It may be a bit of a stretch to say that the militants who have declared war on Pakistan have anything resembling a coherent ideology but the release of an audio recording gives a glimpse into their savage world view. The conversation is apparently between a militant and a religious scholar who works for the army. In it the militant explains how killing civilians in mosques is acceptable if they are hypocrites who do not buy into the militants’ ideology. Coincidentally, this recording was released around the same time that nearly 50 people were killed while offering Friday prayers at a mosque in Jamrud on August 19. The militant in the recording also explains that he sees no distinction between Pakistani and US soldiers and defends the killing of women and children.
This recording should be an eye-opener for those who maintain that the militants are simply fighting the Pakistani state because of its closeness to the US. Rather, they are seeking to violently impose their version of Islam on the entire country. Anyone who does not buy into their beliefs is considered a legitimate target. What is most telling about the recording is its complete disregard for the sanctity of life. The militant welcomes the 2005 earthquake for killing thousands of military personnel but does not pause to consider that it also took hundreds of thousands of innocent lives. If there is one lesson to be learned from this recording, it is that you cannot negotiate with people so blinded by hate that they are willing to murder at will and without thought.
Even more than the militant’s twisted understanding of religion, what is more worrying is that he had this conversation with an employee of the army. We have frequently heard about the radicalisation of the army and here we seem to have proof. Although the scholar frequently challenges and disagrees with the militant, that is not enough. The army needs to explain why one of its employees was in contact with a militant. We are supposed to be at war with the militants, not discussing the finer points of religion with them on their own terms. And the war, we should always remember, has been declared by the militants, not us.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 21st, 2011.
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This is a very timely and spot on editorial on the current affairs of Pakistan. Let us hope that it changes some minds. These fascist fanatic terrorists care nobody. Civilians, women, children, elderly, and mosques are all targeted by them. There ruthlessness knows no bounds and they show no mercy to their innocent victims. Their mindless jihad against the Americans targets Pakistani civilians. On top of that, their apologists come out in droves to defend them with ifs and buts. They have all the excuses for these crimes against humanity and no clear condemnation or outrage against the terrorists. Unless all Pakistani leaders and scholars unanimously come out in no uncertain terms and call them the enemy number one, nothing is going to happen. We have to get united and choke their financial and manpower sources.
@jibran: "We have been trying to exterminate them since long. And what we have done has just increased the number of recruits into their organisations."
Have you? The only tactic and strategy I've heard coming out of Pakistan is stationing groups of innocents in the markets to lower the terrorists numbers one suicide bomber at a time.
"This recording should be an eye-opener for those who maintain that the militants are simply fighting the Pakistani state because of its closeness to the US." These people's eye cannot be opened at all. Because they follow the same idealogy of the TTP mindset. TTP's idealogy is to take over Pakistan, They are not interested in parts of it. They want complete Pakistan, by any method including killing of women and children, suicide bombing, indoctrination of the military and establishment. They are not any different from Afgan taliban, They are the Pakistani variety of the same breed of hate mongers,. They dont have any humanity or religion in them, They just want power, absolute power to take pakistan to stone age as promised by US, Doomed if you do (cooperate with US) and Doomed if you dont (fight with US). This is the payback time for all the sins of Pakistani ISI played in Afganistan reducing that country to neondarthal era,. Pl read "Descend into chaos" by Ahmed Qureshi to know more about the ISI screwing Pakistan
@jibran: 1. Because they do not want a part or portion of the whole....they want the whole along with your body and soul. 2. There seems to be a stark difference between the original Afghan Taliban and the Pakistani Taliban. Without supporting the way either operate, we can not deny the fact that an eastern women held hostage by Afghan Taliban of a long time ago, after her release converted to Islam impressed by whatever manners they showed her and the respect they showed for the life of an ordinary civilian. These brutal killersof today are no better than the target killers of Karachi and Quetta and have no connection with Islam whatsoever. 3. Action speaks louder than words...It is not a video that deserves comment or appreciation if the actions of the same people releasing the video are in stark contrast with their video messages. Terming their sick behavior as hypocrisy does not do justice to what is happening...this is criminal and deserves punishment and nothing else. How many times have the army spokesmen said in clear words that we can stop the drones once and for all if ( and that is a big IF) the government wants it. Every living being, be it an animal or human protects its interest...if we can not guard ours then blaming others for taking advantage is rather silly. Have we seriously been trying to eradicate these fanatical elements??? No, we are becoming a nation made up of these elements and these ideologies are seeping in to our national and psychological make up and we are only fooling ourselves and trying to fool the world by saying that we are.
As you sow, so shall you reap ...