Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad - Updates, News and Discussions.
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niaz
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An interesting article. I have always believed that unless you change hearts and the mind-set of a large section of the society, poison of extremism will continue to do its deadly work.
What military ops can’t deliver
ABBAS NASIR — PUBLISHED 3 days ago
The writer is a former editor of Dawn.
THE security forces are supposed to have launched another operation to cleanse the country of terrorism after a spurt of suicide bombings and attacks across the country in the month of February, in which none of the four provinces were spared.
As part of the latest operation, the army-led paramilitary Rangers have been authorised to conduct security sweeps across Punjab as well; the province had previously remained immune from such action by paramilitary forces, in contrast to the latter’s aggressive role in other provinces.
It is safe to assume that a year ahead of likely general elections, the governing PML-N was apprehensive of the repercussions if the Rangers targeted any of its members or allies in extremist religious parties whose support it deems vital to a win in the crucial, numerically superior Punjab.
The launch of every operation raises hopes that terrorism will be eliminated. Such expectations are unreal.
But the deteriorating situation, as underlined by the recent bombings, forced the government’s hand as inaction was not an option anymore. The government would also have been reassured that the army command was now in the hands of a man it sees as apolitical and so gave the go-ahead.
The launch of every such operation generates optimism that its end will also spell an end to rampant terrorism in the country. Ask any security expert and they will tell you that such expectations are unreal, given the multifaceted terrorist threat that the country is facing.
At best, with improved intelligence and better trained counterterrorism forces terrorism can be somewhat contained, and a decline in the number of incidents and human lives lost may happen. However, that stage in itself is several years away.
A decline in the number terrorism-related incidents was witnessed following the Raheel Sharif-led operation in North Waziristan, which uprooted the terrorist bastions and displaced their planners and cadres in their last established safe haven on Pakistan soil.
Having relocated now, it seems, to the largely lawless region along the Durand Line, the terrorists are striking at will across the length and breadth of our land, because the network of their ideological allies or even coerced collaborators remains intact or has regenerated itself in Pakistan.
The magnitude of the challenge can be gauged by what security officials say about the ratio of terrorist incidents that occur and those that are detected and prevented. While they offer no specific number, officials say dozens of terrorists are stopped before one manages to get through.
And if indeed hostile foreign powers are also taking advantage of this situation and endeavouring to destabilise Pakistan in order to effect changes to Rawalpindi-Islamabad’s foreign policy in key areas such as Kashmir, then the problem is that much greater.
Even in that case, there should be no ambiguity about our self-created fault lines that, left unaddressed, grow more and more prominent every day and can potentially wreak havoc, nullifying any improvement in the security situation that any operation can bring about.
Yes, the current security operations are quite clearly and rightly aimed at the so-called takfiris, those who kill in the name of faith and consider even Muslims following a different interpretation of their religion as deserving of death.
By definition, such ideology defies what the vast, peaceful majority in the country believes to be Islam. Will it be enough then for the government, security forces and society at large to be content if and when the takfiri thought represented by the Taliban and their allies is defeated?
To me, a larger battle will be the one to somehow move society to a ‘live and let live’ state from the current intolerant, even bigoted, environment. I recall with horror the recent forced disappearance of five social media activists (one remains missing).
All their detractors needed to do was to plant a suggestion or two in the public sphere that those gone missing were guilty of blasphemy for some of the self-proclaimed guardians of our faith to start acting like a lynch mob and baying for their blood.
Did a single one of them bother to ascertain for themselves — as decency, law and most of all any faith would require — if what they were accusing the ‘disappeared’ of was based on facts? No. It is much easier to join a galloping, frothing-at-the-mouth hysterical herd than to stop and examine facts.
I have watched in horror recent sermons of some of the religious leaders who are supposed to have radicalised Punjab governor Salman Taseer’s (subsequently executed) murderer Mumtaz Qadri. They continue unabated. If anything, they now have their own martyr to market.
In the aftermath of last week’s carnage in Sehwan at Lal Shahbaz Qalandar’s shrine, a leading religious leader and the head of the Ruet-e-Hilal Committee, Mufti Munibur Rehman, may have condemned the suicide bombing but his other remarks were equally, or more, significant.
Addressing the media this week in Hyderabad, Mufti Sahib said that dhammal, a dance at Sufi shrines in which both men and women participate, was against the teachings of the saints, as was the ringing of the bell at the shrine. He suggested total segregation at the shrine, with one day a week reserved for ‘women only’.
Of course, out of respect for the cleric no journalist was reported to have asked him why an all-male gathering of leading Barelvi and Sunni Tehrik clerics was bombed in Karachi in April 2006, or why several all-male Friday prayer congregations or Shia majalis have also been attacked across the country.
One could quote endless examples. There is no point. Mufti Munibur Rehman represents the thinking of a far larger number of people than the few who may agree with me. At the same time, repeated elections have also demonstrated that Pakistanis do not vote for theocrats in any significant numbers.
It is incumbent, then, on those who are elected to step forward and make sure that Quaid-i-Azam’s plural Pakistan is a reality. Equally, state institutions have to abandon their surrogate, non-state actors. No military operation can achieve that.
The writer is a former editor of Dawn.
abbas.nasir@hotmail.com
Published in Dawn, February 25th, 2017
https://www.dawn.com/news/1316758/what-military-ops-cant-deliver
Qutb-ud-din Aybak
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http://www.nawaiwaqt.com.pk/E-Paper/Lahore/2017-02-28/page-1/detail-18
translation:
3 terrorists who fought in syria rom bashar side have been arrested. Lot of explosives and detonators recovered. They were planning attacks on sensitive installations.
Inshort ISIS is not the only problem we have to solve.
translation:
3 terrorists who fought in syria rom bashar side have been arrested. Lot of explosives and detonators recovered. They were planning attacks on sensitive installations.
Inshort ISIS is not the only problem we have to solve.
No updates on the nationwide operations. No news on terror cells being destroyed, of crackdowns on madrassas, of terrorists being killed throughout the country. I was expecting some Zarb-e-Azb like notifications, of scores of militants being killed everyday. COAS Bajwa is a real coward, and has really disappointed me. I hope he proves me wrong.
We don't need Afghanistan's cooperation to stop terrorism in Pakistan. Fence the border like India has done on our eastern one. Iran is another great example of how to protect your nation when bordered by troubled nations. We never hear of any terrorist attack in their country, despite the fact that they have troubled borders, and hostile world powers against them too.
We don't need Afghanistan's cooperation to stop terrorism in Pakistan. Fence the border like India has done on our eastern one. Iran is another great example of how to protect your nation when bordered by troubled nations. We never hear of any terrorist attack in their country, despite the fact that they have troubled borders, and hostile world powers against them too.
Zibago
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Radd-ul-Fasaad: Now or Never
While the government has come quite heavily against sectarian violence and religious persecution, it clearly failed to initiate any meaningful initiative to reform our criminal justice system
March 01, 2017, 12:03 am
With a full media blitz Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad has been launched nationwide. What differentiates it from Operation Zarb-e-Azb is perhaps the resolve now visible within the political leadership to go for a comprehensive elimination of the “latent and residual threat through a broad spectrum security and counter terrorism operations” across the country as mentioned in the ISPR Press Release. Before dilating on the resolve and the comprehensiveness of Radd-ul-Fasaad it is essential to first evaluate the implementation of National Action Plan so far, so that the weakness are brought to fore before a few suggestions are proffered for the successful execution of Radd-ul-Fasaad.
Out of 274 convictions so far by the military courts, and 161 death sentences awarded, only 12 have made it to the gallows, while the remaining are under process with the government in various forms of review. With NACTA envisioned to be strengthened as part of NAP, it is still far from an effective body commensurate to its spirit and the threat spectrum confronted. Security operations against militant organizations and armed gangs across the country especially in FATA have witnessed great successes in dismantling their strongholds while reducing their abilities to plan and conduct terrorist operations. With militant leadership intact mostly in Afghanistan, this effort is also far from being over. There has been hardly any progress on controlling financial flow to the terrorist and its affiliated organizations across the country. Similarly there has not been any impressive progress on the registration and regulation of religious seminaries, considered an important part of NAP. There has been a clearly visible lack of political will on the ongoing operation in Karachi and commencement of a meaningful operation in Punjab. Though there has been meaningful progress on the raising of counter-terrorism force by the respective provinces, but its training and employment lacks focus as most of them are visibly seen performing VIP duties rather than counter-terrorism operations for which they were raised. Not completely but to a great extent the government has progressed in reducing cyber space to terrorist organizations and media glorification of their terrorist actions with effective cooperation of both print and electronic media. On the administrative and political reforms in FATA and return of IDPs, the government’s actions are still on papers while some IDPs are still languishing in camps to be relocated to their towns and villages. Similarly the issue of repatriating Afghan refugees is still in the process of working out modalities by Ministry of SAFRON with UNHCR and other government bodies. On empowering Balochistan government for political reconciliation with dissident elements, the government has made sincere efforts, though without achieving much, mainly due to weak foreign policy initiatives as most of these elements resides outside Pakistan. Finally, while the government has come quite heavily against sectarian violence and religious persecution, it clearly failed to initiate any meaningful initiative to reform our criminal justice system considered to be the mother of all ills in our society.
A brief and dispassionate evaluation above clearly indicates why we have so far not been able to comprehensively defeat the menace. The spectacular achievements of Zarb-e-Azb militarily could not be pursued in the politico developmental areas with the same momentum by other elements of national power for capacity issues, and in some cases lack of will for reasons of political expediencies. Additionally since the menace has a foreign dimension to it, mainly due to the ongoing tug of war in Afghanistan and the increasingand the increasing footprints of India with the tacit support of US, no domestic effort alone will guarantee us lasting peace both within the country and region unless the foreign policy instrument is geared up on war footing in support of the overall national effort.
It therefore is of utmost importance, that the government and the security apparatus undertakes a dispassionate review of its policy framework and strategy to make it palatable and responsive to the threat that is not only real but dynamic. It needs to be clearly understood that the enemies design is to perpetuate the threat on the inner front in order to create and widen the cleavages besides sapping the potential and energies of security apparatus simultaneously attempting to weaken our national resolve to defeat the menace. What needs to be done and by whom will be handled in the next article.http://nation.com.pk/blogs/01-Mar-2017/radd-ul-fasaad-now-or-never
While the government has come quite heavily against sectarian violence and religious persecution, it clearly failed to initiate any meaningful initiative to reform our criminal justice system
March 01, 2017, 12:03 am
With a full media blitz Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad has been launched nationwide. What differentiates it from Operation Zarb-e-Azb is perhaps the resolve now visible within the political leadership to go for a comprehensive elimination of the “latent and residual threat through a broad spectrum security and counter terrorism operations” across the country as mentioned in the ISPR Press Release. Before dilating on the resolve and the comprehensiveness of Radd-ul-Fasaad it is essential to first evaluate the implementation of National Action Plan so far, so that the weakness are brought to fore before a few suggestions are proffered for the successful execution of Radd-ul-Fasaad.
Out of 274 convictions so far by the military courts, and 161 death sentences awarded, only 12 have made it to the gallows, while the remaining are under process with the government in various forms of review. With NACTA envisioned to be strengthened as part of NAP, it is still far from an effective body commensurate to its spirit and the threat spectrum confronted. Security operations against militant organizations and armed gangs across the country especially in FATA have witnessed great successes in dismantling their strongholds while reducing their abilities to plan and conduct terrorist operations. With militant leadership intact mostly in Afghanistan, this effort is also far from being over. There has been hardly any progress on controlling financial flow to the terrorist and its affiliated organizations across the country. Similarly there has not been any impressive progress on the registration and regulation of religious seminaries, considered an important part of NAP. There has been a clearly visible lack of political will on the ongoing operation in Karachi and commencement of a meaningful operation in Punjab. Though there has been meaningful progress on the raising of counter-terrorism force by the respective provinces, but its training and employment lacks focus as most of them are visibly seen performing VIP duties rather than counter-terrorism operations for which they were raised. Not completely but to a great extent the government has progressed in reducing cyber space to terrorist organizations and media glorification of their terrorist actions with effective cooperation of both print and electronic media. On the administrative and political reforms in FATA and return of IDPs, the government’s actions are still on papers while some IDPs are still languishing in camps to be relocated to their towns and villages. Similarly the issue of repatriating Afghan refugees is still in the process of working out modalities by Ministry of SAFRON with UNHCR and other government bodies. On empowering Balochistan government for political reconciliation with dissident elements, the government has made sincere efforts, though without achieving much, mainly due to weak foreign policy initiatives as most of these elements resides outside Pakistan. Finally, while the government has come quite heavily against sectarian violence and religious persecution, it clearly failed to initiate any meaningful initiative to reform our criminal justice system considered to be the mother of all ills in our society.
A brief and dispassionate evaluation above clearly indicates why we have so far not been able to comprehensively defeat the menace. The spectacular achievements of Zarb-e-Azb militarily could not be pursued in the politico developmental areas with the same momentum by other elements of national power for capacity issues, and in some cases lack of will for reasons of political expediencies. Additionally since the menace has a foreign dimension to it, mainly due to the ongoing tug of war in Afghanistan and the increasingand the increasing footprints of India with the tacit support of US, no domestic effort alone will guarantee us lasting peace both within the country and region unless the foreign policy instrument is geared up on war footing in support of the overall national effort.
It therefore is of utmost importance, that the government and the security apparatus undertakes a dispassionate review of its policy framework and strategy to make it palatable and responsive to the threat that is not only real but dynamic. It needs to be clearly understood that the enemies design is to perpetuate the threat on the inner front in order to create and widen the cleavages besides sapping the potential and energies of security apparatus simultaneously attempting to weaken our national resolve to defeat the menace. What needs to be done and by whom will be handled in the next article.http://nation.com.pk/blogs/01-Mar-2017/radd-ul-fasaad-now-or-never
Zibago
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Radd-ul-Fasaad: Now or Never II
Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad will only make a difference when both the politico military leadership persist with the resolve seen after the Sehwan blast
March 02, 2017, 12:03 am
With the announcement and commencement of Radd-ul-Fassaad across the length and breadth of the country, the enemies within and outside have gone more active to inject an ethnic tinge to their failed efforts to isolate Pakistan. The response, therefore, has to be not only long term and comprehensive but dynamic as well so as to effectively respond to the evolving threat in a befitting manner.
At national and strategic level there must be a counter narrative that must be wholesome in its conception and implementation. Broad strands of the narrative could be as covered.
One, the state needs to communicate with its people to expose the deviant takfeeri ideology. More civilians and soldiers have been killed during this war than in our wars with actual enemy. It is generally believed by the people that the threat is transitory and due to US presence in Afghanistan alone, though there is much more to it and about which the larger community need to be informed and educated.
Two, to confront and challenge the takfeeri ideology needs a scholarly work of intellectual domain rather than leaving it in the military domain alone. There is a greater need to clarify the differences between takfeer and jihad for better understanding of common folks.
Three, to contain their ability to communicate with the common people through effective measures like blocking their print material, websites, blogs and financial flow both from within and outside.
Four, to counter the takfeeri narrative not through increasing liberalization which has neither worked nor likely to deliver but through the solid and authentic teachings of Islam. The counter narrative should not only target the general public but the takfeeri community to reintegrate them back into the main stream. At minimum it will create doubts in their thought process about the cause they are fighting for. While more print material should be distributed in affected areas, efforts be made to deny any opportunity to the militants to print and distribute anti-state hate material.
Five, to engage with the larger community through the intellectual community, Ulemas, political leaders and social workers etc. Engagements with ex militants and using them to pursue radicalized elements to give up their deviant approach and return to mainstream. Similarly the implementation effort can incorporate the parents and relatives of known militants to pursue the militants to denounce violence and revert to society as productive citizens.
Six, the state is like a mother and hence it must continue all efforts to rehabilitate those who have either surrendered or are arrested. This will reduce the fear of reprisals and encourage militants to surrender. Some sort of amnesty scheme can also be thought by the government.
Seven, there is a greater need to correct some policies and the misperceptions created in the minds of majority common people especially in the rural areas. A perception that large number of women and children were killed during Lal Masjid operation, led to 43 suicide bombing attacks within five months after the incident as compared to only 33 suicide attacks in six and a half years from 2002-2007. There is a lot that can be done to address gaps in the policies and remove the misperceptions.
Eight, there is a greater need to incorporate the issue of takfeer and related matters in the curriculum of text books at different levels. Islamic teachings which forbid takfeer of a person or group are of special concern to the subject. Similarly in our madrassa curriculum, there is more need for incorporating subjects like serving humanity, social responsibilities, respect for judicial laws and human rights etc. Such like subjects would face minimal resistance as compared to other subjects, which they bsubjects, which they brand as a ploy of the west.
To confront the threat up front in the short-term some immediate priority measures are; first, the institutions directly responsible for countering the menace in the physical domain need to be revamped and reorganized on war footings to make these more responsive to the evolving threat. Law enforcement agencies including intelligence apparatus needs a serious review.
Second, the general confusion prevailing among the political leadership on the ownership of this war need to be dispelled and removed. A more overt ownership across the political divide is the need of the time.
Third, on the inner front, such operations have their own negative fallout that is more often exploited by the enemies. All concerned especially those operating on ground need to be thoroughly briefed against any display of ethno sectarian biases while conducting routine search and other security related operations. Defaulters need to be given exemplary punishments as any unprofessional conduct assists the enemies more in exploiting these individual misconducts.
Four, with space for conventional wars shrinking we are more likely to continue operating in a Fourth Generation War. There is a greater need for the government and security apparatus to prioritize its developmental effort commensurate to the threat spectrum.
Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad will only make a difference when both the politico military leadership persist with the resolve seen after the Sehwan blast. This resolve need to be clearly manifested in formulating our policies, response strategies and subsequent implementation. It needs to be kept in view that to win this war comprehensively a wholesome response incorporating all elements of national power is mandatory. We not only have the wherewithal but the desired military potential to defeat the enemy. All that is required is a greater sense of ownership and resolve from the political leadership.
Part I of this article was published here
http://nation.com.pk/blogs/02-Mar-2017/radd-ul-fasaad-now-or-never-ii
Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad will only make a difference when both the politico military leadership persist with the resolve seen after the Sehwan blast
March 02, 2017, 12:03 am
With the announcement and commencement of Radd-ul-Fassaad across the length and breadth of the country, the enemies within and outside have gone more active to inject an ethnic tinge to their failed efforts to isolate Pakistan. The response, therefore, has to be not only long term and comprehensive but dynamic as well so as to effectively respond to the evolving threat in a befitting manner.
At national and strategic level there must be a counter narrative that must be wholesome in its conception and implementation. Broad strands of the narrative could be as covered.
One, the state needs to communicate with its people to expose the deviant takfeeri ideology. More civilians and soldiers have been killed during this war than in our wars with actual enemy. It is generally believed by the people that the threat is transitory and due to US presence in Afghanistan alone, though there is much more to it and about which the larger community need to be informed and educated.
Two, to confront and challenge the takfeeri ideology needs a scholarly work of intellectual domain rather than leaving it in the military domain alone. There is a greater need to clarify the differences between takfeer and jihad for better understanding of common folks.
Three, to contain their ability to communicate with the common people through effective measures like blocking their print material, websites, blogs and financial flow both from within and outside.
Four, to counter the takfeeri narrative not through increasing liberalization which has neither worked nor likely to deliver but through the solid and authentic teachings of Islam. The counter narrative should not only target the general public but the takfeeri community to reintegrate them back into the main stream. At minimum it will create doubts in their thought process about the cause they are fighting for. While more print material should be distributed in affected areas, efforts be made to deny any opportunity to the militants to print and distribute anti-state hate material.
Five, to engage with the larger community through the intellectual community, Ulemas, political leaders and social workers etc. Engagements with ex militants and using them to pursue radicalized elements to give up their deviant approach and return to mainstream. Similarly the implementation effort can incorporate the parents and relatives of known militants to pursue the militants to denounce violence and revert to society as productive citizens.
Six, the state is like a mother and hence it must continue all efforts to rehabilitate those who have either surrendered or are arrested. This will reduce the fear of reprisals and encourage militants to surrender. Some sort of amnesty scheme can also be thought by the government.
Seven, there is a greater need to correct some policies and the misperceptions created in the minds of majority common people especially in the rural areas. A perception that large number of women and children were killed during Lal Masjid operation, led to 43 suicide bombing attacks within five months after the incident as compared to only 33 suicide attacks in six and a half years from 2002-2007. There is a lot that can be done to address gaps in the policies and remove the misperceptions.
Eight, there is a greater need to incorporate the issue of takfeer and related matters in the curriculum of text books at different levels. Islamic teachings which forbid takfeer of a person or group are of special concern to the subject. Similarly in our madrassa curriculum, there is more need for incorporating subjects like serving humanity, social responsibilities, respect for judicial laws and human rights etc. Such like subjects would face minimal resistance as compared to other subjects, which they bsubjects, which they brand as a ploy of the west.
To confront the threat up front in the short-term some immediate priority measures are; first, the institutions directly responsible for countering the menace in the physical domain need to be revamped and reorganized on war footings to make these more responsive to the evolving threat. Law enforcement agencies including intelligence apparatus needs a serious review.
Second, the general confusion prevailing among the political leadership on the ownership of this war need to be dispelled and removed. A more overt ownership across the political divide is the need of the time.
Third, on the inner front, such operations have their own negative fallout that is more often exploited by the enemies. All concerned especially those operating on ground need to be thoroughly briefed against any display of ethno sectarian biases while conducting routine search and other security related operations. Defaulters need to be given exemplary punishments as any unprofessional conduct assists the enemies more in exploiting these individual misconducts.
Four, with space for conventional wars shrinking we are more likely to continue operating in a Fourth Generation War. There is a greater need for the government and security apparatus to prioritize its developmental effort commensurate to the threat spectrum.
Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad will only make a difference when both the politico military leadership persist with the resolve seen after the Sehwan blast. This resolve need to be clearly manifested in formulating our policies, response strategies and subsequent implementation. It needs to be kept in view that to win this war comprehensively a wholesome response incorporating all elements of national power is mandatory. We not only have the wherewithal but the desired military potential to defeat the enemy. All that is required is a greater sense of ownership and resolve from the political leadership.
Part I of this article was published here
http://nation.com.pk/blogs/02-Mar-2017/radd-ul-fasaad-now-or-never-ii
niaz
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Stop profiling Pakhtuns
After the tragic incident in Lahore DHA, the police not only arrested people who looked like Pakhtuns, but reportedly also didn’t stop the issuance of public notices by private entities asking people to cooperate and inform the nearby police station if they saw anyone who looked like a Pakhtun or was selling Peshawari green tea, dry fruit, toys and household utensils in that area.
As if that was not enough, more news came of police in Pindi starting surveillance of people belonging to Fata, and considering issuing them chip-based national identity cards equipped with security features.
Why did the police not take action against them earlier if they were involved or suspected to be involved in that heinous crime? These people did not come to Punjab overnight but have been living there for several years. Why did the police wait for some tragedy to happen before initiating action against them? This needs to be probed into thoroughly so that the facts are brought to the surface and all the apprehensions of the people concerned are removed.
And if the suspected involvement of the Pakhtuns is not true, then why harass them or allow them to be harassed? A terrorist is a terrorist, irrespective of his/her ethnicity. Let us not single out Pakhtuns: they are an important component of this country and reside in three different but strategically significant locations. Let us not antagonise them as that will have disastrous consequences.
The inability to stop terrorists from blowing themselves up could have been covered in a way better than just scapegoating a particular ethnic group. This is unacceptable and whosoever is responsible for that must tender an unconditional apology to the nation. Similarly, the derogatory statements issued against the Pakhtuns must be immediately withdrawn and action against those responsible for doing so taken.
How can a person’s ethnicity be an indicator of his/her being a terrorist or not? Can an ethnicity alone be taken as a sign to call people names and consider them inferior or of lesser intelligent? Can that be a yardstick for treating them as second class citizens or to arrest them on one pretext or another?
Let us not forget that Pakhtuns have a long history of rendering innumerable sacrifices for the sake of this country. History is replete with examples of their valour and bravery. Despite all that, they are suspected and treated with contempt. They are facing increased suicide attacks on the one hand, and are being targeted as culprits for those attacks by the very forces that are supposed to curb such atrocities on the other.
Let us not forget that Pakistan was created in the name of Islam or at least the word Islam was heavily used in its making. It was expected that all ethnicities would be treated alike and given their all their rights in this country. While this is what is expected of a government, the Punjab government seems to be on a path to hurt the sentiments of all Pakhtuns.
It appears that we have learnt nothing from the past. The East Pakistan debacle was enough to have taught us some lessons but we still do not refrain from ridiculing others. If any ethnicity has bore the brunt of the war on terror, it has been the Pakhtuns. They have suffered the most but instead of rewarding them for the sacrifices, they are going through surveillance tactics.
How can the police insinuate that the people of Fata, by default, are more likely to commit acts of terror? This belief and the subsequent action taken violates Article 15 of the constitution which grants “freedom of movement” to all citizens.
If people hailing from Fata are considered terrorists simply by virtue of belonging to that area, then we shouldn’t be screaming nay when President Trump proposes a registry for Muslims in order to keep tabs on them in the US. We won’t let him do that but plan to implement something similar in our own country?
It would have been far better had the government of Punjab ensured that security officials were fully alert to the nefarious designs of the militants. Rhetoric alone will not do: the nation wants action and that too across the board.
A country already suffering from sectarian violence cannot afford further division along ethnic lines. Instead of taking steps to forge unity between people, such steps seem hell-bent on weeding out whatever little cohesion we have as a nation of mixed ethnicities.
The writer is a former ambassador.
Email: waziruk@hotmail.com
https://www.thenews.com.pk/writer/ayaz-wazir
This thought provoking article I read today alerted me to realize the tight rope our security agencies have to walk.
This is indeed a very touchy subject but IMO it is dangerous to sweep untouchable subjects under the carpet.
Racial/ethnic/religious profiling is indeed wrong, no, it is very wrong. However it does happen because there are some underlying truths. Let us start with the Muslims is general. Is every Muslim is a militant/terrorist? Definitely not.
First time I came across Plane hijacking by a Muslim was in August 1969 when Leila Khalid was involved in the hijacking of TWA flight 840 from Rome to Tel Aviv diverting it to Damuscus. Since then, starting from Munich 1972; 9/11, 7/7, Charlie Ebdo etc., there have been many incidents perpetrated by the Muslim terrorists.
(I am neither condemning nor condoning these acts, merely enumerating, hence, whether these acts were justified or not, is irrelevant).
I am a Pakistani and no one I know is a terrorist, however it is also fact that a large of number terrorists had one time or another visited Pakistan. It is because of the above that ordinary European or American considers that Muslims are terrorists. There is an impression in the international community that Pakistan is nursery of terrorism. Therefore, Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts in the support of rights of the Kashmiris fall on deaf ears.
Following the police crackdown on Sohrab Goth in December 1986; a group of several armed Pashtuns with Kalashnikov rifles charged down the hill overlooking the Aqsa and Aligarh colonies and Orange Town. The Pashtuns allegedly set people's houses on fire with kerosene under the cover of a hail of gunfire. In less than two hours an estimated 400 people were murdered. Hundreds more were injured and many more escaped from the roof to save their lives.
Karachi being home to many Mahsud tribesmen; following operations in FATA, large number of terrorists found safe havens with their relations in Karachi making it dangerous for the non-Pashtuns to even driver through the KATI Pahari.
(https://www.dawn.com/news/751375)
Residents of the Qasba Colony said bullets rained down for days from the Pashtun-dominated hills, atop which a red ANP flag flew. A few blocks away, Pashtuns say bullets flew from the other direction, fired from MQM weapons. People on both sides acknowledged the existence of ethnic gangs but said they were formed for self-defence.
Additionally, nearly all the young men who blow themselves up have been Pashtuns or Afghans. This is the reason why Pashtuns are being profiled as terrorists.
Even though it is very wrong to label any one terrorist because of his /her birth; however, being human, most mortals are given to making generalisations. For example, even though I am aware that all Deobandi mullahs are not sectarian; primarily because LEJ /SSP & Lal Masjid mullah belong to the Deobandi maslak; I admit that I am guilty of a strong bias against the Deobandi mullahs.
It is with deep regret that I admit since PML-N has thus far been reluctant to extend the Rangers operation to Punjab; the allegations that ethnic Pashtuns have been targeted appear to have some element of truth. There is a real danger that TTP sympathisers will try to sabotage “Operation Raddul Fasaad” by playing the Pashtun Card.
Suicide bombers may be Pashtuns but their facilitators are mostly Punjabis and Urdu speaking Karachiites belonging to the sectarian parties. It is a MUST that action is taken only against the criminal element without harassing the innocent Pashtuns. We are all Pakistanis and a Pakistani has every right to live & do business in any part of the country that suits him/her.
After the tragic incident in Lahore DHA, the police not only arrested people who looked like Pakhtuns, but reportedly also didn’t stop the issuance of public notices by private entities asking people to cooperate and inform the nearby police station if they saw anyone who looked like a Pakhtun or was selling Peshawari green tea, dry fruit, toys and household utensils in that area.
As if that was not enough, more news came of police in Pindi starting surveillance of people belonging to Fata, and considering issuing them chip-based national identity cards equipped with security features.
Why did the police not take action against them earlier if they were involved or suspected to be involved in that heinous crime? These people did not come to Punjab overnight but have been living there for several years. Why did the police wait for some tragedy to happen before initiating action against them? This needs to be probed into thoroughly so that the facts are brought to the surface and all the apprehensions of the people concerned are removed.
And if the suspected involvement of the Pakhtuns is not true, then why harass them or allow them to be harassed? A terrorist is a terrorist, irrespective of his/her ethnicity. Let us not single out Pakhtuns: they are an important component of this country and reside in three different but strategically significant locations. Let us not antagonise them as that will have disastrous consequences.
The inability to stop terrorists from blowing themselves up could have been covered in a way better than just scapegoating a particular ethnic group. This is unacceptable and whosoever is responsible for that must tender an unconditional apology to the nation. Similarly, the derogatory statements issued against the Pakhtuns must be immediately withdrawn and action against those responsible for doing so taken.
How can a person’s ethnicity be an indicator of his/her being a terrorist or not? Can an ethnicity alone be taken as a sign to call people names and consider them inferior or of lesser intelligent? Can that be a yardstick for treating them as second class citizens or to arrest them on one pretext or another?
Let us not forget that Pakhtuns have a long history of rendering innumerable sacrifices for the sake of this country. History is replete with examples of their valour and bravery. Despite all that, they are suspected and treated with contempt. They are facing increased suicide attacks on the one hand, and are being targeted as culprits for those attacks by the very forces that are supposed to curb such atrocities on the other.
Let us not forget that Pakistan was created in the name of Islam or at least the word Islam was heavily used in its making. It was expected that all ethnicities would be treated alike and given their all their rights in this country. While this is what is expected of a government, the Punjab government seems to be on a path to hurt the sentiments of all Pakhtuns.
It appears that we have learnt nothing from the past. The East Pakistan debacle was enough to have taught us some lessons but we still do not refrain from ridiculing others. If any ethnicity has bore the brunt of the war on terror, it has been the Pakhtuns. They have suffered the most but instead of rewarding them for the sacrifices, they are going through surveillance tactics.
How can the police insinuate that the people of Fata, by default, are more likely to commit acts of terror? This belief and the subsequent action taken violates Article 15 of the constitution which grants “freedom of movement” to all citizens.
If people hailing from Fata are considered terrorists simply by virtue of belonging to that area, then we shouldn’t be screaming nay when President Trump proposes a registry for Muslims in order to keep tabs on them in the US. We won’t let him do that but plan to implement something similar in our own country?
It would have been far better had the government of Punjab ensured that security officials were fully alert to the nefarious designs of the militants. Rhetoric alone will not do: the nation wants action and that too across the board.
A country already suffering from sectarian violence cannot afford further division along ethnic lines. Instead of taking steps to forge unity between people, such steps seem hell-bent on weeding out whatever little cohesion we have as a nation of mixed ethnicities.
The writer is a former ambassador.
Email: waziruk@hotmail.com
https://www.thenews.com.pk/writer/ayaz-wazir
This thought provoking article I read today alerted me to realize the tight rope our security agencies have to walk.
This is indeed a very touchy subject but IMO it is dangerous to sweep untouchable subjects under the carpet.
Racial/ethnic/religious profiling is indeed wrong, no, it is very wrong. However it does happen because there are some underlying truths. Let us start with the Muslims is general. Is every Muslim is a militant/terrorist? Definitely not.
First time I came across Plane hijacking by a Muslim was in August 1969 when Leila Khalid was involved in the hijacking of TWA flight 840 from Rome to Tel Aviv diverting it to Damuscus. Since then, starting from Munich 1972; 9/11, 7/7, Charlie Ebdo etc., there have been many incidents perpetrated by the Muslim terrorists.
(I am neither condemning nor condoning these acts, merely enumerating, hence, whether these acts were justified or not, is irrelevant).
I am a Pakistani and no one I know is a terrorist, however it is also fact that a large of number terrorists had one time or another visited Pakistan. It is because of the above that ordinary European or American considers that Muslims are terrorists. There is an impression in the international community that Pakistan is nursery of terrorism. Therefore, Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts in the support of rights of the Kashmiris fall on deaf ears.
Following the police crackdown on Sohrab Goth in December 1986; a group of several armed Pashtuns with Kalashnikov rifles charged down the hill overlooking the Aqsa and Aligarh colonies and Orange Town. The Pashtuns allegedly set people's houses on fire with kerosene under the cover of a hail of gunfire. In less than two hours an estimated 400 people were murdered. Hundreds more were injured and many more escaped from the roof to save their lives.
Karachi being home to many Mahsud tribesmen; following operations in FATA, large number of terrorists found safe havens with their relations in Karachi making it dangerous for the non-Pashtuns to even driver through the KATI Pahari.
(https://www.dawn.com/news/751375)
Residents of the Qasba Colony said bullets rained down for days from the Pashtun-dominated hills, atop which a red ANP flag flew. A few blocks away, Pashtuns say bullets flew from the other direction, fired from MQM weapons. People on both sides acknowledged the existence of ethnic gangs but said they were formed for self-defence.
Additionally, nearly all the young men who blow themselves up have been Pashtuns or Afghans. This is the reason why Pashtuns are being profiled as terrorists.
Even though it is very wrong to label any one terrorist because of his /her birth; however, being human, most mortals are given to making generalisations. For example, even though I am aware that all Deobandi mullahs are not sectarian; primarily because LEJ /SSP & Lal Masjid mullah belong to the Deobandi maslak; I admit that I am guilty of a strong bias against the Deobandi mullahs.
It is with deep regret that I admit since PML-N has thus far been reluctant to extend the Rangers operation to Punjab; the allegations that ethnic Pashtuns have been targeted appear to have some element of truth. There is a real danger that TTP sympathisers will try to sabotage “Operation Raddul Fasaad” by playing the Pashtun Card.
Suicide bombers may be Pashtuns but their facilitators are mostly Punjabis and Urdu speaking Karachiites belonging to the sectarian parties. It is a MUST that action is taken only against the criminal element without harassing the innocent Pashtuns. We are all Pakistanis and a Pakistani has every right to live & do business in any part of the country that suits him/her.
mrrehan
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I wish if army can use the potential of old NCC(National Cadet Course) and scouts to develop a network of Intel in cities and where possible. Desperate time Desperate Measures.
The Eagle
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Profiling Pakhtun is a deliberate attempt by the very few, those who are afraid of Op Ra'ad-ul-Fasad and are trying to make it controversial at initial stage. Mostly those who provide shelter to the culprits, are now afraid of their fate hence, creating conspiracies and misleading through lies to divert the focus from real agenda but now matter what, the Op will succeed in Punjab like others as well as the whole Sindh.
The Eagle
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Radd-ul-Fasaad to take on all anarchists: COAS
March 2, 2017
By: Samaa Web Desk
Published in Pakistan
RAWALPINDI: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa Thursday visited Multan Garrison.
According to Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), the COAS was given detailed briefing on operational preparedness of the Corps.
General Bajwa also witnessed training for troops to execute Population Census support plan.
He appreciated the preparations and said that Population Census is an important national activity and Army shall extend full support for its smooth conduct.
Later, the COAS witnessed combat training exercise of troops at Muzaffargarh Field Firing Ranges.
He complimented troops for displaying excellent training standards for conduct of both conventional and sub conventional operations.
He said that Pakistan Army by virtue of its combat experience over the years is second to none.
While talking to officers and troops, he also acknowledged their contributions towards internal security.
He said: “through Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad we will take on all fasaadies (anarchists) and play our part in bringing back normalcy in our country”.
Earlier, on arrival at Multan, COAS was received by Commander Multan Corps Lieutenant General Sarfraz Sattar.
Inspector General Training and Evaluation Lieutenant General Hidayat Ur Rehman was also present. –Samaa
March 2, 2017
By: Samaa Web Desk
Published in Pakistan
RAWALPINDI: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa Thursday visited Multan Garrison.
According to Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), the COAS was given detailed briefing on operational preparedness of the Corps.
General Bajwa also witnessed training for troops to execute Population Census support plan.
He appreciated the preparations and said that Population Census is an important national activity and Army shall extend full support for its smooth conduct.
Later, the COAS witnessed combat training exercise of troops at Muzaffargarh Field Firing Ranges.
He complimented troops for displaying excellent training standards for conduct of both conventional and sub conventional operations.
He said that Pakistan Army by virtue of its combat experience over the years is second to none.
While talking to officers and troops, he also acknowledged their contributions towards internal security.
He said: “through Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad we will take on all fasaadies (anarchists) and play our part in bringing back normalcy in our country”.
Earlier, on arrival at Multan, COAS was received by Commander Multan Corps Lieutenant General Sarfraz Sattar.
Inspector General Training and Evaluation Lieutenant General Hidayat Ur Rehman was also present. –Samaa
The Sandman
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Does that include molvi burkha and other fasadi mullahs too?
The Eagle
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He said: “through Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad we will take on all fasaadies (anarchists) and play our part in bringing back normalcy in our country”.
@Zibago in the light of article above in the post of yours, we can call a national ulema and religious scholars conference on the topic of 'Radd-ul-Fasaad'. In this coference following actions take place;
I. Three days exclusive sessions.
II. Joint declaration in the end.
III. Establishing working groups for the implementation of joint declaration.
IV. Drafting content for Friday sermons to be delivered country wide during the Friday prayers, for at least three months i.e. twelve Fridays.
V. Preachers add a point in their preaching about love for the country. Even Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) loved his birth place i.e. Makkah.
VI. Ulema jointly disassociate themselves from the people doing fasad fil ardh.
I. Three days exclusive sessions.
II. Joint declaration in the end.
III. Establishing working groups for the implementation of joint declaration.
IV. Drafting content for Friday sermons to be delivered country wide during the Friday prayers, for at least three months i.e. twelve Fridays.
V. Preachers add a point in their preaching about love for the country. Even Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) loved his birth place i.e. Makkah.
VI. Ulema jointly disassociate themselves from the people doing fasad fil ardh.
Azadkashmir
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