The MQM is the only party with presence in both parliament and the Sindh Assembly that has a clear stance on the question of confronting terrorism by taking on its indisputable exponent, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). This is remarkable because the three ‘liberal’ parties — the PPP, the MQM and the ANP — are directly in the crosshairs of the terrorists and will be hard put to conduct their electoral campaigns in the coming days in preparation for the 2013 general elections.
After the Malala incident, the army says any attack into the stronghold of the terrorists in North Waziristan will depend on the government in power. It has been reported that the army is well deployed in North Waziristan and ready with effective intelligence and proper firepower to attack the agency. But are politicians ready? MQM chief Altaf Hussain addressed a big rally in Karachi on October 14 and asked the army to go to North Waziristan with “his party’s support”. He significantly challenged clerical parties for their inchoate stance and taxed the army with the observation that after consuming 80 per cent of the country’s resources, it was duty-bound to take on the terrorists. He went on to say that if the army did not act after the Malala incident, “the nation may be left with no option but to seek international help”. He also chided the judiciary for not reacting to the extremism and violence of the lawyers’ community, which “showered the killer of governor Salmaan Taseer, Mumtaz Qadri, with petals”. This was also the MQM’s critical reaction to Karachi’s Sunni Tehreek.
The nation realises that the coming general election will be heavily skewed in favour of parties showing caution while expressing disapproval of terrorism. The MQM is more vulnerable than the PPP and the ANP in this regard because of the growing strength of the Taliban in Karachi’s lawless megapolis. In the north, however, most politicians are more concerned with security than taking a clear moral stance. That includes the religious parties as well as Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). Even when the JUI of Maulana Samiul Haq and the JUI of Maulana Fazlur Rehman appear at cross-purposes, they are both compelled to side with the TTP to save their rank and file from being targeted by suicide bombers.
Malala has caused bifurcation of the Pakistani mind: now, there is a possibility of fighting two enemies instead of just America, both beyond the capacity of the Pakistan Army to defeat. There is resistance, therefore, to moving to a binary of national challenge from the comfort of the consensus of hating America with the not-so-hidden process of appeasement of the TTP-al Qaeda. The spontaneous anti-TTP demonstration of opinion has benefited the army chief most of all after his ‘unusual’ August 14 declaration that the war against extremism and terrorism was Pakistan’s war. That, however, does not mean that he will now attack North Waziristan.
The other factor that goes against the possibility of a turnaround in Pakistan’s diagnostics of terrorism is Pakistan’s foreign policy. The Pakistan Army, which runs the country’s foreign policy, is hardly ready to end the country’s isolation in the region and at the global level. The development of the anti-American agitprop is more thorough-going than most people imagine. At a primitive level, it has brought the identity of the victim close to the identity of the tormentor. The persuasion of this chemical process is too deep for a civilised man to fathom. It is almost certain that Pakistan will fail even more than in 2009 to confront the terrorists and end their hold on the country.
The ‘rebuking’ aspects of Altaf Hussain’s address are, therefore, understandable. He has started resonating with many ‘silent’ observers of what is going on in Pakistan. He is seeking to bring the madrassa network and the non-state actors under pressure on the basis of their duplicity on the Malala incident, but the chances of his success hinge on the extent to which the military is willing to take on the Taliban and switch off its support to the proponents of the Kashmir jihad who feed into the killing machine of TTP. Let’s hope this happens.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 16th, 2012.
COMMENTS (22)
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@Sultan: Why is it that we don't get along with any of our neighbours so far as non state actors are concerned, namely Afghanistan, Iran, China and India. In the circumstances we are trying to blame USA. Also remember Russia has assured India military support to Pakistan will not be forthcoming. What do you want UN sanctions including military intervention. Please be sensible.
@Solomon2: That oath was good information. The fact is that even if the oath was changed o require obedience of the elected civilian leaders, the oath could be broken just as constitution itself was disobeyed several times despite swearing loyalty to it. Musharraf even said - constitution is a piece of paper. But to see that even the notional reference to civilians is missing is amazing.
@Nandkishore: "Altaf Hussian is right. If Pakistan cannot or will not control the Taliban then international parties will come in including Saudi Arabia and China" It is Saudi Arabian money that is in a large part responsible for the Taliban creating madrassas. IT is part of the problem not the solution. You perhaps meant Iran who suffers from terror emanating from Pakistan.
@Nandkishore: The threat posed by the militancy suggest that military operation in North Waziristan is in the best interest of Pakistan,considering the internal dynamics of the country, it is important to comprehend that timings and magnitude of the military operation in NW , if needed will be decided by the government of Pakistan.
"MQM chief Altaf Hussain addressed a big rally in Karachi on October 14 and asked the army to go to North Waziristan with “his party’s support”. He significantly challenged clerical parties for their inchoate stance and taxed the army with the observation that after consuming 80 per cent of the country’s resources, it was duty-bound to take on the terrorists. He went on to say that if the army did not act after the Malala incident, “the nation may be left with no option but to seek international help”
One question and one observation. Question; If military operations provided any solution, why USA / NATO is failing in Afghanistan even after 11 years of operation enduring freedom? Observation; Pakistan's budget 2012 ( total volume) = Rs 2960 bn Defence budget = Rs545 bn Percentage : (545/ 2960 x 100 = 18.4% of total budget.
Defence budget is for Army,Navy,Air force. Army gets 50% (272 bn) Navy 25% (136 bn) Air Force 25% (136 bn) The figures prove that Army gets only 9% of total budget and defence budget 18.4% not 80 % as wrongly propagated.
Because of the strategy hitherto followed, Pakistan, today, stands isolated internationally, weakened internally and faces serious threats to her existence, both from within (militancy and extremism), as well as, external (USA-India Nexus). While tackling both is beyond our capability and not an option, the policy makers have to decide which threat to be neutralized first. Logically, even this is not an option as to face external threat, a nation must be strong internally. As such, Pakistan must first deal with the threat from within as once it is neutralized, external threat would automatically be marginalized.
That be the priority, the next question is; do military operations provide solution in such environment? In my view no. If we could defeat Talabanization by military operations alone, the world's most powerful countries, especially USA, would have achieved success in Afghanistan. The fact is that even after 11 years of commencement of operation enduring freedom and spending over US$500 billion, they have failed to defeat the Taliban.
As such, it is my considered opinion that any military operation in North Waziristan would be counter productive. Effective covert operations are the best solution, for which our intelligence agencies must be revamped and geared up to face the challenge upfront. If by compulsion, a military operation is required to be undertaken in a particular area, it must be conducted shaping the environment, a domain of political leadership, after fulfilling following prerequisites:- (1) The operation should be legitimized by the parliament unequivocally, taking full ownership. (2) The operation should be out rightly supported by the masses in general, media, the political leadership and, in our case, religious clergy also. (3) Under no circumstances impression be created that the operation is being conducted on behest of USA or on her dictation.
Unless these pre-requisites are fulfilled, no military operation would succeed.
"It has been reported that the army is well deployed in North Waziristan and ready with effective intelligence and proper firepower to attack the agency. But are politicians ready?"
What do politicians have to do with it? Politicians don't give orders to the Pakistani military. Recall their oath:
I ____ solemnly swear that I will bear true faith and allegiance to Pakistan and uphold the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan which embodies the will of the people, that I will not engage myself in any political activities whatsoever and that I will honestly and faithfully serve Pakistan in the Pakistan Army (or Navy or Air Force) as required by and under the law.
Not a word about obeying civilians, the Army communes directly with "the people" and applies its own judgment, slightly and very belatedly checked by the Supreme Court. Elected politicians have only a very limited control over appointing commanders and in effect cannot dismiss them. So why should politicians accept responsibility for an operation over which they have no authority?
Change that damnable oath to obey the Constitution AND the orders of elected officials and duly appointed officers, and you'll go a long way towards fixing what's wrong with Pakistan.
Altaf Hussain Is Right.... True Pakistani Leader
by the way... military operations, if needed, should be decided by the government and the army both, considering the internal dynamics of the country it is important to comprehend the timings and magnitude of military operation in FATA / NWA... u, me and altaf bhai are all naive for this decision... let the experts handle the case. good luck to pakistan
While Altaf Hussains recent condemnation of TTP is appreciable, i think people are getting a bit too carried away. ANP and PPP have suffered the most at the hands of these terrorists while Altaf Hussain and his MQM was in Musharraf's lap. Altaf Hussain never questioned the agencies and army while he was part of a military dictators' cabinet for 5 years. These are double standards. To me PPP and ANP are the ONLY soldiers fighting Taliban.
Altaf Hussain has rightly said Pakistanis can either opt for Jinna's Pakistan or can have Taliban's Pakistan. You can't have both at the same time. So time has reached for taking a firm decision
Any civilized society would by now have identified how its actions destroyed their own State and taken expeditious steps to retrace regressive policies. You cannot talk, talk and talk some more in the hope that problems will disappear. With 40,000 lives lost in a mere decade to religious extremism and militancy even the heartless with elephant hides would have suffered pangs of remorse. However there are no signs that the gate keepers of the nation have even a sliver of Conscience. Lies, subterfuge and falsehood continue to be uttered to further confuse a very confused citizenry.
Allah is ending signals and messages to his followers day after day hoping people will use the Brains given to them, but it has not deterred them from further spewing Hate nor spilling Blood. Please enlighten me as to what HE should now do to put the nation out of its misery ?
@ Khan of Jandal...Very well said and very accurately said. I fully agree with you. Pakistan with its TTP and Jihadists and above all its general populace have reached a stage that's beyond realism or a kind on inverted reality and delusion. It would be very difficult for the state to suvrive in its present form. It faces destruction from within.
This editorial is welcome statement of a realization that terrorism is eating into the vitals of the State and society of Pakistan. Among the politicians there is no one who is able and willing to stand up and take an uncompromising position against terror represented by outfits like TTP, LeT, JuD, Mullah Omar’s original Taliban, and remnants of Al Qaeda which seem to be regrouping even in Pakistan. These bodies are joined by many others who contribute with their so-called Islamist and intolerant attitude towards non-Muslims and non-Sunni Muslim sects. One does not have to be a genius to understand that this is drift towards the abdication and atrophy of the State – if steps are not taken while there is still time. Since the Pakistan Army calls the shots in everything, most of the responsibility must necessarily rest with the Army.
we should also mention ANP who have lost 500 leaders in KPK and FATA so salute them as well unlike imran khan a coward leader
Express Tribune is part of International Herald Tribune, which is owned by The New York Times. Their editorials standards are well balanced on the tip of the pyramid in the middle of the $100 note!
Nothing will happen. This present wave of criticism will soon fade away, and army and media will revert to their traditional tactics- one to nurturing and support of the radicals , and the other will continue to eulogize them. Present day Pakistan resemble Nazi Germany in pre-war years. Like the German people in that time, the people in Pakistan consider lies to be truth and truth to be lie. Saner voices are not heard and every dissent is confronted with violent response. This kind of mindset in not limited TTP, but the entire population in general has become intolerant. I do not think that Pakistan will survive as a state in the next two or three years.
Altaf Hussian is right. If Pakistan cannot or will not control the Taliban then international parties will come in including Saudi Arabia and China.
Jiye Altaf! He is a true Pakistani