New Turn in the War on Terror

The leaders of two world super powers have praised Pakistan’s contribution to the war on terror simultaneously. The Chinese prime minister has thanked Pakistan for its support in controlling terrorism in China. On the other hand, American President Barack Obama mentioned Pakistan’s sacrifices in his new policy for the war on terror. He repeated again the Pakistani government’s aid in the Abbottabad Operation.

These comments from both leaders are not congruent with the Pakistani nation’s feelings about the war on terror. The two majority parties elected during the recent elections in Pakistan are against Pakistan’s involvement in the conflict. The Musharraf and Zardari administrations shared the same perspective as most of the rest of the world. We should not forget that the world’s view on the war hasn’t changed, and in fact after the Boston attack and the murder of the British soldier, the public’s opinion on the subject is escalating in intensity. Now, after 9/11, the fear of terrorism once again strikes the world. Obama stated that the American nation is safer now; the war on terror will end some day. But, the Boston attack and the murder of the British soldier have proved otherwise.

The Chinese prime minister said he wants to strengthen the strategic relationship between Pakistan and China. I wrote in my last column that this could mean that China will help Pakistan if attacked by India or America. But, he actually meant that China shares the same position on the war on terror with Pakistan. China has always complained that the people of Pakistan are escalating the extremism in Xinjiang. It also was critical of the fact that in the tribal region of East Pakistan, Islamic fundamentalists in Pakistan are training for guerrilla warfare.

These remarks from both leaders have made it critical for Pakistan to fall in line with the accepted world view of the war on terror. If we believe that our stance on the war on terror is justified, then we should at least get tougher. Awami National Party member Zahid Khan said that Imran Khan couldn’t stop the NATO supply route. Moreover, the issue is not only limited to the supply line. The main problem concerns the drone attacks that Obama mentioned in his new policy; the CIA will continue to operate drone attacks in Pakistan and the operation will be reviewed after every six months to see how safe the American military is in Afghanistan. Essentially, the whole drone operation is to be kept under American control and Pakistan has been excluded. The CIA does not answer to anyone on the subject of their drone operations. This is why the drone attacks are still a big concern for Pakistan.

However, now the CIA has decided to target only those people and groups that are a threat to America’s safety, and not those who are believed to have links with al-Qaida. After seeing the reaction from the Pakistani people after the Abbottabad operation, the U.S. military decided not to use ground operations anymore. After Osama bin Laden, America does not have any high priority target to justify the use of their ground operations. They talk about Mullah Omer and Quetta Shura but at the same time, they want to start negotiations with them. So, there is no need for the use of ground forces against them. There are many ground operations already in progress in Pakistan that have destroyed the nation. Bombs go off every day. General Kiyani has said several times that they are fighting a battle with an anonymous, faceless enemy. America doesn’t need to start any military initiatives in Pakistan. Because of the American aggression, extremism has increased and even the next Pakistan government won’t be able to stop it. Nawaz Sharif wants to start negotiations with the Taliban. Both Fazal ul Rehman and Munawar Hassan agree on that. But we will see what Nawaz Sharif will give preference to: either negotiating with the Taliban to end the electricity crisis, or securing Pakistan from corruption. The dialogue between Zardari and Nawaz Sharif was at least encouraging. Zardari said that he has learned that no one can solve the national crisis alone. Nawaz Sharif replied back that that’s why he is seeking help from every party. Let’s see how the other players will feel about this proposal. The two superpowers are on the same page when it comes to terrorism. The real question now is whether our political parties will get united behind this.