PTI funding for Taliban?

NAP, Jihad and Democratic projects

The first reaction of every sane person to the news of PTI’s KP government’s allocation of Rs 300 million for Sami ul Haq’s Jamia Haqqania was that of denial. And like the breaking of any horrible news, it soon turned to shock and then a sense of gloom and helplessness for the thinking mind. Nobody could believe that such a bolt could come out of the blue; and for no obvious or sane reasons.

Most of the political observers and those who had some sense of political science and history had never attached any big or small expectations with PTI and Imran Khan as far as giving a positive direction to politics or society was concerned, but this latest antic was something that no one could think of. Though Imran Khan has never left any doubt in anyone’s mind about his being totally apolitical and naïve, the man in the street and his supporters couldn’t understand or care less, hence, there had been some good misunderstanding about him till now.

It is only now that shock and awe have struck everyone; from his detractors to his supports, from local to international audience and from leftist to rightest demagogues and analysts. How on earth can he do that? And why?

Samiul Haq’s seminary has never enjoyed a very good reputation as far as militancy and extremism are concerned; nor is its sympathy for the Taliban’s cause hidden from anyone. Mullah Umar was reportedly a product of this madrassah. So was Jalaluddin Haqqani, founder of the internationally known Haqqaani network. The fact of the matter is that like its predecessor (the Lal Masjid in case of Soviet era Afghan Mujahideen) Jamia Haqqania played the role of production and recruitment for post-Mujahideen Taliban. Hence, Samiul Haq’s allegation that ‘Islamic world’, ‘our state’ and ‘our agencies’ were a part of the Taliban project, and not he or his madrassah alone!

Though the rest of them had, to some extent, made amends in their thinking and policies, Samiul Haq, like most such religious ideologues, is, to this day, the most ardent supporter of Taliban and their ideology. It is only that, like others, he is lying low for the moment because of the unfavorable situation on ground and the displeasure of the armed forces who are engaged in a bitter fight against their ideological brothers.

Samiul Haq had (until recently) propagated Taliban’s ideology and openly supported their fight against the ‘unjust and un-Islamic system’ of the country. He still supports both the Afghan and Pakistani Taliban. He was one of those figures who pressurised Nawaz Government to opt for talks with them. He had the guts to represent those savages on the negotiations’ table and put forward demands on their behalf even before receiving a list from them. He also performed the duty of the doomsayer on their behalf predicting that all hell will break loose on the nation if talks failed because our armed forces were no match for the mighty Taliban force who were not only better trained, but more faithful and brutal – both at the same time. He, in effect, tried his best that the Pakistani state and its armed forces surrender before them on the negotiations’ table.

He went into his den and temporarily adopted a low profile when the armed forces marched in to prove him wrong and squash his children who were killing everyone with impunity. That is, of course, until Imran Khan’s PTI breathed new life into him by pumping 300 million into his madrassah’s arteries.

The story of PTI and its chief is likewise interesting and intriguing. Imran Khan has a record of supporting them and fighting on their behalf. Just like Samiul Haq’ JUI, Munawwar Hassan and Sirajul Haq’s JI and Hafiz Saeed’s JuD, etc, Imran Khan allowed his party and its leadership to act like Taliban’s political arm. Instead of taking out long marches in support of those civilians and armed forces personnel who were slaughtered by Taliban, IK marched up to Bannu to protest against the drones that killed those savages. State’s and armed forces’ stand against drone strikes had an altogether different context as they considered it against the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity; Imran Khan marched because he thought it was encouraging terrorism and was partly a reason for that. He said it was killing ‘innocent people’, instilling a sense of revenge in them.

He called them misguided brothers. He opposed military action against them, tooth and nail, till the very end. He was one of the ardent supporters of talks with them and even advocated opening their political office in Islamabad, or may be, Zaman Park. Thanks, God, thing didn’t move as he wanted.

But the love hasn’t died either in his or PTI’s other leaders’ hearts for the militant lot. Just a few days ago, Naeem ul Haq declared Mullah Mansour a martyr. Now, there is a Rs 300 million bounty for a place where the extremist and militant mindset is allegedly nurtured.

Imran Khan claims that this is part of the plan to ‘mainstream’ such people and places which we left alone or have marginalised. Good argument but only if it was true.

Simple fact is they cannot be ‘mainstreamed’ by only pumping money into them. They can be mainstreamed only when madrassahs are ‘regularised’, their curriculum is brought under the state’s lawful control and the ‘extra-territorial concept’ about madrassah is done away with. If the ‘state’ cannot physically walk into their perimeters, no logic on earth can either justify the state doling out huge sums to their managers or convince mind that they will change for better on their own, especially if they are made more prosperous. Even if one agreed with this farcical advocacy for arguments’ sake, how could one believe that extremist mindset in the province or country will go away by selecting at will only one madrassah in District Nawshehra which happens to be the vote bank of that unimpressive chief minister of that unfortunate province?

Long and short term repercussions of this misadventure will be so bad and nasty. There are many levels on which the negative results will be felt sooner or later. Firstly, this act of PTI is against the stated objectives of the National Action Plan which aims to eradicate extremism, sectarianism and terrorism. This is no rocket science to tell that there is a nexus between terrorism and extremism; or ask Lt Gen Asim Bajwa. This is also not a revelation that the said seminary is notorious for nurturing that mindset; and Imran Khan has not entered into any agreement with them for a state-controlled and supervised curriculum in future. Nor can his men enter it without permission. That makes it a ‘private enterprise’ but worse than those schools and other business ventures who submit before the law of the land. How many other schools, madrassahs or other private businesses have Pervez Khattak cared to allocate funds for in this budget?

Many argue that if we keep on doing this, the military should abandon Operation Zarb-e-Azab as its continuation will be destroying the product while the new generation of politicians is busy setting up, encouraging and financing factories which churn out that product. It is also against the Imran Khan’s notion of democracy. Everybody knows that Taliban’s rigid interpretation of religion and the ideals of undiluted democracy – that one which IK is fighting for the past two decades – are poles apart.

This unguided, unilateral and politically motivated act will be harmful for the country in many respects. It will create a parallel to progressive ideals and lead to further social, political and ideological cleavages that are already running so deep. It is feared that this discriminatory and highly controversial allocation of public funds will not only act as a precedent in future for political adventurists but also fan sectarianism in the country. It goes without saying that the country will have to reap its bitter fruit internationally as not everyone can be told that this is sheer stupidity and shortsightedness of just a few apolitical and myopic individuals calling themselves visionary leaders. International media is already replete with headlines to the effect that huge government funds are allocated for the Jihad University in Pakistan tarnishing its image further. It is not yet known how much price we will have to pay for this folly.

PTI is least bothered and its leader is busy justifying an unjustifiable act, but it is damaging for them also. PTI must brace itself for a rocky relationship with the army as it officers and soldiers are laying down their lives and which is already at odds with the federal government on the non-delivery of its part of the NAP. Outside the party fold in KP there is a general outrage among the people. There is a discontent among other religious circles too. In other provinces it has come as a jolt to PTI popularity and public standing. The voters country over have become suspicious – and this skepticism is likely to increase in the days to come when this issue will be discussed in the media and academic and political circles.

It seems that in order to ensure an electoral win for himself in Nowshehra, Pervez Khattak has risked rocking the PTI boat in the national political ocean; and Imran Khan due to his naivety and trademark political confusion is out to justify his blunder and throw into river everything that he has done so far for his party.