Fighting Shadows

In ‘9/11 Redefines the World’, Salik describes the return of the US in the region to avenge 9/11. Pakistan had to face a paradoxical situation typified in the line ‘Either you are with us, or with them’. The country had no choice but to side with the global alliance against terrorism. It had to dump the Afghan Mujahedeen whom it had trained and employed during the Jihad against the USSR. The Pakistan-trained Mujahedeen then turned against it and infiltrated into its settled areas through unguarded borders. This is when Pakistan started paying the price in terms of loss of lives and propertiy emanating from terrorism. It can be said then that while the Americans totally destroyed Afghanistan in avenging the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington, purportedly initiated by Al- Qaeda, Pakistan also suffered tremendously in terms of thousands of military and civilian lives lost and a huge dent to its economy, but managed to survive as a nation despite all its internal misfortunes of loot and corruption.

The chapter ‘Pakistan Meets the Challenge’ encompasses the entire cycle of the war fought inside the country’s borders. Salik identifies the threat, explaining the international environment in which the US played a double role. On behest of the Indians, the US hierarchy, while fighting against the Afghan Tehreek-e-Taliban, nurtured the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Taliban to weaken Pakistan from within.

While elaborating on the long war on terror, Salik has divided it into various periods. He has underscored the valiant operations of the Pakistan Army, such as Rah-e-Nijaat and Operation Rad-ul-Fassad, which were employed along the border areas in Swat, North and South Waziristan, as well as against those terrorists who became embedded int settled areas of Pakistan with the aim of targeting soft targets. While explaining the various battles fought by the Army, he uses maps and photographs extensively.

In ‘Winning Hearts and Minds Campaign’, the author acknowledges that while the protracted war on terror was very difficult, the phase that followed the battle was even more challenging. such as the rehabilitation of the war-affected areas. Since the area where the war was fought was badly damaged, the Pakistan Army and the government undertook the task of winning the hearts and minds of the local population. This included the de-radicalization of society, rehabilitation of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and social and economic development, such as preparing extensive communication networks to make access easy from farms to markets. The extensive effort led by the Pakistan Army made the war-torn areas peaceful by increasing their economic stakes.

The chapter ‘Resilient Pakistan’ covers the hope for a shining future for Pakistan. Salik gives an optimistic picture of the Pakistani nation’s resolve to face challenges boldly. When it comes to their identity, Pakistanis have proved their mettle. Not only do they resist the misguiding perceptions but also bounce back with more resilience. As a result of the successful culmination of the war on terror, CPEC projects have also started delivering.

The writer was Director General at the Institute for Strategic Studies, Research and Analysis (ISSRA) and National Defence University (NDU), Islamabad. He retired as a major general with vast experience in combatting terrorism along Pakistan’s western borders. His hands-on experience to fight the unconventional war qualifies him as the right man to dilate on the most complex war that the Pakistan Army has fought. He is now pursuing a PhD at the National Defence University in Islamabad.