Pakistan: Colour of cowardice

IRFAN HUSAIN

I WAS thinking of sending Nawaz Sharif and Imran Khan a white feather each: until the First World War, it was a symbol of cowardice given to men seen to be too scared to fight for their country.

In our culture, bangles are traditionally sent to such people. But noting a slight shift in the government’s tone on the issue of the Taliban, I will delay my gift. For years now, the bodies of innocent victims of terrorism have been piling up, accompanied by crocodile tears and empty promises of talks.

Neither have soothed the pain of the bereaved, or reduced the violence unleashed by a savage foe. While the slaughter goes on unchecked, the nation has been treated to the unedifying spectacle of politicians begging the killers (now known as stakeholders, no less) to please dictate the terms of the state’s surrender.

At a recent conference on security in Afghanistan held in Islamabad, the same pathetic mantra of talks at any cost was uttered by speaker after speaker. And all the while, the tempo of attacks against security forces as well as civilians has been stepped up.

The only silver lining is the resolve shown by the army when it launched retaliatory air raids to punish the Taliban for attacks against military personnel. But when an aerial attack in North Waziristan recently killed dozens of mostly foreign militants, Shireen Mazari, the PTI spokesperson, demanded to know why civilians in the area had not been warned in advance of the impending bombardment.

Say what? Ms Mazari presumably wanted the military to alert the terrorists so they could escape. It is this kind of muddled thinking that has landed us where we are. The sad reality is that wars result in carnage, and civilians are often tragically caught in the crossfire. Civil wars involving militants in plain clothes are particularly brutal because it is hard to tell foes from non-combatants.

At a recent Islamabad conference, Maulana Samiul Haq, leader of his own faction of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, and widely known as the ‘father of the Taliban’, said that military action would result in 500,000 internally displaced persons. In addition, the Taliban would escape with the refugees, thereby spreading the war across Pakistan.

I do not disagree with this assessment. Indeed, I suspect it is partly this concern that has caused the foot-dragging we have been witnessing for years. Even the previous government, despite its rhetoric, kept bleating about the need for a political consensus in confronting the Taliban. The truth is that our military — except for a few units — is not trained in counter-insurgency warfare. Artillery is a blunt instrument, as are helicopter gun ships and fighter-bombers. None of them are anywhere near as precise as remotely guided drones.

Any assault on militant strongholds will carry the risk of flushing these terrorists out of Fata and sending them into Peshawar, Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi, together with thousands of displaced civilians. Already, an exodus has begun from North Waziristan. Who can say how many TTP fighters are part of this flood?

Such a scenario will have major implications for the country. The MQM, already uncomfortable with the recent influx of Pakhtuns, will oppose a further increase in their numbers in Karachi, even though it is firmly opposed to the Taliban. Punjab will be the first to face the flood of refugees. And as images of combat and casualty figures begin appearing on our TV screens, many in the media will turn against military action, citing the collateral damage that is bound to occur. Recall that the army intervention to clear Islamabad’s Lal Masjid of terrorists in 2007 still resonates in the public consciousness, with reports saying that some 92 people, mostly comprising armed militants and security personnel, were killed.

A full-fledged military operation in the Taliban-infested North Waziristan will be a far bloodier affair, involving hundreds — perhaps thousands — of casualties. Just as the militants in the Red Mosque were given time to consolidate their grip, those in Fata, too, have been granted years to strengthen their defences.

In addition, they often use civilians as human shields. Given their complete callousness, it should surprise nobody if they prevent villagers from fleeing. The militants at the Red Mosque used a similar tactic when they sheltered among young male and female seminary students. These are the realities we must confront. And yet the alternative — inaction — is one that has resulted in over 40,000 deaths. As in any war, the public must be prepared to accept losses. However, the army was able to cleanse Swat of the TTP, and then resettle the thousands of locals who had fled the valley. So tackling the Taliban is clearly not beyond our military.

But if the government continues to dither, I will be sending out my white feathers shortly.