How did Pakistan do?
2016 saw Pakistan making some significant gains as for as its counter terrorism drive is concerned. Without a doubt, the former military chief’s era, particularly the outgoing year, will be remembered as the one in which Pakistan took some key steps to deal with militancy
2016 has been another tough year for Pakistan. While Pakistan continued to face numerous challenges on security, economic and political fronts, the country has also made some strides to tackle urgent issues such as energy and terrorism. One of the major issues that dominated the political arena of the country was the reported differences between the military and civilian leadership. Undauntedly, the much reported popularity of the former military chief kept the civilian government under pressure while the former pushed for his organisation’s bidding in all strategic spheres, including defense and foreign policy. The fate of the country’s democracy remained hanging in the balance with the civilian-military confrontation dominating highlights on national and international media. The civilian government, by and large, was forced to accommodate to the establishment’s demands in the form of policy formulations or blatant denials of any such policy measures that could make the security establishment suspicious. In this regard, the issue of the former army chief General Raheel Sharif’s possible extension as COAS kept the government’s nervousness at its peak. However, in the end, the civilian Sharif managed to checkmate the military Sharif’s popularity and approval by refusing to offer – directly or indirectly – an extension. Moreover, the year 2016 saw Pakistan making some significant gains as for as its counter terrorism drive is concerned. Without a doubt, the former military chief’s era, particularly the outgoing year, will be remembered as the one in which Pakistan took some key steps to deal with militancy in the country; the outgoing year has seen the completion of some crucial military campaigns in the country’s tribal areas. The military operation in Karachi has brought considerable security dividends. The metropolis’s security situation has significantly improved with security agencies sustained operation in the city which has also been blamed for political victimisation of some regional parties, including the MQM. While it’s unlikely that terrorism, corruption, ethnic conflicts, gang wars and bitter disputes for the control of resources would go away soon from the city, the military’s current leadership will continue the operation with the same resolve and vigor that has remained apparent throughout 2016. The country’s overall economy has reported positive trends with the local financial markets soaring due to Chinese investments and loans. Energy related projects are being installed all across the country with the help of Chinese investments and the current government is hoping to gain some political benefits when a large number of these projects become operational. A number of international financial regulatory bodies are anticipating a significant respite as far as Pakistan’s energy crisis are concerned while also predicting that the country is all set to compete with other regional rival economic markets with the improved security situation and attractive investment terms which the current government is offering to foreign firms. However, a variety of challenges continue. For instance, the civilian leadership’s inability to win the public’s trust and establish credibility still remains a dilemma. The controversy surrounding the Panama corruption revelations could not find any resolution and neither the government nor the opposition showed any interest in finding a durable solution to deal with corruption as an issue; rather, the year long efforts were all focused on settling personal political rivalries at the cost of public interest.
The current year didn’t see any change in Pakistan’s long held policy of making distinctions among good and bad militants: while actions were taken against some banned militant networks, others were allowed to hold processions and rallies freely
Moreover, intra-provincial divisions related to the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) have not withered away even after Beijing’s statements urging the country to settle such issues. While questions are being asked about the validity of the project, the non-availability of any other mega economic plan make it essential for Pakistan that the commercial project should be carried thought without any controversies. The current year didn’t see any change in Pakistan’s long held policy of making distinctions among good and bad militants: while actions were taken against some banned militant networks, others were allowed to hold processions and rallies freely. In fact, the state’s security apparatus was always present to guard such gatherings. In this regard, the victory of Masroor Haq Nawaz Jhangvi as the member of Punjab’s provincial assembly sent shock waves across the country. As I argued elsewhere: “In the weeks leading up to the Jhang by-election, videos recordings of Jhangvi openly propagating violence against the Shi’a were accessible all over the internet. To everyone’s surprise not only did Jhangvi win the court’s verdict to contest the election but also conveniently evaded the government’s action dealing with hate speech which falls under terrorism clauses according to the country’s National Action Plan (NAP) against militancy.” Pakistan needs to deal with all militant groups equally if the country is to win its fight against terrorism successfully. Moreover, 2016 also saw religious lobbies taking back their lost space in the country which the state was able to regain in the wake of the formation of NAP. A number of progressive legislative measures were pushed back by the conservative forces. Above all, it’s apparent that Pakistan will continue to face problems when it comes to dealing with proscribed groups with vast public support.
