Litmus test for Zarb-e-Azb
Now it’s the Zikris, Balochistan’s harmless religious minority, who have become the target of sectarian killings. That means, of course, that the more usual sectarian targets – Shi’a, Christians, Ahmedis – should still consider themselves fair game, never mind the ‘official’ claim of action against all forms of terrorism. Mainstream Sunnis, too, have long since realised that their lives are not a lot more precious than the minorities’, considering how they always make for the soft collateral fallout each time religious terrorists resort to what they do best. This raises important questions about what is to follow, especially since Islamabad is deadlocked and the military, as usual, must take the strategic and tactical lead in security matters.
So far, Zarb-e-Azb has obviously been a success. And despite little news coming from ISPR over the last two weeks, it seems the first phase – cleansing and securing NW – is near completion. The much feared ‘blowback’, that militants would hit back in urban centres and hound the public, too, was more a whimper in the end. But the initial success must not give way to complacency. Counterinsurgency (COIN) warfare is established on the principle that only after being initially displaced and made to regroup to militants begin hitting back, which is when security agencies must be most vigilant. Both al Qaeda and Taliban were built on such models, and the Deep State is quite familiar with their modus operandi, so the greatest care must be taken.
In this context, would it not make sense to provide security to population groups regularly targeted by the Taliban? If anything will prove the long term success of the military operation, it will be the fate of our minorities. They were not provided security of life in the long years that militant religious organisations grew in potency under state patronage. If they continue to be ignored, even when the government has declared war on Islamic terrorism, the operation will not be successful and enemies of the state will keep hitting back at it. And, again, with the government compromised, it is for the military to decide the preference of measures to be adopted. Minorities are a part of Pakistan. They should at least be guaranteed security of life.