Achieving the ‘ultimate objective’
Terrorism will neither flourish nor survive in a moderate, educated and prosperous Pakistan.
The writer is a former foreign secretary
They say it is never too late. Apparently, the government is now taking big decisions. Last week, it ordered a full-scale military operation in North Waziristan to root out terrorists and their sanctuaries from this part of the tribal areas. The US had long wanted military action in this area but our last two governments did not have the courage to oblige. The US then resorted to drone attacks of its own. After the recent Karachi airport terrorist attack, the government abandoned its ‘dialogue’ policy and launched the military operation which is now already in progress with successful air raids against the foreign and local terrorists hiding in this area bordering Afghanistan.
Taking the Parliament into confidence, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif declared that Pakistan will no longer remain a sanctuary for terrorists. He said the operation named Zarb-e-Azb would continue until the achievement of the ‘ultimate objective’. Speaking at the NDU, Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif also spelt out the basic objectives of Zarb-e-Azb as rooting out terrorists, eliminating their sanctuaries in North Waziristan and freeing the country of the menace of terrorism. The operation has the full support of all the major political parties and has been widely acclaimed by the people of Pakistan.
The nation stands by its armed forces in this decisive battle against foreign and local militants who have been hiding in our tribal areas for more than a decade now and challenging the writ and authority of the state. The armed forces have thrown their full weight and strength in this crucial operation to safeguard the country’s sovereignty and integrity. We wish them success. But we cannot also lose sight of a larger reality. To achieve what the prime minister described as the ‘ultimate objective’, we will have to go beyond military operations.
There can be no two opinions on the need to combat terrorism. And to eliminate this evil, a military operation alone is not enough. We will have to address its root causes. To address the root causes is not to justify or condone terrorism. It is to understand them and then to overcome them. We can kill or capture any number of terrorists; disrupt their operations; destroy their organisations; but unless we prevent others from following their path, we cannot succeed in eliminating terrorism. To win the war against terrorism, we must win the hearts and minds of those who are susceptible to follow the path of terrorism.
No strategy or road map to combat terrorism would be comprehensive without focusing on the underlying political and socio-economic problems. Only a steady, measured and comprehensive approach encompassing both short-term and long-term political, developmental, humanitarian and human rights strategies that focus on the underlying disease, rather than the symptoms, would bring an enduring solution to this problem. This mindset will not disappear through military operations. In fact, it will aggravate. The US with all its might and size has been fighting a long but inconclusive war on terror with no ‘ultimate success’. This war never went beyond retribution and retaliation.
The Afghans were not the only victim of the Afghan tragedy. Pakistan has suffered more in multiple ways in terms of refugee influx, socio-economic burden, rampant terrorism, unabated violence and protracted conflict in its border areas with Afghanistan. We have staked everything in supporting the war on terror and have also been the main target in unabated al Qaeda-led terrorist attacks in our country, in which, till now, more than 50,000 Pakistani civilians and security personnel have lost their lives. Unfortunately, what the world conveniently ignored was that terrorism is not all about individuals or organisations, or even about a neglected country or its countryside wilderness.
Globally, nabbing or killing of a few hundred individuals or changing the leadership in one or two countries has not brought an end to terrorism, which in its deeper sense is a violent manifestation of a mindset rooted in a growing sense of despair and despondency. In fact, terrorism is the product of a broader mix of poor leadership, bad governance, corrupt politics and unchecked militant proclivities. It is these problems that must be redressed if the twin challenges of extremism and terrorism are to be eliminated.
The ultimate responsibility to deal with these challenges lies with governments alone, not armed forces.
In our case, as the military operation moves ahead with success, the role of the civilian authority in consolidating the military gains on sustainable basis becomes even more crucial. But the question that worries us in the current scenario is whether the government has put its act together in coping with its civilian responsibilities. It should have been busy coordinating a nationwide effort to brace itself for the role the civilian authority is required to play in a conflict situation. But where is the government? At least till now, we don’t see it. The horrendous overnight scene earlier this week in Lahore depicted a pathetic picture.
At least 11 persons were reportedly killed, not by al Qaeda but by those responsible for public safety. We needed our police to be the second line of defence in the ongoing counterterrorism drive. They shouldn’t have been used to suppress the supporters of political opponents. It is not the time to fix political adversaries. It is time for promoting unity and cohesion. Woefully, there is no effort in this direction visible anywhere in the country. One doesn’t even see any inter-ministerial or inter-provincial coordination towards beefing up internal security and looking after the affected IDPs. The so-called national security mechanism we claim to have is conspicuous by its invisibility.
Politically, we see no signs of maturity anywhere in the country. Mere desk-thumping in Parliament or Dama Dam Mast Qalandar slogans will not do. We have suffered immeasurably in the past because of political blunders. We cannot afford another cataclysm. Our leaders will do well by looking back at the short but chequered history of our independent statehood. Those who take no lessons from history are doomed to repeat it. The leadership must rise above narrowly-based self-serving interests and focus more on its national obligations.
The realisation of the ‘ultimate objective’ of Zarb-e-Azb will be predicated not on how many terrorists we kill or capture but on people-focused good governance, justice and rule of law, the absence of which is the root cause of the twin challenges of extremism and terrorism in our country. Education and poverty eradication must be our top priorities. Terrorism will neither flourish nor survive in a moderate, educated and prosperous Pakistan.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 21st, 2014.
Taking the Parliament into confidence, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif declared that Pakistan will no longer remain a sanctuary for terrorists. He said the operation named Zarb-e-Azb would continue until the achievement of the ‘ultimate objective’. Speaking at the NDU, Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif also spelt out the basic objectives of Zarb-e-Azb as rooting out terrorists, eliminating their sanctuaries in North Waziristan and freeing the country of the menace of terrorism. The operation has the full support of all the major political parties and has been widely acclaimed by the people of Pakistan.
The nation stands by its armed forces in this decisive battle against foreign and local militants who have been hiding in our tribal areas for more than a decade now and challenging the writ and authority of the state. The armed forces have thrown their full weight and strength in this crucial operation to safeguard the country’s sovereignty and integrity. We wish them success. But we cannot also lose sight of a larger reality. To achieve what the prime minister described as the ‘ultimate objective’, we will have to go beyond military operations.
There can be no two opinions on the need to combat terrorism. And to eliminate this evil, a military operation alone is not enough. We will have to address its root causes. To address the root causes is not to justify or condone terrorism. It is to understand them and then to overcome them. We can kill or capture any number of terrorists; disrupt their operations; destroy their organisations; but unless we prevent others from following their path, we cannot succeed in eliminating terrorism. To win the war against terrorism, we must win the hearts and minds of those who are susceptible to follow the path of terrorism.
No strategy or road map to combat terrorism would be comprehensive without focusing on the underlying political and socio-economic problems. Only a steady, measured and comprehensive approach encompassing both short-term and long-term political, developmental, humanitarian and human rights strategies that focus on the underlying disease, rather than the symptoms, would bring an enduring solution to this problem. This mindset will not disappear through military operations. In fact, it will aggravate. The US with all its might and size has been fighting a long but inconclusive war on terror with no ‘ultimate success’. This war never went beyond retribution and retaliation.
The Afghans were not the only victim of the Afghan tragedy. Pakistan has suffered more in multiple ways in terms of refugee influx, socio-economic burden, rampant terrorism, unabated violence and protracted conflict in its border areas with Afghanistan. We have staked everything in supporting the war on terror and have also been the main target in unabated al Qaeda-led terrorist attacks in our country, in which, till now, more than 50,000 Pakistani civilians and security personnel have lost their lives. Unfortunately, what the world conveniently ignored was that terrorism is not all about individuals or organisations, or even about a neglected country or its countryside wilderness.
Globally, nabbing or killing of a few hundred individuals or changing the leadership in one or two countries has not brought an end to terrorism, which in its deeper sense is a violent manifestation of a mindset rooted in a growing sense of despair and despondency. In fact, terrorism is the product of a broader mix of poor leadership, bad governance, corrupt politics and unchecked militant proclivities. It is these problems that must be redressed if the twin challenges of extremism and terrorism are to be eliminated.
The ultimate responsibility to deal with these challenges lies with governments alone, not armed forces.
In our case, as the military operation moves ahead with success, the role of the civilian authority in consolidating the military gains on sustainable basis becomes even more crucial. But the question that worries us in the current scenario is whether the government has put its act together in coping with its civilian responsibilities. It should have been busy coordinating a nationwide effort to brace itself for the role the civilian authority is required to play in a conflict situation. But where is the government? At least till now, we don’t see it. The horrendous overnight scene earlier this week in Lahore depicted a pathetic picture.
At least 11 persons were reportedly killed, not by al Qaeda but by those responsible for public safety. We needed our police to be the second line of defence in the ongoing counterterrorism drive. They shouldn’t have been used to suppress the supporters of political opponents. It is not the time to fix political adversaries. It is time for promoting unity and cohesion. Woefully, there is no effort in this direction visible anywhere in the country. One doesn’t even see any inter-ministerial or inter-provincial coordination towards beefing up internal security and looking after the affected IDPs. The so-called national security mechanism we claim to have is conspicuous by its invisibility.
Politically, we see no signs of maturity anywhere in the country. Mere desk-thumping in Parliament or Dama Dam Mast Qalandar slogans will not do. We have suffered immeasurably in the past because of political blunders. We cannot afford another cataclysm. Our leaders will do well by looking back at the short but chequered history of our independent statehood. Those who take no lessons from history are doomed to repeat it. The leadership must rise above narrowly-based self-serving interests and focus more on its national obligations.
The realisation of the ‘ultimate objective’ of Zarb-e-Azb will be predicated not on how many terrorists we kill or capture but on people-focused good governance, justice and rule of law, the absence of which is the root cause of the twin challenges of extremism and terrorism in our country. Education and poverty eradication must be our top priorities. Terrorism will neither flourish nor survive in a moderate, educated and prosperous Pakistan.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 21st, 2014.