Daily Times

The international focus on security and peace has mainly emphasised countering militancy through the use of force. There has been no emphasis laid on the fact that force alone cannot be used to counter militancy or fight radicalisation. With this global focus on militancy and the war on terror, there is still an unfocused area that has been absent from the international community’s agenda. This relates to the impact of global geopolitics on national and local politics, leading to international security lapses.

This impact is acting as a major hurdle in improving bilateral ties of many neighbouring states that is, in turn, worsening the regional security landscapes and thus directly risking the global security structures. Looking at the global security scenario, it seems obvious that the major security issues oozing out of conflict flashpoints are the result of ignorance of local security threats resulting from excessive focus on global political issues. The prime examples in this regard are the tensions between India and Pakistan, Pakistan and Afghanistan, and the latest tensions between Iran, Syria and Turkey. Among all these impasses, the bitter Afghan-Pak ties stand out as a prominent example that has wider implications for international security.

Pakistan and Afghanistan, in the past decade, have rarely tried to resolve their bilateral issues due to the ongoing war on terror. With both countries spending most of their time and efforts on combating militancy, little focus has been laid on solving major issues such as the Durand Line, drugs and illegal goods smuggling, trespassing of militants and immigration control legislation. Most of these issues also meet towards a common point in the form of escalating militancy in both countries as militants freely move on both sides of the border for their activities. Although trade between the two states is on the rise, tensions remain among the government circles pertaining to security concerns, with the two countries blaming each other for most of the terrorist attacks taking place in the region.

Although the fact remains that Pakistan is pursuing a dual policy regarding the issue of tackling militancy — by not going all out against militants in North Waziristan, FATA (Federally Administered Tribal Areas) and supporting a few splinters — militants headed by Maulana Fazlullah, taking refuge in Kunar and Nuristan regions of Afghanistan and not being tackled by the Afghan National Army, and responsible for attacks on the Pakistani security forces are also a major concern for Islamabad. Caught in a global war on terror, both countries are finding it hard to reach consensus or initiate a productive dialogue to overcome these regional issues.

This over-emphasised effort on global terror by Pakistan has also led to less focus on democratic and political reforms in FATA, the centre of South Asian militancy. Pakistan’s policies for FATA go no more beyond using an iron fist against the militants. Little emphasis has been laid on providing the people of FATA with influential elected members of parliament who could help them get rid of militants and militancy.

The global pressures on fighting militancy are so intense that policies such as political and democratic reforms in militant centres are mostly out of the equation. International bodies and organisations are also emphasising the use of force in the region without realising the fact that less empowered and uneducated locals are hostage to the savage Taliban who use force, their own brand of Islam, and violence to tame them. Solely the use of force by the state against the Taliban also puts the innocent locals at risk, meaning that the introduction of democratic reforms mixed with military interventions and surgical strikes, such as drones, can help the region get rid of militancy and militants in a productive manner.

Iran’s nuclear energy fiasco is another issue that needs to be addressed with method rather than madness. The issue has created an impasse between Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan, where Islamabad and Kabul cannot take part in major energy deals or agreements with Tehran because of Pakistan’s commitment to nuclear nonproliferation and Islamabad and Kabul’s strong alliance with the US, EU and NATO. Although Iran’s nuclear ambitions seem to be malafide, the potential energy deals, mainly natural gas, are key to ending the energy woes of Pakistan and to some extent Afghanistan. If, at the end of the day, both countries have to back out of the current Iranian deals, the economically strong allies such as the US should help them in alternative energy generation.

Additionally, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Iran face a common enemy in the form of militants, be it the Taliban and al Qaeda splinters (in FATA and Afghanistan), Jundullah (in Pakistan and Iran) or various Islamic radical factions (based in India). These groups pose a greater global threat when looked upon as a whole. Due to global geopolitics, all the aforementioned states have so far failed to focus on their regional and local politics to come up with a joint mechanism to fight terrorists and militants in the region.

With these issues pertinent in South Asia, it becomes hard to overcome global security concerns without solving the local-cum-regional problems. Even after the demise of Osama bin Laden — the former al Qaeda chief, 9/11 mastermind and global jihad promoter — jihadist and militant groups are still enjoying some degree of success in different parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Any possible measure to counter these groups cannot be implemented without joint regional Afghan-Pak efforts supported by NATO and ISAF.

The aforementioned issues need to be addressed in a manner where the South Asian states, going through security fiascos, should draw a clear line between local and global politics and hence ensure a safer world.

The writer is working as a research analyst, programme consultant and content editor at the Centre for Research and Security Studies, Islamabad, along with pursuing a degree in Public Policy from the Willy Brandt School in Germany. He can be reached at farooq@crss.pk or farukyusaf@gmail.com