FUTURE SEEMS BLEAK IF OPERATION SPIILS OUT OF CONTROL

After taking charge, the provincial government has been asserting that all the outstanding issues related to the Federally Administered Tribal Areas [FATA] and the North Western Frontier Province [NWFP] will be solved through dialogues and jirgas [assembly of elders]. The Swat Peace Pact was declared an example to be followed in this regard. It is true that attempts were made to seek a peaceful resolution of the Swat issue, through the Swat Peace Pact. However, it cannot be denied as well that the expected results could not be achieved from the Swat Peace Pact. The provincial government terms the Swat Peace Pact as its great success. However, this agreement was still in its initial stage of implementation that an operation was launched in the adjoining areas of the provincial capital, a tribal area named Bara.

As far as Peshawar is concerned, the regular reports of Taliban activities in the vicinities of Peshawar had been in the air since long. One sorrier affair in this regard is that the local officials, who keep their mum before the local media that all is well and good, become quite pliable to the international media. They brief them about the details of the threats that the provincial capital is in, from Talibans. After this they air complains about the uncooperative attitude of the local media that are quite baseless. It is not difficul to guess about it. When the high officials hide everything from their own people that is concerning to them and then open it up before every outsider, and even then they hope to be cooperative, which is quite useless.

Now the military operation is going on in Bara. About one weak has elapsed to this operation that started on 20 June. Still, only targets have been identified. Three organizations of Khyber Agency, Lashkar-e Islam, Ansar Ul Islam, and Haji Namdar group have been banned. However, the interesting thing is that Lashkar-e Islam has termed soldiers their brothers by refusing taking up arms against them. While talking to the journalists at some far off place of Tira, Haji Mangal Bagh, amir [chief] of Lashkar-e Islam, has said, "We do not pose any threat to Peshawar. Nobody can occupy Peshawar. We are rather performing a role as a saving force to Peshawar."

After this stand of Lashkar-e Islam, the targets of Bara operation are still under the cloud. The forces have blown up many hideouts of Pir Saif Ur Rahman, Haji Mangal and Haji Namdar. The most surprising aspect of this operation is that the federal government has asserted that the provincial government requested for this operation. On the other hand the provincial government still seems tentative over the issue. While on the one hand some of its officials are posing as having no concern in this regard and are saying that the operation is being conducted at the behest of the federal government, while on the other hand some of them are coming up with reasons terming it an action against the criminal elements. Saqib Ullah Chamkani, the member of the government party is openly supporting the operation, while the central and the provincial leadership of the party have mysteriously kept its mum. However, as the statement issued by the federal information minister that the operation was launched at the request of the provincial government, the position of Awami National Party [ANP] has become doubtful. Mufti Kafait Ullah, member of Muttahidda Majlas-e Amal [MM] has interestingly commented about Bara operation. He said, "Whenever, the United States want to take some action, or plans to strike, it unleashes a propaganda campaign to convince the people, that the militants or terrorists are present in the area. After this it gets the permission letter to do what it wants. Currently, it is our own rulers who are following the same footsteps. They want to get an operation launched in this area, by raising a furor of the presence of Talibans in the adjoining areas of Peshawar. In this way, they will be able to target the mosques and seminaries. We will never allow them to do so. "

Pakistan People’s Party [PPP] is also silent over Bara operation. Perhaps its reason is that it is going on with the support of the federal government. The government coalition is showing the signs of cracks due to Bara operation. Jamiat Ulema-e Islam, Fazul Rahman [JUI-F] has and Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz [PML-N] has made it clear that they were not taken on board. Some sections of the PML-L are of the opinion that targets of Bara operation have not been identified and only the ruins are dug up. Pir Sabir Shah, the provincial president of the PML-N has said, "If attempts are not made to end this operation as soon as possible, the possibility of the public coming on roads, can not be rejected." On the other hand the JUI-F has also expressed its reservations over the operation. Maulana Gul Nasib Khan, the senator and the provincial president of the JUI-F has said that it is a violation of the deal that was being executed between the JUI-F and the PPP while sharing the government. He said that it was in their priority list that the solution to the FATA problems would be found only and only through dialogues and jirgas. However, now this point has been thrown into the oblivion.

According to the sources, the JUI-F and PML-N are going to inform the prime minister about their reservations in this regard. As far as the ANP is concerned, it seemed divided over this issue. It has not taken categorical stand over this issue. Perhaps that is why, Mangal Bagh, amir [chief] of Lashkar-e Islam has said, "The leaders of the ANP have been asserting to bring peace; however, they have now joined the government in its barbaric operation to stifle the free voice of Lashkar-e Islam. We have sought freedom in an enslaved country."

According to the political pundits, the ANP will have to face the music politically, if it keeps mum over the issue. The federal government announced a three-pronged strategy after it came into the power. According to this strategy, the issues of the FATA areas were to be solved through jirgas in the first phase, through which the differences and issues would be solved peacefully. When the peace is restored, the development works will be started there to root out the militancy so that the tribal people could consider them citizens of this country. The third option was the use of force. When the issue could not be resolved in any way, the force will be used as a final priority. However we see that in the case of Bara operation the federal government has made its last priority as its first one. After this the people of the FATA are to certainly unite. [It means to unite against this operation]. Assertions have been aired about Bara operation that it is being launched against the criminal elements that through this operation the possibilities of the occupation of Peshawar will be reduced to zero.

However, there arises a question [rather many questions]. After all what was that, which was posing a threat to Peshawar? Are our security forces so weak, that they are unable to keep the provincial capital safe? Are their foreign elements which have become so active, that they long to occupy the city? Is it really possible to capture the city? The federal and the provincial governments should have answered these questions first and they this they could pave the way for the operation.

According to the sources of the armed forces, it is impossible for those people to capture Peshawar, which the government has posed as a threat. It is because these people are habitual in fighting in the hilly areas and rough terrain. It is certainly not a child’s play to fight in the open in the city and in the streets or to occupy it. The other thing worth-consideration is that the government is making us terrified of Talibans and they are our brothers. They are the citizens of this region. Why will they kill their own brothers?

In fact, today, we are ruining ourselves by pursuing the policy of ruination in the name of construction. As a result of this policy, we shall be losers in every case and those forces will have the chance to execute their schemes, for which they have always longed for.

We shall have to stop this Bara operation immediately and solve all rest of the outstanding issues through dialogues and jirgas. It is because on the one side of us, there is enemy like India, and on the western side, there is a western marionette, Karzai in Afghanistan, waiting for a chance to stab us in our back. We will have to proceed cautiously in these circumstances. It is a matter of the stability and survival of our country. We all are to fail the resolves of those, who wish to see our country in fragments till 2015. Otherwise there will be nothing left except to repent over it.

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THAT IS ENOUHGH.

We should not blame our enemies or to expect from them the flowers,we as a nation should hold our polititionsresponsible & put our hands in their necks to ask the explaination from them.Who have created all this fuss,who is creating different new groups of Talibaans to achieve their vicious objects & goals.Who is profitting from all this & why we as a nation is allowing them to take us for a ride.The masses,civil society & intelligencia have to take innitiative to curb this menace which is destroying us from inside & all these cunning,selfish,corrupt,conscienceless & Chors polititions,establishment & Musharraf is responsible for all this calamity.We as a nation have to help ourselves gone are the time to expect from others to help us.