Tumultuous: the best the year 2014 can be described as
The year 2014 posed challenges which the country will face next year also.
The PML-N wasted much time in fruitless talks with the Pakistani Taliban while they continued to launch attacks all over the country. Major attacks during the period include the one inside the Islamabad district courts killing a judge and 10 others. At least 30 people died in the audacious attack on Karachi airport. There was consequently widespread support for operation Zarb-i-Azb which led to a sharp reduction in terrorist attacks. The heart-rending killings of children and teachers inside Army Public School in Peshawar underlined that the intelligence agencies continue to suffer from serious deficiencies. The fact has however been conveniently brushed aside by projecting military courts as panacea.
Tension between the government and the army emerged after the initiation of Pervez Musharraf’s trial. The foot-in-mouth statements by some of the ministers added fuel to the fire. The temperature rose further when the government was seen to be taking sides in the row between a TV channel and ISI. With the attitudes persisting the possibility of the tension boiling over in days to come cannot be ruled out.
The long marches and sit-ins by the PTI and PAT gave a jolt to the system. More flexibility shown by government at the initial stage could have resolved the dispute. The display of arrogance led to the atrocious Model Town killings. The tendency to take PTI lightly led to a four-month long tussle which created political instability and economic losses. Will the government learn to be more accommodating to the opposition?
Nawaz Sharif worked hard to improve Pak-India relations. The border tensions combined with Narendra Modi’s chauvinistic mindset foiled whatever attempts were made to reset the ties. Attempts to normalise elations with Afghanistan were more successful as the PM and the COAS were on the same page on the issue. The activities of terrorist networks operating along Pak-Iran border continue to cause bitterness between the neighbours. Unless the issue is resolved there are likely to be more severe border incidents.
No attempt has yet been made to eradicate extremist thinking from the country, especially in Punjab where the sentiment is the strongest. The lynching of a Christian couple was a blot on the name of Pakistan and the government. Unless a sustained and multifaceted campaign is launched, of which there is no sign yet, there are likely to be more of such incidents in days to come.
Malala who got the Nobel Prize this year has promoted the soft image of Pakistan all over the world. It is an irony however that fewer people in her own country appreciate her. Despite an elected government led by an enlightened nationalist in place in Balochistan, there is yet no end to extrajudicial killings, with 164 dead bodies found in 2014. Unless the provincial government has the support of the centre and the backing of the army, the killings may not end.
