With the public trusting its actions, the military is currently fighting at two fronts: external and internal
LARKANA: The military’s role in eradicating various national threats to maintain peace and stabilise the affairs of the state needs no exaggeration. After a long time, the military, under the dynamic leadership of General Raheel Sharif, has managed to carve a place in the hearts of civilians. It was the tragic attack on the Army Public School that proved to be a wake-up call for the military that finally led to it taking measures to wipe out militancy from the country. Despite having many chances to overthrow the democratic government, this time, the military seems to be least interested in thwarting parliament to establish its own supremacy. It only wants to combat militancy and whatever it is doing is a part of its counterterrorism strategy.
With the public trusting its actions, the military is currently fighting at two fronts: external and internal. Internal threats include terrorism and political instability and are far more intricate and hard to cope with, because those who are waging war against the Pakistani people also claim to be Pakistanis. The fight at this front does not only require a physical force but also a strong institutional set-up to establish the writ of the state and to strike at the roots of those networks that are indoctrinating the people with venomous narratives. Externally, the issues with hostile powers can be settled through better diplomacy and better involvement of the political leadership.
Consolidating all institutions of the state, vis-a-vis military operations, to ensure the protection of fundamental rights of citizens is important in the current scenario. Modern research reveals that militancy is not a disease in itself, but is symptomatic of underlying social, political and economic malaise. Unless an effort is made to address the myriad of problems that nurture militancy, the battle will remain half won. Hence, although military courts have made it easier to bring perpetrators and abettors to justice within a short time span, they are not an ideal solution for the problem we face. In this backdrop, it is pertinent that all other state institutions also realise their respecitve duties towards the country. To strengthen the hands of the military would make it difficult for troublemakers to destabilise Pakistan. Today our fate is still in our hands, but soon it may pass beyond our control and tomorrow might be too late.
Asma Hussain Morio
Published in The Express Tribune, September 4th, 2015.
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