Islamabad at war

From the looks of it, the army has stepped up its terrorism-response, making it virtually at war with a section of the country’s own people. Till now, ground troops and helicopter gunships comprised attack formations, but the fighter airplane novelty has propelled the battle against al Qaeda into a new realm. Also, the army spokesman should have known better than arrogantly boasting ‘no civilian casualties’. It was not long before images of injured civilians – men, women and children – were doing rounds in the international media, much to the embarrassment of the federal government. Merciless killing of innocent children cannot be justified under any pretext. The Pakistani government had better realise this instead of hiding behind careless political rhetoric.

These developments come at a time when much of the western media is hotly debating Washington’s continued support for the Musharraf regime, especially since the general has upset much of the domestic political system also owing to his own personal concerns. Critics of Islamabad’s military-politics nexus claim vindication since keeping the latter firmly attached to seats of power is proving costly not only for the country’s long-suffering polity, but now also for the army, supposedly the only strong institution in the country.

Should things not improve dramatically, and that too pretty soon, part of General Musharraf’s unenviable legacy will be overseeing the armed forces at a time when they lost substantial reputation, principally from not being able to battle pockets of resistance even inside the country. Clearly, overwhelming political indulgency is blunting the army’s reputed sharp edges.

As the general and his men shuffle options to find amicable solutions, one thing is clear. Just as autocratic muscle is going to help matters on the political front, more force is not a viable solution to the tribal unrest. On both fronts, less forceful and more flexible engagement is needed. And while there should be no tolerance for foreign elements operating in the border areas, the latest strikes have hurt civilians and paralysed their traditional economic system, which has raised tempers that will need careful handling. Till it finds solutions to these problems, Islamabad will remain at war with itself.