Pakistan: ''Punishing the unpunished''

Terrorists are ruling the roost; they hit their targets at their will and at a place of their choosing, running amok at the lofty claims of the law enforcing agencies putting up fool-proof security arrangements for the protection of life and property of the common man. What to talk of a common man, the security cover given to the high value targets has been proved insufficient and insignificant when yet another suicide bomber attacked the convoy of the commandant of the Frontier Constabulary (FC) near an army check post on the Fakhr-e-Alam Road in Peshawar Cantonment on Friday, leaving behind twelve people dead and 30 others injured; Commandant of the paramilitary FC, Abdul Majeed Marwat, miraculously escaped unharmed. Therein Ittehad Town, Karachi, gunmen on Saturday hurled a firecracker and opened fire at a primary school killing its principal and wounding eight children. The gunmen fled on motorbikes and nobody has claimed responsibility for these attacks. Pakistan especially the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa capital Peshawar has become a favourite hunting ground of the terrorists. Notwithstanding, acts of terrorism in other parts of the country, in last couple of weeks, the terrorists have targeted girls’ school, refugees in Jalozai Camp and Jawans of the armed forces in North Waziristan apart from taking over Tirah Valley. The rampage insecurity across the country especially in Quetta, Karachi and KPK out-witted the armed forces, police, intelligence agencies and on the top of it the Frontier Constabulary. Combined together, these forces have failed to knit a security web against terrorists. The security forces are not inefficient, incapable, ill-trained or ill-equipped; certainly on the one hand, the political will to solve this issue once for all is non-existent, and on the other, coordination amongst the security and intelligence agencies is a major missing link that gives terrorists ample room and time to run through. Self-proclaimed former security expert running the Interior Ministry, many a times, predicted in public that terrorists will strike but he could do nothing to save 49000 people who had been killed by terrorists in his tenure. Yet he enjoyed perks and privileges as a federal minister for five years—indeed a miracle that can only happen in Pakistan; Alas! He is gone, leaving behind a legacy of inability and lethargy. It is too early to expect anything significant from the caretaker setup yet they, assigned the task of holding next election, will have to act too quickly to ensure that the job given to them is done. First, it has to raise the level of coordination amongst the agencies. If in British Raj, the Intelligence Bureau and the CID can play pivotal role in maintaining law and order situation why cannot the countries’ agencies do the same especially when the Inter Services Intelligence and the Military Intelligence is also there to rub their shoulders with. All agencies combined together form a force to reckon with thus their failure is neither acceptable nor tolerable either. Secondly, corruption on every international border is a known phenomenon—Pakistan’s FC posted at the long porous Afghan border is no exception. The FC personnel, serving there over the years, are involved in all sorts of unwarranted activities; an immediate reshuffle in the placement of the FC personnel can provide an early soothing effect. Thirdly, the Interior Ministry should launch an intensive search of all black-water agents operating in the country especially in the FATA. Their connivance with terrorists here is hurting Pakistan more than anything else. Above all, a strict surveillance and monitoring over the most notorious police in Pakistan should also be put in place to eliminate cops working for minor gains. Moreover, enough is enough; all Afghans including the ones who had attained Identity Cards of Pakistan and are operating like Pakistanis should be thrown out of the country. Pakistan has served the Afghan cause more than what it can afford. Undeniably, the presence of the peaceful or otherwise Afghans and their subsequent free movement in Pakistan is a constant source of help for terrorists. Even otherwise, Afghanistan has returned to normalcy thus there is no point to house the Afghans in Pakistan. The honest and thorough scrutiny of Afghans should start forthwith to come down hard on the illegal Afghans and other foreigners living in Pakistan. It is an established fact that foreign agents are funding the militants and terrorists, alluring them to continue to play havoc in the country. If the terrorist-attacks continued unabated as of now, the holding of elections, which are round the corner, will remain a distant reality. Setting aside the years’ lethargy of the previous government in tackling terrorism, the caretakers must act now with iron hands to punish the unpunished anti-Pakistan elements.