It was Goebbels who came up
with the brilliant theory that if the government wanted people to follow its
policy, it must first instill fear in them and then slap all dissenters with the
unpatriotic card. Anyone like me, who disagrees with the current indiscriminate
military operation is accused of being a Taliban apologist. Let me state
categorically that I have been against the military operations since the
disaster of what was formerly the East Pakistan. From East Pakistan to the
present Swat operation, the political mantra has always been “no option but the
military”. Successive military operations in Balochistan have only added to the
sufferings of the Baloch people, which nurtured the seeds of their
disillusionment with the Pakistani state. When Bush decided to attack
Afghanistan in less than a month after 9/11, I opposed this US policy at every
forum, including through the print and electronic media. Later, when he ordered
the invasion of Iraq, I joined the nearly 2 million marchers in London opposing
the Iraq war. It is noteworthy that at the time, over 90 per cent of Americans
supported Bush’s Iraq invasion. Today, the overwhelming opinion in the US is
that Iraq was a disaster. Moreover, the so-called “good war” in Afghanistan is
being lost and its support dwindling. It is not surprising to see the findings
of a Rand Corporation study of the last 40 years of terrorist or asymmetric
conflicts, which reveal that only 7 per cent of these conflicts were resolved
through military means. When Musharraf buckled under the US pressure and sent
the Pakistan Army into Waziristan, I opposed it in parliament and through the
media. Speaking to the editors, Musharraf called me a “terrorist without a
beard” – as if terrorism is the sole domain of bearded folk. When the Pakistan
Army was sent into Waziristan, there were no militant Taliban in Pakistan. As a
result of the Army operation, the tribal social and political structure was
destroyed throughout Fata and Malakand, and the vacuum has been filled by nine
major militant Taliban groups. Again, at the time Musharraf commenced military
action in Balochistan I opposed it and was accused of backing the “anti-state”
elements. Today, what was a movement for Baloch rights and autonomy within
Pakistan has morphed into a Baloch independence movement. On opposing the Lal
Masjid operation, some of the self-appointed “liberals” accused me of backing
the Islamic fundamentalists. But soon most of the indefatigable crusaders for
human rights joined the critics of the Lal Masjid operation. More sobering is
the fact that there were 60 suicide attacks in the aftermath of the slaughter of
the Lal Masjid inmates and a steep rise in extremism. The Swat flare-up is a
direct consequence of the Lal Masjid operation. While discussing my opposition
to the current military operation, I must state where I stand politically and
ideologically. My political inspiration is derived solely from Quaid-i-Azam,
Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the constitutionalist and democrat who believed in the rule
of law above all else. My ideological moorings are firmly rooted in the
political and spiritual dimensions of Allama Iqbal’s exposition of Islam, which
not only liberates society from bondage but also the human soul from material
desires – releasing the enormous God-given human potential. Above all, I am an
ardent follower of our Prophet’s (PBUH) example of inspiring the heart and the
intellect rather than forcing ideas through the sword – a far cry from what has
been happening in Swat in the name of Islam. So on no count can I possibly
either support the un-Islamic acts such as beheadings, flogging of women, or
forcing a way of life on others, nor am I an apologist for such people – I am
only answerable on this count to my conscience and to my God. As for my
opposition to the Malakand military operation, first and foremost I believe that
the military option, if it has to be used should always be a last resort. Yet in
Swat, the military operation was started barely two weeks after the presidential
signing of the accord without alternative political strategies being given a
chance. In my opinion, a national conference of all stakeholders, including
religious and political parties and groups, particularly those representing
Swat, should have been called prior to the operation. A delegation from such a
conference should have been mandated to visit Swat and talk reason to the
militants and report back to parliament. In other words, every effort should
have been made to make the militants abide by the peace deal. All along the
political effort, a concerted effort should have been made to gain time to
revive civil administration, police, and the paramilitary presence in Swat. The
diehard militants who consistently refused to adhere to peace agreement could
have been isolated over time – a key counter-insurgency tactic followed by
precise military action to decapacitate the leadership. Assuming, there was no
alternative to the military option, then while it was being planned,
arrangements should have been made for the people who were going to be
displaced. Sadly, and shamefully, the military operation began suddenly under
increased US pressure, timed with Zardari’s US visit and with the least concern
for the people of the area. The unfolding tragedy that is taking place in Swat
is mindboggling. To flush out a few thousand militant Taliban, more than two
million people have been forced to live in misery in camps not fit for animals
in civilised societies. Even more disturbing is the use of heavy artillery
shelling and bombing from the air alongside helicopter gunships in areas with
significant civilian population. Despite a heavy blackout, the news coming from
the war zone tell tales of dozens if not hundreds of innocent civilian
casualties. Given the collapse of governance in the country, can we adequately
look after so many displaced people – especially as summer temperatures soar?
And for how long? The wheat crop has already been lost. If the IDPs cannot
return within two months, the fruit cash crops will be at risk. Hence how will
they sustain themselves for the coming year? Perhaps most dangerous is the
possibility of IDPs’ anger and frustration that besides resulting in riots may
also swell the ranks of the militants. In such a situation, according to the
Army briefing given to the parliamentarians, there is every possibility of the
Taliban resurfacing not just in Malakand Division but elsewhere in the country –
possibly the urban centres. Can we afford further spread of terrorism in our
cities given the precarious security and fragile economic situation? Military
action breeds more militancy. An Army action which has already led to almost 2.5
million displaced countrymen cannot simply be accepted without questions. And,
as if we do not already have a crisis, Zardari has declared that the war in Swat
is merely the beginning of a wider war, which is likely to engulf other parts of
the country. It is time to take stock and stop ourselves from committing
collective suicide. What needs to be done is the following: * The military
action unfortunately is already underway but there is no political, particularly
governance, strategy which is guiding this operation. That should be the first
priority so that the military action does not continue in a political vacuum. *
A clear governance and political strategy that allows the IDPs to return
following a swift end to military operation is needed. This strategy should be
focused on a system of speedy justice through the Nizam-e-Adl and effective
civil administration. The writ of the state and the rule of law go together and
this has to be ensured if violent challenges to state and government are to be
avoided in the future. * The military action, if at all, should have been
extremely limited in scale and targeted with precision to minimise civilian
casualties. Tragically, this did not happen and my fear is that widespread use
of aerial weapons would only result in greater civilian casualties, swelling the
ranks of the militants. So the military action needs to be revised to focus more
on specific targeting and commando action. Will any of this happen?
Unfortunately in the present mood of the ruling elite, this does not seem
likely. Instead, we will see increasing military action in the tribal areas as
long as the US is in occupation of Afghanistan. In other words, as long as US
troops in Afghanistan are perceived to be an occupying force that is
anti-Pushtun and anti-Islam, there will be no peace in this region. We are
heading in a fatal direction unless we change our strategy and pull out of this
insane war that is sinking us into chaos. The longer this persists, the deeper
we will find ourselves in this quagmire and we will confront a deeply divided
society. Finally, my heart bleeds for the poor soldier confronting his own
people turned into misguided and brutalised militants and giving his life for a
war wrought on him by a corrupt and decadent ruling elite that cannot see beyond
the lure of American dollars that have become as much of a curse for this
hapless nation as the criminal extremists in our very midst.