Losing the hearts and minds of people

Winning the hearts and minds of suppressed nations was a new world order post 9/11 world. However, it has lately become a cliché and is being used to camouflage the deadly Drone attacks in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). The brutality of such attacks is manifested in new Afg-Pak policy which was thought to be a generation building initiative, but is now becoming a resonance of neocons war hysteria. Mr. Obama is failing to understand the need of the hour and time is slipping away. The mayhem and anarchy brought by hell fire missiles to the FATA areas is being mimicked in the streets of Islamabad and Lahore in the form of deadly and belligerent suicide bombings. The bottom line: “The whole nation is at war with an enemy which does not have any religion or any geographic identity”. They are merchants of death. Pakistan is battered and bruised after series of suicide bombings in different parts of the country. In the last two weeks only, we have lost more than hundred civilians and law enforcement personnel. Suicide bombing was an obscure thing in this country; it has now become horrifically astounding phenomenon and is getting even uglier as I write this article. I am surprised as how some of the top political think tanks have failed to assess the core of this issue. Many questions were raised such as who is behind it? Why would they do it? Do we need to root them out by force? To me the most imperative demand of the hour is answering the question of how to stop it? We all know there is a problem. But every problem encapsulates a solution, which provides the impetus for rescue efforts at all levels of civil society, government and foreign friends and donors. It is more matter of identifying that solution which would not happen without understanding the problem in the first place. Knowing that literacy rate is less than 5% in FATA on international scale, there needs to be institutionalized approach towards eradication of malaise of extremism and terrorism through rescue funds. An institution such as US-AID, European Union and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC-EU) FATA Friendship Fund (FFF)) and many other international and local NGOs have to deliver on their promises and pledges. If disbursement of funds remains in twilight like our old friend “Biden Lugar bill” it would simply perpetuate the already complex cycle of violence. The message is simple; we need infrastructure, education, jobs which can shape a meaningful life. Drone attacks on terrorist hideouts, would always result in collateral damage and as a result innocent lives engulfed in this blind and brutal action. Thus it provides a perfect breeding ground for terrorism. The super power should know that there is no different price tag on the life of victim of 9/11th terrorist attacks and the one killed on the roads of Islamabad or in mountains of Waziristan. Imagine winning the hearts and minds of people through hell fire missiles, carrot and stick attitude and false promises. The fledgling nature of provincial government of NWFP lacks both courage and motivation to live up to the people’s expectations. There is no centre of gravity and hard to figure out who is doing what and why in ANP-PPP coalition government in NWFP. The latest spill over of extremists from Swat to Buner area is an eye-opening account of the imminent threat to our capital cities. However, the local government is content with their submissive attitude to the bunch of extremists and finds it difficult to realise the gravity of situation. They are either shell shocked by the brisk approach of non state actors or have no intentions, most probably ability to, put in place counter insurgence policy. The government successfully negotiated the fragile truce deal with Taliban, but failed to embed any encouraging clauses pertaining to uplift of the education standards in the area. Keeping in view facts and figures, one is inclined to formulate the strategy based on rational grounds and most importantly in consonance with the culture, tradition and ideology of the tribal areas. People living in these areas are open to educational reforms and speedy justice system, only if they see any initiatives taken. If the federal government has remained mute on these issues for the last 60 years, they should not be surprised at the volatility of the current situation. A mind with no education is a mind with no goal, and mind with no goal is bound to join the ranks of suicide bombers and extremists. Hence there are few suggestions being put forward. The implementations need an institutionalized approach with political, financial and moral support being generated from within and through true “Friend of FATA and Pakistan” Economic, Education and Development Front.

* Serious steps should be taken to bring about educational reforms, which should ideally include more quotas for FATA and related FR areas students in local institutions.

* Special grants by the Government and foreign donors to send the deserving youth of FATA to the best institutions across the globe to have a broader view of geo-politics and economic development strategies. The very institutions that have renowned faculties in the field should ideally support this initiative.

* Infrastructure building and health aid.

* Knowing the vague control mechanisms, it is natural for international donors to have premonitions about potential embezzlement of funds. Thus key to making these funds count would not only end at its disbursement but would also need standard matrices and key controls to police the rights of deserving community.

* Most importantly, credible evidence should be made to public to show the commitment of funds and the progress to-date. This would help even the one standing in queue to be optimistic rather than going into disparity. It would also help embed a self check and control mechanism. Political and Diplomatic Front

* Government should muster up the courage to tell the so-called allies in war on terror to stop the drone attacks.

* “Do more” policy should stand true for all stakeholders in the region and beyond, who have key stakes. Pakistan should do more if it has the resources of doing so.

* An aggressive diplomatic campaign against the immediate neighbours who would like to exploit the turmoil to their advantage by fueling militancy in the FATA, Swat and Balochistan. The allegations are even levied by the most prestigious US journal “Foreign Affairs” in its latest edition. According to the journal, India has been pumping huge amount of money to create unrest in Balochistan area.

* Demand for immediate closure of unwanted consulates of India at the Afghanistan-Pakistan border area.

* No blank cheques given and taken at the expense of compromising national sovereignty.

* Addressing the premonitions of general public of Pakistan who are seriously considering the possibility of a “Great Game” being played in the region, with prime intentions of sabotaging the very existence of the country.

* Preventing homeland from being used as terrorist breeding incubators, which develop monsters and attack our neighbouring countries. This is only possible if there is local support for the government, and they take a joint stance to eradicate the unwanted “guests”.

* Immediate policy to repatriate the 7 million Afghan refugees in the country. Refugee camps are another potential source of terrorism.

* Self check mechanism. Making sure that elected government, civil society and Armed forces are on the same footing on Foreign Policy and internal security measures.

* Try to facilitate any ground breaking deal for ensuring lasting peace through a national reconciliation order rather than through a fledgling wing of provincial government. According to the Gulf Research Centre paper what happens over the next years in this part of the world has crucial repercussions well beyond its most immediate neighbourhood. As such, there exists an urgent need for action. It would be both negligent and irresponsible to allow events in the FATA region to simply take their course and to hope for the best. This is one of the many international bodies who have expressed their fear of losing the war against terrorism. It is for international community to realise that multi-pronged policy is the only imperative solution required. Drones have and never would help in winning the war against terrorism. Winning the hearts and minds of people could only be done if we redress their grievance by providing educational and economic aid. Mere pledges and promises are not the winning solution.