Again I am honored that Ali Zaidi posted my article on his blog. I would like to thank Ali Bhai for his support and encouragement and Imran Khan for the inspiration. This article is just a humble effort to add to the dialogue as this issue needs to be addressed by all. My current article on alizaidipti.wordpress COUNTER-TERRORISM POLICY: NEED OF THE HOUR The menace of terrorism has been plaguing Pakistan for the last 3 decades starting with our participation in the Afghan Jihad of the 1980s as a front line state. Terrorist incidents during this era were mostly done by external intelligence agencies due to our involvement in Afghanistan and alleged assistance to Khalistan movement in Indian Punjab. After the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan in the late 1980s and the ensuing civil war in Afghanistan leading to the birth of the Taliban led to a different type of terrorism in Pakistan. The radicalization and jihadi philosophy of many madressas that were used to churn out Jihadis to fight in Afghanistan led to blow back in Pakistan in the form of sectarian terrorism. However, during this time in the 1990′s, political terrorism was witnessed in Karachi as some political parties began to create armed militant wings vying for power and to defend their respective turf in Karachi. Currently, Pakistan is facing five major forms of terrorism as follows: Political terrorism such as target killings done by militant wings of political parties as witnessed in Karachi as of late Insurgencies such as BLA in Baluchistan that seek an independent Baluchistan Islamic extremists and radicals such as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and other groups who want to impose their brand of Sharia onto Pakistan by force Sectarian groups such as Sipah-e-Sahaba and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi who target Shias and other Muslims who they feel are non-Muslims according to their definition Terrorism committed by international forces such as US/NATO through drone attacks or attacks on our soldiers like what happened in Salala checkpost in November 2011 All these different types of terrorism will require different solutions. However, if we concentrate on the terrorism by Islamic extremists and radicals who are challenging the writ of the state, it is imperative that all the stakeholders be united in forming a counter-terrorism policy. An effective counter-terrorism policy will use a carrot-and-stick approach. We need to realize that there are no simple solutions to the terrorism faced in Pakistan. Besides the loss of innocent lives which is condemn-able, the economic cost to Pakistan over the last 12 years has been estimated at around US$ 80 to 100 billion. Without internal peace and stability, there can be no economic growth and development as most investors will shy away from investing in Pakistan. Key Factors in Developing Effective Counter-terrorism Policy Counter-terrorism includes all government actions which attempt to thwart terrorist attacks or limit their consequences. According to academics, the three main goals of a government countering terrorism are to eliminate terrorism, to minimize damage caused by terrorism and to prevent the rise of terrorism. The elimination of terrorism means removing the enemy’s motivation to commit terrorist attacks and use violence against the state and its citizens. Minimizing damage may comprise of subgoals like reducing the number of attacks of the number of victims through reducing certain types of attacks (e.g. suicide killings). Preventing the rise of terrorism includes impeding the terrorist organization’s growth and development, preventing the organization from attaining political achievements and blocking support from foreign countries. Knowing thy enemy and ourselves To quote Sun Tzu the famous Chinese strategist and the aurthor of the famous book The art of war, “Know your enemy, know yourself, in one hundred battles, you will be never be defeated, if ignorant of both your enemy and of yourself, you are sure to be defeated in every battle.” It may appear that in the Pakistani context, we have failed to properly understand our enemies and our governments both past and present have failed to take decisive action when needed due to lack of consensus among major stakeholders. Better Intelligence Sharing As Imran Khan as mentioned recently in many television interviews in the context of KPK where the law enforcement agencies do not have their own intelligence gathering capabilities coupled with no intelligence sharing with the various civilian and military intelligence agencies already in existence. In order to fight terrorism, better intelligence sharing and coordination is needed at all levels. The civilian and military agencies also need to be sharing intelligence with each other. In Pakistan, the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) was established in 2009 but has been ineffective so far as it was tied up in administrative control and mandate issues. However, NACTA bill was passed earlier this year to enable it to be an effective counter terrorism mechanism. We believe that NACTA should be modeled on the lines of US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) where the vision of DHS is “to ensure a homeland that is safe, secure, and resilient against terrorism and other hazards.” All intelligence sharing and coordination should be done through NACTA as well as bringing all counter-terrorism resources under its roof. The Government of Pakistan (GoP) must modernize and reinforce intelligence services. In addition, local intelligence network must be established at the lowest levels of administration such as village, district and neighborhood levels through better community policing programs. Education to Limit or Eradicate Radicalization and Extremism Public outreach and awareness campaign among the public as well as in schools is needed to limit or eradicate radical and extremist thinking. Due to the ill education prevalent among the public, some terrorist/militant groups are successful in gaining sympathy and/or support for their activities. The GoP through NACTA must formulate a campaign with the help of the Ulema to combat extremism in terms of educating the public on the basics of Islam when it comes to Jihad and suicide bombing. We need to engage the Ulema more effectively to counteract the narratives of the extremist/militant groups. The curriculum in schools regarding Islamiat may need to be revamped to cover this topic so our future generations do not become easily radicalize and learn the true spirit of Islam of peace and love for fellow human beings. In addition, a public awareness campaign would be required to inform the public of their responsibility in the fight against terrorism in terms of cooperating and sharing information with law enforcement agencies and military. People found harboring or assisting terrorists must be punished to the full extent of the law. Use of Diplomacy and Recalibrating Foreign Policy Our security establishment has claimed that a number of terrorist/militant groups are receiving assistance from neighboring countries. In this case, we need to use diplomacy to foster better cooperation with neighbor countries such as Afghanistan and Iran on the western border in terms of enhanced border patrol and sharing intelligence and information. Some terrorist/militant groups are motivated by the US presence in Afghanistan along with US drone attacks in FATA. We need to convince the US of the futility of drones as it is creating more resentment against them among Pakistanis and in particular, the tribal population. This is why it becomes more imperative that Pakistan help facilitate the exit of the US out of Afghanistan expected in 2014. The US will need an exit route likely through Pakistan and in particular KPK province so this is one important card GoP has to play to try to convince the US to immediately cease drone attacks. We need to recalibrate our foreign policy that reflects the aspiration and sentiments of the Pakistanis. We must reclaim our sovereignty by not appearing to be in the influence of global powers. To achieve a more independent and realist foreign policy will be more of a longer term goal as for this to occur, we need to get our house in order in terms of national security policy, law and order, robust economic growth and much needed human development. Redressing Genuine Grievances The use of force alone may not eliminate all forms of terrorism from Pakistan and thus, economic and political measures may be needed to coincide with the use of force. Genuine grievances of radicals such as injustice and lack of development need to be addressed by the state. Especially in the bordering tribal areas where lack of employment opportunities and destroyed infrastructure must be created and rebuilt on an immediate basis as soon as peace and security is established. Human development in terms of health and education for all Pakistanis is vital to foster a sense of national belonging, pride and loyalty to the state to counter the extremist/radical narrative of depravation and injustice. We know that terrorism and its solutions is complex and each form of terrorism prevalent in Pakistan has its own solutions. In some instances, multiple solutions are needed to be exercised in combination not just force alone and not just dialogue alone. At the very least, we need to have a national dialogue in order to tackle the various forms of terrorism and to formulate a national counter-terrorism policy that brings all stakeholders on board and to develops better coordination between different levels of government and civilian and military institutions. PTI being a national party and a key stakeholder being the lead member in the KPK government will play its role at the upcoming All Parties Conference or any other forum that the Government of Pakistan proposes to discuss this vital issue. We know that tough decisions and actions will be required to tackle the scourge of terrorism inflicting our country and cannot shirk from our responsibility to formulate joint solutions with the federal government and the other provincial governments. We must live up to the ideals of our founding father Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and not shy away from taking on the tough issues as he eloquently articulated below: “My message to you all is of hope, courage and confidence. Let us mobilize all our resources in a systematic and organized way and tackle the grave issues that confront us with grim determination and discipline worthy of a great nation.” (Eid-ul-Azha Message to the Nation October 24, 1947)
Posted on: Thu, 18 Jul 2013 18:16:48 +0000
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