Death by drone

Published May 28, 2016
irfan.husain@gmail.com
irfan.husain@gmail.com

THE recent attack that removed Mullah Mansour from our midst is yet another reason for Imran Khan to hate drones as media coverage has shifted away from the Panama Papers.

But while life might have ended for the Afghan Taliban leader, it goes on for the rest of us. After the knee-jerk reactions of over-excited chat show anchors and their guests, and the predictable condemnation of the violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty by the perfidious Yanks by both Nawaz and Raheel Sharif, it’s time to move on.

Or perhaps not quite yet. Much has been made of the setback Mullah Mansour’s assassination has caused peace negotiations. Every­body from pundits to Sartaj Aziz, the prime minister’s adviser on foreign affairs, has weig­hed in on the damage this event has caused to the possibility of a political settlement.

Exactly what peace process are these worthies talking about? For years, the Taliban have made it clear that they will not talk to the Afghan government as long as the Americans are present in their country. And although Sartaj Aziz claimed in America recently that the Pakistan government had some leverage with the Taliban leadership in Quetta, the fact is that there were never any serious negotiations.


How did Mullah Mansour obtain a CNIC?


Incidentally, this is the first time Pakistan indicated officially that it had given sanctuary to the Taliban. And if anything, the violence in Afghanistan has escalated since Mullah Mansour took over from Mullah Omar after his death in a Karachi hospital. This, followed by Mullah Mansour’s death by drone in Balochistan, raises some serious questions about Pakistan’s role in harbouring a group that is responsible for so much death and destruction on our neighbour’s soil.

The fact that Mullah Mansour was carrying a Pakistani passport and ID card when he was killed adds to the perception that the Taliban leadership was functioning under Islamabad’s patronage. His frequent trips to Dubai from Karachi, and his recent visit to Iran, all raise troubling questions.

Of necessity, spooks operate in the shadows and even their masters are often kept out of the loop. Nevertheless, it is perfectly legitimate to ask how Mullah Mansour obtained Pakistani identity and travel documents despite being closely watched by our intelligence agencies.

Every time there’s a drone strike, the word ‘sovereignty’ is bandied about. But when you claim sovereignty over territory, you must also exercise control, something we haven’t done very effectively in our tribal areas until the recent military operation to crush the militants operating freely there. For decades, our badlands on the Afghan border are alleged to have been used to launch cross-border attacks.

The problem became worse after the American-led military presence in Afghanistan following 9/11. Since then, some $33 billion in US aid has come into our exchequer. But we have failed to keep our side of the unwritten bargain by allowing the Taliban a sanctuary where they have been able to re-arm, rest and plan attacks into Afghanistan.

And while we have given tacit permission to the Americans to hit the Taliban in the tribal areas, Balochistan has thus far been a no-go area for drone attacks. But to assume that our red lines would give Mullah Mansour perpetual protection while his militants attacked Afghan and American targets is to live in a universe where everybody else is supposed to turn the other cheek, while we use lethal force.

And just as we exercise little control over our borders, so, too, is our system of issuing ID cards and passports completely dysfunctional. Since the Soviet invasion in 1979, millions of Afghans have made Pakistan their home, and thousands have probably received Pakistani ID cards and passports.

The question, however, is whether Mullah Mansour obtained his documents with official blessings, or through the usual route of crooked agents and Nadra officials. I personally cannot believe that our spooks were unaware of his busy travel schedule. So the question arises about who tipped off the Americans regarding his itinerary. Given his intransigence, and the mounting American pressure to persuade the Taliban to join the talks, can the involvement of some elements in our intelligence agencies be ruled out?

Despite our claims of being victims of American duplicity, the truth is that our establishment has been closely involved in the entire drone campaign from its very beginning under Bush. Musharraf handed over an air base in Balochistan, and drones operated from there with only token Pakistani protests. According to an American embassy cable revealed by WikiLeaks, the US ambassador was told by the then prime minister that his government would officially complain about the drones, but the Americans should continue taking out the Taliban.

Clearly, it is as much in our interest as it is to Afghan and American advantage to neutralise the Taliban. Over the years, they have killed thousands of innocent men, women and children. Our support for them has helped in creating our own home-grown jihadis. Instead of protesting, we should be pooling resources and efforts to eradicate this cancer once and for all.

irfan.husain@gmail.com

Published in Dawn, May 28th, 2016

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