|
Pakistan: A
Violent Country
The many vectors of bloodshed
in the country remained a source of worry. Violence
in the business hub city of the country, Karachi, has once again come to haunt
the Pakistani state as there is an increase in the number of deaths due to
political and related assassinations during the month. With the city pockets
divided into political boroughs such as the hills around Orangi Town, Banaras,
Qasba, Pirabad, Baldia, Saeedabad, Gulistan-e-Johar, North Karachi,
Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Sarjani, Old Subzi Mandi and others there is a sense of
palpable fear. Now it is reported that 1138 people were
killed in the city during the first half of 2011, 490 of them falling prey to
targeted killings. 77 victims belonged to the MQM, 26 to the PPP, and 29 to the
ANP. Given these figures it is evident that the violence is political in nature
and would require to be tackled with some understanding between the various
parties as well as effective policing and law and order.
The weakness of the
political system and the PPP government as well as the MQM has been exposed in
handling continued crisis in Karachi which has seen intense violence over the
past many months. While this has been subsiding periodically it is evident that
these were interregnums and therefore there is no relief to the people as use
of grenades and bombs would indicate a general rise in the intensity. The
government is on the back foot and has now given greater power to the police by
invoking the commiserate system and also changing the Home Minister.
Balochistan also saw a number of
cases of violence include the death of a senior leader of the Balochistan
National Party (BNP), Jumma Khan Raisani, and three others in Gizigi area of
Khuzdar, about 300 kilometre south of Quetta. The Pakistani establishment has
tried to oppress the Baloch for over six decades. The demand for autonomy has
been acceded now under the 18th Amendment. However despite the same it is
apparent that relief sought by the Balochis from Islamabad is no where in
sight. Improvement of security and random killing of Balochis has to be stopped
to ensure that a favourable atmosphere is created to hold dialogue. The PPP
government at present is too weak and too much entangled in many other
political and security issues to give priority to the Baloch problem which may
continue to fester.
The counter militant offensive launched
by Pakistani forces in the Kurram agency bordering Afghanistan was a new foray
as the Agency had become the hotbed of foreign militants and also the Haqqani
group which had been some say shifted to this area by the ISI to protect it
from a possible offensive in North Waziristan. The strategic location of the
area with the Parchinar bulge jutting towards Kabul and the road passing
through to Afghanistan also makes this an extremely important Agency, thus in
case stabilization is achieved it would address the Afghan security needs
as well. However over 100,000 civilians
have been reportedly displaced during this army offensive.
The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has been now placed on the UN
Security Council sanctions list even as the main anti establishment rebel
outfit has split with an offshoot, Tehrik-i-Taliban Islami (TTI). Fazal Saeed,
a TTP commander from Kurram Agency declared that he was parting ways with the main
TTP leadership and along with his 500 fighters was forming his own group TTI. This split may be either engineered by the
security forces or due to differences between the commanders on the ground.
Given that the TTI has indicated that it would not attack Pakistani security
forces but would operate in Afghanistan there is a concern that this may be
another outfit now raised by the Army to deflect the internal challenges
outwards. But the TTI is also known to be a Sunni dominated outfit and thus may
indulge in sectarian violence rather than restricting to attacks in
Afghanistan. Splits in terrorist groups when properly carried out are one of
the strategies of counter militancy but there are challenges as well as most of
the outfits which the government forces feel are favourable to them would have
to be ultimately neutralized. So what profile the TTI assumes remains to be
seen?
The Pakistan Army launched a deradicalisation
campaign in the Mohmand Division of Khyber Pakhtoonwa. Chief of the Army Staff
Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani said Pakistan Army being a national army, derived its
strength from the people of Pakistan and was answerable to the people and their
representatives in the Parliament in his key note address at a seminar on
‘deradicalization,’ in Swat. This has also led Jamiat
Ulema-i-Islam chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman to complain that the Khyber
Pakhtoonwa government and the Army are closing seminaries and intimidating
Ulema and students in the Malakand Division.
The moves for, ‘de-radicalisation’
in Pakistan led by the Army are welcome and should set the tone for reducing
support to fundamentalism in the country which has seen the rise of Taliban encouraged
by the previous Chiefs of the Army, Zia ul Haque and Mirza Aslam Beg. Thus it
appears that the wheel is now turning full circle and there is likely to be
concerted efforts by the Army within and the government and other elements
outside to contain and roll back radicalization.
Deradicalisation is one of the most
important yet difficult means of countering the influence of ideology and
narrative of terrorist groups. Given this dynamic it is the first step that the
country and the army have taken to defeat the militants by opposing radical
thoughts and ideas. This will be a long campaign ahead given the level of penetration
of extremists in society however the first step which was long due is encouraging and would send the right
signal to the people as well as within the Army where there were fears of rise
of extremism
| 
Blink
Del.icio.us
Digg
Furl
Google
Simpy
Spurl
Y! MyWeb