The two-pronged strategy having failed, there is need for changing course
The terrorist attack on Kamra Air Force Base is a poignant reminder of the presence of the network of extremists in our midst. After assaults on the GHQ and the Mehran Naval Base, the attack on this premier air base not only reflects the vulnerability of the security establishment in the face of the continuing terrorist incursions, it also underlines the need to revisit the strategy that has been followed in dealing with this criminal network.
Add to this the sectarian holocausts being enacted on a daily basis and you have the picture of a state that is fast liquidating. The butchering of twenty-five Shias who were dragged out of a bus headed for Gilgit, identified and executed in cold-blood is a gruesome reminder of the ethnic divisions in our society.
Of the many theories prevalent in Pakistan for tackling the terrorist phenomenon, one is based on the flawed premise of sifting the ‘good’ terrorists from the ‘bad’ terrorists. In addition to this being naive and counter-productive, it is simply an excuse for harboring and protecting the evil among us as there are no good or bad brands of terrorism. They are all the same who can be aptly described as a species that indulge in killing the innocent and the hapless people to cater to their blood-lust and their indiscriminate indoctrinations in hate.
Policies formulated in this mould have landed the country in an unadulterated mess both internally, in dealing with this marauding band of criminals that does not distinguish a friend from a foe and, externally, for being perceived as espousing the culture of extremism and protecting some outfits that promote bloodshed locally and throughout the world. This has been the core reason for Pakistan’s dismal failure in eliminating the curse of extremism from its midst and its growing alienation at the international level. Will this massive humiliating assault on Kamra impact the policies that Pakistan has followed in its elusive hope of finding a solution to the debilitating phenomenon?
There have been reports in the media that Pakistan has ‘agreed’ to launch an operation in North Waziristan in collaboration with the US principally to target the Haqqani network that it has been incessantly accused of protecting as its ‘extended arm’. If that were to happen, Pakistan will have to brace for an extended battle field and bloodshed with possible frustrating results. In the short run, the operation would provoke a bloody counter-assault mostly in the shape of terrorist attacks inside its territory targeting innocent civilians and, in the long run, particularly in the event that this operation does not move to swift and clinical results, further exposing its vulnerability in the face of an enemy that, besides its indoctrination in hate, has many a protecting hand. So, what are the best options that Pakistan has in the current environment to both safeguard its own interests and also to cater to the growing international demand for action in eliminating the terrorist bases along its border with Afghanistan?
Let’s first eliminate what Pakistan cannot afford to do any longer. It cannot continue the current policy with regard to dealing with the terrorist phenomenon both because the strategy has failed to achieve the desired results and because it has led to alienation at the international level which has now started impacting its economic programs. The World Bank and Asian Development Bank’s insistence on prior permission from India for providing finances for the construction of Bhasha Dam is only the tip of the iceberg. Much more is in the offing if Pakistan persists in its refusal to move against the perceived terrorist outfit/s.
That conclusively limits the palette of options that Pakistan has before it. In the past, it has also tried to link its operation against the Haqqani network with an increased role in the post-US Afghanistan which has not quite worked primarily because of the trust-deficit between the two countries. Reduced to a position of weakness over a period of time, particularly after its seven-month suspension of relations in the aftermath of the Salala attack, it would be extremely difficult for Pakistan to win any outlandish concessions from the US as the core strategy of withdrawal has already been finalised and the pawns that are going to play a role put in place. India has been assigned the responsibility of spearheading an Afghanistan that will not have the benefit of the US and, later, the NATO forces to protect it from the combined attacks of the Taliban and other outfits that have remained opposed to the US and the Karzai regime. There will have to be a very powerful rationale to convince the Americans to alter this policy. That brings us to another critical question: whether or not the US may want India to play a role after its withdrawal from Afghanistan, would the latter get embroiled in this dirty game knowing full well that once it gets sucked in, it would be difficult to pull out?
That provides a window of opportunity for the Pakistani strategists. They should play on the Indian vulnerability in the prospect of operating in a mostly hostile environment. India is on the brink of taking off as a world power and a setback at this stage, economic or military, will put it back by years. India should be made to see the impossibility of the challenge before it and the likelihood of negative fallout and its horrific aftermath.
Notwithstanding any pressure or otherwise, Pakistan should seriously contemplate an operation in the restive tribal areas for its own security. Continuing with the ‘fight-some-protect-some’ strategy will further damage Pakistan as it would deplete its internal security options and increase its alienation at the international front, thus bedeviling its economic woes. These terrorists have not been Pakistan’s friends in the past and they never will be in the future. To top it, Pakistan doesn’t have the wherewithal to survive in isolation.
The writer is a political analyst and a member of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. He can be reached at [email protected]
I congratulate you on this article but please see to that Imran reads it and understands it. I support you from abroad but am increasingly worried when imran shoots himself in the foot. He gives cofusing statements on Taliban. He did not openly condemn the recent attack on the airbase. Why not.? Your article is clear and lucid. We cannot enter into appeasment. Pakistan's interests should be foremost. We need no acknowlegement from foreign countries but we seek the support and encouragement from our people. The security of the country can only be guarnteed when every one has a stake in it. Too often we have relied on others for a pat on the back. Let us collectively save our country from the forces who are embedded in the Islamic Emirate
1. With all due respect, imran khan has condemned both attacks clearly go to pti website and see the press release.
2. your support is apprecaited as you are abroad. perhaps you need to be in pakistan and visit all corners of pakistan to make a statement that the problem can only be solved "when every one has a stake in it" … it is a divided nation based on ethnicities with more complex and deep issues but of manageable proportions given a good and clean government.
3. Imran khan has given clear statements on taliban…again you can find all of them on the video clips in on pti website. if you have evidence of any unclear statements pleae post it here for all of us to see…
4. NATO and US is having a dialogue and negotiations with taliban…there first official meeting was in qatar I belevie few months ago. Pakistan needs to do the same, not because others are doing it but because it is the right thing to do: to stop bombing our own people and reintigrate these people into the society with education and employment.
I appreciate your reply but am not convinced. Why do i have to go to your website.? Why not words from the horses mouth direct. If you have followed my various comments about Imran and pakistan they have been published in this very liberal paper rather than on the websites. Videoclips are edited, corrected and don't carry the same weight.
When i was in pakistan it was a land of hope and glory—i was so passionate -about it that i almost laid my life for it!(1965 war) Now what i see is a land in despondecy and despair leaning again on the shouldres of the others. I am reliably informed that fear stalks everywhere even Imran admits to it. His utterances are opaque rather than illuminating. Make him a beacon of light on the hill.
Appreciate yr comments, but we need people
Ike you here in Pakistan to guide us rather than from outside, that wud be selfish calling us a failed state wud not be fair on yr part , bcz this country is where you were born n brought up n now is the time this country need you most not yr comments…
Dear Salim, I have never called Pakistan a failed state. That would disingenuous of me. I came to study in this wonderful country and fell in love with it. I cannot but reflect on the paradise lost. When one is in the autumn of one's life one reflects on the oppurtunities lost. By God pakistan lost quite a few including highly qualified , highly motivated doctors who came back to pace the corridors of power looking to serve but could not because they had no"contacts" at the right places. They later on went to head dept. in various western countries. I wish nothing but the best for pakistan but i still maintain Imran should think long and hard before he makes statements and study consequent analysis of what
he says. That is my point. Thank you for being kind towards me.
Dear Dr sb,
Nice reading your patriotic comments,however I will request you to find one honest leader to be followed for our love Pakistan. In the present circumstances,Imran Khan is the only hope who can lead the nation from the front. He sure is human,so would need assistance from positive minds,for which I would second Mr Saleem,to help Imran Khan arrive at the right conclusions where he is found lagging.
Warm regards.
You nearly lost your life in1965 and then you went to this country to study and fell in love with it.That amply explains your 'love' for Pakistan.Some how both do not add up.
Appreciate yr comments……thnx but it is payback time NOW…..no excuse is acceptable from person of yr calibre n we need people like u to guide us……may Allah swt gv u longlife to guide this nation where u hv yr roots….trying to convince people like u with firm conviction that u will just not be silent spectators n see this country going down the gutter….can u watch that ?…no I don't think so….u will never b able to
forgive yourself for yr apathy towards yr country wherein born….Nor this country n history will forgive people like u who remained outside n aloof while our country disintegrated right in front of your eyes…..hope I was able to shake your conscience bcz u do not seem to gv up that easily….may Allah swt protect people like you….Ameen.
This rely was for Dr Saheb….
Dear anwar Khan, I thank you fro your comments and wish you all a happy Eid from far away.Regarding Imran – – every one should be a hope for his country—not one person only. Hope should not be born out of a feeling of being helpless but being hopeful and willing to be! This is the message i used to give my seriously sick patients. We should not create heroes in Pakistan but a statesman wiling to make hard choices for the countriy's for the young population. When i look at the enormous problems facing the country one cannot escape the role of the mosque and the Govt. In my jaundiced view one goes to the former for spirtual support and to the latter for material support. The latter has failed miserably and the mosques at the moment seem to be providing the both and the proof of their dominance is obvious. Imran's intentions are noble. He has no lapptops to offer, no memorial funds but he offers"blood sweat ,toil and tears" Are we ready for it?
Please rest assured i will fight his cause from my corner but will sometimes disagree with his tactics. I am sure you will agree.
Dr Saheb….thnx n wud advise fr joining PTI wherein people of yr calibre have been accommodated n listened to…this is probably the only political party where people are encouraged to speak if differ in opinion….
I repeat my comment in case they were missed.
"You nearly lost your life in1965 and then you went to this country to study and fell in love with it.That amply explains your 'love' for Pakistan.Some how the two do not add up"
I have got my answer Dr.Khan.
I take a girl with jaundice, each month I’ll send some money for medical expenses, I did not know what that looked like jaundice was in a web page and a known resultaque commented me and adotamos girl and every month we send photos.
http://www.jaundiceweb.com
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