A dangerous tendency
Pakistan has maintained close relations with Bosnia since its proclamation of independence in 1992. There was a widespread condemnation in Pakistan of the atrocities committed by the Serb troops on the people of Bosnia during the war which continued till 1995. There was a strong and unprecedented surge of sympathy for the refugees who came to Pakistan from Bosnia in 1993. At the government level, Islamabad provided technical and military support to thecountry subjected to aggression accompanied by horrendous war crimes. The two countries now have a free trade agreement and are currently negotiating preferential trade agreement. Nawaz Sharif’s visit was aimed at further strengthening mutual ties through increased trade and cooperation in diverse fields including energy, defence and culture.
It was understandable on the part of Nawaz Sharif to assure his hosts that after the military operation against the terrorists Pakistan is a safe country for travel and investment. However no country in the world, including our closest ally China, which insisted on the raising of a special army unit for the security of its personnel, is willing to buy the claim that the terrorist safe havens have been destroyed and there is no presence of Da’ish in Pakistan. Despite the fact that the army and the air force have established the writ of the state in FATA, some of the worst terrorist attacks have taken place this year. Among other dangers, prematurely claiming victory can lead to the lowering of guards. Pakistan has yet to improve its ties with Afghanistan to ensure that these networks do not target it from the neighbouring country. Failure to implement the NAP in letter and spirit is among the glaring shortcoming of the government. The country still lacks a counter-narrative to replace the one propagated by the terrorists. The government has yet to evolve a plan to detoxify society by seriously tackling extremism. Unless this is done there is a strong possibility of the terrorist networks re-establishing themselves after Operation Zarb-e-Azb is called off.
