Pakistan — A lion, not a scapegoat

• So sayeth the general!

Well, a lion acts and rules like a lion only when he knows he is one. Be it an individual or a nation, retaining one’s identity is critical to one’s survival, and prevalence.

Pakistan, once suffering from a similar identity crisis amid the global war on terror, apparently now seems to be rediscovering its once lost identity. The credit for the aforementioned, on one side whereas goes to the national leadership and policy makers, might also be credited to the aggressive South-Asian policy undertaken by the US administration led by President Donald Trump, and its attempts to alienate Pakistan from international community through diplomatic isolation, and by imposing financial sanctions on allegations of not doing enough to eliminate terrorist sanctuaries; allegations categorically denied by Islamabad throughout.

Pakistan’s stance was reinforced by the chief of army staff, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, during his visit to Munich to attend the Munich Security Conference (MSC). The 54^th MSC started off on Friday, and lasted till Sunday. General Bajwa arrived in Munich on Saturday to present Pakistan’s perspective on global and regional security. During his visit, Bajwa was also scheduled to meet various top of the line civil and military officials from other counter parts attending the conference in Munich.

The do-more mantra this time applies to the US, and Afghanistan, as these two must resort to the approach of cooperating and contributing rather than complaining and blaming

“We can proudly say that there are no militant camps in Pakistan,” stated the chief of army staff, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, while addressing the Munich Security Council (MSC). The COAS went on to highlight the reports of Daesh (Islamic State) militants regrouping in Afghanistan, and the implications that may follow. He said that the terrorists were on a run from Pakistan as a result of successful operations launched by Pakistani armed forces, and had shifted their sanctuaries to Afghanistan from where they are operating, and carrying out attacks against Pakistan.

General Bajwa, once again, reiterated the role of Pakistan in curbing the menace of terrorism, the immense sacrifices made by the security personnel and the nation, and the economic loss it had to bear. The COAS specifically highlighted the dismantling of Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and al Qaeda networks inside Pakistan, paralysing their capability to carry out any kind of militant activities inside or across its border. The army chief said Pakistan has been implementing the National Action Plan (NAP) in the war against terrorism in order to attain sustainable victory. He went on to state that Pakistan was fencing off its border with Afghanistan in order to contain the troublesome elements from crossing over. He also recalled the need for repatriation of 2.7 million Afghan refugees inside Pakistan.

The COAS, while declaring that there were no safe havens of terrorists inside Pakistan, asked the United States not to blame Islamabad for its own failures in Afghanistan. General Bajwa, instead, asked the US administration to look into the root causes of their failures and address them accordingly. He stressed the need for international cooperation in defeating the monster of terrorism.

Washington’s recent tough stand against Pakistan has pushed Islamabad to search options other than the United States, primarily China, Russia, and Turkey, not to say that it does not need progressive diplomatic ties with the former. It is imperative for both, Pakistan and the US, to acknowledge the need of strong, and balanced bilateral relations, and their critical role in establishing durable and sustainable peace and stability in the troubled region.

For a long time, since the initiation of global war against terror, Pakistan has been at the epicenter, and remained a victim of international criticism for harbouring, training, and facilitating terrorist activities across its borders. While some part of the critique was justified, since there was much on Pakistan’s part that was to be done in order to control the local terrorist and extremist groups, most of it was an attempt of international powers to use Pakistan as a scapegoat in order to cover their failures.

It will be far from an exaggeration if we say that Pakistan has played an effective role against forces of terrorism, and has been able to curb this menace to a great extent. With proper and consistent commitment to, and implementation of, the National Action Plan (NAP) Pakistan will be able to end extremism which occurs to be the root cause of terrorism.

The international players involved in the war on terror, particularly the United States, having taken the lead role now needs to step up and accelerate efforts inside Afghanistan to ensure terrorist organisations, after running from Pakistan, do not establish safe havens there. The US also needs to push Kabul to play its due role in contributing positively to the war on terror instead of merely blaming Islamabad for its own miserable failures.

The do-more mantra this time applies to the US, and Afghanistan, as these two must resort to the approach of cooperating and contributing rather than complaining and blaming. With Pakistan having put in its fair share in battling terrorism, it will be interesting to see how these two play their part in ensuring a safe future for the region, and the world at large.

Since the lion has woken up, it will not be wise to continue with the usual push-policy.