Why did the country continue to nurse soft corner for Taliban when they attacked our national institutions.
HOUSTON, TX, US: The delayed, ultimate offensive by the Pakistan Army against the Taliban in North Waziristan has exposed the myth of the Taliban’s invincibility, the myth of their religious credentials, and the myth of their fiery retaliatory capacity.
The fighting by Taliban or lack thereof and the kind of enemy positions seized by the army seems to indicate neither great fighting skills, nor fighting spirit or gallantry on the part of the Taliban. Before the events leading to the operation, a massive propaganda campaign was launched by the Taliban and their supporters as well as front men among Pakistan’s civil society that if they were attacked in North Waziristan, the Taliban would unleash a bloody vendetta targeting and devastating our urban areas. With almost a month into the operation, where is the Taliban’s vengeful fiery storm? None of the threats that were uttered before the start of the operation have seen the light of day.
Apart from myths about the Taliban, there are some overarching questions. Why, for instance, have many of our people continued to hold the Taliban in good light even when thousands of our citizens were being murdered, blown up into pieces, robbed and subjected to brutalities by these militants?
Why did the country continue to nurse a soft corner for the Taliban when these sworn enemies of our country attacked our national institutions, armed forces, schools and airports with the aim of overthrowing our state and seeking its control?
Did we not tolerate, protect and even promote the Taliban, trusting their words? Did many of us not try to defend their actions, treating them as annoyed, misunderstood ‘citizens’?
This then leads us to the next crucial question: if it happened once, could it happen again? In the coming years, could it be possible that another group of militants armed with deadly weapons again come close to destroy Pakistan and gain absolute power?
The answer alone lies with the people of Pakistan. If they rediscover rationality, common sense, reality and pragmatism, if they embrace the quest for progress and prosperity and well-being, if they overcome and discard their regressive and destructive preoccupation with religious fanaticism and faith-based totalitarianism, our near-death experience with extremism will reoccur without doubt.
The future of the nation would continue to hang in balance, and the next time this happens, the country might not be strong enough to bear a second blow.
Tausif Kamal
Published in The Express Tribune, July 24th, 2014.
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