Whither writ of the state? Mohammad Jamil Pakistan is facing the menace of terrorism for over two decades. It is partly due to flawed foreign policy of 1950s when Pakistan was intertwined in defence pacts with the West. It is partly because some militant religious outfits wish to impose their version of Islam, which is at variance with the great majority of Muslims in Pakistan. Some political and religious parties have been arguing that the government should not use force against militants, and address the causes that give rise to extremism and terrorism. Some analysts and journalists have been opposing the use of force and advocating dialogue with the militants. They believe that militants resort to terrorist attacks in reaction to the drone attacks, and if the US stops drone attacks and Pakistan comes out of America’s war, militants will stop their strikes. Those terror apologists do not realize that militants do not accept the Constitution, Parliament and Judiciary, which they have publicly declared. Yet there is another factor i.e. that in some of the banned organizations, aliens have made inroads and they are working on the agenda to destabilize Pakistan. Although there is let up in drone attacks, militants continue with their killing spree ferociously, establishing conclusively that the grounds for their activities are spurious. A car bomb aimed at a Pakistani security force convoy at Badaber on the outskirts of Peshawar killed 18 people and wounded 25 others. At least three children were among the dead, and two children and a woman were among more than 25 injured. It is true that the US and the West were responsible in equal measure in creating the spectre of terrorism, yet one would agree with Prime Minister David Cameron that “the battle against terrorism needed a tough and uncompromising security response” as well as investment in education and tackling poverty. The same day, in Quetta twenty-eight people lost their lives while over 60 others sustained wounds when a suicide bomber blew himself up near an Imam Bargah in Aliabad area of Hazara Town on Sunday. Those killed also include two women while women and children are also among the injured, twenty of whom are said to be in critical condition. Of course, differences between Shia and Sunni sects date back to 1400 years, but the present spate of killings was never seen in Pakistan before 1980s. It owes its origin to Afghan jihad when jihadists from all over the world were facilitated to come to Pakistan to wage jihad against Soviet forces that had occupied Afghanistan. During Iran-Iraq war, the gulf was further widened between Iran and Arab countries, and they started settling their score on Pakistani soil. Reportedly, their embassies were said to have been involved in promoting sectarian hatred. After revolution in Iran, Sipah-i-Mohammad was formed in Pakistan, whereas on the other hand Sipah-e-Sahaba was founded with the support of Arab countries to counter the influence of the other sect. Despite the fact that these organizations were banned, their activists killed many renowned personalities including doctors, engineers and scholars on both sides. They have been attacking mosques and imambargahs. Islam, indeed, stands for love and affection, peace and amity and moderation and enlightenment. But with their shenanigans, the fraternity’s extremist strands have given a handle to the compulsive detractors of our noble religion to depict it as a creed of violence and bloodletting. Pakistan indeed is the worst hit by this vile phenomenon of running-wild extremism; so much so, it has turned into a dreadful threat to our existence. No less than 5000 soldiers and men in uniform have lost their lives while fighting the merchants of death. Unfortunately, some religious and political parties were loath to even condemn the extremists and terrorists though they expressed their grief and sorrow over the death and destruction wrought by them. Of those parties, the PML-N is now in the saddle in the centre and Balochistan, and PTI-led government along with Jamat-e-Islami is at the helm in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. So far, they have neither been able to come out with any policy of holding talks with the militants, nor taken measures to establish the writ of the state. Last Wednesday, a bomb attack in Karachi killed at least ten people and injured 15 including senior Sindh High Court judge Justice Maqbool Baqar, who was on his way to the court along with an escort of four Rangers personnel on two motorbikes and two police vehicles. The convoy was near Burns Road when the powerful bomb exploded. The blast also damaged Rangers’ motorbikes, police vehicles, walls and windowpanes of a nearby building. According to a TV report the spokesperson for the banned TTP Ehsanullah Ehsan claimed the responsibility for the attack on the senior High Court judge for his anti-Taliban and anti-mujahedeen verdicts. According to another news report, the militants attacked him because he had dropped charges against Muntazir Imam, a Shiite, in FIRs registered at the North Nazimabad, Shar-e-Faisal, Airport, Shah Faisal Colony and CID police stations. Another problem is that human witnesses are loath to stand in the witness box to testify for the dread of terrorists and their ferocious sympathizers. Even the investigators shy away from collecting the hard evidence for fear of their own and their families’ lives. Coping up with such a multifaceted terrorism of huge enormity and dimensions decidedly requires extraordinary measures. The situation certainly demands serious and unified action and crackdown to root out the terrorists and their backers so that innocent lives of Pakistani citizens are saved and peace is restored in the country. The nation must remain united against terrorist threat and show solidarity with the armed forces. However, if members of the Parliament feel that by holding talks with them can bring peace, they should do it, but should not confuse the nation with their polemics and arguments of ifs and buts. It has to be said that a unified and collective front will not only frustrate the anti-Pakistan forces but will also reduce the threat of terrorism. There is need to prepare counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism strategy, and there should be complete coordination between the law enforcing agencies to conduct operation against the terrorists whether they are religious fanatics or centrifugal forces that challenge the writ of the state. It is only the civilian and military leaderships that have to think out a strategy, which they indeed should have done long time ago, but apparently they have not done it as yet. After losing two of its MPs, PTI Chairman Imran Khan has suggested, though belatedly, the KP government, federal government and military top brass should sit together to formulate policy for counter-terrorism. And it should be done immediately to avert further loss of life.
Posted on: Thu, 04 Jul 2013 04:10:45 +0000
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