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Editorial July 12, 2010

The round up of around three dozen activists in the Punjab with links to banned groups appears to be little more than a piece of theatre. The script writers who sent police teams to raid seminaries and other premises in Multan, Bahwalpur, Sahiwal and other cities in the southern Punjab appear not to realise that their audiences are far more savvy than was the case a decade or so ago. Yet the tactics used have been much the same, aimed at serving cosmetic rather than actual purposes. The arrests appear to have been made on the basis of lists dating back to the 1990s. The newer leaders of banned outfits, who many fear may be behind the latest upswing in violence, seem not to figure on them. Groups such as the Jaish-e-Muhammad of Maulana Masood Azhar, long thought to have a key connection with the Establishment, have not been touched and – most astoundingly of all –arrests have been made under MPO regulations rather than on criminal charges. The use of the colonial-era law to deal with some of the country’s most dangerous offenders makes it likely they will soon walk free from the doors of lock-ups.

There are several fundamental questions that crop up here. Why is it that the authorities are not willing to act? Is it that the Punjab government – possibly with the support of mentors in other places – believes the militants should not be hounded out on the basis that they could serve a useful purpose in the future? Is it that the agencies responsible for law and order lack the will and ability to go after them with any real purpose? Whatever the factors we need to be clear on one fact: terrorism will not cease until militants are dealt with far more forcefully. For the moment it seems the authorities would rather tolerate the bombings rather then set out on a genuine drive against the outfits that carry them out.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 13^th, 2010.

COMMENTS (1)

Noor Nabi | 14 years ago | Reply If one were to guess the level of sincerity of Punjab’s establishment in rounding up the gods of violence and terrorism on the basis of its past track record, it does not take much to conclude that this is yet another charade. However, in all fairness, let us wait and see. The appeal made by the erstwhile Chief Minister to the Taliban to spare Punjab as a target has created strong doubts that remain indelibly etched in the minds of the people. Arresting the alleged criminals under MPO regulations is a cruel joke on the victims. In the spirit of respecting everybody's right to think freely I shall not question anybody’s patriotism. This, however, does not preclude the Chief Minister and his team from being questioned on the wisdom of their policies. The terrorists are akin to malignant cancer cells and the country cannot afford to give any pillar of the establishment an opportunity to be selective in the destruction of these cells that have already begun to metastasise the entire body. Through the columns of your publication I urge the rulers to take this matter seriously so as to avoid the most colossal train wreck in human history.

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