The writer is the Executive Editor of The Express Tribune
There are two non-official ‘official’ explanations why we delayed this war for peace for such a long time. On the face of it, both the explanations sound logical but appear not so when assessed against the consequences of the aftermath.
One explanation was offered, during a talk at a seminar on November 26, 2013, by General (retd) Ehsan, former chairman of the joint chiefs of staff committee, who was the chief of the ISI when our non-state actors (NSAs) turned against the state for abandoning the strategic depth- in-Afghanistan project as well as the mission to ‘liberate’ Indian held Kashmir. The other explanation was advanced by the recently-retired ISI chief, Lt General (retd) Shuja Pasha, during a briefing he gave to an in-camera session of a joint sitting of parliament on May 13, 2011.
Ehsan’s explanation: Pakistan had the choice to go after these non-state actors immediately or dismantle their infrastructure gradually. He said the first option was considered too dangerous as the militants, it was feared, would morph into many groups once their leadership was arrested and jailed, making it impossible to monitor the splinters. So, the second option was adopted. This, he said, was based on the theory that if one tried to jump from the top of the ladder, there was this possibility of ending up with broken limbs. It was therefore decided, he said, to climb down the ladder one step at a time.
Pasha’s explanation: There are about 3,500 foreigners in North Waziristan, about a few scores of Arabs, a thousand or so children of Arabs from Pashtun mothers, some tourist jihadists, and a sprinkling of Uzbeks, Tajiks, Chechens and Uyghurs.
If we tried to send boots into the region, the NSAs would use the civilian population as a human shield resulting in colossal collateral damage. If we bomb them from skies, the collateral damage would be as enormous. Using gunship helicopters would be disastrous because the terrorists would shoot them down.
Ehsan’s gradualism theory seems to have done us no good. We seem to have lost a lot of limbs already. We have lost as many as 53, 000 Pakistanis, including 7,000 security personnel, and suffered a massive dent of $120 billion to the economy. More importantly, we have lost a lot of ideological space to the distorted version of Islam propagated at gunpoint by these NSAs. This ideology has spread like wildfire from Fata to Punjab and Karachi and in the last year or two, to rural Sindh and Balochistan. As a result, at least two mainstream political parties — the PML-N and the PTI — and a part of the media seem to have been infected to a degree by this propaganda.
Both these parties and a large part of the media had maintained a criminal silence when just before the last general elections these NSAs dared the PPP, the ANP and the MQM to hold election rallies. A part of the media has also indulged in the glorification of the NSAs.
As a result, Pakistan has become a pariah state, almost. No country wants to play cricket here and our tourism has taken a big hit. Even our most secure establishments, like the GHQ and the naval and air force installations have come under attack. Only last week, our busiest airport and one of the main links to the outside world was taken over by 10 NSAs for almost five hours. The siege cost us as many as 30 lives.
And Pasha’s explanation appears more like a deception than a factual assessment when considered against the bold decision of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, of course on the advice of COAS General Raheel, to send boots into NW, strafe it from the skies and also use gunship helicopters in the campaign.
The inordinate delay in launching this war for peace has also injected a large dose of trust deficit between Islamabad and Washington, and two of our immediate neighbours — India and Afghanistan — continue to suspect our intentions and accuse us of playing a double game.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 18th, 2014.
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COMMENTS (12)
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I think reluctance to this operation was more due to non professionalism , incompetence, escape from accepting realities in all state institutions. Our capacity as an effective state is badly hampered due to zia s policies of harbouring NSAs as asset. These asset has become horrible liabilities . Leaders lead in war time but unfortunately we are a leaderless country since decades, I don't think our downward journey will end in near future
@Solomon2:
Pakistan backyard is sorrounded by Afghanistan, China and India over which it has neither any legal or military influence, whereas Hillary Clinton, the foolish figure among the 20th century women who is still officialy married to a philanderer, simply for the sake of his name which she has been using to realize her political ambitions.
Rex Minor
'Pakistan has kept “poisonous snakes in its backyard and expected them to bite only its neighbors.”'
Review of Hard Choices by Hillary ClintonWar is War. Killing for whatever reason is not peace,
@Rex Minor: Blaming others as always.TTP et al.are terrorists,and nobody's friend.
"The inordinate delay in launching this war for peace has also injected a large dose of trust deficit between Islamabad and Washington, and two of our immediate neighbours — India and Afghanistan — continue to suspect our intentions and accuse us of playing a double game" . It's not just the delay. Even with declarations of war and the start of the "Offensive" there has been no mention of the Haqqani and you have done nothing to round up the Quetta Shura. Anecdotal evidence that your duplicitous policy of protecting "good Taliban" hasn't changed. Further - how are you going to convince Afghan's or the American's to close off the border if their not convinced your serious about eliminating all sanctuaries? . You should have stared this Offensive with the capture of al-Zawahiri and Mullah Omar - would have sent a message to the World that Pakistan had turned a new leaf.
Better late than never, those wanting Pakistan to become a pariah State are many. Wishing the country all success in the operation to weed out terrorists.
Ever since ET started, most of the Indians here, including me, have been urging Pakistan to attack North Waziristan and arrest all Terrorists who are in plain sight - Hafiz Saeed, Masood Azar, Dawood Ibrahim, etc.
You can check the ET Archives, if there is one.
Look back to the ET Archives for Ejaz Haider columns, where we have implored Pakistanis to not to consider these Terrorists as heroes in Afghanistan and Kashmir.
Alas, Pakistan seems to mistrust the most sincere advices of Indians. Today, 53,000 Pakistanis have paid with their lives for that decision.
Declaring non-muslims for defining muslims, the country of full of paradoxes, where were you in 1974? Religion should never have been brought into public domain and legislated upon
Sir, you're forgetting the confusion, lack of information and utter trust deficit in in the govt. during Zardari's and Kiyani's reign. Launching an Ops during their time would indeed have been suicidal. Its only that after peace talks, the true face, intentions and identified of these groups have been established that we have the public support for an Op. It couldn't have been done before talks.
Very boldly and clearly Ziauddin Saheb has held previous governments and heads of khaki establishment and intelligence agencies for failure to comprehend the potential damage to Pakistan by their failure to take action at proper time. It is their lack of decision making which has resulted in deaths of over 53,000 soldiers and citizens of Pakistan. PM Nawaz and Gen Raheel must be complimented for taking a bold decision. Of course there will be revenge attacks by TTP, but than these attacks were taking place even when the military action was not taken by those in power since 2002.