Extremism keeps manifesting itself off and on
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA: What causes terrorism? Is it a cause or an effect? The fact of the matter is that terrorism is an effect of extremism.
If one looks at the history of university campuses in Pakistan, it is very much clear that in the ’50s and ’60s campuses were dominated by left-leaning student unions, like National Students Federation, who gave a tough time to the military ruler General Ayub Khan in the late ’60s.
It seems that after the Dhaka debacle, the security establishment with intent to create allies on campuses patronised the right-wing radicalised student groups across Pakistan. The strategy too, perfectly worked in the so-called Afghan jihad venture. Since then, patronisation continues. Any sane voice gets snubbed by these rabid rights activists’ so-called custodians of patriotism and faith.
In one recent incident Pakhtun students were attacked on the Punjab university campus. How is it possible for this to happen? Whenever popular civilian governments show intent to review draconian laws of General Ziaul Haq’s era, these elements employ bullying tactics in order to pressure the government to back out; where does such audacity come from?
Extremism keeps manifesting itself off and on. In one such incident, an IBA student mercilessly killed dozens of innocent people in Safoora Goth, as he was radicalised by the right-wing students’ group of the Karachi University. It is pertinent to note here that Karachi University has been effectively under the security of the Rangers since 1989. The state has completely transformed the campuses of large public sector universities from left-leaning student unions to far-right. As long as the leadership of these right wing parties hails terrorists as “shaheed” and this narrative of extremism keeps getting sympathetic ears in powerful state institutions, the dream of uprooting terrorism will never realise. Full marks to those security personnel who have laid down their lives to exterminate terrorists, but the real question is the extermination of extremism. It is incumbent upon both civil and military leadership to make a joint strategy to get rid of the menace of extremism that causes terrorism.
Malik Atif Mahmood Majoka
Published in The Express Tribune, May 23rd, 2017.
Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.
