IS foothold in Pakistan

Still no counter-narrative

Sections of the media that interpret senior TTP commanders switching allegiance to the Islamic State (Iraq/Syria based) as a setback just for the former perhaps oversimplify the development. True, the move comes at an awkward time for the Pakistani Taliban; when they are on the run from Zarb-e-Azb. But al Baghdadi’s caliphate has drawn condemnation even from al Qaeda proper – TTP’s original founding body – for the severity of its violence, particularly against the Shi’a and Christians. And while Pakistani militants have been fighting in Syria for some time now, the conversions do not imply Shahidullah Shahid and four other senior commanders will take their boys to the Levant for jihad, but rather that they plan to bring the IS’s brutal methods to the subcontinent; hence they are a far bigger headache for the government and the military.

Significantly, both Syria and Iraq (at least till Saddam’s days), were perhaps the most secular societies in the Muslim world, contrary to their savage media persecution in the west. Pakistan, on the other hand, has been drifting further to the right since the Zia’s days. After 9.11 particularly, this slide has worsened. And now, there is a far bigger chunk of society that would be open to the Islamic State’s brand of indoctrination than the countries where it is already thriving. There are also reports of a coordinated media onslaught. Pashto and Dari pamphlets and newsletters mean printing presses have been at work, which in turn means that an impressive logistical machinery has been at work.

Therefore it is concerning that the government remains without a thorough narrative. There is the official line, of course, that the operation is meant to target terrorists of all hues and colours. But winning hearts and minds, particularly of people who have been brainwashed for years, will require a far more proactive enterprise. There is a need to educate our extremists as much as it is necessary to fight the more radical militants. And that will not be achieved by the military alone. The government must heed this warning, and develop an extensive program in which it too will leverage printing presses, social media, and educational institutes to counter the brainwashing that has been used since the anti-Soviet mujahideen days. Zarb-e-Azb must be expanded and clarified now, otherwise the fight will broaden.