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A general retreat
8 Mar 2009, 0234 hrs IST, Ayesha Siddiqa
After the deadly Lahore attack on the visiting Sri Lankan cricket team, which left six policemen dead and shook the cricketing world, Pakistan's Pak Army Chief Gen Kiyani
More Pictures
army chief presided over the corps commanders' conference to review the situation in the country. As things stood, it was not an enviable one. Terrorists seemed to be making advances all over the country by means of attacks or favourable peace deals with the authorities. There was political chaos because of a dispute between the ruling PPP and the opposition PML-N. Nawaz Sharif's upcoming long march to Islamabad does not bode well for a country facing a major terrorist threat from within.
There is much to criticize about the PPP government's functioning but the biggest concern must be the army's perception of the situation. Does it plan to continue with the so-called 'war on terror'? So far, the armed forces give the impression they are silent spectators, quietly playing along with the decisions of the civilian government. Army chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kiyani keenly marketed the Swat peace agreement - essentially brokered by the federal PPP and provincial ANP governments - during his recent visit to the US. Many believe the agreement, according to which the NWFP government agreed to implement sharia law in Swat in exchange for peace, will only strengthen the Taliban. Moreover, it sets a dangerous precedent of the state giving in to brute force. It's no secret that security forces were finding the going tough in Swat until they agreed to sign the peace agreement. While the authorities justified the deal as a move that benefits the locals, it served to expose the military's inability to fight the war against terrorists. In fact, the army recently abandoned its plans to jam Taliban leader Maulana Fazlullah's radio due to alleged lack of equipment; instead, it proposes counter-programming. But not many buy this argument. Technical experts say jamming a radio station is not a difficult task for the army.
If taking on the militants is held up because of so simple a matter as lack of technical capability, why does the Pakistan army not allow American drone attacks on its western borders? In the past, the army chief vociferously condemned US drone attacks, making people wonder about the real reason for such confrontational statements, especially when Pakistan has allowed its air force bases in NWFP and Balochistan to be used by American drones and other purposes. But senior commanders have never admitted to having such intense military links with Washington.
The bottomline is that both the government and the military have been sending confusing signals about their stand on the war on terror. While the army is fighting the Taliban in Bajur (in the northwest) and seems to have made some headway against militant groups including the Tehrik-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi (TSNM), the government has signed a peace deal with the same group in Swat. Then there is Waziristan. There the army is pitted against Baitullah Mehsud who recently formed a partnership with Maulana Nazeer, earlier supported by the army. One of Baitullah Mehsud's partners is Maulana Masood Azhar of Punjab's Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM). Interestingly, little is being done to uproot Punjab-based militant outfits. The editor of the Daily Times, Najam Sethi believes this inaction stems from the army's fear that any adverse action against these outfits will have severe repercussions. If true, it is tantamount to an admission that the writ of the state does not run even in mainland Pakistan. Clearly, the military does not have a clear strategy for fighting terrorism in its backyard.
Ayesha Siddiqa is an Islamabad-based defence analyst and author of 'Military Inc: Inside Pakistan's Military Economy'
A general retreat-Special Report-Sunday TOI-The Times of India
8 Mar 2009, 0234 hrs IST, Ayesha Siddiqa
After the deadly Lahore attack on the visiting Sri Lankan cricket team, which left six policemen dead and shook the cricketing world, Pakistan's Pak Army Chief Gen Kiyani
More Pictures
army chief presided over the corps commanders' conference to review the situation in the country. As things stood, it was not an enviable one. Terrorists seemed to be making advances all over the country by means of attacks or favourable peace deals with the authorities. There was political chaos because of a dispute between the ruling PPP and the opposition PML-N. Nawaz Sharif's upcoming long march to Islamabad does not bode well for a country facing a major terrorist threat from within.
There is much to criticize about the PPP government's functioning but the biggest concern must be the army's perception of the situation. Does it plan to continue with the so-called 'war on terror'? So far, the armed forces give the impression they are silent spectators, quietly playing along with the decisions of the civilian government. Army chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kiyani keenly marketed the Swat peace agreement - essentially brokered by the federal PPP and provincial ANP governments - during his recent visit to the US. Many believe the agreement, according to which the NWFP government agreed to implement sharia law in Swat in exchange for peace, will only strengthen the Taliban. Moreover, it sets a dangerous precedent of the state giving in to brute force. It's no secret that security forces were finding the going tough in Swat until they agreed to sign the peace agreement. While the authorities justified the deal as a move that benefits the locals, it served to expose the military's inability to fight the war against terrorists. In fact, the army recently abandoned its plans to jam Taliban leader Maulana Fazlullah's radio due to alleged lack of equipment; instead, it proposes counter-programming. But not many buy this argument. Technical experts say jamming a radio station is not a difficult task for the army.
If taking on the militants is held up because of so simple a matter as lack of technical capability, why does the Pakistan army not allow American drone attacks on its western borders? In the past, the army chief vociferously condemned US drone attacks, making people wonder about the real reason for such confrontational statements, especially when Pakistan has allowed its air force bases in NWFP and Balochistan to be used by American drones and other purposes. But senior commanders have never admitted to having such intense military links with Washington.
The bottomline is that both the government and the military have been sending confusing signals about their stand on the war on terror. While the army is fighting the Taliban in Bajur (in the northwest) and seems to have made some headway against militant groups including the Tehrik-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi (TSNM), the government has signed a peace deal with the same group in Swat. Then there is Waziristan. There the army is pitted against Baitullah Mehsud who recently formed a partnership with Maulana Nazeer, earlier supported by the army. One of Baitullah Mehsud's partners is Maulana Masood Azhar of Punjab's Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM). Interestingly, little is being done to uproot Punjab-based militant outfits. The editor of the Daily Times, Najam Sethi believes this inaction stems from the army's fear that any adverse action against these outfits will have severe repercussions. If true, it is tantamount to an admission that the writ of the state does not run even in mainland Pakistan. Clearly, the military does not have a clear strategy for fighting terrorism in its backyard.
Ayesha Siddiqa is an Islamabad-based defence analyst and author of 'Military Inc: Inside Pakistan's Military Economy'
A general retreat-Special Report-Sunday TOI-The Times of India
