The writer is Director News, Express News. He tweets @fahdhusain fahd.husain@tribune.com.pk
Huh indeed. At this stage, nobody seems to have a clue what will happen and what to do about it. The government is shell-shocked, realising perhaps, that the much-hyped negotiations with the TTP have been blasted away by the drone attack. There’s much humming and hawing going on, as well as thundering and bellowing by the likes of Imran Khan, Fazlur Rehman, et al. No surprise there. In fact, even in this moment of confusion in the land of confusion, some things can be expected.
Well for one, the TTP will not wither away just because another of its heads has been decapitated. Sure, there may be some factionalisation and fragmentation, but the TTP, in any case, is an umbrella organisation of nearly 40 groups and not a tightly knit unit like, for instance, Hamas. The TTP will soon name Hakimullah’s successor, who will then proceed to make new threats and possibly carry them out. Expect more death, more destruction and more confusion within the Pakistani leadership’s ranks. If this sounds familiar, that’s because it is.
Ditto for political rhetoric. The ceremonial Foreign Office condemnation (issued), PTI, JUI, JI, etc. fulmination against the US for deliberately sabotaging peace talks (in process), snarling of armchair warriors against Western conspirators (happening) and mocking of the government for its impotence (underway). These textbook reactions have become hallmarks of our discourse and harbingers of a phenomenon akin to a dog chasing its own tail. We had circular debt. Now we have circular confusion.
Who has brought this upon us? America? India? Afghanistan? Eskimos? Or perhaps, all of the above? Lost in this muddle is a very simple set of questions: Who’s the bad guy? And what are we going to do about him?
Let’s be clear. What are we wailing about? Hakimullah’s killing, or its timing? If it is the former, can we please remember that this gentleman ordered the slaughter of thousands of Pakistani men, women and children? Can we please remember that it was indeed this gentleman who orchestrated attacks on military installations, who is responsible for the murder and horrendous beheadings of scores of Pakistani soldiers, and who took pride in waging a bloody war against the state of Pakistan? In war, people kill and get killed. And he got killed. Those geniuses amongst us who have an irresistible urge to glorify him, I say pull your heads out of the sand and smell the stench of rotting corpses. Maybe this will clear your ideological sinus.
But it’s the timing of Hakimullah’s killing, you say. Just when the government was all set to talk to him; just when the peace process was beginning to inch forward; just when the give and take was about to commence; just when things were looking up, the Americans decided to blast it all away to smithereens. Sounds fishy? Deep conspiracy hatched by the Deep American State?
Sure, this is possible. Even probable. Perhaps, the Americans do not want the state of Pakistan to settle peace terms with the TTP. Perhaps, the Americans want the TTP to stay busy in fighting within Pakistan so they do not fight within Afghanistan. Perhaps, the Americans want to see a permanently unstable Pakistan because they fear a resurgent Pakistan at peace with itself could become a global powerhouse and challenge America’s hegemony. Perhaps, all this is true. But here’s the real question: what are we going to do about it?
We have held protest demonstrations and issued incendiary statements. We have sent our prime minister to sit in the Oval Office and ask the US president to end drone strikes. Nothing has worked? What now? Shut down Nato supply lines? Shoot down drones? Cut off diplomatic ties? Declare war on the United States? This is the answer we want, and this is the answer our leaders do not give us.
Knowing the bad guys is the easy part. What to do with them is the real challenge. And we are stumped. In the land of confusion, this is the real confusion.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 3rd, 2013.
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There are lot of people waiting, for different reasons, for Pakistan to shoot down US drones. The Taliban : to expand their bases and take over Pakistan The Afghans: At last US will be at war with Pakistan The US: Now they will have no hesitation to send (I meant "rain") cruise missiles and carpet bomb the bad lands of NWFP and FATA The Indians: Finally they will have Pakistan in a nut cracker between the 350,000 Afghan Army on the West and Indians in the East. The Iranians: Will seize the opportunity to make their eastern border secure against Jundullah. The Baloch : What a great opportunity to declare independence, supported by Afghans, USA, and Indians. Go ahead...everybody is holding their breath...shoot down the drones.... In reality: Pakistanis should, instead, ponder, how and why their 65 years of state and foreign policies have brought them to such a situation; and apply corrections.
What an Excellent remarks to those who are mourning his death !.I mean Grow Up,How come you forget he had killed and destroy so much in our country.Have you forgotten ? How he killed and beheaded our country's brave soldiers ?.Fahad is right, We are complaining timing of his death.What a pity Nation of cowards we are. Sigh.
"Perhaps, the Americans want to see a permanently unstable Pakistan because they fear a resurgent Pakistan at peace with itself could become a global powerhouse and challenge America’s hegemony."
Lol, you are joking, right? 99% of our mess is produced internally, it might be that sometimes the ignition is triggered by an event out of our influx, but still the ground preparation happens in Pakistan (e.g low education, low economic and political participation, non-transparency, low tax ratio etc.). If we clean up those 99%, then the 1% won't matter. And global powerhouse is really very sarcastic, knowing that we are millions of miles away from anything like that.
Knowing the bad guys is the easy part. . Really? Seems to me the reaction to OBL and Mehsud's death would indicate otherwise.
Wonder why Pakistanis are mourning a guy who they said was a RAW/MOSSAD/CIA /BLACKWATER agent? Unless of course they are also RAW/MOSSAD/CIA/BLACKWATER agents?
Nothing going to be happen until Government of Pakistan wake up
Another intellectual news columnist supremo tackling the subject of drones and the murder of the so called enemy of the state of Pakistan and the terrorist as classifed by the USA, and highlighting the helplessness and confusion in the land of confusion. A well written article by the author which unfortunately leaves out the conflicting interests of the contra hands in the labyrinth, namely the USA with its strategic interest of survival as a super power, Pakistan which is struggling to survive as a State made u of several Nations, and so called TTP which is part of the Pashtun resistance movement spread across in the territories of Afghanistan and Pakistan against the foreign occupation of their land.
It is impossible to bring in harmony the interests of the three without a dialogue among the leadership and a period of calm with a cease fire.. The USA must be cease its NSA activities against the interests of Pakistn and Pakistan must cease their military posture before the Resistance wil agree to talk; the new leader of the TTP is unlikely to show instantly the white flag but instead come out wth spectacular actions against the occupying forces.
Rex Minor
We need lots and lots of Shrinks to treat a population of 200 million who are living in Lala land. No hope for redemption.
Many claimed TTP to be under Indian Conspiracy - then when it's leader is killed, why the sadness?
TTP are bad Taliban supported by RAW/MOSSAD/CIA and the Afghan Taliban are good because they are supported by ISI/Saudi/UAE, despite the fact that they both kill innocent civilians and profess allegiance to each other.
The question of the century is why has Pakistan forsaken its Pashtun people and why does it need to antagonize them on both sides of the Durand Line by creating these monsters. The Taliban project has failed but the establishment is still married to its lost cause.
Pakistanis have been drinking the religio/political/army concocted Kool Aid for too long, rendering them all incapacitated, incomprehensible and irrational.
Conspiracy theories and conspiracy theorists have replaced rational thinkers as the purveyors of ideas and the confused continue confusing the masses.
Controlled chaos is the modus operandi of the establishment but its assets have unleashed their own chaos and confusion.
"..................for one, the TTP will not wither away just because another of its heads has been decapitated. Sure, there may be some factionalisation and fragmentation, but the TTP, in any case, is an umbrella organisation of nearly 40 groups and not a tightly knit unit like, for instance, Hamas. The TTP will soon name Hakimullah’s successor, who will then proceed to make new threats and possibly carry them out. Expect more death, more destruction and more confusion ..."
40 groups !!! + many supporter in civil society.
@Muhammad Mehdi Raza: **Do not Proceed with any talks with Taliban without asking them to SURRENDER FIRST … If they don't what are you going to do?
A. Perhaps, the Americans want to see a permanently unstable Pakistan because they fear a resurgent Pakistan at peace with itself could become a global powerhouse and challenge America’s hegemony.
B. What now? Shut down Nato supply lines? Shoot down drones? Cut off diplomatic ties? Declare war on the United States? This is the answer we want, and this is the answer our leaders do not give us.
Err.... Why not take out the TTP?
With the TTP gone, there won't be any body left to keep Pakistan bogged down from achieving Global Dominance. Even China will lease out Beijing port to Pakistan. Did you say Beijing has no port. Don't worry, once Pakistan is rid of the TTP they will dig up a port in Beijing to lease out to Pakistan.
On the other hand if 'Declare war on the US' is what you want- Then simply appoint the Emir of TTP as the Emir of Pakistan.
Go Ahead. End this Confusion for your own sake.
Perhaps, the Americans want to see a permanently unstable Pakistan because they fear a resurgent Pakistan at peace with itself could become a global powerhouse and challenge America’s hegemony. -LOL!
@Muhammad Mehdi Raza: There is a saying in English. Beggars cannot be choosers.
Short sightedness i must say ....
Looks like the US Pak meeting on drones at the Oval Office went well.
Dal Keema anyone?
@Muhammad Mehdi Raza: Which planet do you live on. your country runs on loans and aid. The easiest thing in the world is talking which Pakistanis are great at. First try standing on your feet and then dream of taking on the Worlds most powerful country.