IT is a fight that must be fought for Pakistan’s own sake. And the sooner the fight is taken up with purpose and resolve, the sooner all Pakistanis and denizens of the wider region will be able to look forward to a more peaceful and secure future. As the country attempts to return to a semblance of normality after Indian aggression, there are signals that the state is once again contemplating serious action against militant networks that have mostly avoided scrutiny and closure until now. If that is true, if the state does intend to go on to confront and dismantle militant networks that are externally oriented, it will require careful and coordinated action across all tiers of government and institutions of the state. The starting point, as indicated by Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry, should be the National Action Plan, which represents a political and inter-institutional consensus that Pakistan must fight decisively against violent religious extremism.

Certainly, unlike the fight against terrorist groups and militant networks that have taken up arms against the Pakistani state and society itself, the fight against violent religious extremists will require a different mix of actions instead of purely counter-insurgency and counterterrorism campaigns. There will also need to be clarity at many levels. First, the goal should be unambiguous: ridding Pakistan of all forms of militancy, terrorism and religious extremism. That goal should be publicly and unambiguously re-embraced by the national political leadership and relevant institutions. A speech to the nation by the prime minister, a joint session of parliament, an all-parties conference, an unambiguous statement by the National Security Committee and a federal and provincial government summit are just some of the ways that a clear policy direction can be established. NAP already exists, but for fresh impetus to be created, a public renewal of policy would be helpful.

Second, time and effort should be expended to draw up a sustained strategy to win the fight against violent religious extremism. The relevant networks that have to be dismantled are formidable and it is likely that parts of the state apparatus themselves are unaware of the true scale and reach of such organisations. A careful assessment of the threat, a determination of which level of the state and which part of the security apparatus are to deal with specific aspects of the threat, and a sequencing of actions over the short to medium term will be required. The external dimension, Pakistan’s obligations under international law, will also be an important factor. The fight against violent religious extremism will be complex and difficult — there ought to be no illusions that vast networks built up over decades and that are thriving today will simply acquiesce to the state dismantling them. But there is no rational alternative path left. The state must begin the long task of identifying, finding and removing violent religious extremists from society’s midst.

Published in Dawn, March 5th, 2019