Pakistan Studies

Group assignment

Role of Pakistan Against Terrorism

Foundation University Rawalpindi Campus

Presented to : Sir. Tahir Qayumm

Presented by : Rehab Butt

Hassan Tariq

Osman Ahmed

Flahta Bin Rashid

Syeda Kanwal Noreen

Date : 17th December, 2014

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Contents

Introduction .................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

The geographical location of Pakistan ............................................................................................ 3

Different causes of terrorism in Pakistan ........................................................................................ 3

Role of Super Powers/neighbors and Regional Countries in spreading terrorism in Pakistan ....... 4

Weakness of Pakistan to combat terrorism: .................................................................................... 6

Strength of Pakistan to combat terrorism:: ..................................................................................... 8

Recommendations:........................................................................................................................ 10

Conclusion: ................................................................................................................................... 12

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ROLE OF PAKISTAN IN COMBATING TERRORISM

Introduction:

Terrorism refer to those violent acts that are intended to create fear (terror); are perpetrated for a

religious, political, or ideological goal; and deliberately target or disregard the safety of non-

combatants definitions now include acts of unlawful violence and war. The use of similar tactics

by criminal organizations for protection rackets or to enforce a code of silence is usually not

labeled terrorism, though these same actions may be labeled terrorism when done by a politically

motivated group. Usage of the term has also been criticized for its frequent undue equating with

Islamism or jihadism, while ignoring non-Islamic organizations or individuals.

The geographical location of Pakistan:

It has also played a great role or impact when we talk about terrorism in Pakistan. Pakistan

shares its borders with four Afghanistan, China, India, and Iran – adding up to about 6,975 km

(4,334.1 mi) in length (excluding the coastal areas). Pakistan definitely borders Afghanistan at

the Durand Line, 2,250 km (1,398.1 mi), which runs from the Hindu Kush and the Pami

Mountains. Its proposal was drafted by and named after the former secretary of British India Sir

Henry Mortimer Durand.

Different causes of terrorism in Pakistan:

At present the gravest problem that Pakistan is facing is terrorism. It has become a headache for

federation and a nightmare for public. Though, it is a global issue but Pakistan has to bear the

brunt of it. Pakistan’s involvement in the War on Terror has further fuelled the fire. We are

facing war like situation against the terrorists. This daunting situation is caused due to several

factors. These factors include social injustice, economic disparity, political instability, religious

intolerance and also external hands or international conspiracies), advocates freedom, peace and

mutual agreement and admonishes aggression. Food insecurity is also linked with militancy and

violence. Extremist forces are exploiting the feelings of lower and lower middle class food

insecure people.

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Role of Super Powers, neighbors and Regional Countries in spreading terrorism in Pakistan:

The US leaders and media often cite Pakistan as the most dangerous country in the world. If it is

true, it didn’t attain this status at its own. Outsiders are responsible for making Pakistan a nursery

of terrorism. Soviet forces in December 1979 brought five million Afghan refugees in Pakistan.

These refugees disturbed the peace of Frontier Province and Baluchistan where bulk got

permanently settled. 2.8 million Afghan refugees have still not returned to their homes and besides

becoming an economic burden, have posed serious social and security hazards. Foreign agencies

carrying an agenda to destabilize Pakistan have been recruiting bulk of terrorists from within them.

The fact that after 9/11, the US chose Pakistan to fight the war as a Frontline State is a clear cut

indication that Pakistan at that time was viewed as a responsible and valued country and not a

dangerous country. However, Pakistan’s nuclear program was an eyesore for India, Israel and

USA. The planners had made up their minds to intentionally create anarchic conditions in Pakistan

so that its nukes could be whisked away under the plea that it was unstable and couldn’t be trusted.

The initial attempt towards that end was to first allow bulk of Taliban and al-Qaeda leaders and

their fighters to escape to FATA from Afghanistan and soon after forcing Pakistan to induct regular

troops into South Waziristan (SW) to flush them out. This move created a small rivulet allowing

terrorism to seep into FATA, which kept gushing in because of RAW led and CIA backed covert

war at a massive scale and turning the rivulet into a river. Likewise, another rivulet was created in

Balochistan. Concerted and sustained efforts were made to destabilize FATA and Balochistan and

gradually sink Pakistan in sea of terrorism. Six intelligence agencies based in Kabul kept sprinkling

tons of fuel on embers of religious extremism, sectarianism, ethnicity and Jihadism.

The US instead of helping in resolving Kashmir dispute misguided Gen Musharraf to forget about

UN resolutions and float an out of box solution and try and resolve the dispute in accordance with

the wishes of India. In order to woo India, Musharraf gave it in writing that he will not allow

Pakistan soil to be used for terrorism against any neighboring country including India. While

making this commitment unilaterally, he committed the fatal mistake of not imposing this

condition on India. To further please USA and India and make the latter agree to sign peace treaty,

he bridled all Jihadi groups engaged in Kashmir freedom struggle as well as in sectarianism. He

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also allowed India to fence the Line of Control. These moves did please India but angered Jihadis

and sectarian outfits and in reaction, they hastened to join Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and

turn their guns towards Pak security forces dubbed as mercenaries of USA fighting US war for

dollars.

But for phenomenal clandestine support by foreign powers to the TTP in the northwest and to the

BLA, BRA and BLF in the southwest, extremism and terrorism could have got controlled after

major operations launched in Malakand Division including Swat, Bajaur and SW in 2009 and

minor operations in other tribal agencies.

The US has made a big mess in Afghanistan, in Iraq and in Libya and is now making another mess

in Syria. It has lost the confidence of its most allied ally Pakistan by mistreating and distrusting it.

Having lost on all fronts because of its tunnel vision and mercantile greed, it now wants the most

dangerous country Pakistan to ignore the raw deal it gave all these years and to not only help ISAF

in pulling out of Afghanistan safely but also to convince the Taliban to agree upon a negotiated

political settlement. At the start of the Afghan venture, Pakistan was chosen by Washington to

ensure success and in the endgame Pakistan is again being relied upon to bail it out of the mess.

In the same breadth, the US is unprepared to cease drone attacks in FATA despite repeated requests

that drones fuel terrorism. It is still focused on carving a lead role for India in Afghanistan. It is

not prepared to stop its interference in internal affairs of Pakistan or to dissuade India from

destabilizing Balochistan. Whatever socio-economic promises made are futuristic in nature and

tied to conditions. US media and think tanks continue to demonize Pakistan. Its tilt towards India

is too heavy and prejudicial behavior towards Pakistan conspicuous.

As a result of the US skewed policies with ulterior motives, Pakistan is faced with the demons of

ethnicity, sectarianism, Jihadism, religious extremism and terrorism. While TTP is aligned with

about 60 terrorist groups, in Balochistan there are more than two dozen terrorist groups. In Karachi,

other than armed mafias, political parties have armed wings and are involved in target killings.

Rangers and Police are engaged in targeted operation in Karachi and are producing productive

results. 150,000 troops combating the militants in the northwest enjoy a definite edge over them.

Major parts of Frontier Corps, Frontier Constabulary, Levies and Police are fighting the Baloch

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separatists and sectarian forces targeting Hazaras and have contained anti-state forces. All major

cities are barricaded with road blocks and police piquets and yet terrorists manage to carryout acts

of terror. The miscreants are fighting State forces with tenacity because of uninterrupted financ ia l

and weapons support from foreign agencies. Once external support dries up, their vigor will wane

rapidly and sooner than later they will give up fighting.

Weakness of Pakistan to combat terrorism:

The societal divides we had inherited at the inception of Pakistan instead of getting bridged have

widened.

Dualism in education has denied a large number of our students any access to intellectual liberation

and modern ideas.

The divide between rural and urban areas and proliferating ethnic groups created mostly by the

State initiated inequitable and unbalanced process of development further fragmented the society.

The vertically divided and horizontally fragmented Pakistani society organized on caste, tribal,

ethnic, sectarian and religious lines have obstructed integration process.

Matters have come to current impasse owing to utter failure of our leaders to take measured steps

to control disintegrative forces and cement the cracks in the society.

In 1971, the breakup of Pakistan was the first major manifestation of the State’s failure in national

integration. Creation of PONM (Pakistan Oppressed Nations Movement) and demand for

provincial autonomy by disgruntled nationalist leaders of smaller provinces and now the ongoing

Baloch separatist movement in Balochistan are recent indicators that we have learnt no lesson from

the debacle in 1971.

Pakistan is suffering from leadership crisis. After Quaid, unscrupulous mini-minds have ruled the

country. Politics of polemics, confrontation and regionalism has violated the cardinal principle of

dialogue and accommodation and led to inter-provincial disharmony.

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While almost 30% of our population live below the poverty line and are uneducated, the lower

middle class finds it exceedingly difficult to put their body and soul together. The salaried class is

hard pressed to earn a decent living.

The rich not only control all the resources, but also display their wealth with a sense of arrogance.

Apart from denying the bare essentials to the poor, they also deny them the ends of justice.

Justice is an expensive pursuit and beyond the reach of the poor. Imperfections in legal framework

have added to the frustrations of the common man. These dichotomies and polemics in the society

have exerted negative influences and in turn opened the floodgates of intolerance, fanaticism and

terrorism.

Feeling deprived, insecure and alienated, the poor are primed to explode against the rich. Fed up

of the coercive stranglehold of the privileged class, the under privileged have started to drift

towards religion to find solace.

Growing liberalism under the garb of enlightened moderation is another reason for growing

religious extremism.

These dichotomies and polemics in the society have exerted negative influences and in turn opened

the floodgates of intolerance, fanaticism and terrorism.

Feeling deprived, insecure and alienated, the poor are primed to explode against the rich. Fed up

of the coercive stranglehold of the privileged class, the under privileged have started to drift

towards religion to find solace.

The religious leaders in turn are exploiting the religiously charged youth to serve their petty

interests. Even the foreign powers are taking advantage of the inflamed sectarianism and secular -

Islamists divide and adding fuel to fire to keep the pot steaming. The ranks of the anti-state

elements have swelled over the last sixty-three years. They had all along nurtured chronic aversion

towards the very creation of Pakistan and against Quaid-i-Azam who had created it. Exploited by

vested elements and funded by external sources, they are extending a helping hand to the enemies

of Pakistan to keep the country politically unstable and economically weak.

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These poisonous snakes have been constantly scheming to break-up the country. To achieve their

nefarious designs, they have gone to the extent of aligning with the countries working against the

interest of Pakistan.

Foreign intelligence agencies that have penetrated every department of the country are making

good use of the quislings and those succumbing to the worldly enticements.

In the face of Indo-US-Western-Israeli orchestrated media campaign to malign Pakistan, latter’s

response on the psychological warfare plane is too weak and inept. This weakness gets

compounded when our leaders follow the policy of appeasement, thereby encouraging adversaries

of Pakistan to keep bashing it on various trumped up allegations.

Strength of Pakistan to combat terrorism:

Barring an insignificant group of liberals, Pakistani society stands glued to the concept of two-

nation theory as envisaged by the founders of Pakistan

Middle class remains in the forefront to give shoulder to all the development works going on in

the country. The uranium enrichment technique which paved the way for nuclear detonation was

mastered at Kahuta plant in the early eighties purely on self-help basis. In its planning, design,

construction, erection, commissioning and operations no foreign assistance was sought.

Pakistan’s nuclear and missile programs are indigenous and far superior to Indian programs.

Pakistanis are extremely hardworking, enterprising and creative and their generosity knows no

bounds. They are hosts to three million Afghan refugees since 1979. The way people rendered help

to refugees from India in 1947 and to earthquake affected in 2005, the way the public

accommodated over 80% of nearly two million displaced persons from Swat and Malakand in

2009, and the manner in which flood affected are being rendered assistance by the people is

unparalleled.

Despite series of man-made and natural calamities, Pakistanis withstand the adversities with

courage and continue to live in sunlight and keep their hopes alive for a better future. They have

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borne the brunt of nine-year sustained Indo-US-UK-Afghan-Israeli backed covert operations

against Pakistan causing huge material and human losses courageously. Almost daily bomb blasts,

suicide bombings and terrorist attacks together with 2005 earthquake and ongoing unprecedented

floods have not undermined their spirits. 31243 fatalities and bigger number of injuries sustained

as a result of terrorism and devastation caused by floods has not diluted the high spirits of the

people. Their trust in Allah remains as strong as ever and life goes on as usual.

The grit, determination and professionalism of Pakistan armed forces have kept seven times bigger

and superior Indian armed forces at bay. Pakistan Army’s brilliant performance in war on terror as

well as its ability to combat natural calamities has vastly raised its image globally and has earned

the respect of the nation.

The ISI has emerged as the most potent and vibrant intelligence organization and is second to none.

Although the bureaucracy has been greatly politicized and has suffered at the hands of

overweening politicians, still their high-class efficiency cannot be doubted.

In the field of sports Pakistan earned laurels in squash, cricket and hockey.

Our banking sector, doctors, engineers, scientists and academicians have added many laurels to

the dazzling pages of the proud history of Pakistan. Our craftsmen have also not lagged behind

and indigenously produced many attractive items that are very popular in the world market.

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Recommendations:

Terrorism can be seen as a virus in the world body. The U.S. and other nations are attempting to

solve the terrorist problem by trying to eliminate all of its manifestat ions around the world. This

is like trying to eliminate a virus by removing one cell at a time, while damage to the host body

(the world), increases with each violent removal, and more illnesses (terrorists) are generated. To

those who can look more deeply, the only way to truly eliminate terrorism is to deal with the

systemic causes of it. Groups such as al Qaeda are only effects, not causes. The causes are

desperate poverty, oppression, and a future without hope. Terrorist organizations often provide a

distorted sense of meaning and purpose for disempowered people.

The way the body successfully fights a virus is with helper T-cells that stop the virus from

multiplying. To deal effectively with terrorists, the U.S., together with other wealthy nations, needs

to come into heartfelt dialogue with true representatives of those who are dispossessed and

impoverished. The approach that can stop terrorism from multiplying lies in developing a long

term plan, supported and financed by all nations of the world, that addresses the basic needs of all

people on the planet, and helps them in an equitable, fair way. This will provide a new sense of

hope, meaning and purpose for them, freeing them from the despair that leads to fundamenta lism

and terrorism. With a new horizon of hope, people's thoughts will naturally turn from death and

destruction towards life and creation.

Nearly everyone agrees that in all things change is inevitable. I would add to this that all change

is growth full. Even changes that are outwardly regressive and harmful eventually lead to deep

suffering, forced new insight, and forward growth. Thus, growth is not optional. It is an inevitab le

part of existence. The only option or choice is whether we will grow consciously and joyously or

unconsciously and painfully. In each major step of our lives, we all face this crossroads. How does

this relate to the "war on terrorism" and the crisis we all face?

In a search for deeper understanding, not justification of terrorism, I invite you to ask yourself,

"How does a beautiful newborn child transform into a terrorist?" There are many complex answers

to this question, but in the final analysis, it is caused by tremendous pain leading to tremendous

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rage, and the directing of that rage towards a foreign people, in this case, ourselves. The lure for

terrorist groups seeking new recruits is an offer of relief from this pain, either in this life or the

next. As Gordon and Corinne so poignantly stated, the only way to end terrorism is to end the pain

and suffering which makes it possible. I believe that with the leadership of the United Nations, and

an Apollo program type of commitment, the wealthy countries of the world now have the

technology and resources to end much of humanities overwhelming, often unreported, suffering.

But we must grow our collective awareness of this suffering and our compassion for it in order to

have the will to end it. And this growth in awareness and compassion is not optional. The only

question is, will we grow consciously and joyously by opening our hearts to the world and finally

practicing the simple principle of doing to others as we would have done to us, if we were in their

shoes? If we make this choice, each of us will sincerely ask, "if I were starving and oppressed and

another country’s people were mostly wealthy and free by comparison, how would I want the

people of that other country to respond to my plight?" And as we take our own honest answer to

this question as the guide for our deliberate actions, we will discover the profound joy of service,

both individually and as a nation. Or, will we choose to grow in awareness and compassion

unconsciously and painfully, forced by world events to experience the same suffering as others

have been experiencing, but in our own lives, within our own lands, upon our own doorsteps?

We stand at a crossroads in which we can choose to grow through tremendous pain or profound

joy. One choice is for insensitivity, resulting in passivity. The other choice is for love, resulting in

deliberate, consistent action. Which will you choose? Which will we choose together?

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Conclusion:

A popular saying “United we stand, divided we fall”. Today Pakistan is in a grip of terrorism and

it is responsibility of all of us to get united and back up the security forces fighting the war of

survival for Pakistan. We must recognize the enemy within and out of our country.

The Glorious Qur’an says:

O ye who believe! Take not the Jews and the Christians for friends. They are friends one to another.

And whoso among you takes them for friends is indeed one of them. Verily, Allah guides not the

unjust people. [Al-Qur’an 5:52]

The Glorious Qur’an says:

“And hold fast, all together, by the rope which Allah (stretches out for you), and be not

divided among yourselves;” [Al-Qur’an 3:103]

This is a time for individual accountability. Each of us has to evaluate him/herself.

Why such type of furious disable Government supervising us? Why Muslim name is left with

disgrace and terror. Why Muslim are afraid to speak truth and justice against brutal power?

Because we left our teaching. We’ve left our vision, the vision of life. We have forgotten the

promises our souls made with Allah. i.e.

When Allah asked souls “Am I not your Lord?” the souls answered “Yes, You are our Lord”.

When our personal goal gets priority again our spiritual goal, negative powers start surrounding

us. Stray us from our path. Our heart start beating for materialistic gods and our lounge forgot to

speak truth. We begins to bow before Money and divert to satisfy personal appetite.

This is how we Muslim became a sign of disgust. Iqbal points us to think:

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Its time revert yourself to our Origin, our destination. When our hearts beats for Allah, we will

be honest to ourselves, to our families, to our nation. And that’s how we can look directly in the

eyes of our enemy. Fight them and beat them out from our nation.

Let’s beat the nefarious designs of the enemy and we must recognize the friends and foes and

let’s put up the brave face against the terrorism which is eating up the roots of our mother land

Watn e Aziz k lye Dua:

Khuda kare ke meri arz-e-paak par utray

Woh fasl-e-gul jise andeishaey zawaal na ho

Yahan jo phool khiley, woh khila rahey sadiyon

Yahan khiza ko guzarnay ki bhi majaal na ho

Yahan jo sabza ugay woh hamesha sabz rahey

Aur aisa sabz ke jiski koi misaal na ho

Khuda kare ke na kham ho sar-e-waqar-e-watan

Aur uske husn ko tashvishay maho saal na ho

Har ek fard ho tehzeeb-o-fun ka aujey kamaal

Koi malool na ho, koi khusta haal na ho

Khuda kare ke mere ek bhi humwatan ke liye,

Hayat jurm na ho zindagi wabaal na ho

Aur khuda kare ke meri arz-e-paak par utray

Woh fasl-e-gul jise andeishaey zawaal na ho

LONG LIVE PAKISTAN