Ex-Pak servicemen for indigenous policy to tackle insurgency

Khalid Kheshgi

A group of Pakistan’s retired military generals, academicians, ex-bureaucrats and experts on Afghan and tribal affairs have expressed diverse opinions about the ongoing insurgency and turmoil in the tribal areas of Pakistan at a conference held here at University of Peshawar Wednesday.

The resource persons of the two-day round table conference on ‘current situation in Fata’ at Area Study Center were supposed to read out their research papers on the ongoing unrest in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan but instead of presenting any written papers they dwelt upon the past events happened in the neighboring Afghanistan.

Vice-chancellor of the University of Peshawar Professor Dr Azmat Hayat, former ambassador to Afghanistan Rustam Shah Mohmand, ex- DG ISI Major Gen. (Retd) Asad Durrani, former security chief Fata secretariat Brig. Mehmood Shah, Brig. (Retd) Saad and Sufi Juma Khan participated as resources persons in the conference which was attended by a selected group of scholars and experts on Afghan affairs.

Most of the speakers defined the on-going insurgency in FATA as mayhem wherein no one could win the battle and called for a coherent and indigenous policy to deal with the perplex situation.

Professor Dr. Azmat Hayat Khan, who is also director of ASC, in his inaugural speech highlighted the geo-strategic and geo-political significance of tribal areas and discussed briefly the prevailing situation there.

Former ambassador to Afghanistan and an expert on Afghanistan-FATA affairs, Rustam Shah Mohmand described the on going military operations in FATA as disgraceful operations in which innocent tribal people were the ultimate victims. Declaring the FATA situation as specter of destabilization, he stated that as a result of both foreign and Pakistani security forces counter-insurgency operations, a traumatized society was emerging there and there was a no-win situation that could create more disorder and chaos. He also suggested a well designed local policy to properly address the situation in FATA in a specific time frame. He also suggested that the government of Pakistan make all out efforts to flash out foreign militants from tribal areas with the help of powerful tribes.

Brigadier (Retd) Saad expressed the view that FATA was witnessing a worst kind of insurgency wherein foreign money and arms had also a role. He said that up till now this counter-insurgency campaign lacked political element and it was only military that was countering the whole situation. He suggested that military element was not enough and specific to deal with this chaotic scenario and the government must come up with a well devised indigenous policy on tribal areas.

Juma Khan Sufi, who spent many years in asylum in Afghanistan, discussed at length the Afghan situation and declared the warm-water theory as a hypocratic approach on the part of Pakistan and American establishments to engage the Red forces in Afghanistan before reaching to the warm water of Arabian Sea. In his opinion the problems in tribal belt of Pakistan did not start with the American military action in Afghanistan as a result of 9/11 incident. Rather, he told, when Pakistan started interfering into Afghanistan’s internal affairs during Soviet-Afghan war, the first brick of disorder was placed in the tribal belt. He said that Jehadis from world over were trained in Pakistan for Afghanistan and Indian-held Kashmir

Former director-general of ISI, Major-General (Retd) Asad Durrani admitted that Pakistan as well as Fata had always remained an experimental lab where policies and government system had changed with the changing of rulers. He said the government writ in Fata should not be compared with the big cities like Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad. Opposing the idea of ‘first lay-down arms then negotiate’ with militants he said the negotiating channels must be kept open for resolving the insurgency in Fata and Swat. He used the terms ‘neutralizing’ the tribesmen rather than disarming them at the moment, saying rather the government should try to enter into dialogue with any group to gradually control insurgency. He also said the political leadership should not confine themselves to the bunkers and walls in what they called their own war against terrorism and militancy.

Brig. (Retd) Mehmood Shah said the government ‘one step forward and two step backward’ policy had worsen the situation in tribal areas, saying that during peace agreements in Wazirsitan and Swat the militants had rather strengthened their positions and influence in their respective areas. The Taliban in Pakistan were following the similar modus operandi which they had applied in Afghanistan, by winning the sympathies of common people in the beginning and then establishing their courts and writs. He said that the option of military action must be in hands while negotiating with the militants, claiming that the number of real Taliban in Bajour Agency was not more than 500 at the moment. He also stressed for positive and gradual reforms in the administrative and political system in the tribal areas of Pakistan.

Ends