Mr Sharif, make us safe again! – by Syed Nadir El-Edroos
Disclaimer: I use the word “operation” to suggest any action taken by the Government of Punjab that recognises an internal threat and within the confines of the law undertakes action to rid militants from the province.
The government of Punjab has accused the Minister of Interior Rehman Malik, of indulging in “provincial prejudice”. The Minister has suddenlycome across irrefutable evidence that shows that domestic organisations such as the outlawed Lashkar-i-Jhangvi, the Spipah-i-Sahaba and the Jaish-i-Muhammad are part of the TTP and Al Qaeeda.
The Sharif brothers have dismissed any link between the operations of banned outfits and terrorist attacks in the province. The security of Pakistani citizens and their interests seems to have taken a back seat as the nations two largest political parties slog it out.
The government of Punjab seems least interested in conducting a “military operation” to clear out militants in the South of the province.
While that may be one explanation, however, as this is a matter of life and death, lets try and list out some other reasons which may explain why the Sharifs seem hesitant to take up calls for an operation.
1) Rehman Malik is lying. Harsh words – politicians and lying? Doesn’t seem like a natural mix?
Well on the 14th of April, 2010 the same Minister claimed that the “attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore last year was funded from Sri Lanka.” And just to make sure that a key ally and trading partner is diplomatically snubbed, he went on to add that “the Sri Lankan government was aware of this fact, but Pakistan was kept in oblivion.” Fast forward to the end of May and the tune has now changed! Can we blame the Sharif’s for not taking him seriously?
2) For the Sharif’s Punjab is their fortress. The lion roars once more. Their much deserved position at the pinnacle of provincial power is backed up by a heavy electoral mandate.
One would assume that a political party, which has accumulated so much political capital at the forefront of the restoration of the judiciary, principled stance of withdrawing from the coalition etc, would today, take the bold step of initiating a potentially risky operation to shut down dens of hate across the province. Are they just scared of losing power and becoming unpopular if things go wrong?
3) If a military operation was undertaken in Southern Punjab it’s most likely that such an operation would be conducted with the Federal government or the Army taking the lead. Perhaps the Sharif’s do not want to cede control to the Federal Government it loathes, or to the Army that showed it the door some 11 years ago. Perhaps the Sharif’s are averse to any action which may marginalise them on their home turf?
4) Or perhaps it’s just a clash of egos? The savvy Governor Salman Taseer versus the elected representatives of the people. Perhaps the Governor should change tactics. If he came out against an operation perhaps that would spur the Sharif’s into action?
5) Or maybe eradicating militancy in Punjab is small potatoes? Perhaps Mr Sharif senior has his eyes on the prize. There has been talk that once the “10 year deal” with the Saudi’s comes to an end sometime in the second half of this year, Mr Sharif will be free to push for mid-term elections. Now if that was the case, any operation in Punjab could potentially be disastrous. So close yet so far!
I must emphasise that I have no way of knowing what happens behind closed doors. Or what the Sharif brothers are thinking. My guess is as good as yours, and I am sure other calculations can be made, and additional motivations identified. Any other reason that comes to mind?
Whether we list five reasons or a hundred; the reality remains that people, citizens of Pakistan, constituents of Punjab, many of whom have voted for the political party in power, are dying due to senseless violence. While there are many reasons or “excuses” not to conduct an operation to rid the Punjab of extremists, none of them seem to take into account the welfare of the people of Punjab. Let alone the interests of the nation as a whole.
Even if the Sharifs are correct and Rehman Malik is exaggerating the facts to score political points. No one can deny that illegal weapons have flooded in to the province. By his own admission Zulfiqar Khosa has conceded that inhabitants of Punjab have received training in Fata and then returned to conduct attacks.
Inaction only guarantees one thing: it guarantees more deaths. Do parts of Punjab and the local populations have to suffer the same fate as Swat and Fata? Where the local population was left at the mercy of the Taliban? Or will the Sharifs act once Southern Punjab becomes a “no-go” area?
Why do things have to get so much worse, before any concerte attempt is made to make them better?
Whatever their reasons, whatever their excuses, whatever the calculations, the state must provide security to its citizens by all means possible.
Go on Mr Sharif, with the same spirit that you display every 28th May, when you Sir, a true patriot, made the mountains of Chagai tremble. Make the hard decisions and make us safe again.
Syed Nadir El-Edroos teaches Economics and can be contacted at nadirnwo@gmail.com
The PML-N’s duplicity
By Letter
Published: March 13, 2011
LAHORE: A nation at war with extremism requires that its leaders and political parties rise above their political and personal differences in order to achieve a common goal. However, the petty politics and personal vendettas of the senior leadership of the PML-N are proving to be a major hindrance to this fight against terrorism. The attack on GHQ, the Sri Lankan cricket team and on the police academy in Lahore, as well as the Parade Lane attack and the Data Darbar bombing are all examples of the growing participation of Punjab-based terrorist groups in this cycle of violence.
However, those handling the affairs of the Punjabi government appear oblivious to this danger. In a moment of rare honesty, some months ago the provincial chief minister made an appeal of mercy to the Taliban, asking them to spare his province from attacks. One can only wonder what kind of signal this would send to both the terrorists and ordinary Pakistanis.
It is not entirely unexpected why the PML-N holds the religious right so close to its bosom. Notwithstanding its attempt in 1998 to have Nawaz Sharif declared as ‘ameer-ul-momineen’, there are numerous examples of the PML-N trying to please extremist parties in Punjab. The law minister openly campaigned with leaders of the Sipah-i-Sahaba and other banned extremist groups during recent provincial by-elections. The more worrying aspect of this is that much of the mainstream media fails to point out this duplicity.
While it is true that the PML-N might not have been directly involved with Salmaan Taseer’s assassination, no one can deny the fact that a well-planned character assassination of Mr Taseer was a major contributing factor to the build-up behind his eventual assassination. The party succeeded in portraying the Punjab governor as a morally corrupt, alcohol-drinking, west-favouring liberal who had committed blasphemy himself. This started with the Punjab law minister brandishing Mr Taseer’s family’s private pictures on the steps of the Punjab Assembly and culminated in him insinuating that Mr Taseer had committed blasphemy. After his assassination, the PML-N was quick to distance itself from the whole affair, absolving itself of all responsibility while refusing to condemn the extremism which contributed to the act in the first place.
The same routine is being repeated after the killing of Federal Minorities Minister Shahbaz Bhatti. Are we supposed to give in so meekly to the realisation that the thousands of lives lost in this war have no meaning in front of a major political party of Pakistan when a matter of few votes is concerned?
Leena Ghani
Published in The Express Tribune, March 14th, 2011.
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