anwer.mooraj@tribune.com.pk
Ejaz Haider is a member of the more enlightened group of writers and I found his essay, published in The Express Tribune on February 20, illuminating. Places, periods and people were conjured up in depth and detail and I felt there was a warm, genuine concern for the Hazara community that is being decimated for no fault of its own. However, Mr Haider feels that bringing in the army is no solution, and one of his reasons centred on the premise that this wouldn’t be a case of a conventional conflict but would involve targeting an invisible enemy that strikes where and when it wishes. He is, of course, absolutely right. In open combat, the terrorists wouldn’t have any chance whatsoever against a modern, well-equipped army.
The article was scholarly and well-argued in the cold white light of reason, as all of Mr Haider’s articles are, and the ball was hit on both sides of the net. But when I got to the end of the piece, I felt a little frustrated. Though the arguments didn’t quite get swamped in the tinsel as often happens, the conclusion I drew from the piece was that the Hazaras will simply have to hang around until the next bomb blast and hope this time it won’t be so severe. Because nobody is really going to do anything to protect them. Assurances by the government don’t count because the government has lost all credibility and anyway, appears to be partisan. Mr Haider did dwell on the need for intelligence and for astuteness in gathering information. The question is, who do the Hazaras go to for this intelligence? It would be naïve to think that the Pakistan military didn’t have the necessary information. But the government has told the chaps in uniform to stay in their barracks and not to get involved.
So, in my opinion, these settlers from Afghanistan are left with only one option. They have to stand up and fight like the heroic Polish Jews of the Warsaw Ghetto. They have to try to get financing from abroad so they can hire mercenaries who can track down these militants and give them a taste of their own medicine. And they have to become guerillas. Only then will they be able to, in the words of Mr Haider “ … penetrate the groups. Surprise them. Make them jittery. Take the initiative away from them. Make them distrust each other. Force them into making mistakes.” In other words, they have to take a page or two out of Mao’s book. With the administration being paralysed, they might just get away with it.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 24th, 2013.
COMMENTS (25)
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The intellectual writers of Pakistan can keep on going in circles with support of zealots citizens but this is unlikely to soften the march towards domestic peace. The country has a civilian Govt made upof the majority PPP, which is party to the conflict because of legislations against the minorities of Pakistan, namely the excommunication of Ahmedi muslims and the blasphemy circus. Be it as it may, the responsibility for providing security for the civilians is not the unction of the Khakis as Raza Rumi calls them or others who call them the military, but squarely falls into the functions if the minister of Interior. He must give way and resign in favour of another who has the competence to bring controls in cities with the help of the police and creating security sectors.where a certain section of people need protection. If he is not competent, he should seek security consultants for the advice. Tor example, in Florida the non residents, mostly afroams, are not allowed to enter a specific sector after dark. The use of military in Swat and the waziri territory has already create a semi-civil war and could end up in a complete civil war if Pakistan military gets further involved in secterian conflicts endangering the regional security. Pakistan military brass an their intelligence apparatus must be aware of it.
To be is to do! The Gvt. must have a dialog to identify the grievences of all citizens, and then act as appropriate.
Rex Minor
@Something Clever: Well said.
Gaza, Warsaw, call it what you will, it is a sad confession and surrender. However, I disagree on the so called 'helplessness'. All the institutions of Pak, including political interfering military, could tackle Wahhabi/Salafi/Deoband/Sunni extremist militants if they really sincerely wanted to properly identify the culprits instead of propagating the same old religious nationalist propaganda conspiracies.
But Pakistani Sunni majority dominated institutions and society have clearly failed to protect the minority Shia Hazaras, if not outright betrayed them because of harbouring such incredible prejudiced biases and violent extremism and known militant terrorists among the population. Unfortunately if outside help is enlisted, it'll be the minorities once again who will bear the brunt of the label of 'traitors' and be giving credence to a self-fulfilling prophecy of foreign interference and proxy by the bigoted majority.
The only way Nazi Germany was stopped was by a full scale invasion.
It is a shame that it has to come down to this. Hazara are polite, peaceful, hard working and entrepreneurial people who, instead of moaning and whining about the adversities facing them have created opportunities for themselves and others. Such people are an asset to any country. For their sake I am glad that Australia has decided to grant thousands of them asylum probably recognising this as mush as anything else. It will be another sad loss for Pakistan.
The army does not have to take over, all it needs to do is review its policies and work with the civilian administration. Treat those who kill as criminals, punish them and restore law and order. This is not the time to play politics. The bottom line must be : It is immaterial if the cat is black or white as long as it catches mice.
Craving for Fauj, is this democracy in Pk?
The hypocrisy of the people of the land of pure is astounding. They have been quiet while various terrorist groups have been wreaking havoc in the country. Now their feigned shock at the suggestion that the oppressed fight back shows their true colours. If the state is incometent and corrupt and weak and the people have the right to protect themselves.
"...So, in my opinion, these settlers from Afghanistan are left with only one option. They have to stand up and fight like the heroic Polish Jews of the Warsaw Ghetto. ..."an
So, you consider hazaras 'settler from afghanistan'? Most of the hazaras have migrated to balochistan from afghanistan in the mid 1800s during the british raj! As you know, there wasn't a country called pakistan then!! What do you consider yourself settler from india? or even middle east?
"....But the government has told the chaps in uniform to stay in their barracks and not to get involved.."
Amazing!! Since when 'chaps in uniform' have given two cents to toothless civilian government? Are you saying what the 'chaps in uniform' in have been doing in balochistan is because the 'chaps in uniform' are following civilian orders?
"....nothing will really change, except, of course, the faces and perhaps, the rate of exchange against the dollar because the military brass ...."
Do you really believe that rupee will get stronger in pakistan has another army rule? Pakistan will surely head down the path of N korea! As during most of the army rule there was a flow of $$ and rupee, perhaps stable because the army rule was serving US/west or arab interest. Now, after 9/11, thank to double dealing by musharaff and OBL fiasco, there is no trust/need left in the eyes of US/west or arab (SA) for PA! Unless, you are hoping china will have $$$ flowing, which is unlikely as even after all the hullagulla china still depends on exports to west for its survival! She is too self-interested to hurt its masses, for the benefit of 'friendship' with pakistan!
"They have to stand up and fight like the heroic Polish Jews of the Warsaw Ghetto"
In our every protest we only demanded peace and peace. If we would had to spread violence we could have done it years ago.
We havn't bothered any of neighbourhood, then why and who are killing us? The reason i think is because they are jealous of our talent.
So you think you want to Hazaras to take up arms. Well, that line of thinking has done wonders for Pakistan lately.
Arms should be the sole prerogative of the state. When you cede that quality to others they have the tendency to challenge the state itself.
I don't understand why Shias of Pakistan should not ask for a separate state. They form 20% of the population and their safety will never be guaranteed by Pakistanis.
They should follow another Shia, who asked for a state on much weaker reasonings of imagined cruelty of another community.
@MSH: I really hate those cliche "it's a perfect world and people are all rational" lines. Like "violence begets nothing but more violence."
Now, what if I was beating one of your family members and you told me to stop to which I replied, "make me?" If you physically stop me and end up crippling me to the extent that I can no longer cause a person any harm, where does the continuation of violence come from? Are you suddenly going to snap and pick up where I left off? Is your family member going to? No. The violence driven conflict ends. Would someone I know want revenge? Maybe. But if they come after you because of what you did to me, because of what I was doing, they're most certainly not a peaceful person to begin with and most likely speaking certain words could make that person violent as well. So it's still not a continuation. It just means you got forced into being involved with bad people, who do bad things. They exist. They'll do what they do whether you fight back or not. If one side is dead set on continuing violence, the only answer is temporary violence from someone who doesn't like the idea to begin with and won't make a habit of it.
@Riaz Khan: "Those who are against army taking over Quetta should ask them, if their children, father, mother & wife would have been killed would they have said the same! I seriously doubt!"
From a security perspective Balochistan has been under FC which reports to the army for the longest time.That has not made it safe. Also problems in Balochistan actually reached a head under army rule of Musharraf. The people who oppose army rule in Balochistan oppose it for those 2 reasons and not out of any ill will towards the residents of Quetta.
Author "So, in my opinion, these settlers from Afghanistan are left with only one option. They have to stand up and fight like the heroic Polish Jews of the Warsaw Ghetto."
Not at all. What is needed is to shut down the LeJ camps in Jhang. Bringing in army rue in Quetta is not going to make the Hazaras any more secure. After all the street where this happened was heavily patrolled by FC who falls under army wasn't it?
This is brilliant in disassembling a specious argument that supports leaving the Hazaras unprotected. Such an intellectual argument, as proposed, would not pass in any self respecting country that felt responsible for the welfare of all its citizens. Increasingly, the minorities will reach a point where, to survive, they will hire "strategic" militias or become "mujahideen". Abdication of responsibility by the civilians and the military is a recipe for communal civil war.
is this advocating civil war? then surely the jackboots are not far away....
@Author
Your suggestion might not work as well. Kashmiris tried that, didn't work. Ejaz Haider is right - just keep waiting, one day peace will be restored.
Rarely in history, the majority stood up for the persecuted minorities and the persecutors became tolerators only after the persecuted stood up for themselves, violently or otherwise. Hazara tried to wake up the conscience of PAK by refusing to bury their dead, twice.
What else they got to lose, is a reasonable question. But will the persecutors join the hazara cadets. I doubt it. The non Hazara Shia also thinks they are Hazara and hence it is not their problem until it hits them in Karachi or elsewhere.
Thanks Mr Mooraj for showing courage to stand up and be counted. "They have to stand up and fight like the heroic Polish Jews of the Warsaw Ghetto. They have to try to get financing from abroad so they can hire mercenaries who can track down these militants and give them a taste of their own medicine. And they have to become guerillas. " That would be the natural reaction of any group of people who feel their lives are at the mercy of some lawless groups of religious zealots. That is where the state SHOULD come in and ensure that such groups (like the Shias) are made to feel secure. In the absence of any identifiable, visible and effective steps by the state such groups will have no alternative but to react naturally. So, Pakistan may have to face some additional groups who have decided to resort to the same methods as LeJ, TTP, Taliban, JM or may others. It will only complicate the situation. Also, the big worry is "who after Hazaraas?" Could it be the educated class? Because they are a big hinderance in the plans of TTP. Or may be they will take on army itself? Unless checked and checkmated now, in a few years who can tell. Bad news for Pakistan and the region as a whole.
Hazaras are as much settlers from Afghanistan as any other group in this part of the world which straddles between India and Central Asia. Trace down the historic roots of any one and there will be few, if any, who can trace their DNA's down to Harrappa and Mohenjodharo. They are as much a part of Pakistan as any one else;
THOSE who kill in the name of religion or caste are difficult to be won over by argumments; they only understand bashing. Jews in Warsa were butherred because they gave in without fight. Same is true of Irish in 19th century who did not have any food to eat and instead of fighting for food, went to church for divine help. they died in thousands. Those who create hate for others, be it shias or other minorties, need their brains washed with love. And that is not an easy task.
How about that, finally you make sense. Ejaz neglected that LEJ is the creature of the establishment. The bargain apparently is that they hunt BLA for the establishment and the side effect is that they may label the Hazaras as the fifth columnists for Iran and kill a few. Does anyone really believe that anything connected to security really happens without the assent of the Army in Balochistan?
Am I correct in assuming that the author is advocating more violence? Violence begets nothing but more violence, the only one responsible for the safety of our lives is the state. Unfortunately the rulers have failed us and must be held accountable for their omission in the case of PPP or commission in the case of PML. This army is not geared for insurgency or urban warfare, for that the government should have had a separate institution. Like everything else they have neglected this as well, in their greed and avaricious schemes to plunder the country. That the politicians have behaved in a cowardly fashion and given not only sanctuary to these murderous troglodytes but actively supported and encouraged them is clear evidence of their complicity. All without exception must be held to account and justice must be seen to be done without fear or favor publicly.
Nice advise sir so every one in pakistan take the law in there hand and every place look like a karachi ghetto ... where no one know who is killing and who is dying god bless u for these advises.... aah.
Those who are against army taking over Quetta should ask them, if their children, father, mother & wife would have been killed would they have said the same! I seriously doubt!