Critical choices
Zubair Torwali

“Israel, India and agencies are playing games in Pakistan. They want to capture this country and its nuclear assets”. I was given this piece of news by a few knowledgeable men from North Waziristan, the tribal agency in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata), said to be the stronghold of foreign and Pakistani militants. “Malala was shot by the US to malign Pakistan and deprive it of its ‘power’”. “The Baacha Khan Airport in Peshawar was attacked by militants sent by Israel and India, confirmed by the tattoos on the bodies of the dead militants.” “The peace leaders in Fata and Swat are killed by spy agencies in order to keep their powers intact.” “A woman was sent by the Americans to kill Qazi Hussain Ahmed.”
These and many other such theories are repeated ad nauseum on public transport, barber shops, tea houses, and at the work place. The only reaction to these conspiracies can be silence. On social media, especially Facebook – very popular in Pakistan – one has to abstain from confronting those who relish disseminating such conspiracies.
One wonders why these conspiracy theories flourish so much in Pakistan. It is now easier to criticise the powerful security establishment of Pakistan than to condemn the atrocities committed by the terrorists. What becomes evident is how scared people are of these terrorists. Even the most vocal of people are shunned into silence because they think the state is either too fragile or reluctant to protect its citizens, whereas the extremists have their sympathisers who are strong and free enough to silence dissenting voices.
A single apologist or supporter of the militants can challenge hundreds of people from the civil society. Now, after the murder of one of the bravest men in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Bashir Ahmad Bilour, the fear of terrorism is sure to escalate. It is also likely that the government and political parties will fail in working together to save the country from extremists and their ideology. There will be short-lived outrage at Bilour’s martyrdom and soon the larger discourse will turn again to conspiracy theories.
Looking at incidents such as attacks on sensitive targets such as the Mehran base, GHQ, Kamra airbase, the murder of Bashir Ahmad Bilour and the eventual incapacity of state institutions including parliament to curb the menace once and for all, one feels depressed at what the future holds for this country. It is clear from the incapacity of state institutions that they are not on the same page regarding the danger this country and its people have been in over the past decade. This kind of dichotomy at the highest level gives birth to conspiracy theories in the society.
The other reason is the lack of clarity on terrorism among many of our political leaders. When leaders like Qazi Hussain Ahmed declare the suicide attack on him an American plot; when Imran Khan thinks the attacks on mosques, tombs, shrines, bazaars and ordinary citizens are retaliation against the US-conducted drone operations in Fata; and when respected leaders like Nawaz Sharif avoid even mentioning the names of the attackers what can we expect from ordinary people other than speculation and interpretation in their own way. When I asked a taxi driver who was convinced that Israel is behind all that is happening in Pakistan what he knew about Israel, his response was that it is a group of terrorists in Pakistan.
Most people think that terrorist outfits in Pakistan are fighting for Islam. Even the soldiers on duty to look after the detained terrorists ask them (detainees) to pray for them. And whenever the sipah salar (military commander) is forced to say that ‘it is our war’, it implies that the half-literate soldiers in the lower ranks are sceptical about this being a just war. And when the army chief announces that the investigation against generals and the criticism in the media demoralise the forces, it is also an indicator of the latent rifts within the military’s ranks. A lot of the people also think that the ‘war on terror’ is a financial manoeuvring to keep the sinking economy afloat; and that the state is not determined to solve the problem of rising terrorism.
To them counter-terrorism is an enterprise of the Pakistani state as terrorism has now grown as a franchise for criminals. Ideally the civilian governments should be least corrupt, least inefficient but more vigilant and honest because of all the challenges they have faced in assuming power. Despite the all time slogan ‘Pakistan is in a critical situation’, what is evident from their actions is sloth and corruption. What would be the logical result of all this mess? National confusion and conspiracy theories galore!
We are now dawdling towards general elections. Politicians and the security forces will again have ‘Pakistan is going through a critical phase of its history’ as their slogan. Pakistan is most certainly in a critical situation but it is now time to decide the fate of this very ailing country. The choice is clear: hand over Pakistan to the forces of terror or emancipate the people from these violent groups. The state and its institutions can manage this if they only try.

The writer heads IBT, an independent organisation dealing with education and development in Swat.
Email: ztorwali@gmail.com