Pakhtuns’ plea to Gen. Kayani

FRONTIER POST Jan Assakzai... Since the launch of army's crackdown on TTP, the army's Chief Gen Kayani still enjoys the support of overwhelming number of Pakhtuns. Gen Kayani by retaking Swat and partially wresting South Waziristan and Orakzai from the TTP has proved his credentials as military leader. The government is fully backing the army's campaign to eradicate the TTP from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's other anti-militant, democratic forces, legal fraternity, pro-development community, the media and nascent civil society are behind General Kayani in this anti-TTP drive. The campaign has now nearly gone through a year. The Swat has been retaken, the TTP denied a sanctuary in South Waziristan, and a partial sanctuary in the Orakzai Agency. As a result of the campaign the TTP though not completely knocked down, is on the back foot: the nasty incidents of suicide and merciless bombings have substantially been reduced. The strategy of the army proved that if there is a will, these fanatics can be taken out without appeasement. The fact is that these tactical victories of the army could not be made possible without the support of the government. From strategic point of view, particularly the provincial leadership in terms of standing up to the militants in Swat and the rest of FATA, in spite of great peril, created ideal condition for the army to conduct a relatively successful campaign in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and FATA. The apologists of the Taliban who are still clamouring that the army is fighting the US war, had the simplistic view that these militants could give up on intent and capability to harm people, through dialogue. But they have been proved wrong. Some un-elected retired bureaucrats and "security" official-cum-analysts (who have the habit of waiting for their next fat cheque every month from the government) mistakenly believed that "our brothers in arms" are misguided souls and hence should be co-opted. But they forgot that the game has past the stage of simple Taliban gone astray. Now the TTP has become Frankenstein drawing inspiration, adopting the methodology and gaining finances from its new mentor - al-Qaeda. They even adopted the agenda of al-Qaeda to mount transnational attacks as a far off place as New York. The monster of the TTP has reared its ugly head in Punjab where the ruling political elite's denial mode has helped create a new environ for militants to flourish and a danger of South Punjab sleep walking into a pre-Taliban Swat-like situation. Except, some pro-Taliban political actors (whose followers are known to have helped support, recruit, harbour some al-Qaeda operatives and their Taliban allies), criticising the current crackdown only to save the skin of their ideological "friends", there is overwhelming support for the present campaign. Because Pakhtuns understand that the terrorists have taken over their lives, their neighbourhoods, their communities, they have to reclaim back the ground lost to these militants. They believe it is not the fight of the US or any other foreign force rather it is a fight for their soul and hence for Pakistan which they want to see through. They reject the stereotypes and lies propagated by the right wing media anchors and writers that Pakhtuns resent action against the Taliban as if they are the equivalent of the Taliban. But for Pakhtuns it is far from the truth and they have one message for these apologists of the Taliban monster: "please not on my name". They understand that the Taliban they knew, never beheaded people, turned 15 years only teenagers into suicide missiles, and conspired to launch transnational attacks in league with the foreign terrorists. Thus one measure of their mindset was the sacrifices of hundreds of members of Amn Lashkars, tribal maliks, political leaders, workers, innocent men, women and children. For they always thought that Pakhtun culture, traditions and values were the opposite of terrorism and extremism. On the contrary they believed that these Taliban were propped up and they never voted for, nor chose. This is why they back the army's crackdown against the TTP and very much appreciate those servicemen who were killed at the hands of terrorists: for them these fine men did not lose their lives in vain but offered the ultimate sacrifice to keep the streets of Swat and other areas off guntotting terrorists. There is a consensus among Pakhtuns that the army take the campaign to its logical conclusion knocking down the TTP's sanctuaries, intent and capability to harm innocents citizens. Although, at national level, the right wing media anchors and the pro-militant PML(N) has created much obfuscation, the army should not confuse the resolve and the consensus of the Pakhtun democratic political forces, the legal and development community, the media and civil society on fighting the Taliban monster, with the incoherence and inconstancy of PML(N)'s leadership on the issue. The army knows that there is no solution except force to deal with militants in Punjab as well. However, because of foot dragging of the political leadership of PML(N) cannot take such action fearing that doing so could make the situation even worse. But inaction of the political leadership and the army's reluctance to use force, forced the hand of the government to negotiate away the writ of the state to well-entrenched Taliban in Swat. That said, the army's crackdown in FATA is not adequate yet. North Waziristan continues to serve as sanctuary for the TTP and al-Qaeda and its allies. Without military operation in North Waziristan, threat and intimidation to the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA and the rest of the country will remain and victories against the TTP will hang in the balance. Although Pakhtuns fully support the army to retake the areas from the TTP, they are concerned that the army has not yet addressed the problems it has created for itself by distinguishing between the "friendly " and "unfriendly" militants. The militants either friendly or rogue, cannot be grouped into categories as they ideologically pursue the same cause: local and transnational terrorism. This deliberate ambivalence could allow the Taliban and al-Qaeda to thrive and come back to hunt people in Swat and other neighbourhoods in the country and nullify the sacrifices of all those who laid their lives in getting rid of this monster. For, the past policies of containing Pakhtun nationalism with right wing extremism (thus militancy) backfired. janassakzai200@gamil.com