People are overwhelmingly talking about re-birth of democracy in Pakistan. It is a real pride that we are resilient people and keep on coming back which gives the confidence that my country Pakistan would outlive its rivals .
Some people are challenging the will behind signing the SWAT peace deal. I would partly agree as my only question is that legally a deal could only be implemented in letter and spirit if it has the will of both the parties . The question is whether our dear Sufi Mohammed is sincere to it or not. I doubt as he may retract his statements which for me is nothing more than an after thought he challenged not only the constitution of Pakistan but also democracy in our country .
Some might agree with the later of his concepts to a certain extent but not in the form as he explain and wish to implement . I feel that Pakistan was formed for all the Muslims of the sub-continent irrespective of their sects , castes and creed . So much so room was given for even minorities in this country for which the white of our flag portrays.
This is what Pakistan is . We have an ideology as given initially by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan , envisaged by Allama Iqbal and brought in place by our founder Quaid-e-Azam Mohammed Ali Jinnah and this is how it is going to be . We might be a nation with its flaws but would learn from our experience. All the great nations in the world became what they are today after going through the learning curve over a couple of centuries. With the luxury of science and technology ; we could do it much more quickly.
Unfortunately looking at certain forums the picture is given that the Taliban way is that of salvation and that some of the thought leaders of our country are interestingly agreeing to it. Such unfortunate . Daring statements showing resilience appear from Taliban every day . Like they have names of the people against them on their hit list etc is quiet intriguing especially in a democratic country like Pakistan . Do we need to remind them that we are not living in the wild wild west .
I have a few suggestions for our Pak Army . A mistake I think we have done is that we should have given extra attention to the IDP’s (Internally Displaced People) . We have a recent example in front of us that is the ongoing conflict with Tamil Tigers of the Sri Lankan Army where they are sticking to their aggressive posture but at the same time are showing sensitivity to their IDP’s ; the message is clear that their war is not with all Tamils but with LTTE only . I think the same should apply here .
Pak Army should be strong in its resolve . The people of Pakistan are with them . They should safe guard the constitution of the republic and send a strong message to this group of people . The message should be and I quote “ We fight not the Pashtuns of NWFP but those who have decided to raise weapons in the name of Talibanization . We would not allow a state within a state in this country”. At the same time do more on the humanitarian side for those IDP’s to win their hearts and minds .
Further , the main reason these Taliban’s easily gain ground is that they manage to form groups of the like minded people in their respective areas and even if a few manage to get together ; with assurance of support they become a force . With local enlistments and a dozen men to guide them is enough to declare control . I think that we should announce establishment of Pakistan Militia where people are given self defense training in wake of a threat from these Taliban’s as this is becoming an extending threat as days pass by. Pak Army which is pre-occupied at a lot of fronts should command these . People might say that this might trigger a civil war in the country . I feel that if we recruit people from different backgrounds on merit without a bias with equal representation if possible. It would have the ownership of the masses of this militia . I am not a war expert and I am sure there would be some who could expedite on the idea better.
At the same time the world should support us to re-construct the destruction resulting as an outcome of this conflict wherever in Pakistan so that people should return to their normal lives quickly .
The strategy of Taliban’s is that of fear and I agree that it is difficult to cover full ground with limited resources. I think that the people of Pakistan would have to chip in to support our army .
Please understand this idea is to unite Pakistan . The first step is to safe guard the basics for which this country was formed . We should not only rely on Pak Army to safeguard us but all the people of the country would have to step forward to offer their contribution.
Long Live Pakistan
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The Armed Forces must take the military operation to its logical end i.e., dealing with the insurgents across-the-board with an iron hand. While, the civilian governments in Islamabad and Peshawar must chalk out comprehensive remedial measures and closely coordinate their plans with international relief agencies.
ReplyDeleteThe strings of battles between the terrorists and the Army in Bajaur Agency and Malakand Division have displaced more than a million people since August 2008. Such a big number of IDPs is precipitating an already fragile financial situation and shall most likely expose the capacities of the provincial as well as the central government.
Classic counter-insurgency requires “clearing of insurgents” by the coercive apparatus of the State followed by “holding” the cleared area by the civilian administration and further followed by injection of resources to “build” the social contract between the rulers and the ruled.
An inconclusive military action and disjointed relief efforts for the IDPs could spell greater turmoil for the country, exposing it to more socio-economic problems, crime and lawlessness, in areas where governance is already weak. The emerging humanitarian crisis requires civilian and army power centers to act in unison, with clarity of vision and a firm determination to handle the evolving crisis.