12.07.2013 Dangerous nexus Kidnapped policemen
UNCERTAINTY surrounds the fate of eight of the nine policemen kidnapped by the notorious Chhotu Mazari gang from two checkposts in the floodplains (katcha) of the Indus near Rajanpur on Sunday. One policeman has already died of his injuries in the custody of kidnappers who have now fled their hideout on a river island together with the hostages. The kidnappers also have with them three civilians kidnapped from Rahimyar Khan. The gangsters, who are said to be linked to the banned Lashkar-i-Jhangvi, had kidnapped the policemen to use them as a bargaining chip for the release of three arrested gang members and the annulment of criminal cases against them. Police were negotiating the freedom of their men with the kidnappers through a provincial PML-N legislator from the area ever since the incident took place. But the talks broke off when the authorities refused to free one of the arrested men.
Police say they preferred negotiations over use of force against the criminals to ensure the hostages’ safe return. ‘Lack of easy access’ to the hideout was another reason that prevented them from carrying out the operation to free their colleagues. The failure to secure the release of their kidnapped colleagues will strongly hurt the morale of the policemen working in the area in difficult conditions and without enough resources. In the meanwhile, the incident has brought public focus back on the lawlessness prevalent in the katcha areas along the Indus in south Punjab and the close links between criminals and banned militant groups. Police have tried to clear the area of criminals a few times previously but such gangs re-emerge after some time. The authorities should take firm action to purge the area of criminal gangs in order to provide security to the people.
Intelligence failure President’s aide killed
THAT Karachi is no stranger to lawlessness is an understatement; violent crime, bombings and targeted killings have become routine. Each day ordinary citizens are killed in acts of violence. However, it is when a victim with significant security is targeted that the fragility of the city’s law and order situation is truly exposed. Such a victim died in Wednesday’s apparent suicide attack in the city’s congested Guru Mandir area. Bilal Sheikh, a senior security aide to President Zardari and a member of the president’s inner circle, was killed, along with three others, as a bomber struck when the driver stopped the vehicle in order to allow Mr Sheikh to buy fruit. Mr Sheikh had survived two previous attempts on his life; one attack was believed to be carried out by criminal elements from Lyari. However, suicide bombing is not a method used by Lyari’s gangsters and no group has so far claimed responsibility for Wednesday’s attack. The bombing is a major intelligence lapse, particularly on the part of the civil security apparatus. It shows that militants are way ahead of the state’s security set-up and that when they plan to carry out acts of terrorism, they do their homework thoroughly. Targeted attacks often happen near the victim’s home or workplace, but in this case the perpetrators seemed well aware of Mr Sheikh’s routine and movements. The killers had performed proper reconnaissance; the police and intelligence agencies regrettably lack such efficiency when tracking down militant elements.
The attack also exposes the vulnerability of those in sensitive positions such as Mr Sheikh. Suicide bombings can happen anywhere, hence it is important to track down the nurseries where bombers are produced and to neutralise the infrastructure of terror. Wednesday’s bombing should also prompt greater introspection in Sindh’s law and order circles as currently it seems that anybody — even those with significant security detail, as in Bilal Sheikh’s case — is an open target for violent forces in Karachi, with the state unable to control the bloodshed.
Still the ‘Wild West’ Fata’s development
PRIME MINISTER Nawaz Sharif’s meeting with Fata representatives on Thursday was a much-needed one. The meeting touched upon the need for long-term, sustainable efforts for peace, which the legislators made clear had been missing till now. Coincidentally, this meeting was held the same day as newspapers published an ad pertaining to a citizens’ initiative that includes more than 300 tribal elders, religious clerics, political and social activists, and other citizens, asking for wide-ranging reforms. These include the right to local government, education and the repeal of old and draconian laws. Consequently, it was clear that Fata needed far more from Islamabad than a decision on the choice between war and negotiations.
At the heart of the matter is the manner in which the tribal areas have been governed — with no representation; no legislative powers and ruled by draconian laws deemed unacceptable in a modern, democratic polity. Tragically, in the last five years, the FCR provisions have remained in place while another harsh law — Aid of Civil Power Regulation 2011 — has been added to further erode the rights of the tribal people. Undoubtedly, the war against militancy that has plagued Pakistan has brought nothing but anguish to Fata’s residents — they have suffered the brunt of the violence exercised by the militants and the state; lost lives and been displaced from their homes; and seen a further erosion of their already non-existent human rights.
The government needs to realise that militancy in the tribal areas has erupted due to a number of political and historical factors. Fata is our ‘Wild West’ where the state never tried to establish institutions. In a region with little economic opportunities, what would the youth do but get involved in ‘jihad’, smuggling and other criminal activities? These issues have to be addressed if militancy is to be eliminated. The latter is a many-headed hydra which is kept alive by criminal gangs, smuggling and drug mafias and economic underdevelopment. If militancy is only addressed via an army-led operation, the result will be an unending military presence in these areas. A long-term, nuanced strategy has to be put in place to integrate the region into the country, give its residents the same rights as the rest of Pakistan and wean the area’s economy away from the murky activities in which a menace such as the Taliban breed. Anything short of this will be nothing more than a band-aid on a festering wound.