The war isn’t over yet
In the backdrop of the target killing of Amjad Sabri and the kidnapping of the son of Chief Justice Sind High Court, a high level meeting at the Rangers headquarters attended by the Interior minister, Chief Minister Sind, COAS, heads of intelligence agencies and other high ranking military officers, reviewed the security situation and the on-going operation against the terrorists. The COAS speaking to the troops reiterated that peace will be restored in all parts of Karachi and the across the board action against the entire network of terrorists, their abettors and financiers will continue till the achievement of the objective of peace and restoring normalcy in all parts of Karachi.
That was indeed very reassuring in regards to dealing with resurgence of terrorism. What the Army has done in North Waziristan and the contribution that the Rangers have made in improving law and order situation in Karachi as a result of the targeted operation started by the PML (N) government in September 2013 with the concurrence of all the stakeholders, deserves unqualified gratitude of the nation. But the battle is not won yet. The situation in Karachi is more complex than in other parts of the country. Karachi is a battle ground for militant wings of the political parties, land mafia, extortionists, sectarian outfits, terrorists belonging to TTP and above all the agents of the foreign forces trying to destabilise the country through acts of terrorism.
For well over three decades Karachi has been witnessing blood-letting connected to rivalry between different political parties and their militant wings vying for influence and share in the land grabbing pursuits that resulted in target killings and culture of extortion. Unfortunately that was allowed to continue for political expediencies, though some half-hearted efforts were made under public pressure to rectify the situation. The sordid aspect of this regrettable apathy to the snowballing situation in Karachi was that the perpetrators of these crimes were well known to the governments in power and the powers that be. That indeed provided fertile ground to the outside powers and the terrorists to carry out their nefarious activities with much more ease than anywhere else in the country.
There is no doubt that the Rangers have done a tremendous job in reversing the trend in Karachi and restoring a semblance of normalcy. But it is also true that the action by Rangers and arrest of target killers, extortionists and land grabbers belonging to the well known political parties, has not gone well with them. They are extremely angry and perturbed over the situation as it has unveiled the real faces behind the criminal activities in Karachi. Similar is the case with the sectarian outfits. Persons arrested have divulged horrifying details about their activities.
The arrest and killing of terrorists as a result of intelligence based operations in Karachi has also broken the back of the terrorist networks in the city, as rightly pointed out by the COAS. They are surely on the run. The current spate of target killings in Karachi and the kidnapping of the son of the Sind Chief Justice could be the handiwork of the militant wings of the affected political parties, the sectarian entities, the terrorists or the agents of the hostile foreign powers. Indian involvement in acts of sabotage in Karachi is already a proven fact.
There is a strong possibility of any one of them now trying to hit the soft targets designed to nullify the gains of what the Rangers have done in Karachi and also to demoralise the public by sending a wave of despondency among them through these acts. Terrorists have no religion and respect for human lives. Criminals involved in target killing or foreign powers trying to achieve their designs, are bereft of human faculties like compassion and are invariably ruthless in implementing their plans. It is now up to our intelligence agencies to find out who is responsible for the latest developments in Karachi and deal with the situation.
Karachi, certainly needs a deft handling at the political, administrative and military level. A phenomenon and culture which has become well entrenched over decades cannot be eliminated within a short span of time and with only the military or state power. It is indeed going to be a long drawn out effort and time to resolve the conundrum through a well conceived combination of all these measures. My personal view is that a political party which is mainly responsible for the situation in Karachi needs to be bailed out from the tight corner it has pushed itself into, by patronising the criminal elements and the target killers. A fresh beginning has to be made. Its leadership must be engaged in a dialogue in camera and presented with the hard evidence that the agencies and the government have about the involvement of the party in the criminal activities and target killings and convinced to abandon their militant creed in exchange for an assured and indiscriminate participation in the normal political activities.
Similarly, the other political parties and their leaders who have had connection with the criminal activities in the city also need to be confronted with concrete evidence and warned to mend their ways or face the wrath of the state power without any discrimination. Some way also has to be found to resolve the animosities and differences between the political parties in Karachi who have been fighting turf wars with each other. Perhaps the security establishment could facilitate this process. Karachi is industrial capital of Pakistan and a jugular vein of its economy. It cannot be allowed to continue drifting into an unending anarchy and disorder. There is an urgent and compelling need for restoring peace and tranquility in Karachi that was there before 1980s.
Political settlement in Karachi will certainly create a congenial atmosphere for fighting against the terrorists and agents of the foreign powers engaged in orchestrating acts of terrorism and sabotage in the city. In the context of fighting terrorism on the national level, it is imperative to set our house in order by improving governance, strengthening of the state institutions and making sure that they operate within the sphere of their constitutional obligation. That is the best way of creating national harmony and nurturing patriotism that provides the drive and energy for facing all kinds of adversities as a united entity.
The fight against terrorism cannot be won in a jiffy. The experience of nations who have fought terrorism shows that it took them decades to overcome the scourge. What however made them win against the diabolical challenge of terrorism was the national harmony and unity. We need to emulate their example.