A flawed narrative combined with criminal intent makes for a poisonous recipe
The to-be-or-not-be-be syndrome has bedevilled the political leadership for an excruciatingly long time. While all pragmatic logic and rational discourse have been consistently advocating for a change of narrative and the need for taking on the scourge of militancy upfront, the proponents of the regressive mindset and their old and new cohorts and supporters have been conspiring to delay the inevitable to the detriment of the state and its potential to successfully grapple with the rising tide of militancy and violence.
The latest move by the government to set up a committee to, understandably, initiate the process of dialogue with the militants raises more questions than it answers. The statement of one of its four members has created serious doubts about the real motives behind the setting up of the committee. According to him, it has been formed to “remove the obstacles that have been impeding the initiation of dialogue with the militants”. Hypothetically speaking, if and when these (real or imaginary) obstacles are removed, what then? Will another committee be set up to initiate the actual dialogue with the countless contenders to the throne of death and destruction?
Then again, the effort is being initiated without any pre-conditions. Does one understand that contact will be established with all hues and shades of the militant groups irrespective of whether they believe in the inviolability of Pakistan’s sovereignty and the supremacy of its constitution as a way of guiding it along? If that be so, to what end? Has the government mandated the members of the committee to recommend ways to accommodate the demands of the militant groups whose hands are sullied with the blood of over fifty-thousand innocent people of the country with countless others having been maimed?
The same member of the committee also pleaded the cause of the militants by calling them ‘Pakistanis’ and ‘believers of the God and the Prophet’. Please forgive me if I dare to ask whether the unremitting violence unleashed on the hapless people should be overlooked and forgotten because the perpetrators happen to be ‘Pakistanis’ and ‘believers of the God and the Prophet’? Would the same member also like to explain the religious justification of this brutal and inhuman carnage? No wonder he pleads that we should ‘leave the past aside and move into the future’. In other words, he appears to be pleading for raising a future that rests on the skulls that were severed brutally from their bodies and lined up for public display.
The political leadership has also cleverly walked clear of owning up any responsibility by not appointing any member of their immediate clan to the committee that only comprises journalists and technocrats. Does it mean that the government is sensitive to the failure of the exercise and would not like to associate with the lack of insight that has gone into the setting up of such a committee and the consequent waste of time?
Yes, time is of the essence. Each day that passes tilts the balance progressively in favour of the militants. Post US drawdown from Afghanistan, the militants would be on the ascendency as they are likely to gain more power and also control larger swathes of territory that they are likely to use to lethal effect. Not only that the fleeing militants would continue to find refuge in the tribal belt of the country and the urban slums of Pakistan, they would also be able to flee across the Western border to seek prolonged and safe residence there after undertaking deadly operations in Pakistan. The linkage between the Taliban in Afghanistan and the TTP has never been hidden. After the US drawdown, this linkage would be further strengthened and streamlined for collective and coordinated operations against the state of Pakistan. Consequently, the more time we lose in effectively eliminating the scourge of militancy from our midst, the more powerful its perpetrators will become. It would, therefore, be correct to assume that, if the policies of the government were to continue, the current weak position of the state of Pakistan would be reduced to virtual subservience to these hate-puking militants over the next few months. Why, therefore, this undue procrastination in initiating the military operation on the part of the political leadership? Does it reflect a linkage between the ruling hierarchy and the militants at some level that may be working to the advantage of the political leadership saddled in power and the regressive religious conglomerate and the neo-religious converts? The thought can no longer be wished away.
In the same context, even if one were to agree with the need of forming such a committee, why did it take seven months for the government to do that? Even the holding of the All Parties’ Conference (APC) and its ‘give peace a chance’ formula, which criminally raised the stature of the militants to ‘stakeholders’, is over four months old. Why wasn’t this committee constituted immediately after the convening of the APC? It appears to be a criminal continuation of the policy of appeasement of the militants and their associates in crime.
Various advocates of negotiations with the militants, including members of the ruling family and their close foot-soldiers, have been citing a lack of cohesion among the people as a reason for talks being the best option. By all analyses and indications, there was never a greater level of harmony among various echelons of the society supporting the initiation of a multi-pronged military operation immediately. The mini-assault conducted by the military in the Mir Ali area in North Waziristan, in retaliation of the attack on the members of the security forces, won virtual unanimous acclaim from all sections of the society and there have been vociferous demands for its continuation till the scourge of militancy is uprooted completely.
The key issue is that any such operation, as and when it is undertaken in earnest, will ultimately have to be directed towards South-Punjab which houses the largest number of the most lethal nurseries of the militants that operate under the direct patronage of the provincial government. Many of the banned militant outfits also operate from their bastions in this area in full view and knowledge of the provincial government. These bands have traditionally extended political support to the ruling PML-N and its leaders in return for being allowed to continue their illegal and inhuman incursions. In the event an operation is launched, it will finally have to be directed towards eliminating these criminal bands of barbaric militants who have taken whole areas hostage by unleashing terror in the name of religion.
Weaving mirages may be an art. Manipulating destinies with the intention of furthering the prospect of a corrupt family and its cohorts to elongate their hold on power is a crime. If this is done through coinage of attractive terms and putting across prospects that have no rational and sustainable base, it would also be construed as a crime. Unfortunately, more than any serious assignment, the committee has possibly been entrusted with the task of prolonging the stalemate, taking it to a point where the state, its institutions and the people feel totally exhausted and consumed. It is then that the prospect of surrendering before the writ of the militants, coming forth with the demand for introduction of the Sharia, will be put on the table as the only possible option. Let’s not forget the attempt on the part of the incumbent prime minister to introduce the 15th amendment in the constitution that would have paved the way for him to assume the charge as the Amir ul Momineen. It is only the brave resistance put forth by a group of honest parliamentarians that thwarted the nefarious attempt that would have effectively plunged the country into unremitting darkness reminiscent of the middle-ages.
The attempt may not have succeeded then, but the germs have lingered. The dream of hoisting the family oligarchy on the country has only become more pungent with the passage of time. The only issue is that this is also reflective of a flawed mindset. Like the neo-religious convert who, abandoning his widespread genuine support among the educated, enlightened middle-class, has taken to seeking the support of the ultra-right religious vote that already has numerous claimants, the members of the ruling hierarchy also suffer from a flawed illusion that they would win and sustain support among the extreme right-of-centre vote. In the process, they are likely to forfeit their genuine support that comes from the comparatively liberal sections of the conservative national vote.
The formation of this committee is a grave aberration. Pakistan will have to pay dearly for every day that is lost as a consequence of the alibi that it would weave to stall the onset of a an all-encompassing military operation to eliminate the scourge of militancy. This is a deceitful mirage that the leaders, their corrupt criminals-in-arms and neo-religious converts are building in justification of the spate of violence that the state is engulfed in.
The writer is a political analyst and the Executive Director of the Regional Peace Institute. He can be reached at [email protected]
