During just the last ten years, 44,674 people have lost their lives in the war on terror. Not all of these were civilians; the figure also includes security personnel and terrorists. Of these, 14,877 or 33.3 percent were civilians, 4,736 or 10.6 percent were security personnel and 25,061 or just over 56 percent were terrorists. During these ten years, it is not just lives that were lost in Pakistan, but the economy, the social makeup of the country and almost every sphere of society was affected by the fallout of the war on terror. By employing a simple division exercise on the total number of fatalities during the last 10 years, we come across interesting yet alarming results. For instance, the average number of fatalities per year is 4,467.4 and similarly, the number of fatalities per month is 372.28. By dividing this figure by 30 we get the average of number of fatalities per day, which is 12.4 and by further dividing 12.4 by 24, we get the average of number of fatalities per hour which is 0.517 or almost equivalent to 1 person killed every two hours.
One person being killed every two hours. This is beyond alarming. Yet we hear Taliban apologists like Qazi Hussain Ahmed calling Osama bin Laden a shaheed (martyr) and the attack on Malala a staged drama. Does this imply that the 44 percent of the total that comprises civilians and security personnel, their lives have gone in vain? And similarly, does this mean that the attack on the twin towers or 9/11 was totally justified? I fail to understand this logic. If bin Laden was a martyr, then what about those civilians and security personnel who died as a result of the war being waged by him, his organisation and others? It means that Qazi Sahib is denying the fact that the security forces are fighting a justified war.
On the one hand, we see apologists trying to justify the acts of Osama bin Laden and his like. They also include people that are trying to play favourites and it reminds me of another statement made by Qazi Hussain Ahmed some time back when he tried to justify that the Afghan Taliban were fighting a noble war or a real jihad and the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan is a group of miscreants. Some analysts are of the view that the attempt on Qazi Hussain Ahmed’s life was also a result of the statement, which he then directed towards the CIA. Indeed the easiest thing he could do. On the other hand, there are others who do not support or try to justify the actions of these terrorist organisations but are still doing nothing to find a solution to the problem.
Pakistan is at the crossroads. The long war has exhausted the country in every possible manner. Financial crisis, a failing economy, load shedding, mistrust of new investors, the security situation, no alternatives for youth and so on and so forth. It is the right time that the policy makers should at least come up with an anti-terrorism Act. Most of the terrorists that are caught by the security forces are either released due to a lack of evidence or because of threats to the lives of judges and the security personnel, and this is because we do not have concrete anti-terrorism laws in the country. This is the seriousness that our politicians are showing towards this issue that has brought Pakistan to its knees and even below that.
Pakistan has to get back on the road to prosperity at all costs. This is imperative to development at every level. There must be a solution to this problem, because solutions to many other problems are also linked to the security situation in the country. We have lost a big share of our textile industry to Bangladesh and even Pakistani textile industrialists have moved their manufacturing units there. We do not have international sports tournaments because the Sri Lankan team was attacked in Lahore. We do not have new foreign investment coming in because the investors are not satisfied with the security situation. We do not enjoy the same level of trust in the international community as enjoyed by others. Therefore, if our politicians are not serious about solving this issue then it is a clear message for the public that they are not serious at all about solving other issues as well. There is a need for clarity. There is a dire need for concrete solutions to the problem of terrorism, so that Pakistan can stand on its feet once again.
The writer is a development consultant and can be reached at [email protected]