration that “we reaffirm our complete trust and confidence in our valiant armed forces and assure them of our full solidarity and support in overcoming any challenge to our national security or threat to our national interests” is simply not enough. The politicians will have to match their words with actions.
It is sad to see the intellectual bankruptcy and dishonesty of the civilian leadership, which remains unable to grasp the seriousness and enormity of the challenge posed by the extremist and terrorist groups. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his team seem devoid of the resolve, courage and ideas needed to pull the country out of this crisis. In fact, they have become hostage to those elements that want to keep Pakistan in the pit.
Emotional posturing against the US drone strikes and attempts to neutralise terrorists through the policy of appeasement are not going to help. The only way forward is to defeat these parochial forces by evolving a holistic counter-terrorism strategy, which should include both the determined use of force and challenging them ideologically on each every platform.
But so far there are no signs that our leaders are prepared to do what is required of them. They are applying the same failed formula and are hoping to get a different result. Yes, we are sleepwalking towards an imminent disaster. Despite all these bombings, suicide attacks, jailbreaks and targeted killings, our leaders refuse to open their eyes and see the danger.
The News
September 16, 2013
Emotional posturing against the US drone strikes and attempts to neutralise terrorists through the policy of appeasement are not going to help.
It is now official. By offering talks to the ‘Pakistani Taliban’, the government-sponsored All-Parties Conference (APC) has formally handed over a strategic and morale-boosting advantage to the Al-Qaeda inspired and linked local extremists operating in the tribal areas of the country.
The APC resolution of September 9 gives a loud and clear message to insurgents as well as to the world that the Pakistani state is too weak to stand against a determined and resolute enemy and lacks the capacity and will to establish its writ. Rather than dispensing justice and working towards establishing rule of law, it prefers to negotiate and wheel and deal with those non-state actors who are responsible for slaying thousands of Pakistani soldiers, attacking sensitive military installations and killing countless innocent civilians, including women and children.
The ‘collective wisdom’ of our ruling elite as reflected in the APC resolution should send shivers down the spines of all those patriotic Pakistanis committed to Quaid-e-Azam Mohammed Ali Jinnah’s vision of a modern, progressive and democratic Pakistan. The declaration fails to grasp the gravity of the situation. It appears simplistic and naïve in tone and content and follows the tried, tested and failed strategy of appeasing extremists who defy and challenge the constitution and sovereignty of the state. This APC declaration would serve to further embolden violent non-state actors, and their supporters, who are trying to expand influence, dictate terms and run a state within the state.
Although the declaration says that “the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Pakistan are paramount and must be safeguarded at all costs”, in reality and in spirit it has undermined the state and its institutions. By offering talks, the civil and military leadership has implicitly accepted these militants as equal and legitimate stakeholders, forgiving and forgetting all their heinous crimes and atrocities committed in the sacred name of Islam. This policy will have dangerous implications for the country’s politics and encourage other such shadowy players – organised under the banner of various lashkars, sipahs and jamiats – to follow similar tactics. It is also a blow to the morale and confidence of all those who supported and stood loyal to the state and made sacrifices in this conflict.
Interior Minister Chaudhary Nisar’s ‘innocent’ assertion that “a dictator” dragged Pakistan into this unwanted and unnecessary conflict is flawed and exposes the limits of his imagination.
The conflict started when the then government, in line with its international responsibility and resolutions of the United Nations Security Council, attempted to ensure that Pakistani territory was not used for planning and fomenting terrorism and violence in neighbouring countries and around the world. This international obligation meant eradication of terrorists’ safe havens in the tribal areas where thousands of foreign militants and their local supporters have been operating.
The facts speak for themselves.
Osama bin Laden was found hiding on Pakistani soil. So are many other kingpins of Al-Qaeda and other extremist groups from Chechens to Uzbeks and Indonesians to Afghans. Pakistani authorities had been pressing the local warlords to abandon their support to these foreigners and hand them over to their respective countries for justice. But such a deal couldn’t be pulled through. Had the security forces not moved against these militants and attempted to establish the writ of the state in these areas, we would have been witnessing more than US drone attacks on our soil.
However, Pakistan’s internal contradictions and the mishandling of the war against terrorism by the United States and its Nato allies, in which they failed to address Islamabad’s concerns about Afghanistan’s 21st century Great Game, prevented a just solution to this conflict. But this does not mean that Pakistan should shut its eyes to the presence of international terrorists and their local allies, who have both regional and global ambitions. Dealing with these elements remains in our national interest and is a must to avoid making Pakistan a pariah state. The policy of self-denial followed by the mainstream political and religious parties won’t help Pakistan.
The international fallout should not be the only concern. Defeating these forces and the extremist mindset is all the more important for Pakistan’s own sake to prevent it from sliding into complete anarchy and collapse.
Ironically, none of the political parties including those which portray themselves as democratic, liberal and secular, have been able to raise themselves to the challenge and come up with a strong counter narrative to the religious and right-wing parties which have been acting as cheerleaders of the extremists and declaring this conflict for Pakistan’s survival as an ‘American war’.
The bitter fact is that the civilian leadership has been failing to give the much-needed support to the armed forces which have been acting as the vanguard in this conflict and declaring it to be ‘Pakistan’s war’.
Another ominous sign is that like the previous two APCs, the latest one also fell short of defining the rules of engagement or setting any pre-conditions for talks. Any negotiations between two forces are a game of give and take. The question is what the government plans to concede to the militants. Will it allow foreign extremists to continue to operate from Pakistan’s territory unchallenged and unchecked?
Will it allow them to rule parts of Pakistan according to their narrow and controversial interpretation of Islam, which has few takers even among learned ulema and clerics and the majority of Pakistani Muslims? Will it free all the terrorists and return the weapons and ammunition seized from their possession? Will it concede that Pakistan’s constitution is against the principles of Islam and democracy is an ‘evil system’? And will the government agree to pull back troops from the restive tribal areas to appease these militants? All these remain pertinent questions and need categorical answers not just from the government but all those political forces that advocate talks with the militants.
It is also shocking that our political leadership seems to take these non-state actors as a monolith force with a central command and control. Our security establishment must have explained Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, his close aides and the leaders of the main opposition parties the complex nature of this extremist challenge in which sectarian, Islamist, pan-Islamist and Afghanistan-specific small and big bands of warriors and terrorists overlap and support one another’s efforts as well as carry out operations independently. There are cells and sub-cells within each group, many of which see the Pakistan Army as their number one enemy. These forces are targeting the armed forces directly as well as trying to penetrate its ranks.
The APC’s declaration that “we reaffirm our complete trust and confidence in our valiant armed forces and assure them of our full solidarity and support in overcoming any challenge to our national security or threat to our national interests” is simply not enough. The politicians will have to match their words with actions.
It is sad to see the intellectual bankruptcy and dishonesty of the civilian leadership, which remains unable to grasp the seriousness and enormity of the challenge posed by the extremist and terrorist groups. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his team seem devoid of the resolve, courage and ideas needed to pull the country out of this crisis. In fact, they have become hostage to those elements that want to keep Pakistan in the pit.
Emotional posturing against the US drone strikes and attempts to neutralise terrorists through the policy of appeasement are not going to help. The only way forward is to defeat these parochial forces by evolving a holistic counter-terrorism strategy, which should include both the determined use of force and challenging them ideologically on each every platform.
But so far there are no signs that our leaders are prepared to do what is required of them. They are applying the same failed formula and are hoping to get a different result. Yes, we are sleepwalking towards an imminent disaster. Despite all these bombings, suicide attacks, jailbreaks and targeted killings, our leaders refuse to open their eyes and see the danger.
Hello Amir
ReplyDeleteIt is a well written article. However are you suggesting Pakistan, should continue to use force against this formidable enemy? What is the 3rd alternative?