Suicide Terrorism - Articles

9/11 to 7/7: Time to keep the Promises

The dreadful events of 7/7 have set alarm bells ringing in Pakistan. The 'War On Terror' is all set to take on a perilous new direction that may be detrimental to Pakistan's interests. As the Western world begins to come to grips with the reality of the tragedy and gears itself to clamp down on terrorist networks, Pakistan is yet again implicated as a harbinger and perpetrator of international terror. What is going to be the nature of Pakistan's role in the invigorated war on terror? What would be its effect on the tumultuous internal situation in Pakistan? Moreover, where does this place Pakistan within the comity of nations?

More than three and half years after Pakistan became America's strategic partner in the war against terror, it still confronts international stigma as the country that is home to international terrorist activities. Egypt's knee-jerk reaction in pointing an accusing finger at Pakistan, only to give a clean chit later, is proof of this.

Pakistan has been on the defensive; renouncing the links of three of the four suicide bombers - who have been identified as Pakistani - by claiming that they were born and brought up in Britain and were British citizens. However, the fact that they came from a Pakistani constituency, and had recently visited Pakistan does signify a deeper malaise that rises from their political and religious indoctrination. By embracing suicide as a weapon and demonstrating their willingness to blow themselves up, these terrorists have wrought mayhem upon the people and the religion they were willing to kill for. Undoubtedly, this will have serious insinuations for Muslims, particularly Pakistanis, living in Britain. As the West reacts to perceived threats, Muslims come under the ire of beefed up security measures.

The diktat from London and Washington is loud and clear: rein in the madrasas, the religious seminaries that have now turned into preachers of hate. President Musharraf's 21 July address to the nation, wherein he pledged to crack down on militants could be described as a restructured adaptation of the January 2002 address. This is in obvious acceptance of the fact that the first campaign against terrorism after 9/11 failed. In addition, the President does not seem to have any new cards up his sleeve that would ensure it works this time. Therefore, that leaves Pakistan in an unenviable situation of being huddled between mounting international pressure and severe domestic backlash from the Islamists.

At the joint press conference with Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai on 26 July, British Prime Minister Tony Blair said he was "anxious" for Pakistan to deal with the extremism promoted by some of its religious seminaries. The pressure for substantial and persistent action has led to raiding of madrassas across Pakistan. This has resulted in over 600 arrests and several casualties in the clashes between the students of the seminaries and security forces. The situation is unravelling in the backdrop of relentless resistance by the Islamic groups and antagonism from those within the Pakistani establishment. The complex interlinked structure of the army, the radical Islamist groups and the political forces naturally makes real counter-terrorist action very hard. Even the last time around, the constricted approach comprised raids on seminaries, and arrests of activists of militant organizations, only to be set free later. Banned outfits regrouped with changed nomenclatures. This strategy did not bring forth long-term solutions. Thus, Pakistan once again finds itself waging the uncompleted battle against terrorism to please its Western allies.

While being trapped in this imbroglio, Pakistan had to stand by and watch India clinch the Defence Agreement with the US, sending out waves of anxiety across the Pakistani strategic community. However, the political engagement of Pakistan by the US and the UK is likely to continue for some more years. Pakistani bases and intelligence are critical for any armed action against the Taliban in Afghanistan and the Al Qaeda holed up in Waziristan. Therefore, economic and military benefits will continue to flow into Pakistan. Pakistan and Britain have already agreed to increased cooperation in intelligence sharing. More mechanisms are bound to come into place to extract maximum support from Pakistan in the counter-terror measures that are to follow. Nevertheless, Pakistanis continue to face cumbersome visa restrictions on travel and security regulations in the US and other Western countries. Meanwhile, Pakistani diplomacy will be hard pressed to defend its position and stop the international community from blaming Pakistan for exporting terrorism. It will surely heighten damage control measures to uphold its position as a "democratizing" nation, and as the West's staunchest ally against terror. In the meantime, it will need to counter domestic hostility to keep up its post 9/11 promises.