The invisible demons

The nurseries of hate and their patrons must be confronted

In a welcome move, the top military leadership has reiterated its resolve to continue the fight against terrorism. The announcement came at the conclusion of a meeting presided over by the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee and attended by the chiefs of the army, the navy and the air force. The reiteration was unequivocal that a “comprehensive strategy will be followed by the armed forces to combat the terrorist threat being faced by the country”.

The statement comes when the parliament stands dissolved and the country is moving towards the national elections on May 11. Apparently, the ruling coalition and the opposition appear to be struggling for a consensus on the induction of an interim government. But, like so much else that has lapsed into the realm of the impossible, this also appears headed in that direction and the matter, most likely, will be decided in the court of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) – the least of the desirables at the conclusion of a so-called five-year democratic rule!

Among the innumerable failures of the government, the most notable has been its inability to address the menace of terrorism. The whole country remained in the grip of bloody assaults which continued to increase in ferocity throughout the tenure of the government resulting in loss of strategic advantage, human lives and massive damage to infrastructure. This phenomenon has endered the country more vulnerable in facing this daunting challenge. Much against the wishes of the armed forces, and in spite of their repeated exhortations, the government failed in devising a political strategy to deal with this existential threat. Instead, it remained engrossed in making debilitating compromises with its partners and collaborators to stay in power. This inflicted a telling blow on its credibility and writ alike which never quite recovered from the damage. Absolutely mind-boggling is the fact that, for all its five years in power, the government never really got down to chalking out a comprehensive strategy to address the growing menace.

While the gun-and-suicide-bombs-carrying terrorists have been much projected, there is another breed of terrorism that has kept sprouting in our midst. This devious form has been perpetrated by leaders who have clandestinely collaborated with the extremist mindset to win political advantage. Included in such outfits are multiple banned organisations and their offshoots that have routinely sprung up in the country. In addition to the FATA region which is alleged to have traditionally harboured the terrorist forces, its other notable sanctuary has flourished under the patronage of the leaders of Punjab. These nurseries have supplied and nurtured the forces that have routinely unleashed destruction upon the innocent people of the country. Hidden behind these demonic forces are the invisible fundamentalists wearing the garb of deceit and deception. In public, they keep clamouring their irrevocable commitment to root out the menace from the country, but in plush drawing rooms and hidden from the glare of the cameras, they barter the sanctity of the country for a few more seats in the parliament. Their minds are corrupted and their hands tainted with the blood of the people.

They are the people who, not very long ago, nurtured the dream of being proclaimed the “Amir-ul-Momeneen” of the Republic when they were openly challenged by some sane voices in their midst. But, it is a dream they have not surrendered. Put away in the closet, they have nurtured it arduously and painstakingly and are clamouring to bring the demon out once given a chance by the electorate. To further their prospects, they strike electoral alliances with the operatives of banned outfits in exchange for continued governmental and personal patronage. No wonder the ones who have wreaked untold havoc on this country demand their guarantee as a precondition to initiating a dialogue with the government.

In the meanwhile, the country remains plagued with indecision, literally parched for a credible and sustainable policy and programme for initiating the long and difficult battle to banish the demon of fundamentalism from its midst. When the enemy is visible, it is easy to do an appraisal on its strengths and weaknesses and chalk out an effective strategy to overcome it. But, when the enemy is invisible, it makes the task enormously more difficult. It is this invisible threat wearing a deceptive garb that Pakistan needs to confront. It is this venomous demon that must be eliminated without any loss of time. The nurseries of fundamentalism reside in the sick brains of these power-grabbers. Their tricks need to be understood and their strategies confronted. If we keep concentrating only on the visible threat, these nurseries of hate and obscurantism will continue to feed the battalions of marauders that are out to permanently dismantle the liberal edifice and ethos that the founding father had outlined for Pakistan on that eventful day of August 11, 1947.

It is a miracle that, in spite of countless illicit assaults, that dream of a liberal and progressive Pakistan has survived the ravage. It has survived because this dream resides in the hearts of every Pakistani who wants to see his country freed from the tentacles of religious strife and ethnic and sectarian divisions, who wants to expedite the exit of the prophets of doom and who wants to work for the advent of a prosperous Pakistan. This will come about only when the nurseries of hate have been unearthed and their patrons and protectors indicted.

The writer is a political analyst. He can be reached at [email protected]