Invoke Military Courts Against Pakistan Traitors

[asaad-ul-islam]

Invoke Military Courts Against Pakistan Traitors

Pakistan must stop cooperating with the United States in the war against Afghan Taliban and should fight only the local Pakistani Taliban militants and the Al-Qaeda. We must start talking to Mullah Omar. Americans must be told to help us in eliminating anti-Pakistani rebels like Baitullah Mehsud or we will withdraw our support. It is time to terrorize the terrorists.


By ZAID HAMID

Friday, 7 March 2008.

Ahmed Quraishi-Pakistan/Middle East politics, Iraq war, lebanon war, India Pakistan relations

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan—What are the options for Pakistan now when the war bloodletting has now reached even the highest echelons of the military and now the militants have taken the entire society hostage with their ruthless violence?


The problem is that there is no government in Islamabad at the moment. Caretakers are on their way out and are not willing to take difficult decisions and the new government has not yet been formed. This power vacuum is being used by the militants to create maximum chaos and anarchy within the system.


Militants only used the peace deals to regroup and re-arm themselves in Waziristan. Now when they have done so, they have re-launched their vicious campaign but this time with an added vengeance and changed strategy to target highest levels of military as well as the softest targets like funerals, NGOs and peace Jirgas. By killing the pro-government tribal chiefs, the militants are sending the signal to the rest of them to abstain from helping the army and the government.


So what can Pakistan do? There are multiple steps which need to be taken urgently by the government and we detail them briefly here. There is no other way out for the government in this vicious war.


DECLARING NEUTRALITY IN AFGHANISTAN IS A MUST FOR PAKISTAN. Pakistan must stop cooperating with the United States in the war against Afghan Taliban and should fight only the local Pakistani Taliban militants and the Al-Qaeda.


CONCLUSIVELY DEFINE TERRORISM. Terrorism will have to be defined conclusively, clearly and in the interest of Pakistan before Pakistan decides to side with the U.S. any further in the campaign.


ENGAGE MULLAH OMAR. Pakistan will have to immediately redefine its war on terror policy and engage Afghan Taliban and Mullah Omar in a dialogue as agreed in the Pakistan-Afghan government level Jirga a few months back in Kabul. Mullah Omar has expelled Baitullah Mehsud from their own ranks for his defiance to Afghan Taliban and his war against Pakistan. Afghan Taliban do not want to fight Pakistan and have tried to check activities of Mehsud. Pakistan needs to make a distinction between Taliban and Al-Qaeda and must go after Al-Qaeda with full force.


ELIMINATE MEHSUD. Military pressure must be redeployed against Baitullah Mehsud in South Waziristan taking advantage of the fact that Mehsud is isolated at the moment and is vulnerable. Local tribes must be engaged more to raise armies to fight alongside the military in various parts of the tribal regains. There are many tribes loyal to the government and they are under pressure from the terrorists.


The entire focus of military operations should be on Baitullah and Fadlullah. The U.S. must be asked to give complete support of their technology including Satellite tracking systems, UAVs and Hellfire missiles to track and neutralize Baitullah and his associates. So far U.S. has not been cooperating on this count. Pakistan may even threaten to withdraw support in the war on terror if the U.S. refuses to assist in anti-Mehsud operations.


INVOKE MILITARY COURTS AGAINST TRAITORS. Army act has been modified recently to court martial those civilians who wage war against army and the State. With hundreds of cases pending against thousands of terrorists in ordinary courts, the government will have to invoke the military courts and laws against terrorists especially those involved in suicide bombings campaigns. Terrorists must be terrorized. Right now the fear factor is with the government not the militants.

National consensus on terrorism must be achieved within the political parties to generate larger political and moral base for the military operations against Mehsud’s terrorists. For obvious reasons, no party is taking a strong position against the militants and the violent end of Benazir Bhutto is being seen as a warning from the terrorists.

SUPPORTIVE MEDIA CAMPAIGN AND INFORMATION WARFARE REQUIRED to counter the propaganda of the militants and to galvanize the national opinion against the terrorists.


Last eight years of follies and mistakes by the government in the war on terror have now come home to roost with hundreds of innocents including senior officers of the army are losing their lives on almost daily basis. It is a still a manageable problem but all the above mentioned factors will have to be deployed. There is no short cut to end this menace.

In Balochistan also, the low level war against the State continues though not as viciously as we see being launched by Mehsud’s men.

© Copyrighted Material. AhmedQuraishi.com. Click here for republication.

Mr. Hamid is the Founding Consultant of BRASSTACKS, a security and defense analysis firm based in Islamabad. He can be contacted at [email protected]

 

[asaad-ul-islam]

SUPPORTIVE MEDIA CAMPAIGN AND INFORMATION WARFARE REQUIRED

this is something we really need right now. unfortunately, with the advent of free media in pakistan, the media has gone astray. that's why the govt. should control the media before SOMEONE else does.

 

[Dynamic_Dynasty]

The media can not be controlled with the danda, when govt were licensing govt should have installed their own men there. But it is still not to late if they get people there or even give them some understanding with logic not with restrictions.

 

[Tiki Tam Tam]

Invoke Military Courts Against Pakistan Traitors

Pakistan must stop cooperating with the United States in the war against Afghan Taliban and should fight only the local Pakistani Taliban militants and the Al-Qaeda. We must start talking to Mullah Omar. Americans must be told to help us in eliminating anti-Pakistani rebels like Baitullah Mehsud or we will withdraw our support. It is time to terrorize the terrorists.

A brave comment.

But not very realistic and pragmatic.

By ZAID HAMID

Friday, 7 March 2008.

Ahmed Quraishi-Pakistan/Middle East politics, Iraq war, lebanon war, India Pakistan relations

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan—What are the options for Pakistan now when the war bloodletting has now reached even the highest echelons of the military and now the militants have taken the entire society hostage with their ruthless violence?


The problem is that there is no government in Islamabad at the moment. Caretakers are on their way out and are not willing to take difficult decisions and the new government has not yet been formed. This power vacuum is being used by the militants to create maximum chaos and anarchy within the system.

It is wonderfully appealing words for writing op eds and would be lapped up by the ignorant frustrated. However, it is another thing in so far as the nuances of democracy is concerned. Mr Querishi cleverly forgets that in a democracy, caretaker govts cannot take policy decisions and if they don't it does not mean that they are 'not willing'. It is just that pure and simply, they are not supposed to!!

It is not that the militants are taking advantage. They have been at it, even when there was a legitimate and recognised govt.

Therefore, what he writes is mere spin to make the article appealing and 'charged'!

Militants only used the peace deals to regroup and re-arm themselves in Waziristan. Now when they have done so, they have re-launched their vicious campaign but this time with an added vengeance and changed strategy to target highest levels of military as well as the softest targets like funerals, NGOs and peace Jirgas. By killing the pro-government tribal chiefs, the militants are sending the signal to the rest of them to abstain from helping the army and the government.

Spin.

These was all happening all the time! Nothing unusual in the way they have acted. All militants/ terrorist organisation the world over follow the same modus operandi and it is nothing singular of those terrorist organisations operating in Pakistan.

So what can Pakistan do? There are multiple steps which need to be taken urgently by the government and we detail them briefly here. There is no other way out for the government in this vicious war.


DECLARING NEUTRALITY IN AFGHANISTAN IS A MUST FOR PAKISTAN. Pakistan must stop cooperating with the United States in the war against Afghan Taliban and should fight only the local Pakistani Taliban militants and the Al-Qaeda.

Easier said than done.

If it were so easy to shed the spin offs of the cooperation, then it would have been done way before.

The US Pakistan cooperation, for one, has ensured that the Pakistan hinterland is comparitively free of terrorists, unlike in the heydeys of the terrorists.

It has struck fear in the hearts of the terrorists in the badlands of Pakistan wherein they are well aware they can be stalked and eliminated by the drones. Possibly that is why the NWFP voted in Wali Khan's people and rejected the pro militant ones.

CONCLUSIVELY DEFINE TERRORISM. Terrorism will have to be defined conclusively, clearly and in the interest of Pakistan before Pakistan decides to side with the U.S. any further in the campaign.

Maybe he could have given his version of a terrorist rather than ducking it and avoiding the comebacks.

Typical journalistic 'courage' to leave the difficult issues hanging with some 'intellectual' mishmash.

ENGAGE MULLAH OMAR. Pakistan will have to immediately redefine its war on terror policy and engage Afghan Taliban and Mullah Omar in a dialogue as agreed in the Pakistan-Afghan government level Jirga a few months back in Kabul. Mullah Omar has expelled Baitullah Mehsud from their own ranks for his defiance to Afghan Taliban and his war against Pakistan. Afghan Taliban do not want to fight Pakistan and have tried to check activities of Mehsud. Pakistan needs to make a distinction between Taliban and Al-Qaeda and must go after Al-Qaeda with full force.

Indeed and hand over Pakistan to the Taliban!

Omar is merely buying time so that the Pakistani Army does not go whole hog against him and his AQ with greater US cooperation.

It indicates how gullible Quereshi is and how desperate he is clutching at straws and dreaming the Omar will abandon his lifetime quest just to make good old Quereshi happy!

Querishi should study insurgency and the psyche that make up the mindset of a terrorist instead of regurgitating pious aimless platitudes.

ELIMINATE MEHSUD. Military pressure must be redeployed against Baitullah Mehsud in South Waziristan taking advantage of the fact that Mehsud is isolated at the moment and is vulnerable. Local tribes must be engaged more to raise armies to fight alongside the military in various parts of the tribal regains. There are many tribes loyal to the government and they are under pressure from the terrorists.

That is the popular belief that Mehsud and his cohorts have been neutralised. If it were so, then would the Pakistani govt or the Pakistani Army be sitting on its haunches? I am sure the Pakistani govt and the Army is more keen to snuff this menace more than Mr Quereshi.

It is so easy to pontificate and at the same time, be a babe in the wood when asked to act! These armchair strategists really take the cake!

The entire focus of military operations should be on Baitullah and Fadlullah. The U.S. must be asked to give complete support of their technology including Satellite tracking systems, UAVs and Hellfire missiles to track and neutralize Baitullah and his associates. So far U.S. has not been cooperating on this count. Pakistan may even threaten to withdraw support in the war on terror if the U.S. refuses to assist in anti-Mehsud operations.

I thought he was advocating a break from US Pakistan policy and open up dialogue with the Taliban.

Have your cake and eat it too seems to be his strategic advise.

Does Quereshi understand what will be the outcome of quitting the WoT now in terms of US response and in terms of the Taliban forces taking over Pakistan?

INVOKE MILITARY COURTS AGAINST TRAITORS. Army act has been modified recently to court martial those civilians who wage war against army and the State. With hundreds of cases pending against thousands of terrorists in ordinary courts, the government will have to invoke the military courts and laws against terrorists especially those involved in suicide bombings campaigns. Terrorists must be terrorized. Right now the fear factor is with the government not the militants.

I thought the media and the lawyers were all so keen on democracy.

I thought they were going hammer and tongs against Musharraf's Emergency and closure of Geo TV.

So, how come now Quereshi advocate the Army Act to rule supreme?

National consensus on terrorism must be achieved within the political parties to generate larger political and moral base for the military operations against Mehsud’s terrorists. For obvious reasons, no party is taking a strong position against the militants and the violent end of Benazir Bhutto is being seen as a warning from the terrorists.

Let the political parties first make up their minds how to form the govt.

If for 'obvious reasons' no political party can take a stand, then what is all the ranting and frothing at the bit, Mr Quereshi is doing in this article all about?

If it is a lost cause, then why bother to write this article?

Of course, this article achieve an aim - put the bread on his dinner table for his family and him and nothing more.

SUPPORTIVE MEDIA CAMPAIGN AND INFORMATION WARFARE REQUIRED to counter the propaganda of the militants and to galvanize the national opinion against the terrorists.


Last eight years of follies and mistakes by the government in the war on terror have now come home to roost with hundreds of innocents including senior officers of the army are losing their lives on almost daily basis. It is a still a manageable problem but all the above mentioned factors will have to be deployed. There is no short cut to end this menace.

In Balochistan also, the low level war against the State continues though not as viciously as we see being launched by Mehsud’s men.

Media and supportive?

Oxymoron!