Let’s add a little nuance here
When dealing with a complex problem like terrorism, we cannot have a simplistic one-dimensional approach.
The writer is vice-president of READ (Rural Education and Area Development) and founder of DNAtesting productions. Twitter @dnoorani
Pakistan is becoming an increasingly polarised society and there is no question more polarising than how we should handle the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). There seem to be two predominant schools of thought here, which are at total extremes of the spectrum. Either you want to annihilate the TTP from the face of the planet or you want to hold peace talks with them. However, when dealing with a complex problem like terrorism, we cannot have a simplistic one-dimensional approach. I fall into the school of thought that believes we should add a little nuance and stop with the simplistic ‘either/or’ strategy. I believe we should actually do both.
The TTP is not a monolith with a CEO calling the shots from a centralised office. It is a coalition of loosely affiliated extremist groups collaborating to fight a common enemy. For this reason, it is necessary to talk to the various factions of the TTP and understand their motive for fighting. For some, it may be Pakistan’s support of the US, for some it may be retaliation for drone attacks or Pakistani military operations and for some it may be about implementing Sharia in Pakistan. Only by talking will we be able to identify those factions of the TTP that we may be able to bring back into the fold of society and those factions against which force should be used. Through this process of incorporating the TTP factions with whom peace is possible on the state’s terms, we will isolate the true extremist factions and make it easier to take action against them.
Here is the flip side of the strategy. Talking with the Taliban doesn’t mean that we keep turning the cheek the other way while someone is slapping us senseless. At some point, you have to slap back and show the bully that you are willing to stand up for yourself. There should be absolutely no talks with factions of the TTP that continue to use violence against innocent civilians ever since the All Parties Conference decided on peace talks. This means that the government must take action against them. The fact that at times the main TTP spokesperson made efforts to distance the TTP from the attacks highlights the point further that the TTP is not a monolith and action against such groups is possible. As opposed to us painting broad brushstrokes and lumping all the TTP factions together, we should take full action against such TTP factions and continue to have talks with the TTP factions who respect the peace during the process of negotiations.
As an increasingly polarised society, there is a need for more nuanced narratives and a need for us to move on from the simplistic narratives of ‘us against them’. In a guerrilla war like the one we are in, it is difficult to define ‘us’ or ‘them’. Would you be willing to bet someone’s life on your ability to differentiate between a violent extremists or a civilian with conservative beliefs? For this reason there is a need for us to talk to TTP factions, so that we can identify those groups with whom peace is possible and isolate the hardliners further. At the same time, we must be comfortable with the seemingly contradictory idea of taking action against those TTP factions that have no interest in peace talks.
There’s a famous quote by Scott Fitzgerald, “The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposing ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function”. Whether Pakistan is able to successfully resolve the issue of terrorism depends on whether we can pass this test.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 25th, 2013.
The TTP is not a monolith with a CEO calling the shots from a centralised office. It is a coalition of loosely affiliated extremist groups collaborating to fight a common enemy. For this reason, it is necessary to talk to the various factions of the TTP and understand their motive for fighting. For some, it may be Pakistan’s support of the US, for some it may be retaliation for drone attacks or Pakistani military operations and for some it may be about implementing Sharia in Pakistan. Only by talking will we be able to identify those factions of the TTP that we may be able to bring back into the fold of society and those factions against which force should be used. Through this process of incorporating the TTP factions with whom peace is possible on the state’s terms, we will isolate the true extremist factions and make it easier to take action against them.
Here is the flip side of the strategy. Talking with the Taliban doesn’t mean that we keep turning the cheek the other way while someone is slapping us senseless. At some point, you have to slap back and show the bully that you are willing to stand up for yourself. There should be absolutely no talks with factions of the TTP that continue to use violence against innocent civilians ever since the All Parties Conference decided on peace talks. This means that the government must take action against them. The fact that at times the main TTP spokesperson made efforts to distance the TTP from the attacks highlights the point further that the TTP is not a monolith and action against such groups is possible. As opposed to us painting broad brushstrokes and lumping all the TTP factions together, we should take full action against such TTP factions and continue to have talks with the TTP factions who respect the peace during the process of negotiations.
As an increasingly polarised society, there is a need for more nuanced narratives and a need for us to move on from the simplistic narratives of ‘us against them’. In a guerrilla war like the one we are in, it is difficult to define ‘us’ or ‘them’. Would you be willing to bet someone’s life on your ability to differentiate between a violent extremists or a civilian with conservative beliefs? For this reason there is a need for us to talk to TTP factions, so that we can identify those groups with whom peace is possible and isolate the hardliners further. At the same time, we must be comfortable with the seemingly contradictory idea of taking action against those TTP factions that have no interest in peace talks.
There’s a famous quote by Scott Fitzgerald, “The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposing ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function”. Whether Pakistan is able to successfully resolve the issue of terrorism depends on whether we can pass this test.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 25th, 2013.