A new phase in Pakistan\\\'s war against terrorism

A tersely worded press release issued by the ISPR on June 15 read: "On the directions of the government, the armed forces of Pakistan have launched a comprehensive operation against foreign and local terrorists who are hiding in sanctuaries in the North Waziristan Agency. The operation has been named Zarb-e-Azb." This was the curtain raiser to the eagerly awaited military onslaught against the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and its affiliates who have not only entrenched themselves in the area but also infiltrated the major cities of the country.
They have mercilessly killed thousands of blameless men, women and children. For too long have ordinary citizens of the country endured fitful nights of fear and days of anguish - they yearn for relief. There have been too many false dawns in their meaningless lives.
All wars are tragic in terms of human suffering. Many helpless people will lose their lives and the battleground in the next phase of the conflict could well be in the streets and alleyways of the densely populated urban centres. Pre-emptive police action based on effective coordination with the intelligence agencies is indispensible for minimising civilian fatalities.
A military expert with years of experience in the tribal regions believes that the North Waziristan operation could take anywhere between a few weeks and several months, and will demolish the TTP's command and control structure thereby reducing terrorist incidents to a certain extent. But he is also convinced that when the chips are down, "the battle against terrorism will have to be fought in the whole of Pakistan and it will be a long war."
The formulation in the ISPR announcement is simple and honest inasmuch as it unhesitatingly describes the militants as "foreign and local terrorists." This is at sharp variance to the sterile pronouncements of politicians which have portrayed the outlawed groups as our estranged brothers in the tribal areas or similarly empty phrases bereft of even a semblance of truth.
The inference that some analysts have derived from the press release is that it has taken almost 13 months for Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to authorise military action against the TTP. The delay, caused by attempts to reconcile with irreconcilable violent extremists, has proved costly in terms of the loss of precious lives and cannot be brushed aside.
Nawaz Sharif commenced his hitherto unspectacular third prime ministerial term on June 05, 2013. Since then, till June 15 this year, 4,113 people, including men in uniform, have been killed in terrorist outrages perpetrated by the TTP and its affiliates. A month-wise breakdown of these blood-curdling statistics is available at the South Asia portal of the Institute for Conflict Management.
But Nawaz Sharif is not exclusively culpable for the ill-advised policy of appeasement which has cost the country so dearly. Every political leader, whether in government or in opposition, has been obsessed with the infantile thought of initiating peace negotiations with the TTP. In the five years from October 2008 to September 2013 as many as eight consensus resolutions and declarations were approved by the political parties, both in and out of parliament, on the need to reach out to and placate the Taliban.
These include the documents that emerged from: (i) the in-camera proceedings of the joint session of parliament (October 22, 2008); (ii) the Parliamentary Committee on National Security (PCNS) in April 2009; (iii) the joint parliamentary session on May 14, 2011; (iv) the All Parities Conference (APC) convened by then prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani (September 29, 2011); (v) yet another joint session of parliament for endorsing the guidelines framed by the PCNS (April 12, 2012); (vi) the APC sponsored by the Awami National Party (February 14, 2013); (vii) a similarly futile conference organised two weeks later by the JUI-F (February 28, 2013); and, finally (viii) the Nawaz Sharif initiative of getting together the leaders of all major political parties on September 09, 2013.
The outcome of these glittering assemblages of those perched in high places was ponderous reiterations of the need to pursue a non-existent peace process. The highpoint of this collective imbecility was the adoption of the slogan 'give peace a chance' by the APC of September 29, 2011 as "the guiding central principle" for the dialogue "with our own people in the tribal areas."
One wonders whether the catchy slogan was plagiarised from the song written in 1969 by John Lennon of the Beatles. Lennon's quest for peace came to a tragic end when he was assassinated in New York on December 08, 1980. Similarly, the ill-advised talks with the TTP were abruptly terminated with their attack on the Karachi airport on June 09 which prompted the subsequent launch of Operation Zarb-e-Azb in North Waziristan.
Zarb-e-Azb, which translates as 'sharp and cutting,' is derived from the name of the sword used by the Holy Prophet (pbuh) in the battle of Badr. The symbolism is important because it was the turning point in the history of Islam. Till that fateful event, only a few of the early Muslims had really understood the political implications of their religion. To most of them, their exodus to Medina meant no more than an escape from the hideous persecution that had been inflicted on them for 13 years. But after their victory at Badr they suddenly became aware that they were on their way towards establishing an altogether new social order.
The relevance of that historic battle for the Muslims of Medina is summed up by Muhammad Asad (1900-1992), one of the most distinguished scholars of Islam: "The spirit of passive sacrifice, so characteristic of their early days, received its complement in the idea of sacrifice through action. The doctrine of action as the most fundamental, creative element of life was, perhaps for the first time in the history of man, consciously realised not only by a few select individuals but by a whole community; and the intense activism which was to distinguish Muslim history in the coming decades and centuries was a direct, immediate consequence of the battle of Badr."
This is the connotation of the term Zarb-e-Azb which has appropriately been adopted as the code name for the military operation in North Waziristan. The battle of Badr transformed the early Muslims into a dynamic force determined to take on the formidable challenges that threatened the survival of their small community. This is the spirit that is sadly missing in Pakistan despite the launch of operation Zarb-e-Azb.
The leadership of the country has been unable to galvanise the people in a nationalist surge that is desperately needed to overwhelm the terrorist groups that have ruthlessly slaughtered more than 50,000 innocent citizens and caused a stunning $120 billion loss to the economy. The brief show of unity after the announcement of the North Waziristan operation evaporated like dew on the terrestrial hell that defines the political landscape of Pakistan.
The cause was the police brutality on on June 17 in Lahore against Tahirul Qadri's Pakistan Awami Tehreek activists. The fault lies squarely with the Punjab government and in particular Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif. Instead of accepting responsibility he has merely promised a judicial commission to investigate the tragedy. This has prompted Imran Khan to resume his rallies. The 'tsunami' that he has promised is for the capture of power rather than to garner support for operation Zarb-e-Azb. A similar tidal wave of protest will be set in motion by Tahirul Qadri.
The new phase in Pakistan's war against terrorism will be long-drawn. The country faces a perilous threat and national unity is desperately required in support of the ongoing military operation in North Waziristan. But the half-witted politicians of the country are motivated only by an insatiable thirst for power. This has been the experience of the country through the decades.
The writer is the publisher of Islamabad-based                    Criterion Quarterly.                   iftimurshed@gmail.com