Waziristan: back to square one

The causes that led us to the present turmoil in Swat need to be considered. Was it the first time that Sufi Muhammad demanded implementation of Sharia laws in Malakand Division? That he denounced democracy and the parliament as un-Islamic? Was it the first time for the road to Malakand and Swat to be closed for days? And was it the first military operation in Malakand division?

We need to probe into questions like these to determine the fault. The demand of the people of Swat for Sharia laws is as old as the accession of the State of Swat to Pakistan. It was this demand that forced the People’s Party in 1994, the PML-N in 1998 and the ANP and the PPP this year to sign agreements with Sufi Muhammad. In the 10 days after the signing of the last agreement, something very serious must have happened that prompted the government to decide on a military operation, which the prime minister failed to share with Pakistanis when addressing the nation at midnight on May 7.

To flush out 5,000 militants, according to the government’s figure, Islamabad decided to launch a military operation in Swat which forced more then 3.5 million people out of their homes into refugee camps in Peshawar, Charsada, Mardan and Swabi. Now that the operation has almost come to an end, the government should consider sharing with people the information as to how many important militants have been killed or arrested and has the area been really cleared of them.

The time has come for the nation to be told the whole truth as to what forced our leaders to launch the war. They had not tired of accusing Gen Musharraf of disregarding the nation and following the dictates of Washington, but what forced them to start following the same dictates, even more obediently?

As a nation we seem to have decided not to learn lessons from history and continue the march of folly. We failed to look deeper into the causes and consequences of the 1965 and 1971 wars and the Kargal conflict. We turned a blind eye to the glaring mistakes of those at the helm of affairs at that time. Had we taken them to task we would not have landed in a situation that we are in now. We would have learnt lessons and weighed the pros and cons of becoming an ally of America in the war on terror. If we had, we would have seriously considered the cost and benefits of the deployment of the Army in FATA. We would have demanded action against those responsible for ordering the action against Lal Masjid. We would not have conducted operations in South Waziristan. We even did not consider seriously the collateral damages inflicted upon the poor people of FATA where the operations had been conducted earlier.

Let us put our heads together and find a solution to the problem. The chances of reversal of the damage still exist. It is simply a question of how bold we are in facing the situation politically. Or are we still going to solve this complicated problem through the barrel of a gun? Will the establishment of a cantonment in Swat bring peace to the area? The Army’s job is to create a position of strength for the political leadership to step in. That it has maintained all along in FATA, Malakand and other affected districts of the NWFP. What the Army lacked during Musharraf’s period was the wisdom of the political leadership. What it now lacks is the will of the political leadership to use wisdom.

It is not enough to pass a unanimous resolution in the Parliament and then forget all about it. It needs to be fully implemented in letter and spirit. Similarly, calling political leaders to the palatial house of the prime minister in Islamabad is not enough. Obtaining their unanimous advice should have been the objective of that meeting. That was never done. The time for simply getting political mileage through holding such meetings has long passed and concrete action needs to be taken. The nation has suffered and waited long enough. It will not put up with empty promises any more.

The leaders of the ruling People’s Party should awaken from hibernation in their fortified houses in the red zone in Islamabad to rescue the nation from the present crisis, like the party’s founder did in the crisis of 1971. They should call a roundtable conference of all political parties and seek their advice. It should be made clear to them before they are called over that they have to put aside their differences for a common cause and come to a collective decision for resolution of the problem of militancy in the country.

Leaving the problem to the Army alone would not be fair. It would amount to prolonging the matter which we can hardly afford. Let us rise to the occasion. Let us give up the policy of going round in circles. The operation that started from Waziristan has come back to it after engulfing the whole of FATA and the NWFP. We are back to square one. Let’s extinguish this fire through the collective wisdom of the nation before it is too late. That is the only recipe. Let us put it to use, the sooner the better.

(Concluded)

The writer is a former ambassador. Email; waziruk@hotmail.com