A few days ago, some likeminded friends and I were discussing the current security situation of the country. One of the friends was being too optimistic, and was arguing that security forces have uprooted terrorists’ networks, and the possibility of a large attack has diminished significantly. Without disagreeing with him completely, I pointed towards the most recent attack in Lahore, which was the largest one that occurred during the last few months. By doing so, I obviously didn’t undermine the efforts of our security forces, but my aim was to point at another important aspect necessary to improve the security situation: clamping down on terrorists’ financing.
Since Ramadan is round the corner, I decided to add to the knowledge of my friends that the various extremists’ groups operating in the country gather a major chunk of funds from the public in the name of charity, as Ramadan is considered the month of giving. According to a research conducted by the Pakistan Peace Collective during 2015, about 68 percent of Pakistanis donate during the month of Ramadan, and 650 billion rupees is given as charity every year. The same research points out that only two percent of Pakistanis believe that their funds are misused to promote terrorism, and 24 percent say they are not aware where their donation is spent. In addition, about 73 percent of the people give charity in the form of money to mosques and religious seminaries.
After listening to these astonishing figures, my friends were starting to get an idea about the point I was trying to make. Violent extremism is certainly not a self-sustaining process. It requires funds and support to sustain itself. It is true that security forces are clamping down on extremist elements in the country, but one of the reasons why they are still able to sustain themselves is the support they get in cash and kind from the people around them, and that doesn’t exclude us. We often donate our money without verifying the details of the individual or the institution that we are donating to. So, at times, it turns out that the individual or the organisation is a sham, and our charitable donation has gone to violence-prone extremists, which they use to fund various anti-state activities.
The National Action Plan (NAP) specifically focuses on cutting down financial sources of terrorists and terror organisations. The NAP is undoubtedly the master plan to reduce violent extremists to size, ultimately eradicating them from the face of our country. However, cutting down financial resources of terrorists require a more than significant input from citizens, since they are the ones donating money to various individuals and organisations.
As the discussion was going on, one of my friends asked me a very relevant question. “How do we know that a certain organisation that we are donating to is not an extremist organisation?” I was not surprised at her question, because this question appears in the mind of almost every other Pakistani who wants to play a role in cutting down financial resources of violent extremists. However, I was quick in giving the answer. All major newspapers print names and details of various organisations that have been banned in the country. These lists were also available on the website of the National Counter Terrorism Authority, but have recently been taken down due to security concerns.
Similarly, there are various civil society organisations that are playing an excellent role in creating awareness on how to avoid donating to extremist organisations. Their awareness campaigns are run during the month of Ramadan, and are very beneficial for every Pakistani. Some of these organisations might also be helpful in providing details of various banned organisations operating in the country.
Ramadan is definitely a month of blessings for everyone and it should remain so. All of us must play a collective role in stopping availability of financial resources to violent extremists. It is important to create this realisation in the heart and mind of every Pakistani that violent extremism is not a problem that is specific to a particular community. It is a problem that plagues the whole country, so it is important that all of us unite, and work as a collective force to freeze finances being made available to violent extremists. We must spread the word around us, especially during the month of Ramadan, so that all of us can enjoy the blessings of this holy month.
The writer is a development consultant. She tweets at @GulminaBilal and can be reached at [email protected]