Pacifying the beast

Nothing could be more destabilizing to the state of Pakistan

We seem to be living in a surreal world, in a world of askewed reality. The government goes through the motion of governing, the army goes through the motion of defending – and the people go through the motion of living.

And the Taliban keep on killing, Eid or no Eid, funeral or no funeral.

Yet, deep inside this tragic, surreal milieu nobody is fooled by the worldly sheen of their uncertain, peripheral existence punctuated by the almost daily thunder of bombs and gunfire, jolting them with periodic doses of reality. Mainly because we have a blood thirsty beast in our midst that is becoming increasingly menacing and overpowering with every passing day, casting a long, dark shadow of impending doom reaching the four corners of our land.

Abject surrender to Taliban and Jihadists not only by the APC politicos but by other segments of the populace makes one hearken back to that sordid chapter of human history when the terrified natives would offer human sacrifices to appease beasts or goddesses of evil, like Kali who would descend on the helpless villagers every night to kill and feast upon human blood and flesh.

My questions to those literally begging for ‘peace talks’ is that how many citizens they would be willing to offer on a platter to this savage enemy in order to please and pacify it – 100, or 200 or 500 citizens a day? I’m sure our leaders can negotiate a reasonable number of our citizens to be tied and delivered to the Taliban each day at a fixed location whom they can kill and blow up to satisfy their blood lust. Then perhaps mercifully the beast would leave us alone and the blessed, eternal peace would prevail.

 Yes, peace at any cost, even if that means trashing up of our Constitution, the abrogation of our democratic system, and the death of the Pakistani state as we know it, and the beginning of a savage, medieval, totalitarian rule.

And even if that peace we seek means absolving the murderers and butchers with the blood and unspeakable suffering and horror of tens of thousands of our men, women and children killed, blown into pieces, beheaded or maimed by these so-called Taliban.

Holding the Taliban and Jihadists accountable for murder and maiming of tens of thousands of innocents is not even on the cards of country’s gutless, cowardly, Islamist, reactionary, life-hating organizations and people. Where is their vaunted Islamic justice when it comes to Taliban’s atrocities and their crimes?

Forget prosecution and punishment for these heinous crimes. These quivering people would be ecstatic and eternally grateful if the Taliban would only stop their bombings and attacking our citizens. These brave sons of Islam would choose to grovel in the dust, begging for mercy, rather than face and fight evil.

The Army Chief, Gen Kayani, in his speech at the PMA, said that Army would support and follow the civilian leadership in its policy of talking to the Taliban enemy. Funny though that Army’s new found respect of civilian dealership never prevented it from dissing civilian rules before, or overthrowing civilian governments or even hanging a civilian prime minister. Many of us believe that the military is hiding behind the skirts of the civilians in order to shirk its primary duty to defend, defeat and destroy.

Let’s examine the nitty-gritty of the prospective ‘peace talks’, if they are even held. First and foremost, the mere act of Pakistani state’s representatives sitting on the table with this terror outfit would elevate the Taliban to a state level. Boosted by this surge of sovereignty in their status, Taliban would thus leave the talks not weakened but further strengthened and emboldened in its ambitions.

Moreover, by agreeing to talks without any conditions our government will send a very dangerous message that may eventually turn out to be fatal, a message that strikes at the very roots of the country.

In a way we would be acknowledging and conceding to the enemy that the state’s democratic system, its constitution, its institutions, indeed its very basis is open for bargaining – if enough coercion is applied.

Nothing could be more destabilizing to the state’s political system.

Talks will set a dangerous precedent for continued war against our state, that brute force, murder, extortion by terror groups pays and that these are effective tactics against Pakistan. Besides conferring legitimacy on the Taliban, such talks will give them the power and control over our country’s future.

But in the heat of the moment, in our exhilarating feelings for these futile, counterproductive talks, or ‘negotiations’ that many of us foolishly believe would somehow magically end Taliban’s suicide attacks and terrorism , we overlook the real possibility of these talks even never taking place.

After all, the Taliban might deem talks to be unnecessary if they come to the conclusion that they are inexorably marching towards achieving their ultimate goal of gaining total control of Pakistan state without having to go through the rigours of diplomatic niceties. Negotiating skills and political sophistry and give and take are not exactly their cup of tea.

Talks or no talks, either way the whole nation will continue to sink deeper and deeper into a bottomless hole, with no way up. Without any will, preparation and readiness by our nation for an all-out offensive to annihilate this diabolical and relentless enemy, the shards of few shining novas in our shrinking universe will be rendered dimmer and dimmer.

Tausif Kamal is a US-based attorney, author, independent analyst and writer.