Adil Najam
For a number of days reports have been trickling in that suggest that a major operation against extremist militants in the Punjab is in the offing. Meetings, statements, movements all suggest that there may actually be something to all of this.
Now there is news, although still not officially confirmed, that the operation has begun, or at least been authorized by the Punjab government.
Militancy needs to be rooted out. An operation against the continued working of outfits that are already legally banned has been long overdue and one hopes that it will now be taken with haste but also with care and without ‘collateral’ (what a horrible word that is!) damage. The impunity with which many extremist organizations have been spreading their work of hate has not only led to a terrorization of the population but has emboldened existing and emergent organizations.
A crackdown is clearly needed. But it also needs to be undertaken without inflicting even more fear and misfortune on local populations and innocent civilians that are already in the grind. We need to do this, but we need to do this for our own reasons. For Pakistan and for the safety and security of Pakistanis. Unless the police and other agencies involved are fully committed on the action – and that is why the issue of ‘why’ it is being undertaken is so important – the operation will be doomed to failure. Most importantly, in order to be effective it is equally important to make sure that those responsible for the horrendous acts that have now become routine in Pakistan are not only caught but also punished for their crimes. That means gathering evidence to justify a strong case for the courts.
Only when the pace at which culprits are being brought to justice becomes higher than the rate of bombings and attacks could one claim any headway in truly dealing with this menace which is already out of hand.
The most important thing in your headline is: DO IT FOR PAKISTAN. Lets make sure that outsiders are not interfering in the design of this, because their interests are their own and they do not care about saving Pakistani lives.
How about rooting out terrorism peacefully using the ancient sub-continental tradition of ahimsa?
In a situation like this, we want a change of heart in a large cross-section of the society (not just the fringes who commit physical terrorism). Guns never change hearts.
We want to make the people more tolerant, and less radical. We need to make life a bit easier for them. After all, poverty is also a root cause for extremism.
I don’t believe military action is the solution. As Gandhi said, an eye for an eye will make the whole world blind. It will just cause another afghanistan.
If people can be educated and be given a reason to live, why will they blow themselves up? They just won’t.
Ahmed
Very good article by Ayesha Siddiqa about Punjab operation:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/20965/is-an-operation- in-punjab-a-good-idea/
Hi,
Makes sense. I’ve been wondering how long it would take for Pakistan’s elite to look at the Iranian revolution, notice that the Iranian revolution was a very bad thing for people like them, and decide to fight.
As an American, I can appreciate that there are a lot of reasons to hate the US. But it is a good idea not to let opposition to the US lead you into ignoring your own self interest.
Ray,
I hope this turns out to be true. You are right that this needs to be done carefully and effectively so that at the end of this the extremists are left weaker and not stronger than before.