With its ghastly attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar, the Tehreek-e-Taliban (TeT) or the Pakistani Taliban on December 16, 2014, prematurely snuffed out 148 lives, 132 of whom were innocent school children. Terrorism was a tactic used in ancient times, but the credit for its use as an instrument of foreign and domestic policy in modern times goes to Pakistan. It has been rightly described as the epicentre of global terrorism! TeT spokesman, Mohammad Umar Khorasani, taking responsibility for the massacre, claimed it was revenge for the government’s act of targeting their families in the North Waziristan tribal region and killing over 1,500. He said: “We want them to feel the pain.” The world grieved with Pakistan over this loss. The TeT spokesman had said that the instructions were not to kill young children; but reports say that a five-year-old girl, attending school for the first time, was also killed. Spokesman Khorasani might dismiss it as collateral damage.
Pakistan has swiftly taken steps to revoke its self-imposed moratorium on the death penalty. So far, six terrorists have been executed; 500 more are in line With great speed, the Pakistani Army has killed more than 120 suspected terrorists. The Pakistani Army Chief visited Afghanistan the very next day of the tragedy to hold talks with officials and President Ghani. This was seen as necessary in view of the open borders between the two nations. Since the North Waziristan tribal areas are on the Afghanistan border, Pakistani Talibanis take shelter in the Afghan side while Afghan Talibanis hide on the Pakistani side. Thus the TeT leader, Mullah Fazlullah, Pakistan says, is on the Afghan side. But this time, Afghanistan has agreed to hold coordinated strikes on terrorist hideouts while rejecting joint operations.
But let alone the Americans or Indians, even the Pakistani public takes Pakistan’s resolve to eliminate terrorism with a tinge of skepticism. No sooner had Pakistan announced its resolve to eliminate terrorists, its court released the terrorist, Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, mastermind of the Mumbai attack of 26/11 six years ago, on bail. Not only were Indians upset, but even Parliamentarians belonging to the Pakistan People’s Party, like Farhatullah Babar said: By releasing Lakhvi, Pakistan “sent a message that some militants are more equal than others.” Remember, Hafiz Saeed and Musharraf, among others, have blamed India for the Peshawar tragedy and threatened to retaliate! So it is absolutely necessary for India to watch every word and deed to evaluate options and remain ready for action based on deeds, not words. Here are a few suggestions for action.
First, emulating the swiftness with which Pakistan has acted, the government could immediately learn to change its approach to Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. Since terrorism is an instrument of foreign/national security for Pakistan, any use of it is to be considered as an act of war against the Indian state. This is exactly what Pakistan’s Interior Minister, Nisar Ali Khan said to his countrymen: “We are in a state of war….Your enemies are inside your country.” Follow him. Let the captured terrorists be dealt with speedily by the army courts; make necessary changes in law.
Second, as there is no distinction between good and bad terrorists, let Pakistan, in coordination with India, target Indian terrorists hiding in Pakistan or Pakistan-controlled territories; destroy terror training camps.
The likes of Syed Salahuddin, Masood Azhar, Dawood Ibrahim and now, the much wanted Lakhvi, and his leader are roaming free, as is a family friend of PM Nawaz Sharif—Hafiz Saeed, who carries a $10 million bounty on his head announced by the US. If necessary, let Pakistan and India jointly request the US to use drones to destroy terrorist hideouts and camps.
Third, the fact that nuclear weapons are not unidirectional must be impressed upon Pakistan. This is because there is considerable discussion on the possibility of JuD and its front, the anti-India terror group, LeT, buoyed by its success in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, acquiring nuclear weapons. Pakistan should have learnt by now that the demon it created to destroy India could easily rise against it.
This was best stated by the former UN Assistant Secretary General, Giandomenico Picco, in 1993, when he wrote: “Terrorism is a criminal manifestation of intolerance….has to be addressed with speed, steadfastness and determination. But to be credible and effective, it has to be consistent…intolerance anywhere has to be tackled with determination and courage…”
The writer is a former Professor of Politics, University of Mumbai and Honorary Director & Convener, VPM’s Centre for International Studies
P M Kamath
