Not down and out
‘They attack school buses, they attack funerals, they attack mosques; they are obviously not Muslim, are they?’ The typical response from the people of Denialistan after hearing of another attack. Indeed, the ugliness of the violence befuddles the mind so that it is easier to take refuge in spun theories of foreign hands than look reality in the face: this is our war being fought with our people who were nurtured by our policies.
The attack in Lower Dir was targeting members of the anti-Taliban militia attending a local funeral. The previous attack on the school bus was also reportedly carried out to punish members of these militias and to pay them in kind for their resistance against the Taliban. Though the rising phenomenon of these militias is not documented in detail, the very fact that they exist is sufficient to indicate that the security machinery has failed at some, or many, levels at what it was supposed to do.
The spate of recent attacks has thwarted claims of the terrorists being on the down and out. If anything, it has demonstrated that not only are they organised and entrenched but a step ahead of the security apparatus. The much vaunted recent captures of a slew of leaders of Al-Qaeda and affiliates may have dented the terrorists fleetingly but the backlash has been full and furious.
Smack in the thick of things, it doesn’t bode well that the US and Pakistan aren’t as thick as thieves. Despite the fact that cooperation has paid rich dividends, there seems to be no move towards a joint strategy. The tetchy back and forth between officials and the ISI being denied a seat at the Qatar round table aren’t good omens. The US intractability on the N Waziristan operation and the Haqqani group has hampered any progress.
Both the countries need to revisit their military strategies; they still don’t know whether to talk to them or fight them. Our military needs to admit that North Waziristan is a problem than cannot be brushed under the carpet; in this regard, the US needs to understand that its not all smokes and mirrors and Pakistan can do no more than its capacity. The US military strategy too needs a review because they are still ambivalent about how to or whether to talk to the enemy. Being in two minds won’t help when the others are coming at you with single-minded determination.
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