Patriotism is the only weapon that can be instrumental in the fight against terrorism
The wounds inflicted at the Civil Hospital, Quetta not too long ago had not healed when heavily armed militants stormed the Police Training Centre, Quetta. And most recently, a suicide attack took place in the courtyard of Shah Noorani’s shrine — a grim reminder that terrorists retain the ability to strike any part of the country whenever they like.
Whereas the narrative is being fed to the population that Operation Zarb-e-Azb has broken the back of terrorists and militants, tragic terror attacks one after the other in the same province give the message that militants are set to sabotage peace and challenge the writ of the state.
Blame has been placed on a foreign hand but the responsibility of pre-empting such attacks lies with the law enforcement and intelligence agencies of our own country. The appropriate approach would be to put our own house in order — after all, callous killers are picked up from our own land and brainwashed to unleash massacre on our soil. Whether they are hired assassins or Frankenstein monsters, our security measures should be foolproof, and counterterrorism strategies long term.
Three consecutive attacks on Balochistan speak volumes about its vulnerability. Attacks across the country call for a paradigm shift in our war on terrorism. The war on terrorism cannot be won without finding out root causes of extremism and sectarianism, which are poverty, deprivation and political isolation.
Reportedly, there are seminaries in southern Punjab that are said to be promoting religious intolerance, but the government has not started a crackdown against such factories that foment sectarianism. There are many madrassas in the country that remain a recruiting ground for militants but no clear-cut policy has been put in place to undermine such entities. Even the registration of madrassas throughout the country has been put on the backburner; and reasons behind this failure remain unknown and unexplained. Our struggle with terrorism and militancy will not end until and unless assertive action against these entities is taken regardless of ‘good’ militants and ‘bad’ militants.
To defeat militants through the military might only prove to be a short-term solution. The long-term and sustainable solution lies in ending poverty because poverty is the mother of all crimes. Deprivation breeds depression, which gives birth to greater ills in society. By ending economic inequality, social deprivation and political isolation of certain segments, and especially affording rights to all provinces, the country would cement the bond between people and the state, which will ensure patriotism. Patriotism is the only weapon that can be instrumental in the fight against terrorism, whether homegrown or foreign-sponsored.
Nazeer Ahmed Arijo
Published in The Express Tribune, November 19th, 2016.
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