The Pakistani government has finally decided to use force against the TTP in a full fledged military operation named “Zarb e Azb”. Fighter jets have been pounding the militant hideouts since the attack on Jinnah International Airport and ISPR claims that the Uzbek terrorists responsible for planning the attack have been killed in the air strikes. The operation is being backed by most of the political parties of the country, which is quite an achievement for the N-League led government.
TTP has issued a statement[1] denouncing the decision of the government and threatening retaliatory attacks. Aside from the usual threats and angry remarks, there was something very important that was said by the TTP spokesman. He exclusively threatened to attack the Punjab province and the Federal capital. He even went on to invite “all Baloch, Sindhis, Pashtuns and ‘Islam-loving’ Punjabis to unite” with them “to rid them of the clutches of the tyrants”. The meaning is self evident. He called upon all Sindhis, Baloch and Pashtuns but not ‘all’ Punjabis. Only ‘Islam-loving’ Punjabis. Neither did he threaten to attack all of the Pakistan. Instead he pointed out Islamabad and Punjab. This reveals the underlying provincial discrimination that has caused many troubles for the Pakistanis in the past.
Religious extremism is usually blamed for the insurgency in Pakistan and it’s not entirely false. But another important factor is the dissatisfaction of the people of aforementioned provinces with the state. The statement of the TTP spokesman clearly indicates that the terrorists not only capitalize on the extremist views of many Pakistanis regarding religion, but also on their discontent with the state. Even religious extremism stems from illiteracy which has been caused by the neglect of Pakistani government in educating the people of underdeveloped areas.
The Pakistani generals are doing their job. They are supposed to protect the country from any threat by the use of force. That’s what they are doing now and that’s what they have done in the past by successfully driving out terrorists from Swat valley and adjacent areas. But the real and long term solution of insurgency lies within the hands of the politicians. It is their job to keep the population satisfied. It is them who are responsible for the dissatisfaction of Sindhis, Baloch and Pashtuns.
The military is confident that the operation will be successful. But the real success is not to eliminate the Taliban. The real success is to eliminate the provincial discrimination, which can only be achieved by the politicians. This however doesn’t mean that the operation against the terrorists shouldn’t be launched. It means that the military efforts should be supplemented by political efforts. Everyone knows that the Army is capable enough to conduct a successful military operation, but it’s also known that the Pakistani politicians are equally incompetent and dishonest. That’s what keeps Pakistan from staying stable in the long run.
