Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani decided on Monday that the Parliamentary Committee on National Security should update its report to incorporate the root causes of extremism as well as assess the present threats; prepare a draft national policy to counter the insurgency; devise a de-radicalisation programme to bring religious extremists into the mainstream; and devise means to bring the madrassas into the mainstream and enhance the capacity-building of law enforcement agencies.
The parliamentary committee has also been asked to co-opt the federal information minister, the federal religious affairs minister, the interior secretary, as well as the chief secretaries, IGs, all provincial home secretaries, the FIA chief, and others. The report has to be completed in two weeks and put before the prime minister. Since a new policy requires a revisiting of the old policy, it will become imperative not to rely on the old reports prepared and filed in the past. But, in view of the short time for preparation, the new policy will most probably be based on old reports. It may be a policy but it will not be new.
A new policy is desired only when there is some dissatisfaction with the old one. After that, there are two ways new insights may be inducted into the report: a revamping of counter-action that has been taken in the past; and a completely alternative look at the way the entire phenomenon of terrorism has been defined in the past. There is no doubt that some of the parameters set earlier will have to remain the same because of paucity of time. But it is expected that the phenomenon will be overwhelmingly blamed on forces external to Pakistan and all solutions will be made to hang from Pakistans forceful defence of its sovereignty vis-à-vis American policy and Indias interference.
Pakistan has lost a vast stretch of its territory in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) where only the army can go if it so chooses. All seven tribal agencies with over 3 million population have been partially or completely overrun by the Taliban who are affiliated with Al Qaeda and work in tandem with the Afghan Taliban located in Balochistan under the general label of Afghan Shura. An emirate has been set up in South Waziristan by Baitullah Mehsud with sway over some other agencies disposing vast sums of money as his budget which he augments through kidnappings. In North Waziristan, two warlords that the world accuses Pakistan of supporting are launching attacks into Afghanistan.
Along the border with FATA, normally administered cities and towns of the NWFP have fully or partially fallen to the Taliban. Starting from Dera Ismail Khan and Hangu to Kohat and Bannu, the armed men of the Taliban decide how the people have to live, killing Shias and blowing up girls schools. Swat has been lost to the Taliban but not before Peshawar itself became a playground for the Taliban who kidnap and extort money from the rich of the city. NATO trucks have been attacked and looted till the Taliban were amply provided with high-tech transport meant for the external forces in Afghanistan.
In the rest of the country there is sympathy for the Taliban and indirectly for Al Qaeda. Big cities like Karachi are threatened with a new war that Islamabad may not know how to tackle because it will be spearheaded by suicide-bombers. The madrassas have crossed the line and gone over to the other side. People need protection that only the Taliban can provide in the end because they are the perpetrators of violence and fear themselves. Therefore any new policy will have to knock off the old props of thinking. There is 60 percent coverage of the TV channels in Bajaur and a graded coverage in other agencies, and the message that the people are getting is against the state of Pakistan because it is allegedly siding with America.
Pakistans economy can go down in a heap if it is not helped from outside through massive grants and handouts. Its army needs a big budget to maintain its readiness. Its police needs to be rebuilt on a new basis of recruitment and emolument for which it has no money. Since it blames terrorism on the West in general and America in particular, Pakistan is also incapable of formulating policy against terrorism. But it would be lethal if, like its parliament, the government and state organs of Pakistan take an isolationist stance when confronted with accusations of collaboration with the terrorists and lose the money they need to survive the revolution of the Taliban. The bottom-line for the world is Pakistans nuclear weapons. To prevent them from getting into the wrong hands of extremists, the world will do anything, with or without Pakistans help.
Initially, 150 marksmen will be inducted in Islamabad before inducting more for deployment in the provinces: Rehman Malik.APP/File
