Pakistan: In the Mist of Strategic Terrorism

THIS IS A PAKPOTPOURRI EXCLUSIVE                                                                                                                      Jawad Raza Khan

Warfare dominions have changed since more than a decade; Pakistan is under ferocious attack; what all is going on is an all-out aggression against Pakistan as a state; after every attack in Pakistan, point of views are discussed on hourly basis and disseminated on half hourly basis. Some standard analyses are tabulated below.

  • This was a serious security breach
  • Where the intelligence agencies are?
  • Law enforcing agencies are in efficient
  • Musharraf is responsible of all this!
  • All this is because of the corruption in masses from top to bottom
  • Defense budget must be discussed at length in the Parliament
  • Tomorrow there will be a strike followed by a DHARNA
  • Punjabi Taliban’s are involved in it
  • Interior Minister claims “ Backbone of Taliban has been broken”
  • Why we made Taliban’s in first place?

The dosage of above mentioned analyses is so strong and continuous that sleepless dreams also constitute same themes, incidents and messages. Out of the entire predicament, one thing is on dot and as per the plan, strategic encirclement of Pakistan. The most defining aspect of the said maneuver is rolling now, in other words we can say that “the said strategic encirclement is now in execution phase, coupled with strategic terrorism”. 

Point here is not to produce a horrifying document recounting yet another conspiracy theory against the state of Pakistan from outside. If this would have been the solution to the cancer we would have been cured much before the destruction of our strategic assets like P-3 Orion. Attack on Pakistan on the night 22nd May 2011 was a well-planned, rehearsed, coordinated and classically executed. What all financial and strategic loss Pakistan will bear is not the preposition to be discussed but the imperative is how Pakistan should defend itself in the face of this strategic terrorism? How Pakistan will convince the world that Pakistan is a nation capable of defending its nuclear arsenals?

Military lessons, Political Amrath Dharas and Administrative Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) have been formulated and reformulated so many times in past, but Pakistan is still bleeding hard and stuck in this quagmire for a long time, than “What is missing”?

By and large all the state elements are under serious threat and most of them are performing inefficiently.  In the latest form of warfare the most tangible segment is information war, privatization of this war machinery has proved to produce only an untamed monster, mincing money and ridiculing Pakistan in General. In strong nations media plays unprecedented role to recurvate “will to fight and survive as a nation” and with all due respect and without going into details generally this experiment has failed miserably”. This looks to be a too generalized and biased statement, but points to follow will be able to crystallize the exact requirement out of Executives, Legislators and Judiciary.

After declaring “WAR EMERGENCY” following actions are recommended to be done.

  • Complete Political leadership (in and outside parliament) with military leadership and Chief Justice need to sit and formulate a cohesive, coherent and comprehensive strategy against Strategic Terrorism
  • Immediate halt on statements by all politicians and dissemination of party point of view on naval catastrophe
  • Census be taken as an opportunity for pinpointing non Pakistanis and resolution be passed and enforced for their immediate deportation and if possible it should be coupled with de weaponing streets of Pakistan
  • Mechanism be formulated and efficiently enforced for uninterrupted trial of terrorists held in custody, setting examples for future
  • All intelligence agencies be ordered to re-organize their selves to fight this new facet of war with precision
  • Concept of community policing be introduced and enforced immediately especially in urban areas of the country through local body representatives
  • Training of civil defense and N.C.C must be started immediately for producing local countering forces at lower level
  • Pakistani electronic media (with exception of some) is incapable of handling and executing the all-important information war, immediate seizure of complete media (News channels) must be enforced (at least for six months) to gain unanimity amongst the masses for effective tackling of the war, only state television to function with all its emphasis on National unity should operate with efficient and precise content management

Pakistan can prevail, even after losing 40000 Pakistanis in this war. This resolution of Pakistanis has made the terrorists to change their priority to strategic targets, sending clear message to the all national institutions of Pakistan. Time to respond with efficiency is the only way out or we will be history as so many nations are…………………..God Forbid 

WRITER IS A POLITICAL WRITER BASED IN ISLAMABAD.

 

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Comments

  • Shahid  On May 23, 2011 at 4:20 pm

    THIS IS REALLY RIDICULOUS.BEING IN A SEMI-STATE OF WAR SINCE THE LAST TEN YEARS,HOW COME OUR MILITARY ESTABLISHMENTS ARE TARGETED SO EASILY.WHAT’S HAPPENING ???
    THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD DECLARE EMERGENCY IMMEDIATELY !
    THE ARMY SHOULD TAKE OVER THE SECURITY OF ALL CIVILIAN AND MILITARY INSTITUTIONS UNDER ITS’ COMMAND AND REHASH ALL THE SOPs ON INTERNAL SECURITY,PLUS STRENGTHEN IT’S OWN CANTONMENTS AND BASES.
    DEFINITELY,OUR NATIONAL SECURITY SPECTRUM,IS TOO WEAK,OR NOT-BOTHERED AT ALL.THIS STATE OF AFFAIRS CANNOT CONTINUE ANY FURTHER.
    WE CANNOT AFFORD COMPLACENCY ANY MORE.EVEN FOR A SECOND !
    SR.

  • Inam Khan  On May 23, 2011 at 4:31 pm

    All this can be achieved if we have sense of purpose,honesty and dedication…………………………………………………….Inam Khan

  • Salman Abbasy  On May 23, 2011 at 6:07 pm

    Asia Times Online is of the view that the Karachi attack marks the violent beginning of an internal ideological struggle between Islamist elements in the Pakistani armed forces and their secular and liberal top brass.
    Responding to my question at the NDC in 2003, General Musharraf said he took the decision, alone and instantly, to join the US ‘war on terrorism’ and ditch the Taliban government of Afghanistan, and that he told the US before informing his own corps commanders and civilian ministers.
    Such a drastic and fundamental change in the national security policy without any prior consultations has split the ranks of the armed forces. The attacks on General Musharraf were traced back to military elements as the ranks had already been penetrated by the supporters and ideas of the militant organizations they had once nurtured for use in Afghanistan and Kashmir.
    According to WikiLeaks, a March 2006 cable from the U.S. embassy in Islamabad quotes then Deputy Chief of Air Staff for Operations, Air Vice Marshal Khalid Chaudhry, as saying that the airmen, most of whom came from villages, were being radicalised by extremist Islamic clerics. The cable also says that Chaudhry claimed “to receive reports monthly of acts of petty sabotage, which he interpreted as an effort by Islamists amongst the enlisted ranks to prevent PAF aircraft from being deployed in support of security operations in the Federally Administrated Tribal Areas (FATA) along the Afghan border.”
    It is the same situation in the Navy. The Asia Times Online reports: “It was shown several months ago that the Pakistan navy is vulnerable to Islamists when a marine commando unit official was arrested,” the security official said. “He was a member of the Mehsud tribe from South Waziristan [tribal area] and was completely indoctrinated by militants. Naval Intelligence never shared the information with the ISI [Inter-Services Intelligence] or any other security agency that during interrogation he confessed that militants planned to attack installations during the visit of a foreign delegation. Now, they [intelligence] realize how the organization [navy] is riddled and vulnerable to the influence of militant organizations,” the official said.
    In these divisive circumstances, we cannot afford to repeat General Musharraf’s mistakes of imposing emergency and suspending press freedoms. Yes we do need to get all stakeholders together for revising the national security policy and charting future course of action. But the days of closed door sessions are gone because they generate more suspicions than confidence. The enemy is around us and within us; even the armed forces are no longer intact. Only Pakistani citizens remain uninformed of their country’s national security plight just as they were when the East Pakistan crisis erupted in 1971. Any other course of action will surely lead to rapid realisation of the dream born on the banks of the Potomac of splitting Pakistan along the Indus River.
    Salman Abbasy

  • siddiqui my  On May 23, 2011 at 6:40 pm

    With due respects I disagree on most points with Raza sb:
    Security breeches have always taken place in History and no nation however powerful or great has been immune because humans are prone to mistakes eg Pearl Harbour & 9/11, Hitler’s invasion of USSR etc. Decisions are made by humans who are NOT perfect…Even Adam made a mistake !! Security breeches are common all over the world; after all we are humans; even computers sometimes spew garbage ! and mistakes in fact are helpful for future.

    Intelligence agencies and Law enforcers are humans and all, even in advanced societies too make mistakes; in Pakistan law enforcing agencies are misused for personal duties and functions but even then they are not all that bad

    I am not sure what Musharraf has to do with all this ? like any normal human being you too have bias…right or wrong is not the question…we started down hill ever since ayub era !! and it became an avalanche after 1971 ..

    Corruption is certainly a problem but it has different reasons; briefly it is part of our culture; those of us who are unable to obtain favours blame others for corruption…which one of us is an angle…who can cast the first stone ? Pl define “Top” & “Bottom” ? does it not mean “All of us” ?????

    There is nothing wrong about discussing defence budget in the assembly; there will be more ‘share holders ” in the loot ?? How will it cut down corruption and how many can intelligently take part/contribute to the debate ?

    “Dharna” is a flash in the pan; a one time show; I really do not see its relevance to the problem ?

    Punjabi Talibans are a problem but then why Taliban ? one has to look at the disease and try to cure it; killing the patient is no solution…in the long run it has to do with our Education system which does not find space in your discourse…why you are not a Taliban..why I am not a taliban ??? I am sure we both are religious without being Taliban ?

    All can be commented about Rehman Malik is an optimist

    As regards Taliban; you tell me ? who created Taliban and then frankly tell me why & what about taliban ? they are cast aways of our society; unlike you and me they are holding the banner of islam even if it is upside down !! do we up hold Islam ??????????? do we really know what is an Islamic society ? but we all are quick to condemn it !!

    Suddenly you jump to ” Strategic encirclement…..”Pray define and inform who is executing it and who is “encircling ” do you mean the Taliban…afghan style or american style …..

    If i understand correctly your solution is “War Emergency”…War against whom or what ? one cannot have a war without an enemy…define the enemy ?

    I am really amused at your nomination of the Chief Justice….he is the Amrat Dhara…. is it !! that is really funny….why not make him the “SUPREMO”.. the real Amrat Dhara!!

    Why are we so anxious about our Nuclear Arsenal…….they are safe and normally widely disbursed… and even if they are taken over we have the expertise and ability to produce again….so do not have undue worries….sleep tight

    yes you are right and I fully endorse “Pakistan can Prevail”…and I add to it “we have prevailed so far”……………………

    What you have suggested in conclusion under War Emergency is a fine Wish List…..but such changes happen over a time; we are not even 70 years old yet; we are still young hence your anxiety to be as mature as your dear grand dad……….but that takes time but it will happen to us too

    My comments are in friendly spirit and no slight is intended; I certainly enjoy your write

    Thank you and God bless you

    sidiqui

    • jawad  On May 24, 2011 at 3:01 am

      Salaam , sir i certainly enjoy your comments more than you enjoy my articles, you are a source of guidance and encouragement for me.
      Here i would like reply to some of your observations.
      I think i have not been able to convey things properly, firstly in the beginning all those analysis done on electronic media , which are tabulated cannot bring any good to us. That is why i have discussed bad dreams after these analytical bombardments by ill equipped people.
      Secondly,what all resources we have in shape of the government Army and judiciary we have to rely on them. I have no different view about Chief Justice as you have and my article on judiciary with regards to its extreme in efficiency against terrorism has been highlighted in one of my article ” Is judiciary capable enough to deal with insurgency “. I think i have not expressed him as Amrath Dhara at all.
      Lastly sir i missed your comments on my last three articles and still keeping my fingers cross.
      Thanks

      • siddiqui my  On May 24, 2011 at 4:43 am

        dear Jawad sb
        Thank you for being so sportive and taking my caustic remarks in your stride; that is a sure sign of your intellect and that is what attracted me to converse with you….
        Our national problem is we are always critical without ourselves making any positive contribution to the problems
        Our problem basically is : we have been ( all subcontinental peoples ) slaves for generations and hence we have become devious and un trusting of others; you can see it in our every day life; we do not let even our grown up children to choose a pair of shoes; if a daughter herself chooses a life partner, the parents hit the roof !!
        Our education system is the worst in the world; we are still hung on the rotten and discarded education system which was discarded by the Indians more than 15 years back..
        I proudly tell others: we were nearly 30 or so class mates in govt College, Lahore way back in early 50’s …. most of us in those days were fan of Faiz yet only one of my class fellows migrated and settled abroad ! And I say proudly most of my class fellows either retired as grade 22/23 civil servants or nuclear or space scientists…….and they were intensely involved in our space/nuclear programme and helped the explosions hence i no longer fear about nuclear capability….we can do it again and again…we have the expertise now………..
        You are a younger person and I can understand your anger and frustration but do not waste your talent; hard work is required even to raise your own child……pl see how long it took the americans to become US of A?????? we are ONLY 60 years old or so and your generation has not seen/experienced birth pangs of Pakistan………I have !! we had not a single economist; yet we set up the State Bank of Pakistan in 6 months……….all kinds of sanctions were imposed upon us yet we exploded better nuclear device than Indians ???????? who had all the support from the americans/canadians/Brits and the French…………
        All we require is self confidence, faith in ourselves and character……………..if 9/11 can happen to the mighty americans than MEHRAN is a pea nut; nothing to make so much hue and cry……..
        Thank you for your kind words and hope we remain in touch as friends…………one of my dearest friend is an atheist……my wife is mystified how come we are such close ?? He is outstandingly intelligent and i see him to charge my mental batteries…
        with regards and best wishes
        siddiqui

      • jawad  On May 24, 2011 at 5:39 am

        Sir i am all tears, believe you me. Your comment reminded of a usual motivating talk use to be delivered by my dearest Grand Mother (May Allah bless her soul). She use tell stories of her 9 days journey from Bareli to Khokhrapar in September 1947 (Just after Independence). We are fortunate to have you people with us to bring us back on path with more dedication and positive contributions as you have said.I was 20 years old when she passed away in 1988, my intellectual up bringing (whatever little i possess)is due the remember able company of my Grani. At some point in time you tend to get frustrated but your frustration should not take over your composure, I am sure this was the lesson of your talk.
        You made my day sir!
        Thanks
        Jawad

  • Faisal Imam  On May 24, 2011 at 1:15 am

    Turn Pakistan into a prison.
    would it not be easier to hand over the network supporting Bin Laden and let the Americans and them figure it out.
    Why should 180 million suffer because of a few (hundred?) adventurers who have no respect for the Constitution,people’s rights,people’s religion or beliefs.
    if they are ‘brave’ warriors they should should not hide behind a self-tailored Assembly and if he really wanted to resign he should have just gone home like Ali Kuli Khan did.
    Why a closed door session?what have we to hide from the people and the world?Don’t the parliementarians already know what is happening ?Funny parliement which is not in control of its institutions.Why finance them?who is answerable?

  • Abdul Qadir Khan  On May 24, 2011 at 4:44 am

    Good analysis but at the end, you have one objectionable solution- ‘Immediate seizer of media’. I do not agree with your suggestion. After a long struggle, we have been able to bring a competitive media environment. My heart sinks while thinking those single monopoly times of ‘PTV’ when we were forced to watch only ‘Zee TV’. Thanks to General Musharraf for bringing this beautiful change (though I have more complaints against him). Only a well thought out line of action involving input of EVERY BODY is required. Your verdict reminds me an Urdu idiom ‘ Qahr-e-Dervesh Ber Jaan-e Dervesh’ – Wrath of the poor falls on himself’. Rest is agreed to.

  • Tanvir Ahmed Siddiqui  On May 24, 2011 at 5:53 am

    Yes! All suggestions of the author stand reasonable and practical accept for media curb…Nodoubt that Media is commercialised and monetized to keep itself up on 24/7 Marathon..But Deeds be good be bad are always defined and explained and played up accordingly..so no need to worry.

  • Iltifat Lone  On May 24, 2011 at 5:58 am

    An excellent article and very positive comments/analysis by Mr Siddiqui. I will only add that WE (our leaders.politicians and Generals) should start telling truth. I agree that blunders / fiasco do happen, but if we take positive steps we will learn from our mistakes. May be the world condemns or pinpoint in a very humiliative way like the British newspaper have pointed that the western side was void of fence/cameras. In stead of contesting we should boldly face and admit our faults and give reasons if we have any. This is just one example which I have just mentioned. Secondly our media is independent and should remain like that but the anchors and Hosts needs maturity (experience,teaching and guidance) and for that some policy /control is required. We are a proud Nation and Inshallah we will manage to come out of these turmoils, BUT those who have laid their lives weather Civilian or Military must be remembered as Heroes.

    • siddiqui my  On May 24, 2011 at 9:47 am

      Dear Mr Iltifat,
      Thank you for your comments.
      Tragedy of the muslim history is that at certain point in time we, the muslims, b ecame shy of TRUTH and became proverbial ostriches
      Every press likes to twist facts to suit their agenda
      THe western side was not unattended; there is a wide “Nalah” along the parimeter wall which is more than 5′ or so high with wire fencing and cameras as well, the nalah water is fairly deep ( 3′ or more) full of heavy and filthy sludge water….I have seen it and I dont think one can wade thro it………….
      How they entered is still not clear; it is a very wide open parameter and entry can be made from various points if one is not too alert; if you live in Karachi you can survey the whole area from the two bridges in the vicinity
      But I will agree the air base should not be here; it should be along the Baluchistan coast as far as possible from the prying eyes of the Indian radars
      As I have said we all are wiser after the event; so do not be unduly harsh; we all are humans after all………….before you pose another question/objection it is all matter of money and the objections by civilian auditors……if you buy a book and a matric failed audit clerk puts his finger on it…one had it for months to explain!!!!!!!!!!!!
      We are still slaves and nobody is allowed to take decisions…………..hope you understand ?
      So be generous in your assessment
      Thank you

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