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.
A MILITANT is a soldier (fighter) who defends or imposes to others, his own ideas and convictions or that of a school of thought.
The base or foundation (raison d’être) of Pakistan is the religion of Islam. No body has ever challenged this identity of the State.
There are two groups of people when it comes to the running (governing) of the State. One group (Islamic) considers that there should be strictly Islamic laws as in the époque of the Prophet and four Caliphs. The other group (Secular) which is composed of enlightened Pakistanis, considers that Islamic origin be clearly mentioned in the constitution and the laws passed by the national assembly should remain in the boundary of the teachings of Islam.
The Islamic group is using Islam to force the people to go back almost to the period of jahAliyat. Whereas the Secular, instead of keeping the religion out of the State, they are using it to govern the people as the representatives of the DIVINE.
The militancy in Pakistan is on both sides. Both of them are fighting for their own interests and both of them are power hungry. They may call each other enemies but none of them is the enemy of Pakistan. Any enemy of Pakistan will fight for the destruction of Pakistan or against vital interests of the State of Pakistan.
As long as the Pak Army (militants of the Secular) is involved in bombarding the terrorists (Taliban) and killing the innocent people as collateral damages, the matter will go bad to worse and worse to worst.
The people of Pakistan and the police force .with proper training and arms should be able to eradicate the Islamic Militancy. The Army may help by supplying arms and training but not any command or any direct action.
But, after that the people of Pakistan will have to get rid of the other Militant Group, if they want to establish a Democracy??
Terminate them with extreme prejudice – It’s a matter of our survival. One negotiates with someone who understands the language of negotiation on the other hand these terrorists should be dealt with the deadliest of force; the only language they understand.
This operation is long overdue. However, it needs to be handled with care. The militancy and the militants who perpetrate the horror we see everyday need to be handled with care as too much of force can cause unnecessary bloodshed as if much blood has not been spilled. This is not to say no blood will be spilled in an operation. It will. But, it should be minimal. The force should not be too excessive at the same time it should be adequate. Just calibrated enough to cause minimal damage, inflicting minimal casualties yet causing permanent impact. This operation must be done so the Punjabi Taliban do not spread their cancerous venom to the rest. It must be done not because our neighbors are asking us but because we need to do it for our own good. As much as the operation could turn out to be a success, we should not gloat over it. Also, the Government should ensure that this does not become a revolving door. Moreover, they should move against all groups, not selective number of groups who may have capabilities beyond their means. Also, is the army on board?
the agencies and the army have created these monsters. it is now their responsibility to get rid of them. and the sooner the better.
It is important that this should be done and should be done right. You cannot have people whose goal is to destroy Pakistan going scott free even as they kill Pakistanis.