Descent into chaos

The State’s failure to tackle terrorism has taken a heavy toll.

The tragedy at Nanga Parbat could have been averted had the federal government and agencies been more focused on the terrorist threat. They accused the TTP of terrorist attacks but failed to mobilize the state’s machinery against it. The PML-N leaders avoid naming the TTP as if it does not exist. In their parlance, it is ‘hidden hands’ who are conducting the brazen attacks. Even when Ehsanullah Ehsan publicly owns an attack, the government pretends it has not heard him.

Terrorist have conducted some major attacks in the districts adjoining Gilgit-Baltistan while Gilgit city itself has bled profusely on account of serial sectarian killing. The region which borders the Indian controlled Kashmir on the one side and Sinkiang on the other is of strategic importance. Those entrusted to look after the national security, however have failed to realise the consequences of taking the terrorist attacks in the area lightly.

In February 2012, 10 to 12 gunmen disguised in military fatigues flagged down four public transport vehicles on the KKH in Kohistan district. They checked the ID cards of the passengers, then dragged out sixteen who were suspected to be Shia, made them stand in a line and showered them with bullets. An anti Shia orgnisation, Jundullah, owned the attack. No serious attempt was made subsequently to locate and arrest the killers.

The fact that they could get away with their crimes emboldened the sectarian terrorists. Six months later the same gang comprising again of 10 to 12 killers in army uniform stopped three vehicles near Lulusar Lake on the alternate Kaghan route to Chilas through Kaghan valley and then onwards to Gilgit. Once more the travelers’ ID cards were checked. Some were told to bare their backs to find any signs of Muharram flagellation. Over twenty considered to be Shia were gunned down in cold blood. Again instead of making any serious attempt to bust the murdering bunch, the then federal interior minister Rehman Malik announced cash compensation for the families of the victims to hush up the matter. The media duly reported the killings and demanded an end to the tragic happenings. The PML-N which constituted the major opposition party was expected to raise the matter in the Parliament. As usual it maintained a discreet silence.

The ease with which the killers managed to evaporate in thin air after both the incidents indicated that they were from the area as any outsider was liable to be immediately recognised and questioned by the local population. Mansehra district, where Lulusar Lake is situated, is known for camps where terrorists groups have been trained in the past. Terrorist attacks in the Kohistan district are thus by no means unusual.

The terrorists who killed ten foreign tourists were reportedly dressed as Gilgit Scouts. This indicates it is the same group which had conducted two attacks on the Shia travelers. Jundullah was in fact the first group which had owned the Nanga Parbat killings, only to be followed by TTP who claimed the attack was conducted by its newly created affiliate Jundul Hifsa. The IGP G-B Usman Zakaria has told the media that the identity of the attackers has been finally established. They were 16, all locals belonging to Diamer Valley, Mansehra and Kohistan. Besides the ten foreigners, they also shot one of the two Pakistani porters. He was presumably a Shia. “It is a major breakthrough … it happened because of the rigorous day and night efforts of all the agencies working on the case,” claimed Zakaria flanked by G-B chief secretary Munir Badini.

Had these agencies acted with an equal sense of urgency when the earlier incidents took place the hapless foreign trekkers might have been safe today and Pakistan’s reputation abroad would not have sunk without trace.

The G-B chief secretary has reports that the assailants had received training in FATA and had links with some banned outfits. Besides Arab, Uzbek and Chechen terrorist groups who are considered the fiercest of the lot affiliated with the TTP, Uighur separatists also have presence in Waziristan. What is more they have influenced the local insurgents. Baitullah Mehsud’s predecessor Abdullah Mehsud had kidnapped two Chinese engineers, one of whom was killed during a rescue operation.

The killing of the foreign mountaineers has elicited a strong condemnation from other countries. The Chinese too have run short of patience. Beijing has publicly asked Islamabad to “guarantee the safety and legitimate rights of Chinese citizens in Pakistan.”

Foreign tourists had stopped coming to Swat following the Taliban insurgency in the picturesque valley. They are discouraged from entering the Neelum valley. Gilgit-Baltistan meanwhile continued to draw tourists and trekkers on account of its reputation for peace. The Nanga Parbat killings have tarnished the area’s image.

Five of the world’s 14 eight-thousanders, including the K2, the second highest peak in the world, are in G-B or in its vicinity. The 8,126-metre Nanga Parbat is the second highest peak in Pakistan after K-2 and the 9th highest mountain in the world. In summer, it attracts hundreds of foreign mountaineers and trekkers because of its breathtaking terrain. What is more trekking expenses here are far less expensive in comparison with China and Nepal.

According to president Pakistan Tour Operators’ Association Amjad Ayub, 250,000 people of the region depend on tourism. There are around 150 tour operators working in Gilgit-Baltistan who provide guides, cooks and logistics to the tourists.

The local tourism industry has gone belly up for years to come. Kari Kobler, a Swiss expedition organizer told Deutsche Welle: “This has changed the entire situation… This was bad for Pakistan.” Kobler is now considering cancelling an expedition to the area planned for the year 2014.

The company “Hauser Exkursionen” felt the need to respond to the shootings right away. It had planned a trip for July 8. “But that doesn’t make any sense now,” says Eberhard Andres. He said there had already been a number of tours planned for the year 2013. Pakistan’s fascinating mountain ranges had been considered exclusive among trekkers and a good alternative to established routes in Nepal. “Word got round that people did not feel threatened there.”

Terrorism put an end to international sports events in Pakistan. The 2009 attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team ensured that no foreign cricket team would come to play in Pakistan for years. The New Zealand team cancelled its December 2009 tour. The 2011 Cricket World Cup was to be co-hosted by Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, but in the wake of the attack on the Sri Lankan team the ICC were forced to strip Pakistan of its hosting rights. The headquarters of the organising committee which were originally situated in Lahore were shifted to Mumbai. Pakistan was supposed to hold 14 matches, including one semi-final. Eight of Pakistan’s matches were awarded to India, four to Sri Lanka and two to Bangladesh. Bangladesh also put off a scheduled tour by Pakistan due to security concerns after this attack.

And now the bell tolls for Pakistan’s tourism industry for the same reason: the state’s failure to contain terrorism.

The writer is a political analyst and a former academic.