Pakistan: Zarb-e-Azb’s results

The North Waziristan (NW) operation was badly needed to eradicate terrorism that has obliterated the ability of the government to function effectively. The entire structure of the state seemed to be crumbling when the terrorists literally looked in command of the situation. NW had been the sore in the international community’s eye, especially of the US and Afghanistan. The efforts of the US-led NATO forces to root out terrorism from Afghanistan fell flat due to the sanctuaries NW provided to the terrorists. The tribal region of Pakistan has played host to the terrorists fleeing Afghanistan, allowing them to regroup, reorganize and regenerate their ability and mettle to recapture Afghanistan. Operation Zarb-e-Azb, according to ISPR, has so far been successful in not only killing about 1,000 terrorists but stopping infiltration from across the border. According to ISPR, most of the areas in NW have been cleared of terrorists. We do not have any independent source to verify the claim, but the stories from some observers suggest that things are not moving in the right direction or in the direction most suitable to make NW and its adjoining agencies terrorist-free in the real sense of the word.

For long Pakistan has tangled itself in the dichotomy of the good and bad Taliban. Those we nurtured to keep a toehold in both Afghanistan and Kashmir became strategic assets. These are the blue-eyed boys who have been spared the rod in spite of their dirty deeds. The rest have been destined to hell. Allegedly, the operation Zarb-e-Azb is heading in the direction of killing the rotten ones while saving the assets. It is a fact that most of the Taliban fled NW when we had been contemplating and shifting between the option of peace talks or taking the bull by the horns through force. We have reasons to be sceptical about the results of the operation. Of all those killed so far, no recognizable name could be seen. The Haqqanis have disappeared. Mullah Fazlullah is hiding in Afghanistan. So, who are we fighting against? Who is the enemy here? Is it a real war or a shadow we are chasing once again to post some good figures on the wall? It would be a misadventure to fight the wrong enemy at this stage when Afghanistan is once again on the tip of a civil war in the wake of the US withdrawal. The penchant to discriminate between good and bad terrorists has already made Pakistan a virtual pariah state, and any renewed effort to this end will only serve to isolate us further.