Pakistan's Jaish-e-Mohammad - Overdue crackdown

Finally the government has started a crackdown on Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), a group accused of masterminding an attack on the Indian Air Force Base in Pathankot. As per the latest reports, several seminaries being run by JeM have been shut down while several members of the militant group including its leader, Maulana Masood Azhar, have been arrested. This group has been operating in Pakistan for a long time under the nose of the law enforcement agencies. Why have their activities not checked before? Why have they been allowed to operate and run their seminaries without any proper monitoring and surveillance? JeM has bank accounts in Pakistan and its chief Maulana Masood Azhar has never been questioned about his activities. Pakistani authorities have taken action only after the terrorist attack on Pathankot. It is a known fact that the government is shy of taking action against these religious extremists. It only comes into action when it faces severe pressure at the national and international levels.

The campaign against the militant group shows that the government has realised the dangers associated with providing a living and operating space to those persons who are involved in cross-border terrorism. It was a long-overdue crackdown that should have been initiated much earlier. The government needs to continue the operation with full force and eliminate all dens of those militants who indulge in anti-state activities as well as spread terrorism in neighbouring states while using Pakistani soil. In the past, these militant groups have been used as strategic assets to put pressure on neighbouring states. But now the world has become aware of the threat posed by these elements. Pakistan has also been forced to change its policy but it has not changed the way it deals with the militants. There are still a number of militant groups that are operating freely in the country in the name of religion and imposing their agenda on others. Instead of waiting for more gruesome acts of terror, Pakistan should be proactive in dealing with the issue of home-based militancy. Pakistan needs not only to disassociate itself from these militant groups but also shut all their sanctuaries in various parts of the country.

We need a government that could take this menace of extremism in the guise of Islam seriously and eradicate it for good from all over Pakistan. These extremists could push Pakistan into full fledged wars with other countries which Pakistan cannot afford. We need peace in our country so that we could have friendly relations with other neighbouring states.