THE new wave of militancy and target killings, especially suicidal attacks on security forces, in parts of KP and a recent attack on innocent citizens in Bajaur has stirred a debate among various circles. The political leaders started targeting Pak Army and security agencies that, despite steel-bar on Pak-Afghan border, why such suicidal attacks are happening in parts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. This is nothing but only political point-scoring and various political parties badly failed to give a comprehensive security policy to the country. The historical study shows that various political parties targeted Pak Army to inject themselves with life-saving doses.
For example, the PPP targeted General Zia-ul-Haq. This tactic is used only to mould public opinion and to get sympathies of common people. The PPP has inherited structural flaws. It is dynastic and failed to deliver services to the people of Thar wherein kids have no access to clean water and medicines. Every year hundreds of children die of lack of water and medicines. Likewise, PML(N) for political purposes first targeted General Pervez Musharraf and then General Qamar Javed Bajwa. After the fall of the PTI, it followed the footprints of other political parties and targeted the Army and ISI. In addition, ethnic-based political parties like the ANP, Balochistan National Party, etc have always played havoc with the sentiments of their communities for political gains.
Currently, the ethnic-based political parties like ANP, National Democratic Party, and Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party have lost confidence among the people of the KP because they are perturbed to whom they follow; and this paved the way for people and especially the youth to join PTI. Moreover, the Movements like Pakhtoon Tahaffuz Movement and Olasi Pasoon etc, also lethal in nature to security of the country, and this may help the enemies inside and outside the country to create anarchy in the country and also bring forces against their own brothers and sisters in the shape if civil war.
Hired guns on media, especially the Social Media, are on the payroll of one political party or the other and also leave no stone unturned to tarnish the image of the Army and the ISI and other security agencies. The shocking trend on social media to target the ideological roots of the country and dissemination of fabricated stories and falsehood in the society has largely affected the minds of younger posterity who has less exposure to facts and complexities of societies.
The incumbent army Chief General Asim Munir, in April 2023, categorically laid down his plan that his institution will avoid indulging in any kind of political interference and will uphold constitutional supremacy. Despite that, the social media anchors pew poison against Pak Army which is disastrous to people of Pakistan and their motherland. It is worth to mention that: (a) Political parties failed to impart political training to their leaders and workers in the light of ideological orientations of Pakistan and Islamic principles, (b) Political parties are actively involved in politics of victimization and vengeance. (C) Political parties promote unethical political culture wherein character assassination, using non-parliamentary language, corruption, kick-backs and non-democratic norms within political parties are regarded as tools to target each other.
Such political culture has trickle down effects on the society’s social fabric. This also promoted a violent electoral system where the bullet is used for change instead of ballot – a legal, constitutional and peaceful tool to bring change in government. (d) Political parties promoted intolerance among the youth. They misled and misdirected the common minds taking them far-away from ideological moorings.
It also merits mentioning that previous military operations were not futile exercises and the martyrdom of Jawans and officers of both civil and military forces are not fruitless. Those military operations have the following blessings for the people of Pakistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and for FATA: (i) the previous military operations were also consensus-based operations against the militants. (ii) The previous military operations enabled the people of Pakistan to move to any corner of Pakistan. Before the merger of the former FATA, even KP Police could not cross the line to chase and catch an ordinary criminal rather to speak of high value targets or terrorists. (iii) Once FATA was a hub of smuggled goods and illegal weapons (light and heavy); now it has been made a part of Pakistan under the same politico-legal system.
The colonial political-cum-legal legacy was thrown out wherein a single political agent could exercise unbridled powers under Frontier Crime Regulations, 1901.4) Now their voice is expressed on the floor of Parliament, Provincial Assembly and local bodies through their elected representatives. It is the need of the hour that people from all shades of life come forward and join hands with their security forces and agencies to counter the current and future internal and external national security threats. The youth must not pay any heed to negative propaganda of any person or political organization in any shape which goes against the ideological foundations of their motherland. Political parties must stop the policy of victimization. The interim federal government needs to take all possible constitutional initiatives to transfer power to the elected representatives of the people at the earliest.
—The writer is Chairman, Department of Political Science, Islamia College Peshawar.
Email: amir@icp.edu.pk
