FATA problem...written in july 2008

Written on 29 jul 2008

FATA Problem

Me: Sir I foresee that a serious attempt will be made to enforce religion through guns and Pakistan Army should be ready for that. We should reconsider our policy of supporting the Talibans.

Gen Musharaff: “ No no no , you do not understand. Talibans are Pushtuns they are bordering us and they are our natural allies”.

That was 11 years ago at Mangla Cantt.

         

Heads of the ruling Party Coalition in their last meeting have decided to debate the policy on War on Terror in the Parliament and basing upon the outcome of the  debate a national consensus policy will be formulated which will be in the interest of Pakistan rather than USA. An excellent decision in a democratic setup, where problems are debated in the Parliament and then the policy is framed. Theoretically yes but with 342 members in the parliament, everyone playing for the galleries can a concrete debate and a suitable national consensus policy be framed? This becomes more difficult in the circumstances that everyone is trying to come up with a solution without knowing what the problem is. So far whatever I have seen or heard are the causes or solutions to the problem. Right from the national leaders to a common man you meet, have got a solution to the situation prevailing in FATA and NWFP and if they are asked what the real problem is, they doubt your mental state for not knowing this basic fact. This debate will be a waste of time which is slipping fast because in the end the Prime Minister will wind up the debate assuring the nation that Pakistan’s interest will be supreme and we will not take dictations from any one. We will be standing where we are today, confused, uncertain and demoralized. So it will be fair that first all the stakeholders must agree on defining the problem for which a solution is being sought. Let us first try to define the problem.

Let us assume that it is a law and order problem. If it is, then there are 2 parties to it, the government of Pakistan and those disrupting the law and order. Government of Pakistan, like any other good government  has duty and obligation to protect the life and property of its citizens and naturally when government is making efforts to discharge this basic duty the  people of Pakistan should be fully supportive and backing  the Government. They are not. We can conclude that most of the Pakistanis do not consider it a law and order problem. One reason for their non concern may be that the situation is bad in NWFP only and rest of the country does not own it as its problem. Only suicide bombing in a city creates ripples for some time and then the life goes on as usual but then why does one see people worried about the situation in FATA.

Is it the result of Talibanization? A group of people trying to force their view point through guns on rest of the country. If it is then there are two parties involved, Pakistan and Talibans. Any individual or a group has constitutional right to propagate its viewpoint and to convince the people that their point of view is right. However there is a difference between convincing and forcing, a vast difference. The same constitution gives the individual the right to decide for himself what is right and what is wrong. Right or wrong, democracy is becoming the accepted norm of running the affairs of states worldwide. Our democratic system is as rotten as our dictatorial rules but that is what is available to us and that is what guarantees our future. We do not choose our dictators but we do strive to struggle for democracy during a military rule. So should the nation accept dictations from a group or groups weather in Karachi or FATA?

Is it a war between Pakistan and Taliban?  Rehman Malik, on the day of Islamabad suicide bombing, a few days back said that we are at war. Was he right?  1400 Pakistan army soldiers including officers have been killed by Taliban since 2001. Indians have not killed so many of Pak Army troops during 3 wars. With such heavy losses people of Pakistan should be clearly siding with the army. They are not. This raises the question why the people of country are not behind its forces when the forces think that they are protecting Pakistan at a high human lives cost. Are the forces and the masses thinking differently? If yes then one of them is wrong. If the Army is wrong the masses can not do much about it but if they are right why efforts are not being made to convince the people by placing facts about adopting the policy of military actions.

Is it the matter of Jehad? If it is, who has declared this, and against whom? If it is a Jehad declared by Taliban, then there are three parties involved, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Taliban and when we say Afghanistan it includes NATO forces. Pakistan as a state has certain international obligations. Can we allow our citizens to go and fight in another country? If we allow what repercussions we will face on international front? Have Taliban sought Pakistan’s permission to carry out such activities in another country?  If not then is it the responsibility of Pakistan to stop it. If yes how can we ensure that?

Fourth, is this problem a result of NATO occupation of Afghanistan? If yes, then NATO troops removed the Taliban government in Afghanistan. Though a friendly government, do we have to fight for the rights of Taliban? Like every country in the world we have a right to dream of having favorable neighboring governments. However we must evaluate the cost we have to pay to get a favorable government and the benefits we will reap. Mind you NATO forces in Afghanistan have a mandate from United Nations. Do we go against United Nations? The best choice for Pakistan will be that NATO forces leave Afghanistan and Talibans form their government in Kabul. That is what Taliban must be aiming for but how do we achieve that. Is our military capable of defending our borders and air space against NATO attack? Are we equipped for that? No we are not.

Another common reason given is to blame the policy of General Musharraf as if the moment he leaves, the problem will be over. General Musharraf’s legitimacy is not being accepted by majority of the political parties considering him an unlawful President. If his exit brings peace to the country then that is a free meal and we must grab it, but is it really so? Will his exit from the scene change the thinking of the Taliban or the Government is expected to change its thinking and strategy? What change is expected in the government policy?

Are Taliban a problem for Pakistan? This must be clearly defined while formulating the policy. If they are a problem then should we take them as enemies and deal accordingly. If they are considered as own people whose actions are creating serious problems for Pakistan then what should be the modes operand to convince them to follow and respect the foreign and internal policy and laws of Pakistan.  What action we will take if they do not agree to our terms. If they are taken as enemies how should they be tackled? Will the use of indiscriminate force result in a civil war in NWFP and destabilize the rest of Pakistan.

Having average intelligence, these are the questions which have come into my mind to define the exact problem. Yet I am still not sure what exactly the problem is. Country is full of genius think tanks ready to sprinkle their intellect on a short notice on television channels. There must be equally wise people sitting in policy making bodies of the government. Political parties have direct contact with the people and there is no dearth of intellectual in their rank and file. So I will suggest that before embarking upon the exercise of debating the issue in Parliament , we should first decide what we should debate?