immediately revived and a National Action Plan (NAP) shall be specially put in place to deal with the deadly terror activities. Simultaneously, the political leadership decided to empower the Rangers in Sindh for immediate action to arrest the fast deteriorating law and order situation in Karachi where the government had tacitly lost its control.
While the revival of Nacta and execution of NAP, both in the domain of civil administration, have been meted out the traditional ‘hollow sloganeering’ treatment, the Rangers have moved swiftly in Karachi – demolishing and annihilating untouchable mafias one after the other. Consequently the crime rate has registered a sharp decline over the entire spectrum. The residents of Sindh, particularly Karachi, have breathed a sigh of relief after years of burgeoning bloodshed, extortion, arson, looting and plundering.
On the external front, India is highly disturbed at the upcoming China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and has started military and diplomatic bombardment to cause unrest and create obstacles in our path. In the most significant regional development, Pakistan has brought the Afghan Taliban to the negotiation table and is working hard for rapprochement between the Taliban and the Afghan government, something that the US and others could not do for over a decade. This has shattered Indian dreams of occupying a major position in Afghanistan in the post-US drawdown scenario.
In order to sabotage the cooperative effort between Pakistan and Afghanistan, India is now sponsoring terrorism in Afghanistan and blaming it on Pakistan. On yet another front, the Indian government is facing extreme frustration due to the revival of the Kashmir movement, which has picked up steam and is attracting worldwide attention. At home, over 70 separatist movements by minorities in nearly half of the states of India continue to blemish her image as a secular state.
Our fraternal relationship with the Arab world is going through a difficult phase. Ever since the reluctance shown by Pakistan to send its forces to Saudi Arabia to counter the Yemeni threat, our friends in the Gulf and Middle Eastern region have been unhappy. The Indians have been overly active in exploiting this situation too in their favour, which was recently manifested in a large IAF fighter contingent reportedly staging through a Saudi Air Force Base for the first time in history, and a slanderous speech by the Indian prime minister against Pakistan in his visit to the UAE.
The overall approach adopted by Pakistan towards establishment of peace in the world and an overwhelming assistance in the normalisation of devastated Afghanistan has propelled us to the centre-stage of contemporary politics. In order to exploit this window of opportunity, there is a dire need to stem the domestic rot and restore normalcy, which is a pre-requisite to seeking enduring alliances and partnerships like the historic CPEC based on mutual interests with the regional powers. This underlines the fact that the battle for Karachi is the battle for Pakistan as Karachi, being the jugular vein of our country, is the target of multiple adversarial forces, which, unlike Waziristan, are not easily identifiable and hence the battle lines cannot be distinctly drawn.
As the intensity of operations in Karachi increases, so does the howling and shouting by the political parties presumably affiliated with hostile forces. In order to avoid exposure to the public, these so-called representatives of the people are crying foul and leaving no stone unturned to thwart operations by the security forces meant to bring permanent peace to the ill-fated city of Karachi.
This is a war whose seeds have been sown, over the years, by those we are constrained to call the ‘elite’. And this ‘elite’ comprises all those who were born in clover, or wormed their way into the ranks of the privileged. It includes all the high and mighty who were voted into power by the poor majority but instead of looking after the welfare of the masses, they adopted a deceitful and despotic kingship style of governance. However, as the noose tightens around them, they now find themselves badly cornered.
On the recent Defence Day ceremony, held centrally at the GHQ, the army chief made some pertinent and powerful statements regarding the country’s security and foreign policy matters. Critics may question his mandate regarding the foreign policy of this country but the rationale for linking ‘security’ with ‘foreign affairs’ is the same as associating ‘terrorism’ with ‘corruption’. While the Rangers move fearlessly on the latter part in collaboration with FIA/NAB, the defence establishment ought to handle the former combination with utmost persuasion in the larger interest of this besieged nation. The army’s previous attempts to salvage the country have been disappointingly self-ambitious and resulted in disasters. For the first time the army’s conduct has been such that even the most prejudiced finger cannot be raised against it.
Perhaps the cause of Pakistan has finally started to beat in hearts that have the power to change its destiny. Perhaps the desperate prayers of the teeming millions are being mercifully heard and heeded by ‘nature’, which now seems to be in the driving seat. Cheer up folks, the broad contours of divine intervention are appearing on the horizon and this indeed is the beginning of ‘Naya Pakistan’.
The writer is a former vice chief of air staff. Email: shahidlateef57gmail.com