Daily Times

The suicide attack in Lahore on Sunday, which claimed 73 lives and injured more than 350 persons, mostly children and young men and women at a recreational venue, is yet another act of ultimate inhumanity perpetrated by the renegades who have taken leave from all kinds of humanitarian traits and religious commandments. Whenever acts like this and attacks on the Army Public School and Bacha Khan University happen, they invariably cause a deep sense of grief among the masses. The natural reaction, rightly so, is the outright condemnation coupled with the expression of the resolve both at the government and public level not to succumb to the machinations of terrorists and take the fight against them to its logical end. That kind of determination is a vital ingredient in ensuring success against beasts that are an ideological weapon of mass destruction.

In times of adversities faced by nations, the intelligentsia and media are supposed to play their role in lifting morale of the nation and lending support to the strategies and policies evolved by government to deal with the diabolical challenges. And while evaluating the efficacy of the state initiatives they are required not to lose sight of the prevalent ground realities and the internal and external factors that create impediments in the implementation of those policies. An objective and well-meaning appraisal of such policies is always a welcome and appreciable undertaking. But, regrettably, that kind of constructive support is not forthcoming. The media in its coverage of such incidents has invariably exhibited an impulsive propensity to attribute the tragic incidents to inability of the government to provide adequate security and denigrating the anti-terrorist policies of government, completely ignoring the successes achieved against terrorists. That reflects their inability to comprehend the complexities of war against terror. First of all, what is needed to be understood is that tackling the phenomenon of terrorism is a long-time undertaking, which needs a combination of military, administrative, political and ideological initiatives to challenge the narrative of terrorists. It took Sri Lanka nearly three decades to quell insurgency by Tamils, and Italy also had to endure this menace for an equally long period. The war against terrorism has just begun. There is no quick-fix solution to this phenomenon.

Criticism is the easiest thing to do and the most damaging when undertaken without understanding the dynamics of different variables that are involved in sustaining this phenomenon. Extraordinary situations like terrorism demand extraordinary solutions, and those worried about fundamental rights need to understand that these rights are contingent upon subservience to the state. Anybody taking up arms against the state loses his claim to the fundamental rights that the state grants to him. Even our religion forbids insurgencies against the state.

It is an undeniable reality that the Operation Zarb-e-Azb and implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP) have achieved tremendous success on the internal front. The overall law and order situation in the country has improved. According to military sources, 6,000 intelligence-based operations have been conducted, and 2,000 terrorists captured in addition to thousands killed in the operation. This has also created space for the implementation of the NAP, which too has created quite an impact in the fight against terrorism.

The critics of the slowness in the implementation of NAP, particularly in regard to the seminaries that are breeding places for terrorists, probably are not aware of the sensitivities involved and the political repercussions in taking random action against all seminaries. This path needs to be followed with utmost care. Government is determined to take care of this aspect and already 182 seminaries have been closed. It is working with religious circles to find a plausible and practicable strategy to oversee the working and performance of all seminaries, including the sources of their funding, without compromising on the basic objectives of the NAP. The foregoing facts are irrefutable success stories, though we still have a long way to go.

Unfortunately, the phenomenon of terrorism that we are confronted with also has external dimensions. Terrorists who escaped from North Waziristan have relocated themselves in Afghanistan from where they have planned and executed attacks through their operatives and local facilitators. Then there is the Indian factor. The scourge of terrorism cannot be eliminated until and unless there is peace in Afghanistan, and our relations with India see a turnaround and the strategy of proxy wars is abandoned for good.

That does not seem a near possibility in view of the prevailing situation. The process of dialogue between the Afghan Taliban and Afghan government is on hold at the moment. Though Afghanistan and Pakistan are working together to check cross-border acts of terrorism, and intelligence is being shared, it has not produced desired results as yet. The military establishment has also urged the NATO commander in Afghanistan to target the TTP leader, Maulvi Fazlullah, who is based in Afghanistan, with drones.

The arrest of an alleged agent of RAW in Balochistan who has made startling ‘revelations’ about the alleged terrorist acts and insurgency that India has been supporting and financing in the province make the issue quite complicated. The efforts to improve relations with India could also be on the anvil again. However, the success of any peace initiative is not in the hands of the Pakistan government alone. As they say it takes two to tango. A matching response by India is absolutely necessary to achieve that objective and subduing the alleged RAW-sponsored acts of terrorism within Pakistan.

The critics of the war strategy against terrorist must consider these factors before taking a swipe at the performance of the government, security establishment and the intelligence outfits, all of which have their limitations in view of the external involvement in acts of terrorism. In my considered opinion, the government of Nawaz Sharif, the security establishment and our intelligence agencies deserve unqualified accolades for what they have achieved so far.

No actions and strategies of government can, however, succeed without the unqualified backing and support of the people. On the internal front, there is a need for participation of all the segments of society in the war against terrorism, not only by supporting the government initiatives but also to lend a helping hand to it by exercising utmost vigilance in their localities and immediately reporting any suspicious activity to the concerned authorities. Their help in identifying the sleeping cells of terrorists, their supporters and abettors is an indispensable ingredient of winning the fight against terrorists. Similarly, media needs to give top priority to boosting the morale of the masses, and creating understanding of the complexities involved, instead of focusing on negatives to improve ratings.

The writer is a retired diplomat, a freelance columnist and a member of the visiting faculty of the Riphah Institute of Media Sciences, Riphah International University, Islamabad. He can be reached at ashpak10@gmail.com