No way their stance has a chance
A senior police officer and two FC officials who were entrusted with the security of Peshawar suburbs were beheaded at the orders of the TTP. Gloating over the heinous act TTP spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan, who operates from Waziristan, accepted the responsibility for the attack and said men had taken away the heads of the victims with them. Can anyone think of a similar incident in a civilized country? Another report tells us about 25 labourers having been abducted from Bannu and taken away to North Waziristan. Coming within days of the attack on Malala Yousufzai, the incidents show that the militants’ leadership continues to challenge the authority of the state from an area it considers to be secure.
Despite these attacks, there are elements in Pakistan who oppose a military operation in North Waziristan. Some of them fear the terrorists while others have leanings towards them. Prominent ulema refusing to support militancy like Dr Sarfraz Naeemi and Maulana Hassan Jan have been killed by the militants. Some of the clerics who have seminaries in the tribal areas are unwilling to annoy the Taliban. Under pressure from public opinion they have condemned the attack on Malala, hedging it with remarks aimed at pacifying those who targeted her. Imran Khan also supports talks with the militants while rejecting military action. It is forgotten that despite talks with the militants leading to the setting up of Qazi courts in Swat, the militant leadership refused to accept the authority of the constitution, Parliament and the Supreme Court, vowing to continue to fight till a system of their choice was established throughout Pakistan through the barrel of the gun. Those recommending talks with the militants virtually advocate a policy of capitulation by the state.
Military operation is not an ideal solution and has to be deferred till other options have been exhausted. But when an area in the country is turned into a launching pad for terrorist attacks and the militants insist on dictating to the state, delaying the operation could inflict incalculable losses on the country. The writ of the state has to be established at all costs. The dreadful acts committed by the militants have roused the public opinion against them. Lawyers, civil society activists and political workers have held protests against the attack on the Malala Yousafzai. Sunni Ittehad Council Chief Sahabzada Fazal Karim has led a train march from Karachi to Rawalpindi demanding military operation in Waziristan. When the lives of so many people are at stake, those entrusted with the task of providing them security from enemy attacks cannot ignore their duty for long.
