Chotu Gang: mission accomplished, really?

You can’t keep politicking at the cost of innocent lives

The military operation against the notorious Chotu gang which was initiated by the Punjab police and completed by the military, illustrates an unfortunate fact that Pakistan is yet not ready to tackle its militant problem. This poorly planned operation which resulted in the deaths of 10 police personals has raised many questions.

Why we always need a terrorist attack or a tragedy to coerce ourselves into action? Why such groups and gangsters have been allowed to prosper, proliferate and challenge the state’s writ in the first place? Why action against the group was not taken before? If the provincial government had the necessary intelligence and information about the whereabouts and activities of Chotu gang – and many other gangs hiding in those areas – then why an operation was not launched before? Would the government still take action if the Lahore attack had not happened?

 

If the government in Punjab – and other non civilian stakeholders – believes that the province has no militancy problem then peace in Pakistan is likely to remain a dream.

Pakistan has been fighting a deadly war against extremism for the last odecade. And particularly after the National Action Plan (NAP), efforts of all political stakeholders in the country should have complemented the army’s actions which have been going on across the country. But unfortunately, the civilian government and the security organizations under their command have lacked commitment and professionalism on many levels.

Moreover, the operation itself and the level of ill-planning in it reflect two major points. First, that the provincial government had no intention of tackling this deadly criminal gang whatsoever. The Lahore attack had put Shahbaz Sharif’s provincial government under pressure from many other non-civilian quarters and the former had no option but to act. It is too early to confirm that what were the actual reasons for government inaction against the gang but one thing which resonates with this reluctance is the likely implication of many lawmakers of the PML-N in this saga.

Before this operation, the PML-N leadership on many occasions had insisted that Punjab didn’t have any “no go areas” and that it didn’t need the military’s assistance to root out any small or big terrorist groups or criminals based in the province. “I categorically state there are no terrorist safe havens. There are no no-go areas in Punjab,” said Punjab’s law minister.

Another worrying point is that this operation was only against a small criminal gang which poses no threat when it comes to other major sectarian militant groups based in these vicinities. This much awaited military operation in Punjab, thus far, has only been against the criminals and dacoits: not a single sectarian or any other group based in Punjab has faced the heat of this operation.

…particularly after the National Action Plan (NAP), efforts of all political stakeholders in the country should have complemented the army’s actions which have been going on across the country. But unfortunately, the civilian government and the security organizations under their command have lacked commitment and professionalism on many levels.

Recently, reports came out, saying that Jamaat-ul-Dawa, had set up Sharia judicial system in the area. Reportedly, this parallel judicial system has been operating in the area for the last 22 years. It’s next to impossible that this Sharia judicial system would have continued without the knowledge of the provincial security agencies or the civilian government. Up till now, the government in Punjab has refused to acknowledge any presence of militant groups based in the province. If the government in Punjab – and other non civilian stakeholders – believes that the province has no militancy problem then peace in Pakistan is likely to remain a dream.

Secondly, the incompetence displayed by the Punjab police is also worrying. The Inspector General of Punjab Police hurriedly followed the civilian government’s orders and left the planning out of the equation: reportedly, the police personals on the ground, while citing the planning reasons, refused to take part in the operation. The Police chief, then, threatened to go himself incase no one was willing to take on the group. It was not a battle between the Troy and Sparta where a motivational sermon was necessary: however ill equipped the police may have been, it has never refused to follow the orders of its senior command. One police personal confided with the Pakistan Today: “personnel engaged in the operation have not been given anything to eat for three days. How can one expect an under-fed and ill-equipped force to produce the desired results?”

Punjab police’s lack of training and other shortcomings cannot be taken as an excuse. Coupled with corruption and a mindset of “private guards,” the role of police has been reduced to a Panchayat (a village council which settles disputes).

Furthermore, the fact that Chotu gang agreed to surrender to the military and refused in the face of police also reflects prevailing negative image of this organization which is known more for corruption than action. Chanting slogans of “fighting terrorism” will not resolve the problem: militancy in Pakistan has grown to such an extent that concerted efforts from top to bottom, from all realms of the country, are mandatory to battle this menace. While major reforms are essential to transform the police into an independent and credible organization, our political leadership can no longer do politicking at the cost of innocent lives, like the ones lost in this operation which no one will remember in a few days.