Is the Pakistani government helping or hindering the fight against terrorism?

Helping

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by Steve Lussing

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The Pakistani Government like any other is an avowed opponent of civil unrest and social instability and accordingly has taken a declared position against terrorism. That being said, there are mitigating factors within Pakistan which compound the problems of international terrorism over which the government either has very little control or over which she is not taking an active enough role. This begs the question, "Is the Pakistani government doing enough to fight terrorism?".

Since the events of 9/11 there have been a steady increase in terrorist attacks in Pakistan growing dramatically over the last few years. In 2006, an estimated 907 people were killed and 1,543 people were injured in terrorist bombings. According to a Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS) security report 3,448 casualties from 1,503 attacks and clashes occurred in 2007. Thus far this year to March 4, 2008, well over 250 people have been killed in attacks and many more injured.

When reviewing some basic statistics one is tempted to suggest that the Pakistani government is not doing enough overall to improve the lives of its large population of almost 165 million people, 97 percent of them Islamic. Almost one quarter of the total land area is arable. This represents almost 195,000 square kilometers. This agricultural potential and the extensive natural gas reserves and natural resources including coal, copper and limestone could contribute to the establishment of a much wealthier nation if the people were only better served. Currently, a majority of the population does not have access to potable water. The per capita gross domestic product is a relatively poor $2,600. To complicate matters, Pakistan has become a haven of sorts for Afghani refugees, harboring an estimated 1,084,208 displaced persons running from the Taliban and Al-Qaeda and from the war in their front yards.

Naturally it is ludicrous to assume that the government of Pakistan is hindering the fight against terrorism much less facilitating the terrorist cause but it is not untoward to suggest that the government is simply too incompetent to wage an effective war against terrorism. By way of example, an effort to crack down on Islamic extremism and religious schools led to a July 19, 2005 raid on an all girls maddrassa which turned into a hopeless fiasco with the commandos being driven out by hysterical girls using whatever objects they could lay their hands on when they were caught without their veils. Police tear gas drove them outside where their batons ultimately sent 62 students into hospital with injuries.

A superficial assessment based on official government reports seems to indicate that clandestine planning operations leading to 9/11 were simply not on Pakistan's radar but this is without a doubt not the case. The head of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency (ISI) at that time was Lieutenant General Hamid Gul. A self-declared Islamist who has been quoted as saying "God will destroy America", he has been linked to the attacks on 9/11. UPI reported on a document given to the 9/11 Commission which states that "ISI was fully involved in devising and helping the entire [9/11 plot]." It states that Gul is a self-avowed "admirer" of Osama Bin Ladin. Intercepts of communications pertaining to international money fund transfers to the principal conspirators in the 9/11 attacks for funding their flight training and living expenses reveal that some of those payments were authorized by Hamid Gul himself. International pressure on the Pakistani government led to the general being discharged and being placed under house arrest in his home town, where he remains to this day. By anyone's standards this is simply not doing enough.

Some believe that to some extent America may be hindering the cause. The New York Times reports that senator and democratic party candidate Barak Obama has stated that, "the Bush administration's Iraq policy has made America more vulnerable to attack, and has weakened the country's position in pressing the president of Pakistan, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, to close down terrorist training camps."

Pakistan has recently scaled up its drive against Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants in the eastern end of the Khyber Pass. Peshawar is virtually under siege as insurgents, driven from tribal homelands by persistent American and coalition forces, have taken the fight into the city. Pakistan has come to accept that there is indeed a war going on. A March 4 announcement by Pakistan Interior Ministry Spokesman Javed Iqbal Cheema has reaffirmed the Pakistani Government's determination to fight terrorism, stating that the 11 men freed from custody in Guantanamo Bay will be interrogated thoroughly before they are allowed to return home.

Judging from the damage inflicted by terrorist activities inside her borders especially over the last few years, it is illogical to think that the government of Pakistan would hinder the effort to fight the insurgency. Terrorists are seeking to destabilize the transition of government after the recent elections and the government is determined to see that the process occurs smoothly and without incident. To shrug the insurgency off or hinder efforts by government forces to do battle with terrorists would not only be counter-productive but would place the credibility of Pakistan's government under even more serious scrutiny. Pakistan certainly does not want foreign intervention in its internal affairs. Even the threat of sanctions or of the removal of foreign aid is not acceptable considering her current economic situation. As to whether things will get worse before they get any better remains to be seen but insomuch as the end will justify the means the situation simply cannot be allowed to continue under any circumstances. This much the Pakistan government knows.

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