Counter terror strategy

Still groping in the dark

It became clear a long time ago – not long after the APS attack, actually – that NAP would never really come to life. There was never going to be any intel-sharing between the dozens of ‘agencies’ that litter our security landscape. Those so badly needed madrassa reforms would never take off. And don’t even mention the counter-narrative that was supposed to shape the larger, longer fight against terrorism.

It’s little surprise, therefore, that the enemy’s back hasn’t really been broken and its ability to strike has not quite been devastated. Both civilian and military leaders do themselves, and the rest of us, no favours by repeating the rhetoric from very recently – vows, promises and accusations across the border. The confidence that marked the previous army chief’s tenure has already evaporated, even though there’s been no visible change of policy since then. All that has happened, from the looks of things, is that the enemy has chosen this particular time to strike.

The immediate on-ground reaction, apparently, has been the cross-border surgical strike option. That is going to run into political head winds, of course, not the least because the Afghans have similar Taliban-sanctuary problems with us, and the Americans agree with them wholeheartedly; and these are very uncertain times with regard to the Americans. There’s still no sign, though, of progress on some of the more important aspects of the national action plan.