UN resolution (25-09-08)

 

No sane person would be envious of President Zardari’s position in the corridors of the United Nation. He has chosen to accept the responsibility of representing and defending Pakistan’s case when we are being blamed for harbouring militants by our two neighbours – India and Afghanistan. As if that was not enough both Republican and Democrat presidential candidates and their running mates have joined the blame symphony. The charge is that our land is being used by these terrorists as a safe haven with the blessing of our establishment.

 

On the home ground President Zardari and his government has inherited heavy political and economic baggage, which is a challenge to lug. Then there is pressure to call off operation in the FATA area from a section of politicians ably aided by some leading journalists. It is quite fashionable among the fundamentalists and interestingly supported by some confused leftists to label Taliban’s militant movement as anti-imperialist.

 

In this backdrop few politicians are sticking their neck out and challenging this populist fallacy. The other day at the Dialogue organised by Azfar Ahsan, Barrister Shahida Jamil reminded us all of the United Nation Security Council Resolution 1373. Let’s have look at some of the relevant clauses:

“Recognizing the need for States to complement international cooperation by taking additional measures to prevent and suppress, in their territories through all lawful means, the financing and preparation of any acts of terrorism,

Reaffirming the principle established by the General Assembly in its declaration of October 1970 (resolution 2625 (XXV)) and reiterated by the Security Council in its resolution 1189 (1998) of 13 August 1998, namely that every State has the duty to refrain from organizing, instigating, assisting or participating in terrorist acts in another State or acquiescing in organized activities within its territory directed towards the commission of such acts …..

Prohibit their nationals or any persons and entities within their territories from making any funds, financial assets or economic resources or financial or other related services available, directly or indirectly, for the benefit of persons who commit or attempt to commit or facilitate or participate in the commission of terrorist acts, of entities owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by such persons and of persons and entities acting on behalf of or at the direction of such persons; ….  Decides also that all States shall:  Refrain from providing any form of support, active or passive, to entities or persons involved in terrorist acts, including by suppressing recruitment of members of terrorist groups and eliminating the supply of weapons to terrorists.”

Violation of this resolution can invoke sanctions. But the people who suggest us to pull back our forces from FATA and allow a free hand to local and foreign Taliban are perhaps willing to fight against the world. The people of Pakistan and the present government are certainly not ready for this. Whether the new government would be able to convince the establishment, which is the architect of our foreign policy that it’s high time to change our ‘policy of strategic depth’ remains to be seen. Many past governments had to bite the dust for making such an attempt. Defence analyst Ikram Sehgal aptly calls it the “policy of strategic nonsense.”

 

Present government has rightly decided to arrange in camera briefing for the parliamentarians about the national security issues and then evolve a strategy with the support of all major parties. We have time to put our house in order before the beginning of next spring. Otherwise, no public statements would be able to stop the joint US-Afghanistan intrusions of the people who think they are fighting a Jihad in Darul Harb — Pakistan and across the border.

 

There is no disagreement that the Americans presence in Afghanistan and intrusion in Pakistan and above all their callous (or should we say nervousness) operation in which collateral damage is very high, is unacceptable. But the issue can we force the NATO forces out of Afghanistan before the government in Kabul stablised and has the ability to manage the entire country? We may wish so, but it’s not going to happen.

 

The only answer to this is to deny sanctuaries to the Taliban and their local supporters and convince them to join the mainstream politics. Taliban should declare a truce and participate in the coming Afghanistan elections. Pakistan cannot shun this responsibility as everybody knows we have strong covert relations with the Taliban leadership.

 

Those who doubt our influence on Afghan Taliban should read Ahmed Rashid’s latest book “Decent into Chaos – How the War against Islamic Extremism is being lost in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Central Asia.” The book is must reading for all those who comment on this issue as it provide historical perspective and a treasure of background information. Ahmed explains how Taliban were supported by Musharraf regime covertly by creating an organisation of ex-ISI men. This was done to counter the American allegation that ISI is supporting them. No wonder no senior Afghan Taliban has been arrested by the government in last seven years, while cracking down on Al Qeada continued.

 

The world can now see through our antics. The problem is that if the new government would try to change this policy, it is most likely to have a conflict from the establishment. They would need the support of Nawaz Sharif to attempt a paradigm shift; otherwise they would also have to continue the double crossing game. (ayazbabar@gmail.com) 

 

 

 

US incursions cannot be responded with nationalist bravado! (12-09-08)

 

As expected the heat on the Northern front is rising. President Bush and his military elite have declared that they have the right to strike inside the Pakistani border on Taliban and pro-Taliban locations. The US forces which have been using air power for the last one year to strike what they claim were Taliban’s hideouts; have for the first time used land forces to cross the border. These so-called ‘Rambos’ killed innocent people and then said “Oh! Sorry our intelligence was faulty.” The only good news is that NATO commanders have said that they do not support the policy of hot pursuit and send their forces in Pakistan.

 

After the public outrage in Pakistan the ruling political leaders protested but remaining within the limits of ground realities. Admiral Mike Mullen was rebuffed by General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani appropriately. There are reports that the Corp Commanders meeting has decided to hit back if there is any intrusion. One only hopes that the conflict with the Americans remains to the level of trade of statements and does not come to an armed conflict.

 

While President Bush’s administration may be getting desperate to show some results in the seven years’ war in Afghanistan, the problem is that there is a bi-partisan consensus among the US leadership which is contesting the elections. Both Republican and Democrat Candidates are spitting fire. Both agree that they will use their right to strike in Pakistan if the Taliban continue using the tribal area as their safe haven.

 

In this geo-political situation some over zealous nationalists are suggesting reckless reactions to the US intrusions. If we want to protect the interest of the teeming millions of Pakistanis, then confrontation with the world’s only super power would be foolish. National pride can only be protected if we start accepting the bitter fact that Afghan and local Taliban are equally responsible for the present mess we are in. Many analysts take refuge in history and say that these people were created by the CIA and ISI. It is a fact. But it is also a fact that that was of the eighties, when American interests were different and Ziaul Haq foolishly sucked them into this war.

 

Today CIA is against the same so-called Jihadis (who are now called Taliban) and ISI has to withdraw its support to these people. The recent army onslaught on Taliban’s hideouts in FATA and PATA shows that the army has changed its old policy. One can then presume that barring a few in the establishment who are ideologically committed with the Taliban, the majority must be on board with the changed policy.

 

It is indeed tragic that many innocent people of the tribal areas are suffering everyday, because of this on going war. The Taliban and their rightist and leftist apologists are using this to gain the public sympathy claiming that Pakistan army is killing its own people. Hardly anybody shows the courage in all the celebrated talk shows to condemn the Taliban for bringing this misery to their people; to analyse who are these people, why they are reluctant to stop interfering in the internal affairs of Afghanistan; why they refuse to accept the dissent; why they kill anybody who disagrees with them (they have killed over 150 Maliks who wanted to broker peace with the government).

 

The other day three elected representatives from FATA area said in Hamid Mir’s Capital Talk that the government should give them authority and six month’s time and they can bring peace to the area. There demand is just but the problem is the way things are we don’t have six months. We have to take into account the bitter fact that time is running out and that whether we like it or not the ground reality is that Americans are a huge factor in this war. Their assessment is that all the previous accords have given a breather to Taliban and their supporters to re-organise and recuperate. The experience is that when the government had signed a peace accord with local Taliban a couple of years back, they took over the control of most of FATA area and also spread their wings to Swat. Their apologists forget the summary trials and killings of people by the Taliban in those areas, collection of tax from the people and establishing their writ as against the writ of the government of Pakistan.

 

Time and again the PPP leadership has said that they would let the parliament decide the crucial policies and would try to evolve an all-parties consensus on the Taliban issue. As it is evident this means discussing our relations with Afghanistan and USA and our strategy to deal with the spiraling Talibanisation in the North. But before doing that, government should make a parliamentary committee with sufficient representation of Pukhtunkhawa and FATA members to draft a policy for putting it before the parliament for discussion.

 

We have heard the Taliban’s demands and their declaration of independence, which include Jihad against NATO and Afghan forces, which is against the foreign policy of Pakistan. Now this time the government should put its demands before the Taliban and the FATA representatives. The main demands should be:

1. There would be no intrusion in Afghanistan by local Taliban in support of Afghanistan’s Taliban movement. (Let the Afghans settle their own problem).
2. No Afghan Taliban should be allowed to come to Pakistan and their present establishment should be closed.
3. Taliban should disband their force and the government should make arrangement to rehabilitate them in normal economic activity.
4. The laws made in Pakistan with the participation of FATA and Pukhtunkhawa elected members should be accepted and Taliban brand of Shariah would not be acceptable.
5. The Taliban should declare any area as no go area for any Pakistani including our forces.

 

Government should publicise these demands consistently through the media as a campaign so that people are well aware that nothing unreasonable is being demanded by it. If these demands are not acceptable to them, then no peaceful solution is possible in the region.

 

It should be understood by the people who support them that unless the conditions stated above are not accepted by Taliban the threat to Pakistan would continue. Our dangerous old policy of nurturing such elements as an extension of our Afghan and India foreign policy has to be changed diametrically. Any other approach would lead us to increased destablisation and economic crunch, which would be crushing the people of Pakistan. Fate of millions of poor people of Pakistan cannot be held hostage by a few thousand extremists. They believe that medieval ideology can be imposed through globalised jihad on the Muslims of the world. (ayazbabar@gmail.com)