A new conflict

No one with even a modicum of political consciousness will disagree with Army Chief General Qamar Bajwa’s assertion that we as a nation are confronting a hybrid conflict where the focus is shifting to subversion on religious, sectarian, ethnic and social issues, and that this needs a comprehensive national response.

Addressing a National Security Workshop in Islamabad recently, the top general of the country emphasised that we now have a greater responsibility to ensure that our people, especially the youth, stay aware and steadfast against the propaganda onslaught being launched. The general claimed that Pakistan had been subjected to various threats especially during the last two decades, adding that the Pakistani nation and its armed forces had bravely and successfully stood up to these challenges.

Tackling this hybrid war is very important. In recent years, the West was accused of triggering such conflict in various parts of the world to dislodge defiant governments. The Western ruling elite was also blamed for orchestrating invisible coups against the governments of Libya and Syria. They succeeded in Libya but in the process the country was plunged into an utter chaos that it is still trying to grapple with. In Syria, the hegemonic power of Western countries exploited a genuine people’s movement. The conflict has claimed over 500,000. Over 11 million people were also displaced in the mayhem, which also destroyed infrastructure worth over $240 billion.

Instead of bringing any freedom and prosperity to the people, this led to the spawning of religious extremists who unleashed a reign of terror not only in Syria but in other neighbouring states as well. So, what started off as anti-government protests ended up destroying the state infrastructure in Libya, Syria and other parts of the world. Egypt, Yemen, Tunisia, Algeria, Nigeria and other states are still grappling with this.

Social movements in Pakistan need to avoid the exploitation of their agitation by foreign powers because that could, on the one hand, prompt the people to distance themselves from such movements, and on the other provide an excuse to the state to crush the movements ruthlessly. The state should also not lump all such protesting groups together and brand them foreign agents. It is important that the grievances of disgruntled elements are given a patient hearing. Their genuine demands must be addressed and their fears about policy issues must be allayed.

It is important to combat this conflict; Pakistan cannot afford to have such a situation at a time when our eastern and western borders are already hot. The country has barely managed to defeat militancy after making tremendous sacrifices. Therefore, it should not allow another monster of militancy to surface.

But in the process of all this, sledgehammer tactics should not be employed against grassroots movements like the Pashtun Tahafuzz Movement. The state should clearly draw a line between those who want to work within the confines of the federation and those who defy the constitution and the writ of the state. One must not forget that such movements have arisen out of the miseries and hardships caused by the Taliban insurgency in Pakhtun areas. More than three million people were dislodged from the tribal belt, becoming internally displaced persons. They still love Pakistan and their hearts and minds are still with the federation. It would be unwise to alienate them. Any move to target such movements would be highly imprudent.

The state demonstrated great generosity by engaging with the young leadership of this movement and conceding some of their demands. Such sagacious policy should also be its guide in the future, coupled with the development strategy that the state is already following in the defunct tribal areas. There should also be a mechanism to address the grievances of Baloch youth.

It is true that some of the elements in Balochistan have strayed and may be influenced by unsavoury elements. But it is also true that the largest province in the country has a faltering social service structure. It has one of the highest child mortality rates in the region besides, and the recent federal developments cuts are likely to multiply the woes of the deprived federal entity. Therefore, a clear development agenda and pressing issues of the province like the case of missing persons should be addressed on a priority basis to thwart our enemies from contaminating the minds of our youth.

The pernicious tentacles of extremism still seem to be engulfing Pakistani society. We must admit to the blunders of the past – from jumping into the America-led jihad in Afghanistan during the Soviet invasion to heaping eulogies on Baitullah Mehsud etc. It is time we drew a clear line that hatred in the name of religion and sect will not be tolerated at any cost. In that context, the crackdown against the TLP augurs a good omen but no amount of force can on its own address this issue of religious bigotry.

Dealing with more than 70,000 big and small religious seminaries with over 3.5 million students is not an easy task. The state might need to replicate the establishment of the Danish schools, a brainchild of former Punjab CM Shahbaz Sharif, everywhere in Pakistan. Only such schools – with a monthly stipend to parents – can help dissuade parents from admitting their children into hate-preaching religious institutions. These seminaries have become the political constituencies of clerics. The majority of the protesters of any religious party are students of these seminaries.

The government must also stop rendering people homeless and jobless in the name of anti-encroachment drives. Tents for the shelterless is one of the ways to deal with social chaos but free quality education, health services, sanitation and provision of employment are some of the measures that might strengthen society, thereby enabling us to tackle this hybrid conflict.

The writer is a freelance journalist.

Email: egalitarianism444@gmail.com