And myths shattered
Admittedly through a combination of sheer tenacity and a bit of arm-twisting of a reluctant civilian leadership General Raheel Sharif had a workable National Action Plan to combat terrorism in the country. But most of its facets concerning the civilian leadership remained unimplemented, or only partly so
The bloodbath at the shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar in Sindh was the tenth terrorist attack spread all over the country in just five days. The Thursday massacre and the Monday carnage in the heart of Lahore prove beyond a shred of doubt that the militants are on the rampage.
These sad incidents have literally exploded the myth created so assiduously by our civilian and khaki leadership in unison that the terrorists’ backs had been broken and they were on the run. In a deliberately created media blitz by his image-makers, the former army chief General Raheel Sharif was painted as a hero for salvaging Pakistan from the scourge of terrorism.
This reminded me of the US president George W. Bush in 2003 on aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln making his now famous ‘Mission Accomplished” speech much prematurely declaring victory in Iraq. In reality the US is still struggling to get a handle on the civil war in the fractured country.
Admittedly through a combination of sheer tenacity and a bit of arm-twisting of a reluctant civilian leadership General Raheel Sharif had a workable National Action Plan to combat terrorism in the country. But most of its facets concerning the civilian leadership remained unimplemented, or only partly so.
So far as the military is concerned, it has remained obsessed with cherry picking amongst the so-called good and bad militants. Although it is loudly proclaimed that that no such distinction is made, the ground realities are perceived to be somewhat different. The deep state is so consumed by its India centric mantra on one side and treating Afghanistan as its strategic depth on the other that the war on terror sometimes got lost in the small print.
Our leadership has been in a constant state of denial about the existence of Daesh (IS) operating within our borders. Now it has come as a rude shock that the Amaq propaganda arm of the IS has reportedly claimed responsibility for the Sehawan Sharif carnage.
The Jammat e Ahraar a breakaway group of the TTP (Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan) claiming responsibility for the Monday massacre in Lahore had declared that this was the first toll of ‘ Operation Ghazi’ that it had decided to launch to wreak havoc on the state and people of Pakistan.
Judging by their performance during the past week they have made good their promise. It is obvious that these terrorists under different banners have launched a coordinated and well-planned attack on the Pakistani state and its people.
The question that however begs an answer is whether the state is all geared to meet the challenge? Statements like terrorists will not be spared and that they will be crushed with an iron hand is scant succour for their hapless victims
The events of the past week have engendered a deep sense of insecurity amongst the populace. Mere empty words will not do.
In the wake of the COAS General Qamar Javed Bajwa’s statement that the terrorists are trying to regroup in Afghanistan, Pak-Afghan border has been sealed. A list of names of seventy such terrorists has been handed over to the Afghan government.
A coordinated effort by both civilian and military leadership is a sine qua non to deal with this existential threat facing the country. The khaki and the civilian Sharifs ostensibly had an excellent rapport. But unfortunately it floundered in the last six months of the general’s tenure
Unfortunately merely sealing borders cannot solve the problem. The malaise runs much deeper than infiltration from Afghanistan and India.
Of course our enemies would like to fish in troubled waters. That is why we have to set our own house in order before it is too late.
The local facilitators of those from across the borders abound and seem to be operating with relative impunity. But unfortunately our security apparatus for various reasons has been unable or simply unwilling to nab them in a seamless and concerted manner.
Despite having advance information about the intentions of the terrorists to attack Lahore the Punjab administration and our security and intelligence agencies failed to take any preemptive measures. It was a monumental administrative and intelligence failure.
The druggists and chemists staging a sit in on the Charing Cross — the venue of the Monday blast — were at the wrong place at the wrong time. In the wake of the threat the police officers and the demonstrators who lost their lives were sitting ducks.
The Punjab government assiduously insists that its police and CTD (Counter Terrorism Department) are doing a fine job countering the terrorists. It does not need the crutches of the Rangers or the military, it is loudly proclaimed.
Might be so. But it is a gigantic task. Much beyond the capacity of the police and its CTD. Unless the entire province is combed for nabbing the terrorists and their facilitators the militants in a joint operation will continue to have a free run.
The government has been boasting that it has turned the economy around. And in order to revive the soft image of the country PSL (Pakistan Super League) cricket T20 final was to be held in Lahore.
But events of the past week have thrown cold water on both counts. Foreign investment and foreign teams intending to play in Pakistan have become an even more remote possibility.
The enigmatic interior minister, Choudhry Nisar Ali Khan, merely a few days before the Lahore incident while addressing at the National Counter terrorism Center (NCIC) was boasting that the military’s achievements against terror were a role model for all. It is time that the interior minster, who is long on talk and short on action, is made to adopt a more focused approach towards combating terrorism. Merely giving sermons will not get the job done.
The crucial aspects of the National Action Plan (NAP) need to be implemented with a renewed vigour. Some of these tasks are in the domain of the civilian administration. They include registration of seminaries, curbing hate speech, ensuring that proscribed organisations do not re-emerge, zero tolerance against militancy in Punjab and revamping the criminal justice system.
The military under its new chief also needs to take a fresh look at some of its traditional policies. In a mechanical sense General Raheel Sharif flushed out the terrorists from the badlands in a concerted, professional and ruthless manner. But the general partly owing to the military’s own a constraint was simply unable to take the fight to its logical conclusion.
Now the onus is entirely on General Qamar Javed Bajwa to take it to the next level. He might have to engage in a bit of arm-twisting.
Merely blaming the Indians and Afghans for our travails is not enough. The enemy is within, of course facilitated by our enemies.
A coordinated effort by both civilian and military leadership is a sine qua non to deal with this existential threat facing the country. The khaki and the civilian Sharifs ostensibly had an excellent rapport. But unfortunately it floundered in the last six months of the general’s tenure.
The focus shifted to the extension issue of the military chief. The Dawn leaks issue — based precisely on a huddle between the civilian and military leadership on counter terrorism efforts — proved to be the last straw that broke the traditional camel’s back.
Main Nawaz Sharif struggling for survival under the Panama leaks allegations against him and his family further shifted the focus away from a concerted and a well-coordinated anti-terrorism strategy. Now if ever is the time for a more focused putsch against the terrorists with a ‘take no prisoners’ policy being its hallmark. Merely rounding up suspects is tantamount to shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted.