No point in using the army?
Hazara have only one option, they will have to stand up and fight like the heroic Polish Jews of the Warsaw Ghetto.
anwer.mooraj@tribune.com.pk
There is a band of analytical writers in Pakistan that believes that the army should not be called in to stop the orgy of killing that is taking place in Quetta and other parts of the country — because there is really no point in rolling out the tanks when you just can’t spot the enemy. That, at least, is the basic logic behind the reasoning. But if you scratch below the surface, there is a much more sinister explanation. Once the lads in uniform get a foot into the door, there is a strong chance they will be around for the next 10 or 11 years, pulling the strings that make the marionettes dance. And so, nothing will really change, except, of course, the faces and perhaps, the rate of exchange against the dollar because the military brass would have got rid of all the freeloaders in the assemblies that get paid for doing no work, and there would, therefore, be less deficit financing.
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.
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.