Religious Militancy: Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan and the Islamic State Are Enjoying Social and Physical Space in Pakistan
By
Syed Akhtar Ali Shah
January 12,
2021
The year
2020 has ended, leaving behind, to a good extent, the horrific psychological
effects of Covid-19. The year also tested the incumbent government’s claims of
good governance, amidst deaths in hospitals due to system failures. Life seemed
almost paralysed with rising Covid cases, coupled with rising inflation, loss
of jobs, and ensuing socio-economic degradation. The most tragic part is that
despondency in general prevails with little hope for improvement.
The New
Year too began with sad news. The barbaric killings of Hazara coal mine workers
in Balochistan cast a pall of gloom across the country. To add to the concerns,
the killings were done in the name of religion. This is, however, not the first
incident of its kind. Violence is being witnessed in the country in one form or
another. Although several operations had been launched in the past in various
parts of the country, the danger of terrorism still looms large. People, in
parts of the country, are living under the lurking dark shadows of terrorism,
and being denied their legitimate right to security.
All
philosophies agree that a state functions under a social contract between the
rulers and the ruled — whereby the rulers guarantee peace and security to the
citizens in return for their acceptance of the sovereignty of the state.
However, contrary to this, citizens — in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan in
particular — lack adequate safety and security.
Religiously-motivated
conflict has spread over the past 41 years ever since the Saur Revolution, and
has destroyed lives, livelihoods, the social fabric and ecology, besides giving
rise to a war economy, posing an existential threat.
According
to a report by the Pakistan Institute of Peace Security, as many as 373
incidents of violence occurred in 2020, including 146 acts of terrorism and 125
cross-border attacks. They also include three suicide attacks. Alarmingly, the
fact remains that the core of terrorist organisations, such as the
Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan and the Islamic State, is intact — rather thriving
and enjoying social and physical space. This enables them to plan, recruit,
train, and execute at will. The gruesome murders of the Hazara coal miners have
already been claimed by the IS which clearly demonstrates their lethal capacity
and presence. On the other hand, the TTP has also reorganised under Mufti Noor
Wali.
The irony
is that we keep counting and discussing events in numerical terms without
analysing the dynamics of a phenomenon. It is not out of place to mention that
militancy has not sprung all of a sudden but rather it is the outcome of the
misconceived policies and governance, particularly since the country joined the
proxy war in Afghanistan in the 80s. Statesmen of that era — like Khan Abdul
Wali Khan — had, however, the vision to predict the dire repercussions of
joining that proxy war and the blatant use of religion card.
With such
saner voices falling on deaf ears, violence spilled over from Afghanistan into
Pakistan which was plunged into a deep fosse of extremism. Resultantly, we are
now reaping the harvest of terrorism and extremism sowed years ago. Other
factors that gave rise to extremism include use of geographical location as
leverage in pursuit of national security goals, overarching role of foreign
powers, pointless ideological discussions revolving around the role of Islam in
the state and society, and the absence of the rule of law in the country. The
ensuing situation has been compounded further by a narrow definition of
national security, something that has played its part in drifting the country
into an ideological divide.
The policy
of appeasing religious forces and compromising on the rule of law encouraged
religious groups in the country. Armed to the teeth and having enough finances
at their disposal, these groups enjoy enormous influence with different orbits
of the government and also act as pressure groups outside the parliament. The
inability of the government and other organs of the state to realise
aspirations and dreams linked to an imagined past and to cope with the demands
of technological advancement in a global environment is frustrating for many
young souls. They are thus easily mesmerised by such ideologues who prescribe
easy solutions in the form of acts of terror. What they fail to understand is
that flames in other parts of the jungle can also eventually reach our nests.
The
situation requires a holistic re-appraisal of our national policies. Mere
firefighting here and there will not be enough. An end to faith-based violence
can only be achieved if comprehensive peace in the region is pursued as a
strategic objective. What we must realise is that national security will remain
a pipe dream if we do not accord top most priority to the provision of
fundamental rights to citizens, including life security and self-esteem. The
objectives of establishing peace and security can only be achieved if the state
promotes a culture rooted in constitutionalism, human rights, democracy and the
rule of law.
Original
Headline: Dynamics of religious militancy
Source: The Express Tribune
URL: https://newageislam.com/radical-islamism-jihad/religious-militancy-tehreek-i-taliban/d/124062