War in Pakistan: A Battle to the Death

Post Information
Print & pdf

Whoever started it, however we got involved in it, the time for blame game is long past. This is our battle now and this is a battle to the death.

By Anwaar Hussain

terr4.jpgIn the four days after General Musharraf resigned from Pakistan’s presidency, more than 150 innocent people were blown to bits in just two suicide bombings across the country.  Ever since,  hundreds more have either been slaughtered or maimed for life. The message from the God-men is clear. It is Pakistan they are after; its governments, democratic or autocratic, be damned.

The cowardly murderers now leer in their dark caves, foam drooling from their mouths, at the prospect that they will soon have the whole of Pakistan, transported back in time and all trussed up, lying at their feet. Somewhere in the back ground, cuddling their explosive laden jackets, legions of brainwashed children sway back and forth in a trance worshipping a deity that knows no compassion. The orders for the next strike will be here soon and the programmers will set these children, with catches released, on course to yet another carnage, tick-tocking all the way.

The News is the most widely read English language newspaper in Pakistan. This is how its Friday’s editorial reads;

“This is a fight very much to the death — for our very way of life, to protect and preserve it from people whose ‘qualities’ include intolerance, bigotry, hatred and downright bestiality. The sooner this is realized — by all Pakistanis, by the state and its various institutions and by the present government — the better.”

Finally someone has said it. Yes. What needs to be added is this. Whoever started it, however we got involved in it, the time for blame game is long past. This is our battle now and this is a battle to the death. Nothing less will suffice. Like the Interior Minster said the other day, we either fight back or hand over the country to these terrorists.

First let us understand the God-men. In plain language, we are dealing with ruthless killers who are constrained by neither the laws of war nor the bounds of human decency. This has been proven over and over again. In the garb of religious piety they will do any thing, repeat any thing, to advance their cause of complete subjugation of Pakistan.

Next what needs to be understood is that at the beginning of all such conflicts insurgents always have the strategic initiative. Though we are rather late in responding, this is still the initial stage of the conflict. Any more delay will be devastating of course. The more the government delays the response, the more strength the enemy gains and the more disruptions he creates throughout the country.

Further, the challenge of this battle is complex, demanding, and tedious in execution. There are no simple or quick solutions. Success may often seem elusive but will surely be there if we persevere. It is a battle and casualties are a natural outcome of wars. We should be willing to accept attrition without developing feet of clay. The effort requires grit, determination, a firm political will and extreme patience on the part of both the government and the people.

For our soldiers, this battle is going to be a rather odd blend of offensive, defensive, and support operations. It will require our soldiers to employ a mix of both familiar combat tasks and skills more often associated with nonmilitary agencies, e.g. re-building, providing food, sanitation and health facilities etc. This is not going to be easy. Our soldiers must adjust their approach constantly, ensuring they are ready each day to be greeted with a handshake or a hand grenade in any given locality.

But to win this battle perhaps the most fundamental aspect of all that needs to be grasped with complete clarity is to know where lies the center of gravity of this battle.  This battle, like all battles, is nothing but a clash of wills. The victor will have his will imposed upon the vanquished. The enemy’s medium is the general populace. He operates using this medium not only as a camouflage but also as his target to instill terror in the hearts of the unyielding sections of the society. To defeat such enemy, this same medium has to be denied him. That in turn means discrediting his cause first. One cannot stress enough that this is the single most important factor in this battle. Never has a battle been won when sizeable ranks from within one of the protagonists sympathize with the enemy.

As the support of the general citizenry is THE center of gravity in this battle, gaining and maintaining it is of paramount importance. Both the God-men and us will be struggling for the same; the God-men through terror, we through the state’s resources. Only popular support will allow us to develop the intelligence necessary to identify and defeat the enemy. Intelligence is what drives operations in successful counterinsurgency operations.

Designing and then executing a campaign to garner the support of the population, therefore, lies at the heart of this battle. Successful counter insurgency operations, for the same reason, require unity of effort in bringing all instruments of national power to bear. T.E. Lawrence once noted “The printing press is the greatest weapon in the armory of the modern commander.” There were no Geo, ARY, Dawn and Aaj TVs then of course. Now there are.

Unfortunately, even at this rather late phase in the battle, nowhere does one see the mealy-mouthed anchor men and women of our media discussing the terrorists or their dark manifesto. They are rather busy in turning non-issues into issues. Switch on a channel and you will find wooden faced commentators ranting non-stop on worn out topics . Nowhere does one find an assemblage of well informed citizens, politicians and clerics animatedly debating the most disastrous calamity facing Pakistan. None are coming forth clearly, emphatically and without mincing their words on the agenda and the deeds of the God-men. They forget that in a Taliban dispensation, Amir  Manglabaghs will rule and the local Mullahs will be ordering the limb choppings. There will be neither a place for our honorable justices nor for the ZarNawaz duet in that set-up.

The general populace needs to be informed on continued basis that our home grown God-men are allied with Al Qaeda type of elements in a new kind of globalized insurgency, which seeks to take the Islamic world back in time and reorder its relationship with the rest of the globe, in a ruthless, bloody campaign of course. They need to be informed of the horrors committed by such groups in countries like Algeria and Egypt. Our people need to know that these elements feed on local grievances to integrate them into dubious ideologies having global implications. They need to be told that the time for recriminations is over. This is our war now and there is no running away from this one. This is a battle to the death.

In the end what must be remembered is that counterinsurgency too, like the insurgency, is a violent political struggle waged with military means. The political issues at stake defy nonviolent solutions because they are often rooted in culture, religious bigotry, pseudo-ideology, societal tensions, and injustice. Military forces can compel, defeat and secure but cannot, by themselves, achieve the necessary political milestones. The scribe has already discussed those aspects in his article ‘Welcome to the Badlands’.

Who was it that said ‘praise the Lord and pass the ammunition’?

Copyrights: Anwaar Hussain



Comments

13 Responses to “War in Pakistan: A Battle to the Death”

  1. nasser on August 23rd, 2008 12:52 pm

    Very true Anwaar more open reporting by the press will help in the fight. But our press and politician are unaware of the facts.

  2. Anwaar on August 23rd, 2008 1:13 pm

    I think not Nasser. Our press and politicos are only too well aware of these killers but they cower in their homes with fear. If you and I can know them, why not the media and our leaders who have much more resources available at their hands.

  3. Dr Bob Rich on August 23rd, 2008 3:23 pm

    Anwaar, thank you for your courage. You are a shining light.
    :)
    Bob

  4. Nasser on August 23rd, 2008 8:31 pm

    So true, it is war and we are not ready but they are. Where is the media you ask, I think they are in bed with the God-Men or scared to death, as you say, and let us not forget the brain washing that is inevitable.

    Thanks for the article I loved it.

  5. Kim Alphandary on August 23rd, 2008 8:37 pm

    Wow. If I understand you, you are stating that there is no alternative to WAR.

    Is this what you are stating? Or, am I totally missing the point of your article?

    I have just read a report “Military offensive displaces 300,000 in north-west Pakistan”
    url: http://www.wsws.org/articles/2.....-a23.shtml

    The targeting of civilians. Who is going to win with these kinds of tactics - the God-men?

    Aerial Bombardment. When is this form of warfare going to be re-analyzed? Seems like the lazy way - the way to the end of the world as we know it. All being orchestrated by US-military, in the midst of the joy for Musharraf resignation.

  6. Hanna Jaeckel on August 23rd, 2008 9:56 pm

    Thank you Anwaar - without you, my knowledge about Pakistan, and indeed the region, would be at a par with the warlords in Washington, DC. As a complete “outsider” of Scandinavian origins, I couldn’t help myself from thinking: In such a country and in those circumstances isn’t the only solution to raise the people to an intellectual and financial level, where they would naturally shun these knuckle draggers? They’d be marginalized no matter where they turned and would eventually wither and die. It probably would not even have to go as far as to make everybody educated and economically comfortable, I am guessing - guessing - that establishing HOPE and POSSIBILITIES would make the segment of Pakistanis now teetering on whether to choose the grubby illiterate brutes or to have the hope that they too could be a part of a promising future in their country. It would seem obvious, that having prospects for a real future, would make them turn their backs on being ruled by such primitives. But then again - I come from an entirely different corner of the world.

  7. Jawad Ashraf on August 24th, 2008 12:02 am

    Dear Sir,

    I would like to hear your comments on the detailed re-purcussions of suggested actions in your earlier article “Welcome to Badlands”.

    Your suggestions to counter the current situation makes very good sense to me. Thanks

  8. Michelle on August 24th, 2008 3:50 am

    Ah, Anwaar, ever the warrior. What I’ll present here is not a rebuttal, but an invitation for dialogue among you and your readers.

    First off, I had read the wsws.org article Kim mentioned. The fact that 300.0000 people were displaced all for what Pakistani officials claimed on Thursday, that its operation had killed over 480 Taliban fighters, at the cost of 25 troops, shows the error in this type of tactics. The question to be asked is: Which side has the most to gain from the effects of this strike where indiscriminate air strikes and helicopter gunship attacks, devastated villages and farmlands, and hundreds of dead and wounded civilians?…Certainly not the military or the government.

    Before one assumes that I totally agree with Kim’s stance, I would point out that Anwaar did suggest that:
    “It will require our soldiers to employ a mix of both familiar combat tasks and skills more often associated with nonmilitary agencies, e.g. re-building, providing food, sanitation and health facilities etc.”
    How true that is! For this is not a “clash of wills,” but rather it is ignorance, both trained and neglected in the general populace, that you are up against.

    Second, Anwaar stated that: ” The effort requires grit, determination, a firm political will and extreme patience on the part of both the government and the people.” Again, how true!

    The cornerstone of any offensive must be education and here I would liken Pakistan’s struggle to our Civil Rights Movement. You must press your government to pass, and enforce, meaningful legislation regarding the rights of all, women included. Thinking citizen’s must also push for increased government oversight of the religious schools through formal registration, control of their funding and standardization of their curricula; something Musharraf pledged to do but didn’t. No doubt this will draw huge opposition from tribal religious leaders and those who back them. For there is one thing that we learned from our Cilvil Rights Movement: That problems are not easily addressed by major legislation, and that changes in the law do not automatically bring about changes in people’s hearts and minds.

    Something akin to affirmative action might be implemented. Affirmative action in the United States is intended to promote access to education, employment, or housing among certain designated groups [typically, minorities and women]. The stated motivation for affirmative action policies is to redress the effects of past discrimination and to encourage public institutions such as universities, hospitals and police forces to be more representative of the population. Here the military would prove useful in deterring opposition

    In your country’s case you might substitute blacks with women in the following:
    Early in our ‘Movement,’ nine black students, often called “The Little Rock Nine” set off for Central High. They were the 1st black students enrolled in this all white school. Asked to describe the situation in Little Rock that night, the editor of the Arkansas Gazette stated, “I’ll give it to you in one sentence. The police have been routed, the mob is in the streets and we’re close to a reign of terror.” To ensure that the Little Rock Nine could complete a full day of classes, President Eisenhower sent the 101st Airborne Division into Little Rock. The 101st patrolled outside the school and escorted the black students into the school. In addition, the black students were assigned a personal guard from the 101st who followed them around the school. Still, they were subjects of unspeakable hatred. White students yelled insults in the halls and during class. They beat up the black students, particularly the boys. They walked on the heels of the blacks until they bled. They destroyed the black students’ lockers and threw flaming paper wads at them in the bathrooms. They threw lighted sticks of dynamite at Melba Pattillo, stabbed her, and sprayed acid in her eyes. The acid was so strong that had her 101st guard not splashed water on her face immediately, she would have been blind for the rest of her life.
    That was the demonstration from white children; think of the parents who raised them!

    Eight of the black students finished the school year. Despite numerous protests and under the watchful eye of 125 federalized Arkansas National Guardsmen, Ernest Green became the first black graduate of Central High, the sole minority student in his 602-member class.

    So, you see our struggle in the U.S. did not come easily, the above is just one example of what happened even with our government using U.S. Federal Marshalls and the National Guard for enforced change.

    To strengthen your task, you would need many, many outreach programs in tribal and poor areas. This would demand that your government set up a strong social service network. Many jobs would be created for educated citizens to serve their country in this way. You must be ever vigilant toward the needs of your underclass!

    You might also look to those of us whose efforts include establishing a U.S. Department of Peace at the federal level. Our domestic and global mission is:
    “The Peace Alliance is a nonpartisan citizen action organization representing a growing constituency for peace. A 501(c)4 organization established in March 2004, our mission is to empower civic activism for a culture of peace. Our vision is a future in which the practical programs and principles of peacebuilding are the bedrock of our personal, national and global interest and investment. Our goal is to take the field of peacebuilding from the margins of the political and societal dialogue and bring it to its rightful place: Central to our policymaking, investment and understanding. We achieve this primarily through a massive public education, outreach and citizen lobbying effort. Our current focus is the campaign for a cabinet-level U.S. Department of Peace.”
    “Peace is not a utopian ideal; it is an issue critical to our national and human security. Either we continue reactively addressing ever-increasing levels of violence and the consequent human and economic costs, or we take a fresh approach. This isn’t about the politics of left or right; it is about what is practical and effective. We must create the possibility for applied peacebuilding to identify and resolve conflict before it erupts into violence. The science of peacebuilding has significantly expanded over the past 30 years, creating previously unavailable tools for dismantling violence. Yet nowhere in the highest echelons of our government is there a platform from which to launch a focused, strategic approach to reducing and preventing violence.”
    “We support a grassroots volunteer network that is active in all 50 states. A new kind of peace activist, Department of Peace campaign supporters work to establish connection and understanding with people from all segments of society and political affiliations, to practice the principles of peace, and to be a demonstration of what we are calling for.” http://www.thepeacealliance.or.....ew/77/118/

    We have an endorsement from the American Muslim Voice organization. www.amuslimvoice.org

    I watch Pakistan’s struggles with earnest interest and send blessings for the qualities you must keep kindled; hope and perseverance.

    Yours in the Light,
    Michelle

  9. Steve on August 25th, 2008 10:16 pm

    I can’t believe I actually agree with Anwaar about something. Yes, now war is necessary. All peaceful methods have been tried and failed. It is a war of survival. Either the way of life Pakistanis want to live will survive or that of the terrorists who attack and kill them.

    There is time for righteous violence. And that time is now.

    Naked force has resolved more issues through out history then any other factor. The contrary opinion that violence never solved anything, is wishful thinking at its worst. People who forget that always pay! They pay with their lives and they pay with their freedom.

  10. Jeff KHAN on August 25th, 2008 10:29 pm

    But Anwar Bhai, and i am very sorry to say this, WE need this war. Or rather our inncompetent politicans\esteblisment in power need, this war. This is the ideal way for them to get some big money in their pocket.
    But most off all:Karazai in Afghanistan and all his fellows, even more inncompetent bunch need it more than us.
    A very simple question to you sir, is: Do you really think that USA will continue to pay us or Afghanistan billions of dollars the day there is peace in Afghanistan or in Pakistan? Why? Are they mad? Have they done that in peace time before?? So it is all drama.
    Unfortunately war, big or small, is very profitable and has become absolutt necesry for our econimies. This is our answer to the big in other countries.
    Only if we can show the americans how much we are suffering and how brave we are fighting this very costly war, will the money keep coming.
    (This is not what i wish, see the ironi in it)

  11. Anwaar on August 26th, 2008 11:35 am

    Here is an instructive piece from a man that we need to hear. He is a former chief secretary of the Frontier Province and currently heads the Regional Institute of Policy Research. He should know what he is talking about. I am glad people are slowly taking heed.

    Just an excerpt from his write-up;

    The tell tale signs of the warlords first appeared in the recent Bajaur fighting. Only a few weeks ago a strong force of militants composed of Uzbeks, Arabs, Checkens, Tajiks, Wazirs, Masuds and Bajaur tribes launched a fearsome attack on government positions throughout Bajaur. The Scout and military forces had to withdraw leaving the agency headquarter Khar at the mercy of the militants; officials feared a blood bath of government officials and their families. Many thought that the first Emirate under the militants was in the making. Had the Pakistan air force not come in action on the afternoon of August 8, Khar would have been lost and the international consequences for Pakistan would have been catastrophic.

    Read the full piece here.

  12. Anwaar on August 30th, 2008 9:24 am

    Slowly, but surely, the Pakistanis are waking up to the threat. Here is an excerpt from a piece in today’s News;

    First, the matter of war on terror is certainly very important for the country. So, how do you label the people who attack your armed forces, sensitive installations and kill innocent civilians? Enemies? The Pakistani media, one would be surprised to learn, calls them miscreants and extremists but not terrorists and enemies. In fact, several Urdu newspapers still run columns supporting them. The argument is that Taliban are after all Pakistanis and (pious) Muslims and somebody else is attacking the armed forces. To some extent, this may also be true. But it is interesting to note that for the media a young man who burns tyres on street to protest load-shedding is a miscreant and so is a Taliban brutally killing Army personnel, slaying women and destroying girls’ schools, CD and barber shops. Should this continue under the banner of the freedom of the press? Or should it not in the greater good of the society and the country? Where should the line be drawn?

    Check out the rest here.

  13. Jeff KHAN on September 8th, 2008 3:48 am

    Man, this war can not be won. Because,as i mentioned earlier, first of all it is in Pakistan`s economic interest that it continues for ever. At least that must be the way our leaders see it.
    But also because there is no valid tactic being used to win it. Today`s tactics are just like you remove the food from somebody`s table. WITHOUT PUTTING ANYTHING ON THE TABLE. THE POINT IS: there must be any alternative for those you want stop fighting or even defeat. when YOU WANT THEM TO STOP fighting you must give them something else to believe in or fight. Is our government doing that???

    Raw military power can never defeat any guerrilla war. Once for all.Be it in Colombia or on Sri Lanka.

    We can not defeat them because we are not using the right tactics either:
    ..These groups needs to be heavily infiltrated. OPTIMAL. This IS the best (military)tactics.To neutralize them from inside.
    ..Heavy, religious and worldly, propaganda mus be used to tell them that they are on the wrong track. But this will only succeed if you have some other way to show, some better results, some better integ….

Leave a Reply






Anwaar’s articles appear simultaneously here at Truth Spring and at Soul Vibes in The Pakistan Tribune.


US loses its status as economic world power
DAVOS, Switzerland, 2008
.: ARTICLE BLOCKED :.
ON MARCH 2008
Who links to my website?