Dr. Ikramul Haq
It is tragic that even after lapse of eleven years, the state machinery has failed to unveil the ‘real hands’ behind the 2014 tragedy of Peshawar Army Public School—representing the same forces that assassinated Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto in 2007. Those guilty of extending a policy of appeasement towards terrorists and religious fanatics are answerable to all those innocents who became victims at the hands of these barbarians. The perpetrators and their protectors deserve equal and exemplary punishment if we have to get rid of this menace.
The valiant struggle, waged by Benazir Bhutto, to counter the forces of terrorism, was revived by Tahira Qazi, Principal of Peshawar Army Public School on December 16, 2014, one of the most lamentable barbaric incidents occurred in our history.
The terrorists of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) clad in the uniform of the Frontier Corps entered the school from the rear. They stormed the premises and held it in a nine-hour siege. They moved from classroom to classroom, killing innocent students and staff—nearly 150 lost life and many hundreds received serious injuries.
Though the Taliban is one identifiable homogeneous political entity, it also represents a coalition of various groups that want to capture state power and impose a particular orthodox brand of Islam through the barrel of gun. It is also a myth that Pakistani Taliban are different from Afghan Taliban—they represent the same ideology though having different tactics to achieve it and controlled by uncommon leaders.
The militant groups playing havoc with Pakistan’s security are not under one control—they operate in Afghanistan and Pakistan having sanctuaries in the tribal belt of both the countries where state writ is virtually non-existent. The Taliban are thriving on drug-arms-money and posing even a greater threat to all States in this region.
Our political and military leaders are still not fully aware of contours of New Great Game, which the West—led by the United States—started in the wake of 9/11 using “Islamic militants” to contain Russian and Chinese influences in Central and West Asia. We still lack a well-thought-for strategy to counter this agenda.
Since the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, all events prove that under the “chosen” political leadership (PML-N, PPP, PTI & JI), Pakistan has been failing to avert the economic disaster that has weakened the State from within. It is, thus, no wonder that all the interior ministers have been paying lip service to fight “terrorists” but there has been no worthwhile effort to destroy all their cells and structures. One must remembers that six security officials were martyred in an intelligence-based operation conducted on a terrorists’ hideout in Wakai area near Buleda, Turbat, Balochistan on December 14, 2018, four years after Peshawar School tragedy.
We all remember General Raheel Sharif, who assumed the charge of armed forces on 27 November 2013 and launched a much-delayed action in North Waziristan and elsewhere against the safe sanctuaries of militants. Operation Zarb-e-Azb (“Strike of the Prophet’s Sword”) started after failure of negotiations with militants and wanton attacks on army personnel. Such operations continue even today under the incumbent first-ever Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff, Field Martial Syed Asim Munir.
It is a well-established fact that the terrorist networks get millions of dollars every year from various sources—using cover up entities. Militant groups in Afghanistan, Pakistan and elsewhere in the garb of “ideology” are engaged in criminal activities; from smuggling to kidnappings, narco trade to arms deals. Terrorism, like fascism is a self-destructive ideology.
To fight terrorism, it is necessary to understand it. Wishful thinking about military might and invincible air-strike-power will not help to win the war against terrorists—they use religion to conceal their lust for money and social control, otherwise what is the justification for destroying educational institutions. Use of ill-directed force against a few groups without eliminating the main causes leading to “terrorism”, is proving to be merely a self-defeating exercise.
Determined and practical efforts are needed to destroy their financial lifeline. The strategy to fight terrorism has ignored this most vital aspect and, therefore, the powerful States, like USA, with all their military might and economic resources, have failed to win the war started by them in 2001—they now desiring dialogue with the forces once called by them the enemies of humanity who take away innocent lives in the name of religion and faith.
The brave leader Benazir Bhutto, many men in uniform and civilians have given their lives for resisting the designs of those who support militants to wreck Pakistan providing them pretext to intervene physically in the name of safeguarding nuclear arsenals. Unfortunately, Benazir’s own party later on betrayed her. Late General Pervez Musharraf, was aware of and tracking the many threats against Benazir but he “did little more than pass on those threats to her and to provincial authorities and were not proactive in neutralising them or ensuring that the security provided was commensurate to the threats”.
Heraldo Munoz, the lead United Nations (UN) investigator, assigned probe into Benazir’s assassination, in his book ‘Getting Away with Murder: Benazir Bhutto’s Assassination and the Politics of Pakistan’, doubted that the banned TTP independently carried out the attack. He did not discount suspicions about involvement of intelligence operatives in her murder and later covering up of evidence. Munoz expressed fears that the murder would remain unsolved because of absence of both capacity and willingness of the government and courts to solve the case. He candidly observed:
“In Bhutto’s case, it would seem that the village assassinated her: Al-Qaeda gave the order; the Pakistani Taliban executed the attack, possibly backed or at least encouraged by elements of the establishment; the Musharraf government facilitated the crime through its negligence; local senior policemen attempted a cover-up; Bhutto’s lead security team failed to properly safeguard her; and most Pakistani political actors would rather turn the page than continue investigating who was behind her assassination”.
Since seven years after the tragedy of losing Benazir, our rulers and agencies failed to punish her assailants and forces behind the terrorism, another great tragedy happened and our beloved children were also brutally martyred on 16 December 2014—the responsibility for this event collectively rests on State. It is high time that forces behind these and other incidents are brought to justice.
We need to revive the legacy of resisting the forces engaged in New Great Game aims at controlling South Asian and Central Asian resources through the bogey of Islamic militants with the ultimate objective of containing China and undermining nuclear state of Pakistan.
______________________________________________________________________
Dr. Ikramul Haq, Advocate Supreme Court, Adjunct Faculty at Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), member Advisory Board and Visiting Senior Fellow of Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE), holds LLD in tax laws. He was full-time journalist from 1979 to 1984 with Viewpoint and Dawn. He also served Civil Services of Pakistan from 1984 to 1996.