Rooting out terrorism

The ISPR recently announced that the army has taken over complete control of major towns of Miramshah, Mirali, Dattakhel, Boya and Degan, which were previously considered militant strongholds. This is a trying time for Pakistan, even without the political chaos in Islamabad. Now the long-awaited military operation in North Waziristan has taken a backseat. Political ownership of the war is missing and the government is busy trying to deter protestors instead of focusing on formulating a long-term counterterrorism policy. One defining element of a successful counter-insurgency is dominating the narrative. The government is failing in this respect and thus gives off an impression of indifference towards the military operation. Their commitment to the post-war rehabilitation also remains unclear.

If efforts are not made to come up with a distinct and clear-cut policy to deradicalise and abolish the causes of extremism, any gains made by the operation will be lost. Banned groups, e.g., Jamaat-ut-Dawah continue to receive grants from the government under social welfare. In order to eliminate the roots of terrorism, these groups must be sent a clear message by Pakistan rather than continuing to receive public funds for their preaching of hatred and violence against minorities.



An overview of madrassahs and charities needs to be conducted in order to identify their financing and to ensure that they are not promoting terrorism. For instance, Lal Masjid’s Abdul Aziz running a madrassah and opening up a library in the name of Osama Bin Laden should raise numerous red flags. Also, any nation providing large sums of charity funds needs to be scrutinised to ensure that their intent is genuine and not a smokescreen to fund terrorist groups. More than 22,000 seminaries are registered across Pakistan, accounting for about 1.5 million students, including those enrolled part-time. These institutions are run with no oversight by the government.

Building the police into an effective force must be done in tandem with the above. They are not only the first responders to terrorist attacks in the cities, but also a deterrent. Funds need to be invested in their training and equipment. Without an effective police force, Pakistan may end up taking one step forward only to take two steps back as a result of retaliatory attacks from the operation.

Our neighbour’s role in the situation cannot be ignored; Afghanistan’s multibillion dollar heroin trade funds terrorism and shows no sign of slowing down. Meanwhile, Mullah Fazlullah, the leader of TTP is thriving in Kunar. Ultimately, Afghanistan will have to step up and dismantle terrorist sanctuaries on their side of the border. This is surely a long shot since the US military, with their superior weaponry and drones, has not been able to eradicate these sanctuaries. A more realistic wish would be for Afghanistan to hand over Fazalullah to Pakistan. Relations with Afghanistan will remain precarious but joint cooperation is required for Zarb-e-Azb to achieve lasting success.

The challenges ahead are immense, but a door has finally been opened to right the course of Pakistan. Instead of regarding it as a one-time operation, see Swat, the government should focus on the long game and commit for the indefinite future to reverse the extremist trend. The military can clear out regions and even maintain posts to hold the peace, but ultimately the government has to play their part in the recovery process.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 10^th, 2014.

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