An existential threat

The Pakistani nation must certainly be applauded for its resilience to brave any challenge! From the horrific incidents during migration from India and the subsequent problems of rehabilitation of refugees to recurring the horrors of wars, economic hardships, terrorism, political turmoil, and natural disasters, the nation has always stood up with even stronger determination. This could be the outcome of faith in the country’s destiny, strong social ethos, nostalgic account of history, or an innate capacity to surmount difficulties. But this time around, the nation seems hopeless to the core thanks to a persistent leadership crisis that has led to the present state of affairs, with an uncertain future staring us in the face.

Let us have a look at the recently released Global Risk Report 2023 by WEF which identifies the following top ten risks that pose the biggest threats to Pakistan in the next two years: 1) Digital power concentration and monopolies; 2) Failure of cybersecurity measures, including loss of privacy, data fraud or theft, cyber espionage; 3) Rapid and/or sustained inflation; 4) Debt crises; 5) State collapse; 6) Lack of widespread digital services and digital inequality; 7) Interstate conflict; 8) Terrestrial biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse; 9) Terrorist attacks; 10) Employment and livelihood crisis.

Of the ten risks identified in the WEF report, it is resurgence of terrorism that has caused and continues to cause cracks in both state and society. The recent terrorist attack in a mosque in the vicinity of a police headquarter in Peshawar, which killed more than hundred innocent people, is testimony to the fact that a second wave of terrorism is in the air with K-P becoming a ‘breeding and blasting’ ground. The Pakhtuns on both sides of the Durand Line have already paid a heavy price and their patience, it seems, is being tested one more time.

The Pakhtuns had no fundamental role, whatsoever, in the ‘great game’ and they had not invited either the USSR or the US to settle their scores in Afghanistan. Protection of their honour and soil, however, has been their only avowed crime and crisis of leadership their tragic dilemma. They were decimated, displaced and exploited by countries far and near in pursuit of strategic objectives. Now they are caught between the ignorance of militants and the Pakistani government. The militants are, in general, driven by frenzied emotions with no sense of the spirit of time. Both the militants and the security establishment know how to use force but are unaware of its limitations and side effects.

Pakistan has surely played a key role along with the US and Saudi Arabia in the nerve-racking situation we are stuck in today. Wary of India, Pakistan lent strategic support to the US twice — first to beat the USSR and then to topple the Taliban government to get rid of Al-Qaeda. Facing the backlash was natural and expected. The question however is: who had supported the Taliban to capture and rule Afghanistan — Pakistan or the Pakhtuns?

Alienating the Pakhtuns in their own country and making them the cannon fodder would be dangerous. It is an erroneous assumption that a country can be kept together either by force or farce. There is now a growing feeling of disenchantment among the people of K-P and Baluchistan, mainly due to skewed economic development and the double standards in addressing security problems. The enemy knows all this and tries to add fuel to the fire as it did back in 1971.

Fighting terrorism is not an ordinary war. It will continue to test our nerves and our resolve, besides our relationship with one another. The enemy will try to exploit our vulnerabilities but we have to explore ways and means to hold on to solidarity. Let us not swallow the bait by creating an us-versus-them problem. Fighting terrorism is a high-stake war and cannot be won by any one organ of the state or a section of society. Casting aspersions on each other and resorting to ‘quick fix’ solutions will push the country to the precipice. Responsiveness to threats must go hand in hand with the responsibility to all those things that bind us together.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 6^th, 2023.

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