Daily Times

Pakistan has to take tough decisions in the wake of recent developments after the Pathankot air base attack in India that threatened to wreck a thaw in relations between the two countries. As per the latest claims, the security agencies have arrested members of the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) while the offices of the organisation are being traced and sealed. There are also unconfirmed reports that the head of JeM, Maulana Masood Azhar, is among those arrested along with his brother and brother-in-law. Pakistan is also considering sending a Special Investigation Team comprising top civil and military security officials to Pathankot to find the missing links regarding the probe. Although the government claims that a crackdown is going on against JeM, yet it has failed to dismantle the organisation that continues to operate openly in various districts mainly through its undeclared head office in Bahawalpur. On its part, India has announced that it welcomes Pakistan’s decision to send a special team to probe the Pathankot terror attack and said that the foreign secretary-level talks will be rescheduled soon.

Pakistan needs to understand that it has to take serious measures to eradicate home grown militancy. Southern Punjab, which has been notorious for sanctuaries of militant organisations, needs to be purged of all these elements. Although a Karachi-like operation in southern Punjab has been proposed by the military establishment, the decision has not been finalised due to opposition from the Punjab government. The Punjab government claims that it can itself deal with militancy through its Counter-Terrorism Department and the (police) Elite Force, but this would require special weaponry and support from the military. It is a failure of the Punjab government that it has been unable to check the activities of militants in Punjab who have been indulging in anti-state activities at will for decades. A wrong perception about the militants based in southern Punjab is also a reason for the delay in launching an operation. However, now the time has come for all ifs and buts to be laid to rest and the Punjab government to adopt a straightforward policy regarding all types of terrorists, who can no longer be considered strategic assets (if they ever were). By now it has been proved that they have become a serious threat to the state. They are acting as spoilers of the Pak-India peace process. We need to understand that state interests remain dynamic and changeable. But proxies continue working on their out-of-date agenda and thus come into conflict with the state when the latter’s policy priorities change. The government needs to put a halt to religious extremism that has been allowed to flourish for decades. *