Is the PML-N government ready?
The attack at Wagah border earlier this month was a side effect of our inability to effectively tackle security risks posed by terrorist elements borne of the country itself. 200 injured people and 52 deaths later Pakistan is waking up to a sobering reality. The army initiative in Waziristan might be at its last leg, but the will of the Taliban is definitely not.
The war waged against the Taliban was always going to come at a price. The fact that the civilian government never picked up on this is troubling. There were no precautions taken against a future backlash – which was imminent no matter how the situation is looked at.
Is PML-N prepared for the threat?
The party has claimed Punjab as its own repeatedly. The party has also shown a considerably weak stance when it comes to extremist elements. Being a ring winged setup comes with its own strings, part of PML-N’s strings had to do with learning how to coexist with extremist factions. So while the government and officials from the party often shook their heads in abject disapproval each time an incident took place, they also did very little to take any real measure against it. It wasn’t until Zarb-e-Azb that any practical steps were taken against the TTP.
While the operation may have done a great job of riding Fata of its militants, it failed to address Southern Punjab, which is a breeding ground for TTP factions and a whole host of other extremist entities
While the operation may have done a great job of riding Fata of its militants, it failed to address Southern Punjab, which is a breeding ground for TTP factions and a whole host of other extremist entities. To be prepared to deal with this issue the government first needs to acknowledge that it exists. As things stand we shouldn’t bother expecting Zarb-e-Azb 2.0 Punjab edition anytime soon.
It blooms, it grows
The current attacks on the Wagah border have been claimed by both Jundallah and Jamaat-ul-Ahrar. Both are cousins of the TTP. Jamaat-ul-Ahrar is a breakaway group, while Jundallah is a terror outfit that has most recently expressed its interest in partnering up with IS. During the same month Jamaat-ul-Ahrar has also managed to killed six people in twin blasts targeting Mohmand Agency. For all practical purposes, the onslaught has arrived.
These aren’t the first factions related to the TTP that we will come across and they certainly won’t be the last. The question, however, is what we are planning on doing with them. ISIS is already trying to get a piece of the Pakistani terrorism pie. Considering the impressive resume of terror that ISIS carries around, the TTP have nothing on what the ISIS can bring to the table in terms of sheer horror value.
Intelligent life form
The Wagah border incident came at the heels of Ashura. Multiple attacks were already expected on Pakistani soil, and surprisingly many of them were foiled. The attack at Wagah was also expected with security personnel scouring the area and finding multiple suicide vests and explosives. The one they missed was the one that led to the chaos.
In essence, this is where the TTP will always triumph against the civilian government. They don’t need all of their plans to succeed, they just need one to be executed smoothly. The result is sheer panic within the people. While some marched forward to Wagah to show that they weren’t afraid, many others began wondering if Lahore too had become as unsafe as Karachi notoriously is. When the city faced multiple attacks only a couple of years ago, none of its people handled it well.
In essence, this is where the TTP will always triumph against the civilian government. They don’t need all of their plans to succeed, they just need one to be executed smoothly
An additional issue with security personnel is that many of them lack training and resources to deal with actual crisis situations, such as the one that presented itself at Wagah. Some of the best people that we have go into the elite force, but that force is unfortunately mostly assigned to VIPs for their protection. This is another one of the civilian government’s failures.
The people have spoken
Assume that we will actually manage to eradicate terrorists completely. Assume that there is an operation in Punjab and we finally land a punch that wipes these guys out completely. Will Pakistan be a better Pakistan, will things really be any different? The fact is that the TTP has been attacking Pakistan repeatedly because it is trying to enforce its reading of Shariah law into the country. The ISIS folk also bring the promise of a brand new caliphate, and their methods of bringing their aims to realisation include killing people, raping women, and a whole host of other nasty things. But they are the least of Pakistan’s problems, really.
Shariah law is being enforced by people on a daily basis when they take the law into their own hands and burn, lynch, mob and kill people in the name of blasphemy. There is no real difference between the actions of the TTP and the actions of Pakistanis that continue to harass and plunder through the lives of minorities. And when it comes to Punjab, this trend has been on the uptake for a while now. The Christian couple that was burned alive in a brick kiln doesn’t have an exceptionally surprising story, people in this country have done much worse to minorities and will continue to do so.
The civilian government has no idea how to deal with current terrorist threats. And they’re just as clueless, if not more, about the extremist civilians that often take the law into their own hands.
