Terrorism galore by Arif Nizami

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As was expected, a respite in terrorist attacks during Eid holidays proved to be temporary. A spate of coordinated gun, rocket and suicide attacks by the militants in the last few days have shook the nation. The bloodiest of them, and the most worrisome, was the one on Parade Lane Mosque, a stone's throw away from the General Headquarters (GHQ), killing 40 namazis.

Equally terrorising was the attack on a busy market in Lahore, claiming more than 40 lives, mostly women and children. The whole country, with the possible exception of Karachi, is under the attack of the militants. Ordinary citizens, including women and children, security personnel and the military elite, are like sitting ducks for the terrorists.

According to on estimate, more than 2,600 people have perished at the hands of the terrorists in the last two-and-a-half years and there is no end in sight to this bloodbath. Apart from serious ramifications for the country and its future, these attacks are sapping the morale of the ordinary citizen who is becoming increasingly despondent.

The enemy within is everywhere! Since there are no clear targets, no boundaries or a visible enemy to be undermined, our security and intelligence apparatus is faced with a conundrum. The attack on the GHQ a few weeks ago and now on a mosque in a high-security zone and on the ISI headquarters in Multan, obviously serious security lapses, vividly illustrates the capacity of the terrorist to hit his nemesis. If the protectors are not protected how can the ordinary citizen feel secure?

In the attack on the Parade Lane Mosque, apart from other military men six officers including Major General Bilal Omar, a brigadier and two lieutenant colonels and at least sixteen children met shahadat. These terrorists managed to evade high security by taking the less guarded convoy route and scaling the mosque wall using a ladder. As a result of proper training and planning they finished their job with impunity, several of them even reportedly making good their escape.

More serious in its implications was the attack on the GHQ a few weeks ago. Although successfully repelled it was reportedly masterminded by the personal assistant to the surgeon general, a lieutenant general by rank. Before the assistant deserted the army he remained for six years on this post. The obvious question that comes to mind here is whether the armed forces have a monitoring or surveillance system in place for retired personnel, especially for those who desert?

Many of those officers and jawans who served during the Zia era were influenced by his fundamentalist worldview and philosophy. Some of them developed a jihadist culture and mindset that was the norm rather than the exception till as late as 9/11. As political correctness demanded in those days, a sizeable number of them sported beards and espoused the Taliban cause as their cause celebre after retirement. According to some analysts these elements initially imparted training to jihadist outfits which proliferated in the eighties and the nineties,

It would be stating the obvious that targeting of the army and the ISI by the militants is a direct consequence of the recent military successes in South Waziristan and earlier in Malaknd and Swat. The Taliban and Al Qaeda bereft of their sanctuaries are on the rampage and have managed to spread their tentacles in recent weeks. As Shakespeare aptly wrote,' we have scorched the snake, not killed it.' In the meanwhile, the country and the people are suffering, immensely at the hands of the terrorists.

Unfortunately, despite the urgency which the situation demands Pakistan is yet to have a comprehensive and cohesive "anti-terrorism policy." Nor is there civilian ownership or overseeing of the policy being perused by our security agencies against terrorism. It is seen more as an ISI or "their problem." Every time a serious incident happens there are perfunctory statements by those at the helm of affairs followed by selective attendance of namaz-e-janaza and a must visit to the hospitals for photo-ops. Of course, statements blaming the Indians for our travails have a cathartic effect on the morale of our leadership.

A half-hearted attempt was made by Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani to form an anti-terrorism body christened as National Counter-Terrorism Authority headed by the former FIA chief Tariq Pervez. Even though a budget was approved, since no proper structure was put in place it never got off the ground. The head of this stillborn organisation is seen running from pillar to post in the corridors of power in Islamabad these days to impress upon the stakeholders to have an effective body to give impetus and direction to efforts to combat terrorism.

Surely the Americans will be willing to lend a helping hand, not only to provide the cash but the expertise for Pakistan to have a Homeland Security of its own. We need to create, train and equip an antiterrorism outfit rather than deny ownership and leave the task merely to the ISI and to the ill-equipped, under- trained and underpaid police force.

There is no doubt that the nation is in a virtual state of war. However, there seems little realisation at the top of the gravity of the situation. Neither the squabbling politicians nor the government in Islamabad is on the same page on how to bring the country out of its present morass. As a result we lack a coherent policy to deal with terrorism, and if there is one it is certainly not working.

In order to effectively deal with terrorism, both short-term and long-term measures are required. For starters, we need an Afghan policy on which all the stakeholders agree. For the time being we have none. The top brass does not approve of the cosines between Zardari and the US, whereas Washington is increasingly viewing the civilian government as weak and vulnerable. The contents of President Zardari's reply to the terse letter written to him by Mr Obama to do more, although not known, hopefully spell out Islamabad's concerns.

It is axiomatic that a comprehensive Afghan policy should include a holistic approach to combat the menace of terrorism. For this to happen, the civilians should bring the military on board instead of persisting with their present detached approach. The military, on the other hand, should welcome such an initiative if and when it is taken by the president and the prime minister, instead of considering them a security risk.

This will be an uphill arduous and time consuming task requiring the politicians from the ruling party and the opposition and the security and intelligence apparatus to bring their heads together. Even retired but highly respected military personnel with a broad world view and expertise in the field of counter terrorism and security can be involved in the exercise.

The terms of reference for such a body should be to propose ways and means to deal with the menace of terrorism, as well as to evolve Islamabad's own exit strategy from the Afghan imbroglio. Pakistan is facing the dual problem of incremental pressure from the US "to do more" and at the same time a sharp upsurge in the present wave of terrorism.

The US is threatening Pakistan with an invasive attack within its borders if it does not deliver the Taliban and Al Qaeda to them, but simultaneously has announced a drawdown strategy of its troops from Afghanistan. Islamabad might be left in the lurch like after the earlier US abandonment of Afghanistan post the Soviets exit. Hence it needs to open its options to negotiate rather than merely try to militarily defeat the Taliban.



The writer is a former newspaper editor. Email: arifn51@hotmail.com