Positive moves

A further spur to some rather more assertive anti-terrorist activity has been the Pathankot attack

Something is beginning to stir in the tangled undergrowth that is around the feet of anti-terrorism operations across the country. There has been criticism, some of it very pointed, that there are elements of the National Action Plan that are not being pursued as diligently as they might, particularly in Punjab. That may be about to change with a decision on whether to go ahead with an operation perhaps involving the Rangers in south Punjab due to be made in coming days.



A further spur to some rather more assertive anti-terrorist activity has been the attack on the Indian airbase at Pathankot. The Indians were quick to identify the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) as likely to be behind the attack and passed some phone intercepts to Pakistan that allegedly supported this view. Typically under such circumstances, the Pakistan response would be denial, promptly followed by the assumption of the Ostrich Position — but not so this time around.

The government response has been to move with more alacrity than is usual and has now reportedly arrested the head of the JeM and has sealed some of the militant groups’ offices while investigations continue. While the nascent peace process that both India and Pakistan are doggedly trying to pursue is bound to face other obstacles in the future, the happenings since the Pathankot attacks clearly indicate that there is some resolve on both sides to withstand such pressures. Both sides appear to have used the attack as an opportunity, which in the case of Pakistan comes as a constructive response rather than diplomatic stonewalling.

There are expressions of resolve as to the resolution of the case, and if the JeM is found to be responsible for the Pathankot attack, then prosecutions are promised in the future. This in itself is a departure from the norm, perhaps indicative of broader and deeper changes in the way the state responds to extremism and terrorist organisations, and much to be welcomed if true. All too often in the past, the government has baulked at taking action, allowing extremist elements to operate under the radar, and an attitudinal change is long overdue.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 15^th, 2016.

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