If reminders were needed that Pakistan was at the eye of the storm when it comes to terrorism, the last fortnight provided them in ample measure. For one thing, NATO officials and the US again raised the specter of their forces hitting Al-Qaeda and Taleban targets in Pakistan. And a petition was filed in the Supreme Court by the controversial ISI chief calling for the writ of the Supreme Court to be extended to tribal areas so that the court could take suo moto action to ensure that the human rights of the tribals are protected, especially while the state conducts anti-terrorist operations there.
These developments indicate the extent of the challenge confronting Pakistan internally and externally. The government in its response has reverted to the balancing tactic of assertion and accommodation. For example, the Foreign Office spokesperson, responding to the “hot-pursuit” threats, said on March 6: “Everyone should know that we have the capability and determination to deal with such threats and defend our borders...” She recalled that “since both sides have paid a price” in the past when relations have been “less than cooperative” there is now a “sustained effort to make it a long-term, durable relationship and both countries are committed to that.”
President Musharraf too acknowledged that extremism and terrorism are “the biggest challenges” facing Pakistan. He again mentioned “law and order, Al-Qaeda, militant Taleban, madrasa education and printing of hate material” as the problems the government was trying to tackle. But Musharraf said, “There is no magic formula to resolve all these issues, but we will transform... we will do it... we will win.”
For Pakistan the post-9/11 period has been one of bouquets and brickbats; in fact more of the latter. In troubled times there are more critics than friends. Unfortunately critics themselves have contributed and continue to contribute to the complexity of the problems. Problems within Pakistan and in its neighborhood abound.
These are complex problems and at stake for Pakistanis is their own future, their own country. The luxury of reaction and cynicism is not available to Pakistanis. This problem of terrorism in effect throws up multiple challenges on internal and external fronts. Unless we get it right on both fronts we will continue to sink in a morass of violence and political extremism.
On the external front Pakistan must be a credible partner fighting the scourge of terrorism and answering critics who question its credibility. At the same time there are more crucial internal issues that need to be addressed. Primarily a state must protect the human rights of its citizens. It must establish its credibility and sovereignty within the external and internal context and must balance its security concerns with the human rights concerns of its own citizens. The state must move in a transparent manner to ensure that the constitutional rights of its citizens are not violated.
The state cannot act indiscriminately. It would do so at the risk of alienating its own citizens — the same people it needs as its allies in its fight against terrorism. Victimizing the innocent paves the way for new waves of terrorism. Flowing from the external factor are issues like the presence of 2.6 million Afghan refugees that adversely affect Pakistan’s internal stability.
If Pakistan is to ensure that its soil is not used as a sanctuary by those attacking the current Kabul regime it should send back all the 2.6 million Afghan refugees. Pakistan’s humanitarian approach to this issue has only aggravated its problems at home and abroad. Islamabad needs to pursue the return of these refugees more decisively. The international agencies cannot force Pakistan into hosting these refugees indefinitely.
On the internal front one factor that stands in the way of tackling effectively the problem of political extremism that also promotes terrorism and violence, is the absence of democracy. Only Pakistan’s mainstream democratic forces can provide the political backing that is necessary to capture the hearts and minds of the public. Pakistan’s public space currently is occupied by anger, cynicism and distrust. Only democracy offers a way out. Pakistan’s problems are not insurmountable. Democracy and a firm commitment to the rule of law at home and a credible and confident positioning within the international context will guarantee a safe and stable future for Pakistan.
As a first step toward solving these problems Pakistan’s internal weaknesses need to be addressed and that can only be done through a democratic process.
