October 06, 2016
Security review
The PM House became the site of a full day of action on Tuesday as the top civilian and military brass huddled together to discuss both the threat of terrorism and the escalation of tensions with India. Three separate meetings were held; one of the National Security Council, one on the National Action Plan and one between Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Army Chief Raheel Sharif. The meetings sent a clear message that the civilian government and military were committed to combating any threats to national security together. Moreover, that they remain committed to implementing NAP despite the ongoing tensions with India. The much ignored issues of madressah reforms, terror finance, banned outfits, judicial reforms and making Nacta operational are expected to be prioritised. The issue of terror finance has already begun to be addressed, with the recent news that around two thousand bank accounts had been frozen. But this is only the tip of the iceberg. Terrorism financing operates outside formal channels, which makes it much more difficult to curb it. The NSC meeting noted correctly that any escalation of troops on the eastern border would only make the threat of internal terrorism higher. This would go against both the interests of Pakistan and the purported interests of India.
It is good to note that the tensions with India have not shifted Pakistan’s own focus towards eliminating internal terrorism. The fact that the government has sought progress reports on NAP and kept itself aware of how the fight against terrorism is going is a sign that Pakistan will not let itself be distracted by tensions with its old rival. This is the correct message to send to both the Pakistani people and the international community. India’s escalation of tensions with Pakistan is hurting Pakistan’s fight against terrorism. While Pakistan’s progress against terrorism may not be as great as our leaders would like to believe, the clarity to remain focused against terrorism is one that has been rarely seen in this country. PM Sharif himself seems to be focused on ensuring that the 20-point NAP is fully implemented by the end of his five-year term. At least that gives us a workable deadline for progress against terrorism. Timelines and milestones have been agreed between those attending the meetings. While Pakistani authorities have been good at saying the right things, they will now need to prove that they are up for handling the dual challenge of terrorism and India. In letting Pakistan not be distracted by the tensions on the eastern border, the civil and military brass of the country has shown the correct path to follow. This is a message that should be heeded by India, which has used international conflict as a way of shirking its domestic responsibilities. Focus is the need of the hour.
Easy target
The four Hazara women shot on a public bus by two armed motorcyclists as they travelled from the heart of Quetta city into Hazara Town must constitute the easiest target of all. Police say the women were picked out on the basis of their ethnicity – and possibly their sect. They are among the hundreds of Hazaras killed within the past five years solely on the basis of their ethnic and sectarian identity. As police pointed out after the latest incident in Quetta, the fact that Hazaras are easily recognisable makes them particularly vulnerable to the targeted killings that have decimated the peaceful community. Naturally this brutal act of mowing down helpless bus passengers who could do nothing to defend themselves will bring no comfort to the already fear-stricken Hazaras of Quetta. It has been believed that sectarian groups in the country have been responsible for the bombings which ripped through Hazara Town in 2013 and in other parts of Quetta over the years. But with the regional situation complicated by the heightened animosity with India, there is also a risk that elements based beyond our borders could take advantage of the divides along sectarian lines we have permitted to tear through our country and engage in actions intended to pull them wider.
Despite the calls for inquiries and condemnations from the top provincial officials in Quetta, it will not be easy to detect who carried out the killings. This has been the pattern in the past. It is also why we have been unable to stop such murders. Even though there have been far fewer mass bombings this year and the year before it, targeted killings of Hazaras and other Shias including pilgrims travelling across the border into Iran or back have continued. In the last 15 years, an estimated 1,400 Shias have been killed in Balochistan. This is a shameful number. The new deaths in the month of Muharram also add to the dangers that always lurk during this sensitive time and remind us that we are still a long way off from turning our country into a place within which all citizens can be safe regardless of their belief, their ethnicity or their political affiliation. The fate of the Hazara population of Quetta tells the story of an entire country that has fallen victim to forces operating both from within and from the outside.