Closet militants negotiating with real-time militants

At stake is the ethos of Pakistan

Even the word bizarre cannot really describe the happenings in the state of Pakistan. Could one imagine that a group comprising the worst of the closet militants would get down to negotiating the fate of the country with another group of real-time militants? Well, that’s exactly what is on course to happening.

The group constituted by the government comprising closet militants including Irfan Siddiqui, Major (Retd) Mohammad Amir, Rustam Shah Mohmand and Rahimullah Yousafzai is getting down to negotiating the future of the country with another group constituted by the so-called militant bands. This group comprises Maulana Sami ul Haq, popularly dubbed as the father of the Taliban, Maulana Abdul Aziz of the Lal Masjid fame who rose in rebellion against the state of Pakistan letting loose his moral vigilantes on the people of Islamabad, and Professor Ibrahim of the Jamaat-e-Islami – a party that believes that Osama bin Laden is a hero and he lives in the hearts of the people and which mourned the death of Hakimullah Mehsood calling him a true soldier of Islam. They are the people who have been tasked to define the parameters of the future of the state of Pakistan. At stake is Pakistan’s constitution and the cherished values of the people of the country which, understandably, they hold dear. What credibility these arch representatives of the worst of the fundamentalist forces of the country have and how are they going to translate their closet regression, bigotry and degeneration into defining the contours of the future of the state of Pakistan?

But there is more to it, much more. The progressive forces of the country, ostensibly represented through some political parties also, are behaving like their voice has been taken away, like they no longer have the capacity left in them to protest the criminal enactment around them. They are watching as bystanders, falsely believing that these bizarre happenings will not impact their fate.

Also quiet are the academics, the intellectuals, the human rights activists and a host of people who are perceived to represent the values that constitute the enshrining principles for which Pakistan was created. The tentacles of regression are digging in deeper by the day and everyone appears to be swayed by the false prospect of peace in the country in an environment reflected, more than anything else, by the fear syndrome that engulfs us today.

Also quiet are the academics, the intellectuals, the human rights activists and a host of people who are perceived to represent the values that constitute the enshrining principles for which Pakistan was created. The tentacles of regression are digging in deeper by the day and everyone appears to be swayed by the false prospect of peace in the country in an environment reflected, more than anything else, by the fear syndrome that engulfs us today. This is so because the state has failed to protect the life and property of its citizens and they have been consigned to the brutality of the hate-puking and sword-swinging multitudes of militant bands that are out to impose their sick writ on a weary people.

Pakistan’s creation is rooted in the principles that were so eloquently put forth by the Quaid in his August 11 speech before the constituent assembly. I am constrained to quote from it for the umpteenth time because, so far, it appears not to have registered. At that fateful moment, three days before the creation of Pakistan as an independent and sovereign country, he said: “Now, if we want to make this great State of Pakistan happy and prosperous, we should wholly and solely concentrate on the well-being of the people, and especially of the masses and the poor. If you will work in cooperation, forgetting the past, burying the hatchet, you are bound to succeed. If you change your past and work together in a spirit that every one of you, no matter to what community he belongs, no matter what relations he had with you in the past, no matter what is his colour, caste, or creed, is first, second, and last a citizen of this State with equal rights, privileges, and obligations, there will be no end to the progress you will make”.

Afraid that he may leave some ambiguity, he went on to elaborate further: “You are free. You are free to go to your temples. You are free to go to your mosques or to any other place or worship in this State of Pakistan. You may belong to any religion or caste or creed – that has nothing to do with the business of the State”.

Have we forgotten the vision that the Quaid held forth for the yet-to-be-born state? Have we lost the will? Have we allowed our dignity to be compromised? Is this the road that we have chosen that best represents our destiny and that of our fellow beings? Are we going to allow the spectre of religiosity to devour us completely and denude us of our identity and self-respect – or whatever is left of these? Are we absolutely convinced that we are going to allow these two groups, comprising the worst of the fundamentalist forces in the country, define our destiny and our future? Do we feel helpless in their hands? Are we resigned to be influenced by the webs of deceit that they, and their criminal cohorts, are continually weaving to sabotage our aspirations for genuine progress and growth and of turning the country into an egalitarian, progressive and enlightened entity? Is the cloak of religiosity for real? Have we lost it all?

I understand that the spectre of militancy, of death and destruction, has haunted us for over a decade now. I understand that the people are exhausted and they desperately seek peace so that they could work to advance the prospect of their progress, so that they could move on in an increasingly competitive world. What I don’t understand is that they are actually convinced that embracing religiosity and violence is the right course to take to secure peace. As a matter of fact, I firmly believe that this is inimical to their enshrining aspirations and their desire for creating conducive environment that would be devoid of fear, where they would be able to express their will and where they would be able to work for the attainment of their ideals.

I also understand that a majority of them are afraid to speak out simply because they are not quite sure who lives next-door and how many bombs and suicide jackets are stockpiled in their environs. Let’s leave FATA aside. Forget for a while the militant nurseries of the Southern Punjab. Just roam the sprawling urban slums of the country and you would discover that these are infested with individuals who belong to one militant group or the other. They are not limited by any respect for the rule of law. They make their own laws and operate without any fear. They have been allowed to move into these vast urban slums over a period of time because the writ of the state has collapsed and the political leadership has been complicit with these militant groups in an endeavour to advance their self-serving political ambitions, and of realising their latent dream of becoming the Amir ul Momenin and hoisting the fiefdom of their family to perpetuity.

 It is just madness, unmitigated madness. Closet militants and individuals with criminal backgrounds have been entrusted with the task of bargaining the fate of the country with bands of militants whose hands are drenched in the blood of the thousands of people including its brave military officers and soldiers. On the face of it, a move towards embracing further regression already appears to be a fate accompli!

One understands that the Taliban Committee has put forth its conditions for the talks to continue. It has voiced reservations about the government committees mandate and its seriousness in negotiating with the militants and has asked for its meetings to be arranged with the prime minister, the army chief and the head of the ISI.

And what, if I may ask, are they desirous of discussing directly with these people? Is this an expression of a lack of faith in the members of the government team who, in their sick perception, don’t quite measure up to their benchmarks of carrying enough deadly germs of militancy, hate and violence and who, consequently, cannot be trusted enough for deliberations to continue any further?

For any state to undertake the onerous task of meaningful negotiations with deadly foes who have eliminated over 50,000 of its innocent citizens and caused material damage running into billions of dollars, it has to be in a position of proven strength and should also have its writ accepted without any proviso. It also has to define in advance the parameters that would mark the red lines which no party would trespass. There would also be a definite timeframe within which the process of negotiations will have to be completed. No such thing has been stipulated in the so-called ongoing process of negotiations between the government team and the militants. It appears to be a no-holds-barred undertaking that may take any direction depending upon the whims of the individuals involved and the interests that they represent. It also smacks of an acknowledgement of the weakness of the state in the face of unremitting barrage of violence perpetrated for over a decade now which continues even as talks are being undertaken. Criminally, the bunch of political parties and interest groups that are represented on the committees as well as those who sit on the sidelines have become shameless apologists for the brutal killings and mayhem unleashed by the militants without a break. In the process, they attribute the ongoing violence to those unseen forces which do not want the talks to succeed. But they don’t let us know who constitute these forces and, even if the ongoing talks with some militants groups were to succeed, how these would be controlled to actually bring violence to an end. They continue to dream that they are on a messianic mission which is bound to succeed.

It is just madness, unmitigated madness. Closet militants and individuals with criminal backgrounds have been entrusted with the task of bargaining the fate of the country with bands of militants whose hands are drenched in the blood of the thousands of people including its brave military officers and soldiers. On the face of it, a move towards embracing further regression already appears to be a fate accompli!

The writer is a political analyst and the Executive Director of the Regional Peace Institute. He can be reached at [email protected].