Is it Really Possible to Eliminate Terrorism in Pakistan? (Part 2)
By Mujahid Hussain, New Age Islam
29 March, 2014
There is no denying that eliminating the terrorists and their supporters desperately wanting to siege the entire state of Pakistan is now one of the most baffling challenges to be dealt with. The inability of the civil and military governments has caused so much aversion and disdain among the common people that they are beginning to feel satisfied with the imagination of the severe punishment. The extremists clad in religious garments are turning out to be the hermits and dervishes who are all set to forcefully establish the rule of God on the earth, no matter how much bloodshed it causes to be accomplished.
An instance could be cited here. Iftikhar Chaudhry, the Chief Justice of the court that initially sanctioned the legal justification to the regime of Pakistan's military dictator Pervez Musharraf, was later appreciated by people because they hoped that he would bring those involved in malpractices to justice. They hoped that even high officials would not be left without being sentenced to punishment and hence only justice would rule the country. Thus, they had great expectations from the chief justice. And it is quite understandable, given the fact that they had stubborn flame of desire to see the justice is done to the extremist factions engaged in launching brutal attacks on the innocent civilians.
Just as hundreds of thousands of people were unaware of the Former Chief Justice’s bias and his petty interests, similarly, many today are unable to sense the evil designs and prime concerns of the armed terrorist factions of the Taliban. Generally, people are told that the Afghan militants have previously destroyed the Russians and are now causing great damage to America as well as the greater military forces of the NATO. This makes people keep high hopes in the Afghan militants, who they believe have boldly defeated the most powerful military forces of the world and, so, will easily knock down the Indian army too. Thus, they are made to believe that the incomplete task left by their former rulers and military forces will be accomplished by the armed terrorist groups.
It is deplorable that none of the Pakistani media sources is ready to carry out an accurate and unbiased research on the topics such as; where is the real centre of the sectarian groups and terror outfits responsible for the killing of thousands of innocent Pakistani people? Or where does extremism in Pakistan stem from? Or what role did the political parties and religious organisations of the country play in spreading sectarianism and extremism? Or how did the powerful entities in Pakistan try to tackle this issue? And above all, what challenges does the country have to cope up with to overcome the present turbulent situation and where will the future of Pakistan move, if, regrettably, the present chaos continues unabated? On Pakistani televisions, there appears to be nothing but greatly disturbing, highly conflicting and totally paradoxical debates held between two warring rivals who come up with fruitless arguments in a bid to conquer each other. Thus, intellectuals of Pakistan are at odds with one another leaving the country in the lurch.
Not many people are ready to admit that the ruling government’s call for peaceful talks with the Taliban has not only strengthened the extremists in the region but also favoured their supporters in the state. It is now patently clear that the government is beginning to surrender before the extremists by turning its invitation for the talks into an appeal to them in utter disregard for its own superior position.
It goes beyond saying that the ruling party has not yet overcome its old and traditional hostile attitude towards Mr. Musharraf and this is precisely why it does not disfavour many sectarian factions including Taliban and Al-Qaida, because “hatred for Musharraf” is what both the government and the terror outfits share in common. The extremists have gone a step further and have unravelled its anti-state ideology making it explicitly clear that they can go to any extent and will employ any means to achieve its nefarious ends.
Every now and then, Mian Nawaz Sharif is made to realise that he is not targeted by the terrorists but rather by his real opponents who are vehemently opposed to the religious structure of Pakistan and want it to play as a slave to the western power. Mr. Sharif is repeatedly told that if he launches an open military action against the extremist militants, it will only result into a heavy and irreparable loss for his recently elected government paving the way for a powerful gambler to throw him out of the regime and thus he will lose almost the last God-gifted chance for ruling the country. It seems as if Mian Nawaz Sharif is just like an afraid man who has stumbled upon precious treasure but is surrounded by his dangerous enemies intending to take it away. So Mr. Nawaz Sharif is in a tough position unable to take a firm decision.
What we are eagerly waiting to see next is how the ruling party in Pakistan will strengthen the country at a time when it seems to be at the stake of destruction. We have to see whether the government’s policies will remain rigid and outlandish as before or will get better in order to tackle the situations that are likely to grow more turbulent after the withdrawal of the foreign troops from Afghanistan. We have to see whether the government will weaken the terror networks spreading everywhere in the country or will let them gain more growth and power. This is an internal conflict with all its sides and aspects being increasingly fatal for the survival of the Pakistani community at large.
On the contrary, not a single militant faction harbours good wishes for Nawaz Sharif’s government. The extremists believe that neither civilians of Pakistan nor the military forces deserve to be fairly treated. All terrorists in Pakistan are well-focused on the achievement of their goals with an integrity that may cause more troubles for the state. They have the temerity to brazenly violate the constitution and other institutions of the state. Most surprisingly, these terrorists easily afford to get scores of Pakistani advocates who are highly skilled in dismissing the constitution as well as the countless sacrifices of the nation and the military forces. The question now arises as to how come this sort of mentality came into being and what panacea should be used to eliminate this ill?
The author of nine books including the recent "Punjabi Taliban", Mujahid Hussain writes a regular weekly column for New Age Islam. He has been contributing to leading papers as an investigative journalist for about two decades. His writings cover a vast panorama of topics concerning political and societal existence of Pakistan, a nation passing through difficult straits since a short time after its birth. With terrorism and security issues at local, regional, and global levels as his special area of study in recent years, Mujahid Hussain has earned a sizable readership in serious circles in Pakistan and abroad. Follower of an independent, non-partisan, and objective way of thinking, the author offers honest analysis of the challenges threatening communities, nations, and humanity at large.
URL for Urdu article: http://www.newageislam.com/urdu-section/is-elimination-of-terrorism-possible?-(part-2)--کیا-دہشت-گردی-کا-خاتمہ-ممکن-ہے؟-قسط-دوئم/d/56145
URL of Part 1: http://www.newageislam.com/islam,terrorism-and-jihad/is-it-really-possible-to-eliminate-terrorism-in-pakistan?-(part-1)/d/66246
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-terrorism-jihad/is-really-possible-eliminate-terrorism/d/66332