Cover Story 
 

Cover Story

Another Surrender

The TLP’s recent actions demonstrate the growing threat extremist groups pose in Pakistan.

By Col Muhammad Hanif (Retired) | December 2021


It is well understood that for the last many years, the writ of the state of Pakistan has been challenged mainly by banned terrorist organizations like the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and the so-called Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), which are continuing to commit terrorist acts in Pakistan to achieve their political objectives/demands. Also, for the last few years, estranged groups of some religious/political parties, including the Tehrik-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), have used violence while exercising their right to peaceful protest and challenged the power of the state.

There are some situations where a public authority can restrict the aforementioned rights of the citizens. Those are: to protect national security or public safety, prevent disorder or crime, protect health or morals, or protect the rights and freedom of other people in the interest of the glory of Islam or the integrity, security and defence of Pakistan, or any part thereof, friendly relations with foreign states, public order, decency, or morality, or in relation to contempt of court, or commission of or incitement to any offence. While exercising these restrictions, the Government’s action should be ‘proportionate’, which means appropriate and no more than necessary action should be taken to address the issue concerned.

Whereas the citizens of Pakistan enjoy the afore-mentioned rights, they also have some obligations. Loyalty to the State and obedience of the Constitution and the law are the inviolable and basic obligations of the citizens. While the State of Pakistan has to protect the rights of its citizens, it is also responsible to ensure their economic well-being by ensuring that economic activity continues unhindered and the black marketers/profiteers are deterred. To fight foreign aggression and ensure that the rule of law prevails in its area of jurisdiction, the state maintains police, armed forces and the judicial system.

Recently, in October 2021, the TLP launched a protest march to reach Islamabad with a major demand that their leader under arrest should be released. While the Government was taking measures to stop their march through road blocks and deployment of police, as per media reports, the protests became violent near Wazirabad and the protestors started assaulting the police. In a few days, about nine policemen were martyred and a few hundred injured.

After this, Rangers were deployed and the Government started a dialogue with the TLP. As a consequence, as per media reports, the TLP leader has been released from jail and arrested protestors have also been released but not much is known about the legal cases against those who killed the nine policemen. This lack of transparency has given rise to apprehensions that the Government has failed to establish its writ and the TLP has been given unwarranted concessions at the cost of undermining the dignity and respect of the police as a state organ, thus creating an impression of the state versus state.


Also, recently, the Government of Pakistan had started a dialogue with the banned TTP, stating that those TTP terrorist factions, who are ready to surrender and live under the Constitution of Pakistan will be given amnesty. There is also news that a ceasefire has been agreed to by both the sides. The dialogue with the TTP has been severely criticized, especially by the parents of the martyred students of the APS, Peshawar, as the children’s basic right to live was taken away by the erstwhile TTP terrorists, who was later completely annihilated during military operation Zarb-e-Azb, and had fled to Afghanistan. This dialogue is giving an impression as if the erstwhile TTP is being given recognition, without taking into account the sentiments of the Pakistani citizens, who have heavily suffered out of TTP’s hands, and a dialogue with them is giving an impression of state versus state.

While dealing with the outlawed terrorist organizations and the violent groups, who weaken the state’s writ and the rule of the law, although the Pakistan Governments’ capacity is constrained by the complex regional geopolitical situation, domestic political antagonism and totally free electronic/social media’s contradictory news/commentaries, still the Governments can achieve better results by adopting comprehensive and dynamic strategies.

In this context, it would be better if the PTI Government adopts a clear and bold policy with the TTP by telling its factions to surrender without any preconditions. The alleged persons/criminals should face the legal cases in Pakistan, especially those involved in the terrorist attack on APS students in Peshawar and only those individuals can be pardoned, who are not guilty of having committed any terrorist acts. Otherwise, the TTP should face the consequences. On the same lines the dialogue could be held with the BLA, if they agree to surrender without any preconditions, accept to live under Pakistan’s Constitution, and the criminals are ready to face the legal cases.

Also, these terrorist groups should be isolated from the public by defeating their narrative through a stronger state narrative and economic welfare measures. In any case, any dialogue with the terrorist organizations should be held from a point of strength, since Pakistan’s security forces are quite capable of defeating terrorism, and the Government should not give any impression of state versus state, by making decisions which care for the fundamental rights of some groups and hurt the rights of others and divide society.

As for as the TLP is concerned, while implementing the recent agreement, the Government should insist that those who are involved in killing the nine policemen should face legal cases. In future, to deal with the protest meetings/marches of the political parties, the Government should prepare and follow a comprehensive plan comprising the play up of the competing narratives using the media, diffusing the situation through a timely dialogue process, where genuine demands could be met promptly, and through robust law enforcement.

However, while dealing with the violent protestors, the police should primarily use sticks and protective shields. The police and security forces should be allowed as per law to use weapons in their self defence, when their life is endangered by the protestors. In this context, the Government should also ensure that during the protests, legal cases against the law-breakers are registered and taken to their logical conclusion to punish the culprits. However, the doors for dialogue should be kept open. While controlling the protests and during the dialogue, the state should never give undue concessions to the law-breakers by dropping the registered legal cases, as this would weaken the rule of law, which would ultimately hurt the state.

It is in the interest of the citizens of Pakistan to make Pakistan an economically self-reliant state. To achieve this objective, all citizens, irrespective of their religious and political affiliations, should contribute towards establishing the rule of law and creating a peaceful environment.

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