Terrorists Are Still Getting Support From Rulers
Muhammad Khurshid
July 01, 2008
Now this is clear to all and sundry that terrorism is big threat to the very integrity iof Pakistan, but the politicians have been using this menace for gaining political advantage. It is due to patronage from the rulers of Pakistan that terrorists have taken over the whole tribal belt situated on Pak-Afghan border. At last the military launched the operation, but there are proofs that there are still some officials who are providing support to terrorists operating in tribal areas.
According to report, leader of Muslim League-N Mian Nawaz Sharif said President Musharraf´s policy of war against terror should be reviewed. During a meeting with US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher, Nawaz Sharif said that war against terror should get approval from the parliament. He also expressed reservation over the operation underway in tribal areas and urged that negotiations should be used instead of force to resolve the issue. Shairf protested the US-led coalition attacks in Pakistan´s tribal areas and termed these attacks against sovereignty of the country. He said that nation wants restoration of deposed judges and voted for this mandate in February 18 elections.
Sharif added that he is trying to convince his coalition party Pakistan Peoples Party to impeach unpopular President Musharraf.
A newspaper comment stated that the military operation in the Khyber Agency has proceeded, according to first reports, fairly smoothly. Bara has been cleared of militants and the bazaar is functional once more. Local people have heaved a sigh of relief. Militants offered no resistance, perhaps for strategic reasons, and there is now a possibility that they will be pursued into the Tirah Valley area, where they are said to have retreated. Buoyed by their success, the military leaders are speaking of further actions against militants in Swat and elsewhere.
As the prime minister has said, such action was necessary, after militants broke agreements – in a pattern that has of course been seen often in the past. The need for the State to grasp back something of its receding writ was of course urgent. A failure to do so could have resulted only in anarchy and even a possible threat to Peshawar itself. But while action against militants was required, the overall situation remains a complex one. A battle may have been won. It is far from certain that any real headway has been made in winning the war. Striking a threatening note, the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has warned it will hit back with strikes in Punjab and Sindh. This evidently means more suicide bombings, terrorist attacks and other mayhem. It is also true of course that through their network of seminaries, other training centres and a sophisticated system of recruitment, the militants have a hold that is not easy to loosen. To establish this, they have used to their advantage the misery of people who have been left in a perilous state of poverty and deprivation, as a consequence of the failures of governance over many decades. The feelings of frustration and anger this has generated have played a part in building backing for militants who then of course also have armed power with which to threaten helpless residents of the areas in which they operate. The immense power of propaganda has also been expertly used by men such as Mangal Bagh in Khyber or Maulana Fazalaullah in Swat, using FM radio stations.
The government, now that it has taken the tough decision of launching a military operation on this scale, with armoured vehicles moving across the Khyber, needs also to do more. It must for this purpose work out a comprehensive plan. The intelligence situation needs to be assessed. Only timely information can help ward off the bombings that have in the past reduced buildings to rubble in Lahore, Islamabad and other cities. If this is not coming in, then the reasons for this failure, despite the vast network of agencies we maintain, must be assessed. Taking a lesson from the militants, counter-propaganda must also be used to full advantage. The areas that have become militant strongholds must be blasted with sensible yet strong messages regarding religion, morality and humanity. The many Islamic scholars and clerics in the country who oppose militancy can all play a part in designing this message, which should be delivered by people with respect in their area. Indeed, there is no time to lose. Broadcasting radio programmes, which should also include entertainment in the form of music, drama and so on to break the militant taboo on such form of culture is not technically demanding. This effort can begin immediately. Alongside these steps, the identification of seminaries where militant killers are trained, the establishment of regular schools in these areas, the setting up of services such as clinics for people and possibly 'quick fix' schemes such as subsidized food or even free soup kitchens could all play an immensely important role. Force, after all, must also be combined with policies to win over hearts and break the militant stranglehold over minds.
There is of course little time to lose. The events of the past few weeks have shown how great the militant threat is. A full-fledged plan of action, which goes beyond short-term military operations, is needed to defeat it before it is too late to do anything at all.
The End
According to report, leader of Muslim League-N Mian Nawaz Sharif said President Musharraf´s policy of war against terror should be reviewed. During a meeting with US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher, Nawaz Sharif said that war against terror should get approval from the parliament. He also expressed reservation over the operation underway in tribal areas and urged that negotiations should be used instead of force to resolve the issue. Shairf protested the US-led coalition attacks in Pakistan´s tribal areas and termed these attacks against sovereignty of the country. He said that nation wants restoration of deposed judges and voted for this mandate in February 18 elections.
Sharif added that he is trying to convince his coalition party Pakistan Peoples Party to impeach unpopular President Musharraf.
A newspaper comment stated that the military operation in the Khyber Agency has proceeded, according to first reports, fairly smoothly. Bara has been cleared of militants and the bazaar is functional once more. Local people have heaved a sigh of relief. Militants offered no resistance, perhaps for strategic reasons, and there is now a possibility that they will be pursued into the Tirah Valley area, where they are said to have retreated. Buoyed by their success, the military leaders are speaking of further actions against militants in Swat and elsewhere.
As the prime minister has said, such action was necessary, after militants broke agreements – in a pattern that has of course been seen often in the past. The need for the State to grasp back something of its receding writ was of course urgent. A failure to do so could have resulted only in anarchy and even a possible threat to Peshawar itself. But while action against militants was required, the overall situation remains a complex one. A battle may have been won. It is far from certain that any real headway has been made in winning the war. Striking a threatening note, the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has warned it will hit back with strikes in Punjab and Sindh. This evidently means more suicide bombings, terrorist attacks and other mayhem. It is also true of course that through their network of seminaries, other training centres and a sophisticated system of recruitment, the militants have a hold that is not easy to loosen. To establish this, they have used to their advantage the misery of people who have been left in a perilous state of poverty and deprivation, as a consequence of the failures of governance over many decades. The feelings of frustration and anger this has generated have played a part in building backing for militants who then of course also have armed power with which to threaten helpless residents of the areas in which they operate. The immense power of propaganda has also been expertly used by men such as Mangal Bagh in Khyber or Maulana Fazalaullah in Swat, using FM radio stations.
The government, now that it has taken the tough decision of launching a military operation on this scale, with armoured vehicles moving across the Khyber, needs also to do more. It must for this purpose work out a comprehensive plan. The intelligence situation needs to be assessed. Only timely information can help ward off the bombings that have in the past reduced buildings to rubble in Lahore, Islamabad and other cities. If this is not coming in, then the reasons for this failure, despite the vast network of agencies we maintain, must be assessed. Taking a lesson from the militants, counter-propaganda must also be used to full advantage. The areas that have become militant strongholds must be blasted with sensible yet strong messages regarding religion, morality and humanity. The many Islamic scholars and clerics in the country who oppose militancy can all play a part in designing this message, which should be delivered by people with respect in their area. Indeed, there is no time to lose. Broadcasting radio programmes, which should also include entertainment in the form of music, drama and so on to break the militant taboo on such form of culture is not technically demanding. This effort can begin immediately. Alongside these steps, the identification of seminaries where militant killers are trained, the establishment of regular schools in these areas, the setting up of services such as clinics for people and possibly 'quick fix' schemes such as subsidized food or even free soup kitchens could all play an immensely important role. Force, after all, must also be combined with policies to win over hearts and break the militant stranglehold over minds.
There is of course little time to lose. The events of the past few weeks have shown how great the militant threat is. A full-fledged plan of action, which goes beyond short-term military operations, is needed to defeat it before it is too late to do anything at all.
The End