SPY EYES

The Jamaat e Islami (JI) Chief has flabbergasted and outraged the people and probably his own party by a statement that makes no sense unless his aim was to create the kind of controversy that is now raging. He has said that the terrorist leader killed in a Drone strike recently is a Shaheed (martyr) and that those killed while defending the country against the scourge of terrorism are not. Coming from a religious leader such a statement is a direct assault on the integrity of the country’s armed and law enforcement forces. It is also a statement that undermines the honor of the thousands who have been killed and crippled while executing the government’s policy to defend the country and the cause of Islam. Can one even begin to understand how such a statement can undermine morale and motivation — the bedrock of the spirit that leads men to sacrifice their lives? Can anyone imagine the anguish of the wives, daughters, sons, fathers and mothers of those who did not reason why and chose to die? There is rage and anger across the land and it is justified. Lost in the confusion is another statement by another Chief of a religious party that — ‘even a dog killed by the Americans is a Shaheed’ — talk about bad taste and distorted thinking.

After waiting for a government reaction to these most damaging statements and not getting any, the Armed Forces through the Inter Services Public Relations Directorate has issued a strong statement that is a condemnation, rebuttal and a demand for an apology. So far there is silence from the government while the JI is doing damage control of sorts by saying that their shura will decide on a response and this was the personal opinion of their Chief. None of this makes sense. What has been said cannot be unsaid. As we have seen from recent events in the senate, apologizing is not what we are good at — even when the image of our country and its integrity is at stake. Is this the much talked about beauty of democracy?

The reality is that rash, spur of the moment statements create problems. The tone for the entire debate should have been carefully set and modulated right after the Drone strike that killed the TTP leader. There should not have been two views about it and this should not have been used to get on the bandwagon against the US. Talks had not started. The dialogue option had not been turned into a proposal. TTP attacks had escalated. TTP demands could not be met. Yet we are talking about the murder of peace by a drone strike that took out the TTP leader? The dialogue option and possible peace has been murdered not by the Drone strike but by the elevation of a murderer to the leadership of the TTP. He has promptly ruled out the dialogue option and vowed revenge against Pakistan. Some are now hoping for a divide within TTP ranks and infighting among the many groups. The country’s leadership needs to step back, review the situation, acknowledge mistakes and then act to influence opinion that will lead to a rational acceptable narrative.

In an enfeebled, fractured society already divided by sectarian and ethnic issues and being exploited from across our borders there is absolutely no scope for the kind of religious, political and civil-military divides that are now being created by people who need to keep themselves zipped up. The no action, no reaction, thick hide policy that seems to be prevalent will not work — not any more. We have very little time to get it right otherwise the disillusionment with democracy will trigger events that will take their own course. As the Americans tell us — ‘all options are on the table’. Act to rule out the negative ones — and act quickly.

By Adam Raj