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WITH various news related to the crisis triggered by the Islamabad protest sit-ins dominating almost the entire front page of Dawn earlier this week, one item, albeit occupying the final lone column, was way too significant to ignore.
It was a story based on a statement by ISPR, the military’s media wing, providing the latest on Operation Zarb-i-Azb, the ongoing clear and hold, counterterrorism operation in North Waziristan Agency.
It detailed the destruction of the command and control capacity of the terror network, the elimination of terrorists, the dismantling of IED manufacturing units and also listed the areas that have been cleared and now under state control.
However, the most striking fact was the mention of 2,274 counterterrorism actions, as these were called, across the country including south Punjab, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, Bannu and Karachi in which, the statement said, 42 terrorists and nearly half that number of soldiers had been killed.
These intelligence-based operations which were carried out quietly and away from the glare of publicity in order not to send the militants into their hiding holes are perhaps the main reason the much feared ‘blowback’ ie retaliation by the terror network on a big scale hasn’t happened.
In reverting to try its hand at nation-building, the army, or some elements in it, are giving the impression that the past is irrelevant.
Kudos to the military and its intelligence agencies for getting their act together and for, finally, starting to deal with the most serious existential threat faced by the country in several decades. The current military leadership wisely decided to opt out of futile negotiations with those whose ideology has mass murder at its core.
Since the start of the operations, the military’s performance has been a far cry from the time an entire battalion surrendered to Baitullah Mehsud’s men in Waziristan because of being poorly trained and lacking in the required skills and procedures.
A count of the number of those soldiers who have fought valiantly and given their lives or those wounded or maimed for life is a staggering tribute to the tenacity and commitment of our fighting forces. They have fought the barbaric hordes relentlessly and bravely over the recent months.
That there has been insignificant retaliation and also that the TTP seems like an organisation in disarray with infighting and factionalism emerging also provides adequate indication of the level of penetration achieved by the intelligence/special forces into its inner folds.
While fighting is but one role of the military, a little reflection will also bring to light that as the most well-resourced, organised, disciplined entity in the country it is equally Pakistan’s best foot forward in the event of natural calamities, be it the earthquake of 2005 or the more recent drought in Tharparkar or floods. As these lines are being written, relentless rain is falling across large swathes of the country and warnings are being issued about rising floodwaters.
Heaven forbid there is large-scale damage and displacement caused by this natural calamity but if there is, rest assured all our TV screens will be filled by images of the men and women in khaki coming to the rescue like messiahs of those affected. To their credit, they have always done that.
Who can deny that the military has excelled at many of those roles? Where it was found professionally deficient in the past it has worked hard to retrain and re-equip itself to try and ensure that it is capable of stepping up to the plate confidently.
Any fighting force of the world worth its salt would be proud of such achievements and choose to bask in glory. It would have every right to.
What about ours?
It isn’t content with the gratitude of the millions of Pakistanis for taking on the militants.
In reverting to try its hand at nation-building, the army or, if some sympathisers are to be believed, some elements in it are clearly giving the impression that the past is irrelevant inasmuch as learning any lessons from it are concerned.
Let alone the past, even the present, if the sights and sounds of D Chowk and Parliament Square are anything to go by the army leadership should have been chastened and like true professionals cut their losses, even if to fight another day.
I am unsure whether this anecdote has been shared before but regardless, it won’t be out of place to mention it again. In the run-up to the 1988 elections, the head of a feared intelligence agency arrived in Karachi and gathered the more than a dozen candidates in the fray for a National Assembly constituency in Lyari.
It was the same constituency PPP leader Benazir Bhutto was contesting from. The intel chief held forth about the importance of having one-to-one contests to defeat the PPP or all would be lost. Funnily enough, only half the candidates heeded his call but half refused to withdraw their candidature.
Polling day, having come and gone, the results started to pour in. If I recall the number correctly, the seven rival candidates together polled about 10,000 votes to Benazir Bhutto’s 60,000 plus. Such was the assessment of the intel chief.
The protesters gathered in Islamabad may not number the mythical promised one million, or even a fraction of that. So regime change can’t be effected. The sooner they themselves and their backers realise the better for the country.
It is equally incumbent for those inside parliament, especially those on the treasury benches, to understand that many demands of those outside, no matter who their backers, real or perceived, are legitimate and have struck a sympathetic chord with many Pakistanis.
Meaningful electoral reform, top-drawer governance and a truly democratic ethos is the only long-term and lasting bulwark in the face of any new attempt at regime change or ‘nation building.’ The sooner this message sinks in the better.
The writer is a former editor of Dawn.
Published in Dawn, September 6th , 2014
