Current policy fuels the fire of radical violence
By Sheharyar Khan (for Safe Democracy)
Sheharyar Khan looks at the rise in violent attacks in Pakistan and analyzes the diverse factors leading to the recent chaos. He notes that Pakistan‘s foreign relations and the policies of its military government have not only failed to abate extremism, but have added to the current violence and unrest.
PLUS: Political Instability and Pakistan’s Military Regime, by Sohail Mahmood
Sheharyar Khan is a researcher in the Institute of Policy Studies, Islamabad. His areas of research are Pakistan Affairs, issues of the Frontier province and Tribal Areas, Human Rights.
SOME MAY APPRECIATE GENERAL MUSHARRAF FOR TAKING a daring step to rein in extremism in Pakistan and promote enlightened moderation as the edifice of his strategy to put the country on the path to progress as well as to woo the West. But to their utmost disappointment, Pakistan is plunging into the grips of religious extremists due to Musharraf’s flawed policies which are mainly aiming at strengthening and prolonging his dictatorial rule.
Today, suicide bombing –unheard of in Pakistan– is a commonplace thing. Religious fanaticism, political violence, attacks on media, disappearances, insurgencies in Waziristan and Baluchistan, all indicate that General Musharraf is no longer on the helm of affairs in the country and his policies have backfired.
UPSURGE IN RADICALISM
On May 21, a blast destroyed a music shop in Charsadda, 150 km west of capital Islamabad; a similar kind of bomb had destroyed several CD shops in Charsadda and Mardan another town near Charsadda, in recent days. In the heart of Islamabad, religious students of Jamia Hafsa and Lal Masjid have taken hostage personnel of law enforcement agencies, and their power has grown.
In Swat, 250 km northwest of Islamabad, the government is helpless in arresting Maulvi Fazlullah, the son-in-law of the jailed leader of Tehrik- Nifazi Shariat. Fazlullah runs an illegal FM radio station for the last two years that has been radicalizing the local population. He is famous for his anti-West sentiments. He also opposes girls’ education and a polio vaccination program. He has also warned a march on Islamabad if the government takes action against Jamia Hafsa.
The radicals are moving eastward to Pakistan from the border areas of Afghanistan after the government struck a deal with local Taliban of Waziristan in September last year. Additionally, a series of suicide bombings has continued unabated.
INABILITY TO CHECK EXTREMISM
The government so far has failed to check the growth of extremism. The center of extremism is the semi-autonomous tribal areas adjacent to the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), the province ruled by Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA), a conglomerate of six religious parties. In tribal areas, the government sustained huge losses of over 700 soldiers before finally signing a peace deal with extremists. The government could not subdue militants in the vast, treacherous terrain and nor could it effectively seal the 2,500 km long border with Afghanistan.
In NWFP, the MMA is sympathetic to radical groups and no action is taken against their activities. Radicals run FM radio channels and utilize all media to propagate their objectives. The mantra of anti-Americanism for the radicals is in chord with that of MMA which helped the latter to achieve a landslide victory in provincial elections. Even in Islamabad, the government has expressed its inability to use force against the radical clerics.
THE AFGHAN LINK
After the six years of ouster of the Taliban regime, the US and its allies are still struggling to control the Taliban resistance. The resistance has witness an upsurge. The Afghan government has failed to deliver any relief to its people and the civilian deaths in US bombings have enraged not only the Afghan population but also their religious brethren in Pakistan. The sympathy and support of their counterparts in Afghanistan has helped the extremists to further radicalize the masses. And the Musharraf support of this war is openly criticized and condemned.
INTERNATIONAL SCENARIO
In addition to Afghanistan, the successful resistance in Iraq and the survival of Hezbollah during its conflict with Israel has heartened them. The US role in Iraq and its support for Israel even during the conflict with Hizbullah are the points the extremists bank on to win local support.
Moreover, the radicals now say that peaceful political solutions never work and that violence is the best option. The failure of the US to control the situation in Afghanistan and Iraq has given credence to their policy of violence.
DERAILMENT OF THE POLITICAL PROCESS
To perpetuate his rule, Musharraf has used every step to weaken the political opposition. He marginalized his opponents by sending the leaders of two main political parties in exile: Ex-prime minister, Benazir Bhutto, leader of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), who was in exile before his coup and kept there by Musharraf, and ex-premier Nawaz Sharif, leader of Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N), whose government Musharraf toppled in 1999.
Musharraf also broke off members of PML-N and formed a Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) and later named it Pakistan Muslim League (PML) thus hijacking the party which was the party of the country’s founder, Muhammad Ali Jinnah. He also worked to unite the other factions of PML.
Musharraf went on to form two new parties from the core PPP: Pakistan Peoples Party Patriots (PPPP) and Pakistan Peoples Party- Sherpao. He also played on the Muttahida Qaumi Movement to join hands with him in government. All these parties support military rule. Thus real political leadership has been absent from Pakistan.
He not only manipulated elections in 2002 but also the elections of local governments in 2005 where he picked and chose people.
In NWFP, the center has always come in way of legislation and MMA could never pass the Hisba bill it had promised to the people.
JUDICIAL CRISIS
The country is also gripped by a judicial crisis after Musharraf sacked the Chief Justice (CJ), of Pakistan, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhary for fear he might create problems for him when he reelects himself from the current assembly and extends his rule while in uniform.
Chaudhary has challenged Musharraf’s reference in the Supreme Court and the entire political opposition has jumped on the bandwagon. The huge welcome to Chaudhary in Lahore, the killing of his supporter in Karachi and the assassination of an important witness in his case, Hamad Raza, have put Musharraf in a cornered position.
THE RESULT
General Musharraf’s crusade on religious extremism will bear no fruits as he has not left room for a political process to develop and deliver on the problems. His attempts to derail the democratic and political path have given the extremists more weight.
In such a scenario where rights parties are being marginalized, mainstream political parties are either broken or marginalized and elections are rigged, the military dictator rules only by power. He alienates his people who have no platform to express themselves. This has caused the religious elements in society to deem the political process inutile and they have started believing in violence and resorting to armed resistance.
International politics also plays a role. Hamas won in Palestine but its government was not allowed to function. Pakistani religious wings believe only secular democracy is promoted by America for it has double standards. Also, the resistance the militants are posing to the US in Iraq and Afghanistan gives them heart to choose the path of violence.
Published by:
Omer Khan
date: 09 | 07 | 2007
time: 11:07 pm
Permanent Link
Some people don’t seem to speak against West or Americans openly because either one or more of their members are living in the West or their interests lies in travelling between West and East.
In this case the relatives of such families are hostages in the so call free societies and such societies have made it hostage like situation for the immigrants of any country who stands against the atrocities by their new country they live in. In coming years we will see a huge immigration crisis in the history for Muslims, where they will be left stranded without human rights in the countries who are famous in given equal rights. Among such people in America are a very few people who are struggling for the better image of Islam, seem to compromise for the faith and belief they have been ordered by Islam to follow.
Let me be honest. There are considerable number of people who are stepping back from the basic Islamic practices and refraining to perform them just because they want to live at some place peacefully.
Now for those who were born in Pakistan and lived all their lives in Pakistan without whatsoever contact or interaction with the West seem to have inclination towards Western cultures and want to imitate them in any way possible. We can see ourselves copy the trends of west without differentiating between right and wrong.
Such example of military action against the so called terrorists is a fine example of imitation of American media (after 911) at our Govt level. Media coverage being given to a dispute at domestic level is exaggerated to look like an international issue, just to get attention of USA,UK,China and other western nations.
We all know that this “thought” which we have just started calling extremism that leads to terrorism, has protected our nation from invaders planning to defame our religion “Islam”. Iraq had a huge army, but why did they not defend till death. It is because they had lost faith in their leaders and surrendered at the end without a fight. Most of the Armies now a days are show piece but our Pakistan’s Army has the capability to fight till death and we trust in our leaders as well. We shouldn’t let these incidents defame our army. I think we should recruit all the Jahadi Movement leaders and warriors in the army as well and train them and make them civilized. Just like when a hacker is hired in FBI as he sabotage a system, or the water meant to destroy is stored in dams to get power.
Western strategy planners (protectionists) know that we are weak in terms of defense so they don’t need to encounter us in the battlefield, they can just achieve their objectives through our own people.
Now many think “Americans” are friends. I am sure their nation is not our enemy but when it comes to our own nation protection we need any kind of defensive power in the stand by to encounter any foreign invasion whether it is invasion of thought or invasion of land, we need to respond with positive attitude.
It is the policies that their nation votes for under pressure of imminent threat from us. Such threats are conveyed by meida to them by their own political figures who they trust.
Now is the time to take actions to defend the National Unity and instead of negotations with the Jihadists we should negotiate with Americans (since they are the real invaders)
Published by:
gepbreatt
date: 13 | 07 | 2009
time: 12:52 pm
Permanent Link
patrick amala weekend exisiting financing glass something potential
Published by:
Buy Lorazepam
date: 26 | 07 | 2009
time: 6:01 am
Permanent Link
aushadhi virtue required army dislike nitrogen jeeno