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Fighting terror with prayers?
Stay in alliance with pan-Islamists of all shades or divorce, crackdown on them in the interests of the country.
The writer is executive director of the Centre for Research and Security Studies
On June 19, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s (K-P) information minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain shocked us all when, at the end of his keynote speech at a CRSS-Radio launch ceremony in Peshawar, he asked all those present to raise their hands and pray for the safety of all in the province. Never before did Hussain, who lost his son to a terrorist attack two years ago, sound so grim while discussing the wave of terrorism and its impact on K-P.
“I will even forgive the killers of my young son if militants agreed on talks in the larger interest of the people. We must negotiate our way out of the current security crisis. But if talks fail, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the US must agree to take on terrorists collectively by rubbing off distinction between ‘good’ Taliban and ‘bad’ Taliban. How can one’s Taliban be good if they are killing the other’s innocent? The three countries need a joint strategy for the enemies of mankind,” Hussain underlined in what seemed to be an expression of helplessness with regards to violence in his province.
Hussain made these pleas in the backdrop of extremely disturbing developments since early June; until June 22 about 90 terror incidents had claimed 248 lives. According to a CRSS study, 300 victims died in May.
Let us first recollect who had been presumed to be a ‘good’ Taliban; Hafiz Gul Bahadur, Maulvi Sadiq Noor, Maulvi Nazir, Maulvi Faqeer Mohammad, inter alia on this side of the Durand Line. The Haqqani Network, Mulla Omar, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar — the three pillars of the Afghan insurgency — also count among the ‘good’, friendly Taliban.
The Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi as well as splinters of Lashkar-e-Taiba stand out as the ‘bad’ Taliban as far as Pakistan is concerned. This is why the South Waziristan military operation in Oct 2009 resulted in the relentless pursuit of the TTP militants in both North and South Waziristan.
What is disturbing of late — coupled with the fresh wave of violence across K-P and Fata — is the reported realignment among many ‘good’ and ‘bad’ Taliban; Mulla Nazir has reportedly allowed several TTP activists and supporters to return to Wana and its vicinity (South Waziristan), including those relatives of Maulvi Sharif who had been forced out of Wana in the March 2007 operation against the Uzbek militants.
Similarly, while Hafiz Gul Bahadur serves as the guarantor for peace in most of North Waziristan, facilitating the ongoing construction of the Bannu-Miranshah road, his contacts with the Haqqani Network, as well as a tolerance for some TTP elements hiding out in his areas such as Hakimullah Mehsud have reportedly increased. At the same time, Tariq Afridi, the dreaded TTP operative in Darra Adamkhel and the Khyber Agency, reportedly has ties with Haji Mangal Bagh, the elusive chief of Lashkar-e-Islam (LI). Until recently, both the TTP and the LI had been at loggerheads, but have apparently patched up.
Observers of the militancy scene interpret this as a growing synergy of strategy among those who justify their militant approach by pointing to the presence of foreign forces in Afghanistan. Not only are they redrawing common strategies in view of the operational and political hiccups that the US-Nato is facing in Afghanistan, but they are also becoming a source of instability in Pakistan itself. All Pakistani militant forces inimical to the US-Nato presence in Afghanistan, including the al Qaeda, who consider Pakistan as an equal culprit (for the sufferings of Afghans) have ratcheted up violence — delivering the proverbial pinpricks to Pakistani society (including the June 23 murder of nine people in Quetta).
A scary scenario indeed that the ‘good’ or cooperative Taliban, like Hafiz Gul Bahadur, become the cover for anti-Pakistan, anti-US violence perpetrated by the TTP, Lashkar-e-Jhanvgi and other al Qaeda affiliates. Similarly, al Qaeda’s shield in Waziristan, the Haqqani Network, remains the thorn in Pakistan-US relations because both Kabul and Washington talk of the ‘signature’ Haqqani-style of attack every time militants strike in Kabul or elsewhere. Regardless of how true these claims are, the network remains the major sticking point with all American officials projecting it as the biggest source of violence in Afghanistan, and thus asking Pakistan to go after it. Sooner or later, Pakistani security apparatus shall have to make the choice; stay in alliance with pan-Islamists of all shades or divorce and crackdown on them in the long-term interests of the country. Mere prayers won’t work!
Published in The Express Tribune, June 29th, 2012.
Reader Comments (31)
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You cannot and will never achieve peace with Taliban through dialogue. The basic reason for this is because Taliban are motivated because of an ideology which they formed in JUI madrassas. Only a counter ideology can defeat future generations of Taliban. Drones and Counter terrorist operations are required to defeat the current generation that is only willing to talk on its own terms. Its quite popular in Pakistan that peace can be achieved with Taliban through dialogue like it did between UK and IRA but people ignorant of history do not realize that IRA was required to strictly comply with a certain mechanism in order to reach peace agreements. The basic condition for that agreement was that IRA will lay down their arms and an independent body formed by UN will monitor this process. Can Taliban do the same? answer is no because Taliban is a Armed Jihadi ideological movement that does not believe in any negotiating terms except for those which are sanctioned by their amir mullah omer.
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Declare war on them and fight them to erode them and their influence completely, without any mercy, no need for any soft corners for any of these , they are inflicting death and destruction on our people and it’s our duty to fight them to everyone of these to the last living terrorist. Recommend
To defeat an enemy you need to be able to think like one.
This Militancy is based on a distorted ideology and military alone can’t defeat it.
Fanatic ideology thsese twisted minds are taught is based on obedience to higher Authority for a “greater Purpose”.
Their leaders to them are the final authority on earth representing word of God.Despite their fanatacism and passion for war.if these leaders tell them to stop fighting they will stop.Therefore there is scope for dialogue.
Meanwhile source of their ideology and recruitment,the 28,000 madrassahs up and down the country must be tackled simultaneously ,for any strategy to work.
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The day Pakistan as a state and Pakistani Army would stop putting in half hearted efforts and stop being duplicitous, the war can be won. Other wise it is just a time warp. To me they are not sincere, and any job not done sincerely will never yield full desired results.
PRecommend
Taliban want what everyone wants – the US leave Afghanistan and allow Pakistan to play its rightful role. The difference is that they are willing to put their lives on line for achieving everyone’s goals.
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It is foolish to think that a movement like Taliban can be defeated by military action. It has failed for NATO and it will fail for Pakistan. That is the reality, no matter how hard ti is to swallow. The taliban are here to stay.
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We have to give up half hearted efforts and duplicity if we are serious in fight against these terrorists. It is that simple, no ifs and buts.
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Some think its too late now. The trend in Pakistan is irreversible. Too many power centers to agree on the right decision and many of those power centers fear the very thing they helped create.
The silver lining for me is Pakistan acts as a buffer against the chaos and violence in Af-Pak against India.Recommend
If the establishment wants to eliminate TTP it should cooperate with NATO & US forces to eliminate the Haqqani Net work also. A combined operation from both sides can squeece these terrorists. But for that to happen Pak military should get rid of its strategic asset concept first.
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@kaalchakra: You are repeating the same lies as other supporters of the taliban. Read the history of the region and you will learn that there were violent extremists in action here long before the Americans came to Afghanistan. The taliban only want one thing and that is power. They are willing to lay down the lives of any and all Pakistani citizens to achieve this, whether brainwashed suicide bomber pawns or their victims. The only answer is to terminate them with extreme prejudice, otherwise the survival of Pakistan is at extreme risk.
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@Kaalchakra
Taliban want what everyone wants – the US leave Afghanistan and allow Pakistan to play its rightful role.
You mean spreading terror to other countries is Pakistan’s ‘rightful role’?
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@kaalchakra:
not their own lives sir , the leaders are killed in operations or targeted drone strikes.
The foot soldiers are expendable and cannon fodder.
The US will leave Afghanistan but will that bring back the beheaded soldiers and poor Pakistanis killed in marketplaces, bus stops , train stations or the poor brainwashed young men becoming explosives
Once a person becomes a heartless fighter he will never again be a peaceful person, and will always find a reason to harm.
Allow Pakistan to fulfil its rightful role to continue to be a hub of atrocious activities ???
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Pakistan has had it, and the menace of terror will consume the country. This is no more Global war on terror(GWOT). It is now Pakistans war on terror(PWOT). the taliban will either have to be eliminated, or it will eliminate pakistan. The other option is that pakistan becomes a sharia controlled country or a theocracy.
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As far peace is concerned Talibans have their own version of peace not compatible with any of the sane and balanced definition of peace. Likewise they have their of version of justice that resembles more with justice dispensed by known Bandits like Sultana Daku, Malangi, Muhammad khan daku etc. Our downtrodden classes always took such bandits as saviors as they were last recourse for them against high handedness of elite. Phenomenon of Taliban is more complex as our deep state believes these thugs will turn out to be saviors for aggrieved kashmiris. How long we will pay for the calculations of deep state, time will decide.
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Pakistan must understand there are no good or bad Talibans since they all are bad for Pakistan & for the rest of the world! We must eliminate them at whatever cost since international community will help us but not with half hearted approach & lying,
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@kaalchakra: Not true! They are driven by satanic hatred for humanity, they are the demons who wish to fight their war of hatred at the cost of our blood. It’s time that we condemn and reject all those propagandists and promoters of these damned Taliban agenda among us. Shame on you whateverChakra you are to forge the facts and try to mislead us here.
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Time for prayers have also crossed! It’s too late.
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Pakistan is an atomic power , but of no use unless it is ready to use it ………..Where depends on who and what is considered the greatest threat ….India other powers ….or the Taliban .
To start it has to close down all madrassas
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Resorting to prayers is a desperate option. But let’s be honest, that’s the only option there is.
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The last two months alone have seen the Taliban kill around 600 innocent Pakistanis. We see these terrorists kill without remorse and then claim responsibility for their evil actions. The last few days alone have seen them attack police vans and a passenger bus near Quetta. Yesterday, they released a video of 17 beheaded Pakistanis. How long can this go on? Is it not time to seriously look at the upward trend in these terror killings, and seriously go after them from all sides? Is it not time to squeeze the life out of these killer groups? There are no good or bad terrorists. A terrorist is simply a killer and is evil to the core, and time has finally arrived for all in our governments to let go of the differences, and go after the terrorists in a big way. Unless we do that lives will be lost and the terrorist will keep hurting the innocents.
LTC T.G. Taylor
DET-United States Central Command
http://www.centcom.mil/ur
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Everyone who is saying we should declare war on taliban … Thats what we have been doing so far .. since 2001 US have declared war on taliban .. and since 2005 Pakistan have started operations against taliban …. but tell me do we feel safe ? what we want to achieve ? how many talibans are there? do u have any figure ? lets suppose we declare full scale war on taliban from now .. how many we have to kill ? 1 million ? 2 million .. how many? .. and who should we kill? guy with beared and turban who speak pushto? … or guy with beard in shalwar kameez? … it is insane war .. it is madness for GOD sake .. get out of it .. give them education and jobs .. make Pakistan a weapon free state .. more innocent peoples have been killed in karachi target killing then by taliban … do u ppls know that? … who is killing these ppls in karachi ? .. Yes they are our liberals . .. but ppls dont care … they just care abt taliban .. but not terrorists in karachi … Recommend
@DejaVu:
Well said. Easily misled liberals who have never had to fight a war in their lives or fight for their next meal simply so not understand war. If you think the current level of violence is bad, just imagine how bad it would be if we started killing everyone in FATA. Some wars cannot be won on the battlefield.
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DejaVu and DB
Please, we have to bring these liberal brothers to their senses. They are destroying Pakistan by not coming to terms with reality – you can’t blindly kill all those who disagree with you. An Islamic, sovereign nation that does not constantly sell its self-respect to countries like US, India, and Israel – that’s all that people all over Pakistan want. Is it wrong for a Pakistani to demand those basic freedoms? Why are liberals so obstinately standing in the way? Why this fear of Islam by so-called ‘Muslims’ as if anybody else’s Islam but ‘liberal’s’ is some intolerant thing – as if people other than liberals were beasts! If liberals think of Taliban as beasts, Taliban have a right to think of liberals as beasts too. So, please, let there be mutual respect and cooperation so Islamic goals – which are, after all, the most important thing – can be jointly achieved. Some tolerance for each other, kindly.
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@DB:
@DejaVu:
What choice do you have now? Killings in karachi and taliban are slowly spreading like cancer and soon the law agencies will not be able to handle them.
One option is to declare martial law, and hand over to army again. pakistanis fear the forces, and things may start calming down. otherwise doomsday is not far.
World thinks pakistani cities are dangerous. Is that true or just a wrong perception? Is violence limited to poor neighbourhoods and shanty towns?
Is this a problem of poverty,unemployment or is it about religion?
Surely 200 million pakistanis are not all affected by this stray incidents and most villages are peaceful.
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Hunter Punter
There is far less violence in any city of Pakistan than in New York city. You Aiis (Americans, Israelis, Indians) must be very sad to see a great Islamic nation continue to march ahead despite your best efforts.
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@kaalchakra: Israelis dont know much nor care much about pakistans existance. Why Pakistanis include israels name again and agian, is very hard to understand. Israel has never even uttered the word pakistan!
AI’s( Americans and Indians) are more than happy to see strong text“great Islamic nation” continue to march forward!!
New york city has no violence these days, Unless you have inside info that the rest of the world doesnt have!Recommend
All Taliban groups want to bring Shariah to Muslim areas. They may differ in tactics at any given point in time, some may adopt peace deals, as in Swat, to further the cause. Others may adopt violent methods as in the elimination of elders in NWA. Ultimately they are bound to converge and be together as birds of the same feather.
Woe be to anyone who thinks otherwise.
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Observer
And what is wrong with Shariah? Pakistan is an Islamic country. Should it not have a right to adopt Shariah?
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@DejaVu:
The problem is the extremist culture and militancy promoted by the nationalist conservatives, compounded by their deceitful duplicity. It could start by not sabotaging Afghanistan, NATO and the local patriotic Pakistani anti-Taliban Turi tribe’s efforts who were on cusps of victory against them. You speak of education, then EDUCATE! But here’s a problem: 500+ schools have been bombed by the Taliban in the Northern areas, while other schools in settled areas have been threatened. What an environment!
Being a non-religious political or ethnic party does not make one ‘liberal’! Pakistan’s society is heavily religious conservative. You are very WRONG on the size and scope of deaths. The political parties’ gunda gun culture madness, post-2001, is much smaller and restricted to Karachi, the deaths from terrorism are way higher and all over the place as the Taliban and other religious fanatics have taken over sovereignty of Pakistan be it Swat, Gilgit, Jhangvi, Waziristan, Kurram, Quetta Shura, etc, imposing their extremist conservative beliefs.
As much as you insincerely harp on ‘de-weaponizing’, note the hypocrisy as those who agreed with you are Taliban sympathizers and would have no issues with their weapons or militancy.Recommend
Last nail in the coffin!
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@DejaVu
and since 2005 Pakistan have started operations against taliban …. but tell me do we feel safe ?
And where has this ‘operation’ been started. Not in NWA and Dir and Quetta and Parchinar at least. And I am sure Balochistan and Karachi not being safe can not be attributed to ‘operations against Taliban’ for sure.
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