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VIEW: Condemned to repeat history Gulmina Bilal Ahmad
The administration might consider negotiations as a chance for peace, but the militants have no such intentions. As soon as they deem themselves fit to challenge the state, they again emerge from the background.
Is the Pakistani leadership including civil, military, leading political parties and policy makers suffering from amnesia or have some sort of short-term memory loss? At least I have no such problem and remember pretty accurately how every single peace deal between the Pakistani government and the Taliban has ended. Recently, I have been particularly concerned with the oldest ploy, of a not-so-kind offer by the Taliban for peace talks and a somewhat not-so-opposing stance by the civil and military leadership. It is a surprise that given the past record of these bandits, we are still considering such measures as means of attaining peace in our troubled areas. Well, if we have to take this path anyway then all hope should be abandoned and the country should prepare itself for another stab in the back. The Taliban, to whom we are extending our hand of peace and accepting their offer of dialogue, are solely responsible for the estimated more than 35,000 casualties in this war. We are out to negotiate with the same people who have slaughtered numerous innocent Pakistani citizens and in reality have no regard for life or religion.
Throughout these 10 years we have been engaged in striking deals with these elements, maintaining a confusing policy of segregating the so-called good and bad Taliban, local and foreign militants and al Qaeda. In the end what Pakistan has achieved is nothing except chaos, carnage and a much more resilient enemy. We have been repeatedly deceived with the same tactics throughout the decade. Our policy to segregate and categorise them failed, as they all have affiliations with one another. For the past decade we have consistently refused to understand that all of them resort to the same violent means and fight for the same oppressive ideology. The evidence was seen in the aftermath of the Laal Masjid (Red Mosque) operation in 2007, where various factions of the Taliban renounced peace accords with the government and launched large scale coordinated attacks throughout the country.
The might of the state has been undermined and these elements have gained influence, while the incumbent administrations eagerly pounce on every peace offer they present. It will not be incorrect to conclude that this strategy has been a failure and we have been repeating our failures, turning the already volatile situation into a catastrophe. North Waziristan, South Waziristan and Swat all present a grim picture of this failed strategy. Just by skimming through the media coverage of these past years one can realise how effective and how long-lasting these deals are, not to mention how the terrorists utilised these periods of relative calm to fortify their positions, extend their influence and wipe out government supporters. On the other hand, the administration just stood aside as spectators, hoping for peace to prevail, which was never meant to be. Emboldened by their gains, the Taliban have spread the poison throughout the country and they have brought the war to our homes.
Someone once rightly said, Those who fail to learn from history, are condemned to repeat it. It was perhaps wishful thinking that after the bitter experience in Swat, our leadership and policy makers have learned an important lesson and will never go down this road again, but instead we are condemned to repeating the same mistakes again and again. It is a simple equation, where the terrorists have no will to reconcile and accommodate. This offer always originates at a time when they consider themselves to be cornered and require time to recuperate. The administration might consider negotiations as a chance for peace, but the militants have no such intentions. As soon as they deem themselves fit to challenge the state, they again emerge from the background. The numerous Taliban apologists, pseudo-intellectuals and armchair analysts may tell you otherwise, by criticising the ongoing operations and demanding to give peace another chance. The picture they paint might be rosy but once a peace deal collapses, they along with their analysis will melt into the background.
Due to the leniency and lack of strategy on the part of the leadership, the country is gradually slipping into the hands of the Taliban and their apologists. The disturbing influence of the Taliban is evident from a recent circulating news story, which states that the head of one of the leading political parties has been forgiven by the Taliban and now he has resumed political activities. Shocking as it is, it seems that it is now the Taliban who will decide who can and cannot take part in the democratic process. What can we expect in the coming future? Are they going to start dictating their terms to the government or sidelining it altogether? The undermining of state authority is evident from another failed peace agreement in the conflict-struck region of Parachinar, where the Taliban brokered a peace deal among rival groups, sidelining the government. Although, as expected, the accord did not last, the situation highlighted the influence of militants in the area.
While we definitively say no to an operation against the Haqqani network and also consider backing out of ongoing operations, the Taliban have already chalked out their strategy for becoming the de facto rulers. The leadership should ask themselves the question, Can these elements be trusted? If they are still considering an answer to it, then we are doomed. The sovereignty and stability of the country is at risk and the Taliban are calling the shots. They are now deciding and influencing our internal and external policies. This is not only a cause for concern within the country but also in the international community. The delusion of co-existing with these elements should be eliminated entirely, as they are a parasite, feeding on the terror generated by their actions. We have already seen a teaser of their authority and rule in Swat and have also seen the devastation at their hands in the conflict areas of northwest Pakistan. Why should we then put Pakistan at stake again and again, by allowing them further ground.
The writer is a development consultant. She can be reached at coordinator@individualland.com
The administration might consider negotiations as a chance for peace, but the militants have no such intentions. As soon as they deem themselves fit to challenge the state, they again emerge from the background.
Is the Pakistani leadership including civil, military, leading political parties and policy makers suffering from amnesia or have some sort of short-term memory loss? At least I have no such problem and remember pretty accurately how every single peace deal between the Pakistani government and the Taliban has ended. Recently, I have been particularly concerned with the oldest ploy, of a not-so-kind offer by the Taliban for peace talks and a somewhat not-so-opposing stance by the civil and military leadership. It is a surprise that given the past record of these bandits, we are still considering such measures as means of attaining peace in our troubled areas. Well, if we have to take this path anyway then all hope should be abandoned and the country should prepare itself for another stab in the back. The Taliban, to whom we are extending our hand of peace and accepting their offer of dialogue, are solely responsible for the estimated more than 35,000 casualties in this war. We are out to negotiate with the same people who have slaughtered numerous innocent Pakistani citizens and in reality have no regard for life or religion.
Throughout these 10 years we have been engaged in striking deals with these elements, maintaining a confusing policy of segregating the so-called good and bad Taliban, local and foreign militants and al Qaeda. In the end what Pakistan has achieved is nothing except chaos, carnage and a much more resilient enemy. We have been repeatedly deceived with the same tactics throughout the decade. Our policy to segregate and categorise them failed, as they all have affiliations with one another. For the past decade we have consistently refused to understand that all of them resort to the same violent means and fight for the same oppressive ideology. The evidence was seen in the aftermath of the Laal Masjid (Red Mosque) operation in 2007, where various factions of the Taliban renounced peace accords with the government and launched large scale coordinated attacks throughout the country.
The might of the state has been undermined and these elements have gained influence, while the incumbent administrations eagerly pounce on every peace offer they present. It will not be incorrect to conclude that this strategy has been a failure and we have been repeating our failures, turning the already volatile situation into a catastrophe. North Waziristan, South Waziristan and Swat all present a grim picture of this failed strategy. Just by skimming through the media coverage of these past years one can realise how effective and how long-lasting these deals are, not to mention how the terrorists utilised these periods of relative calm to fortify their positions, extend their influence and wipe out government supporters. On the other hand, the administration just stood aside as spectators, hoping for peace to prevail, which was never meant to be. Emboldened by their gains, the Taliban have spread the poison throughout the country and they have brought the war to our homes.
Someone once rightly said, Those who fail to learn from history, are condemned to repeat it. It was perhaps wishful thinking that after the bitter experience in Swat, our leadership and policy makers have learned an important lesson and will never go down this road again, but instead we are condemned to repeating the same mistakes again and again. It is a simple equation, where the terrorists have no will to reconcile and accommodate. This offer always originates at a time when they consider themselves to be cornered and require time to recuperate. The administration might consider negotiations as a chance for peace, but the militants have no such intentions. As soon as they deem themselves fit to challenge the state, they again emerge from the background. The numerous Taliban apologists, pseudo-intellectuals and armchair analysts may tell you otherwise, by criticising the ongoing operations and demanding to give peace another chance. The picture they paint might be rosy but once a peace deal collapses, they along with their analysis will melt into the background.
Due to the leniency and lack of strategy on the part of the leadership, the country is gradually slipping into the hands of the Taliban and their apologists. The disturbing influence of the Taliban is evident from a recent circulating news story, which states that the head of one of the leading political parties has been forgiven by the Taliban and now he has resumed political activities. Shocking as it is, it seems that it is now the Taliban who will decide who can and cannot take part in the democratic process. What can we expect in the coming future? Are they going to start dictating their terms to the government or sidelining it altogether? The undermining of state authority is evident from another failed peace agreement in the conflict-struck region of Parachinar, where the Taliban brokered a peace deal among rival groups, sidelining the government. Although, as expected, the accord did not last, the situation highlighted the influence of militants in the area.
While we definitively say no to an operation against the Haqqani network and also consider backing out of ongoing operations, the Taliban have already chalked out their strategy for becoming the de facto rulers. The leadership should ask themselves the question, Can these elements be trusted? If they are still considering an answer to it, then we are doomed. The sovereignty and stability of the country is at risk and the Taliban are calling the shots. They are now deciding and influencing our internal and external policies. This is not only a cause for concern within the country but also in the international community. The delusion of co-existing with these elements should be eliminated entirely, as they are a parasite, feeding on the terror generated by their actions. We have already seen a teaser of their authority and rule in Swat and have also seen the devastation at their hands in the conflict areas of northwest Pakistan. Why should we then put Pakistan at stake again and again, by allowing them further ground.
The writer is a development consultant. She can be reached at coordinator@individualland.com
