Still no madrassa reforms
The sudden surge in terrorism seems to have died down somewhat, but there’s no telling really when the next episode will begin. No doubt Zarb-e-Azb dealt a strong blow to the enemy – destroying its command and control structure in the tribal area and sending Taliban foot soldiers running to the Afghan sanctuary – but there’s a reason militants are still able to circumvent the security machinery. A number of important points in the National Action Plan (NAP) have not been taken seriously. Among the most notable is failure to share information among dozens of intelligence and security agencies and, of course, the sad state of affairs of madrassa reforms.
The prime minister’s too-little-too-late speeches on the so-called national narrative against terrorism notwithstanding, the government has done precious little to influence that sea of Pakistanis that is unable to decide about the merits of the enemy’s so-called jihad. Not only has the narrative just been missing for so long, but the root of the problem has never been addressed. It’s not that all madrassas, or even many of them, are militant-making factories. It’s that even the best intentioned mostly impart a form of religious education that blurs the practical religious understanding of most common people. So far, the government has not realised the centrality of this initiative. Unless regressive education institutions along with deliberate brainwashing centres are shut down completely, the enemy will always have an inexhaustible supply of its so called jihadis.