Root causes of militancy

Letter February 01, 2013
Social, political and economic grievances of local populace need to be addressed to curb the refuelling of insurgency.

RAWALPINDI: Regional security dynamics reveal that the counterterrorism policies and plans pursued in South Asia have invariably suffered from flaws and omissions, thus failing to achieve desired objectives. Whatever little has been achieved is rapidly moving towards reversal. With the continued terror attacks in the country it becomes imperative to modify the prevalent security structure and strategy adopted by the government to provide peace to the people.

An overview reveals that in order to defeat and diminish insurgency, the only action adopted by the government so far has been of military nature, while according to counter-insurgency doctrine, the political, economic, psychological and civic dimensions are equally significant if true success is to be achieved. History tells us that insurgency will not be defeated by killing insurgents.

Attempting to kill every insurgent or terrorist is impossible and definitely counterproductive as it results in resentment — creating martyrs out of terrorists — that motivates young recruits thus turning into a cyclical process of revenge. Drone attacks in tribal areas of Pakistan are an apt example of this retaliation cycle. Such an environment can become extensively complex as insurgents operate against varied objectives according to their personal distresses, therefore, it becomes impossible to envision this ‘mosaic war’ as a coherent whole.

Social, political and economic grievances of the local populace need to be addressed to curb the constant refuelling of insurgency. Various studies have indicated that socio-economic deprivation is the main cause of radicalisation in troubled areas. Young people are often compelled to join militants due to lack of job opportunities and social pressure. Religious beliefs of individuals may also serve as major contributors towards the radicalisation process, but the socio-economic factor precedes this aspect. Compelled to join militant groups because of economic realities, these young boys are then indoctrinated, at length, to accept the significance and benefits of blowing oneself up as suicide bombers as a vital feature of jihad. Thus, the economic factor becomes the primary reason behind the the framework upon which the edifice of militancy is built. Development programmes, employment opportunities, education and awareness programmes become essential in this backdrop. The need for such programmes to be implemented on a war footing is greatly felt in order to reverse the influence of militants in troubled areas. Since terrorism spreads on ideological basis, the fundamental postulates upon which the terrorists operate must be made clear to the people.

Lubna Hameed


Published in The Express Tribune, February 1st, 2013.