Blowing trumpets of war

There is no denying the fact that terrorism poses an existential challenge to Pakistan. There is also no denying the fact that the state should act with its full might to eradicate this cancer. But the issue is how should this endeavour be undertaken and what implements should be utilised in this pursuit and which should be avoided.

The history of Pakistan dealing with terror is long and painful. Its plunge into the war against the former Soviet Union provided the first taste of this scourge. It is then that we brought home the Kalashnikov and drug culture that we are still struggling with. Our participation in the war against terror precipitated the crisis and, despite launching numerous security operations, we have not yet been able to defeat it. Except a few dips along the way, terror has continued to spread its tentacles becoming gruesomely lethal and destructive.

While the prospect cannot be eliminated, we must be deeply conscious of the fact that every challenge cannot be addressed using brute force alone. Such entanglements leave behind deep erosions which are impossible to heal as did the wars against the former Soviet Union and terror. We are still enduring their grave consequences. So, while debating the strategy to fight the menace, we should place before us our experience of the past and move forward with our dossier of lessons learnt.

Before looking outward, we should glance inward to determine what ails us and why we have become the favourite target of terrorists. While addressing the meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security a few days ago, the COAS pointed out that governance failures were hampering Pakistan’s ability to counter militancy effectively. He posited a compelling but obvious question: “How long will we continue to fill governance gaps with the sacrifices of the Pakistan Army and the blood of martyrs?” This is indeed a question we should try to answer before venturing any further into devising a strategy to combat the venomous scourge of terrorism.

Nobody can deny that there are governance failures, but it is their gravity in the current times which sends shudders down one’s spine. Ever since being placed in the seats of power three years ago, under one guise or the other, the illegitimate incumbents have played horrid games with the constitution, rule of law, democracy, human rights, and the ingrained interests of the state. It has been like a rampage demolishing everything that emanated from the statute book and on which the edifice of the state rested.

The fundamental principle of the trichotomy of powers has been gravely violated. The judiciary, decidedly the most important pillar of the state, has been enslaved in the clutches of a crony and corrupt executive as the perpetrators celebrate the demise of justice. Self-serving laws have been barbarously enacted in utter violation of constitutional tenets, pushing the system towards complete collapse.

Yes, there are grave governance failures. The first challenge we confront on the long trail to combat terrorism is to address the absence of the constitution and rule of law within. What we need is unity and homogeneity to bring people together in the monumental challenge to take on terror and its heinous operators. A divided nation will likely emerge as its victim, not the victor.

It is a simple matter. We don’t need another Pythagorean theorem to address it. Those who came before us left us a book called the constitution which contains the guidelines for running the country responsively. One of these is the holding of free, fair and transparent elections to induct a government which has the people’s mandate. The dacoity executed on February 8 has destroyed the stable base the state requires to move on. Before looking outward, the grave malady of misgovernance should be addressed. There is no shortcut to this. It must follow the statute book in letter and spirit. Elections should be held immediately under the supervision of a non-partisan administration. There should be no interference, and a government of people’s choice should be allowed to take over and implement its manifesto.

A representative government with the trust and support of the people will have the legitimacy to command respect from countries, friends and adversaries alike. It is then that a process of engagement should be initiated with a spectrum of elements who feel disenfranchised and those who are fighting us because of deprivations spread over decades.

It is no shame if we sit across and listen to them. It is no sign of weakness either. They may have some genuine grievances, they may even be misguided, they may have external support and encouragement – all this and more. A legitimate government will talk to these elements from a position of strength and, thus, with a prospect of success in winning them over. After all, they are our people. They should not be spurned.

It is then that we will be able to sift the real troublemakers from those who are willing to come back into the mainstream of life. The state should provide the latter with the rationale and the logistics to help them take the fledgling steps back into normal life. They are a treasure, and we should welcome them back into the national fold with open arms.

Simultaneously, we should initiate efforts to address their genuine grievances and deprivations and ensure the fulfilment of their demands as citizens of the country. Let’s not forget that political victimisation and denial of justice can breed extremism as has happened in the instant case. This needs sensitive and immediate redressal.

Having gone through this initial phase, we should then move on to devise a focused strategy to deal with the recalcitrant elements and institutions. This should be implemented without any harm coming to the habitats we are forced to take on. People living in those areas should not be displaced. Instead, they should be protected. A holistic approach will be needed for success which will be implemented with active support and participation of the people from across political and societal divides.

A state cannot afford to fight its own people. There is no need to blow the trumpets of war either. Now that the COAS has diagnosed the malady correctly, the first step should be to follow the constitution to generate political stability within the country. If we do that, we are halfway through to overcoming the scourge.

But if we don’t follow the path of the law, and hijack the system to continue with such leaders in power who are gravely deficient in character and integrity, we will not have the support of the people necessary for overcoming the cancer of terror. It will then be a lost cause.

The writer is a political andsecurity strategist and the founder of the Regional Peace Institute. He is a former special assistant to former PM Imran Khan and heads the PTI’s policy think-tank. He tweets @RaoofHasan