And anti-terror operations
Once more we have launched an anti-terrorism operation – Radd-ul-Fasaad this time – that will root out terrorists “of all hues and colours” and once more we are arguing the fate of military courts. It seems that after the long stretch of Zarb-e-Azb, and having decimated the enemy’s command and control structure and broken his back, we are back, once more, to square one. Also, quite strangely, NAP will more or less be the operation’s guiding principle; even though NAP was more or less the last operation’s guiding principle, yet we’re in need of another.
Clearly much still needs to be done before this war is won. All eyes will be on Radd-ul-Fasaad as well as the long awaited Punjab operation. It’s no secret that much of the rot lies along the Punjab-Sindh border reason; and it has not just been allowed to grow, but also helped by different quarters. How quickly these two operations acknowledge, and then address, this reality will tell a lot, to say the least.
Then there are deeper, more concerning aspects. Much of the debate around the time of NAP’s formulation revolved around intelligence and security agencies not sharing information. Sadly not much has improved on that front. The fate of seminary reforms has by and large been the same. And nothing different can be said, unfortunately, about that crucial national narrative that was supposed to lead the battle for hearts and minds of a long indoctrinated population. The proof of the pudding, ultimately, must lie in the eating. And both Islamabad and Rawalpindi have yet to succeed where it matters.
