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| India-Pakistan |
| Taking the battle to the source |
| 2015-09-16 |
| [DAWN] The apex committee at the centre that met after a gap of nine months has, after some stocktaking, finally agreed to broaden the fight against violent extremism and take the battle to the source. That includes choking terror financing, madressah reforms and intensifying action against sectarian outfits. Surely these are critical steps needed to win the battle against extremism. One wonders why it has taken so long for the federal and provincial governments to realise the urgency of moving beyond the military operations. Then there is also the question of commitment to take tough measures. It is apparent that the push has come from the military leadership, which is spearheading the current counterterrorism campaign. One cannot agree more with Gen Raheel Sharif ..Pak chief of army staff, meaning he pulls the strings on the Nawaz Sharif puppet to make it dance and sing and not do much at all.... in his assertion that the gains achieved in the battle against the Death Eaters in the tribal areas could be reversed if the military action is not accompanied by action on all aspects of NAP. So far the outlook appears grim. Although NAP can hardly be described as a comprehensive counterterrorism strategy, even then only a few of its 20 points are being implemented and that too partially. The major responsibility for the lacklustre approach lies with the federal government, though the provincial governments cannot be completely absolved of blame. There is still no mechanism in place to implement the measures agreed upon at the apex committee meeting. It is true that choking terrorist financing is the most critical part of the battle. But it will not be an easy undertaking, considering the massive inflow of funds to sectarian groups and radical madressahs from external sources, particularly those in Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... and the Gulf countries. Over the last nine months the government has hardly moved against those outfits and radical seminaries that thrive on external financial support. The interior minister a few months ago informed parliament that only a few madressahs have been receiving foreign funding, while there was no mention of the donors -- perhaps because of 'brotherly relations' with the countries concerned. There is also a large inflow of donations from individuals and expatriate Paks to religious institutions, part of which is believed to be diverted to bad boy and sectarian networks. The apex committee has decided to make it obligatory for madressahs to get their accounts audited and reveal their sources of funding. It is certainly a step in the right direction, but some tough measures need to be put in place against those who defy their legal obligation. That will certainly be a major test for the federal and provincial governments. It is true that terror financing is not restricted to religiously motivated violence alone, but is also used to support ethnic-based groups and criminal gangs operating under the patronage of some political parties. Action taken by the Rangers against the alleged financiers has helped curtail violence in Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... , but that is not enough. Terror financing is also linked to the burgeoning black economy and criminalisation of politics that is not confined to Karachi alone. One hopes that action is extended to other parts of the country. There is need to reinforce the laws to check terror financing, but more important is the implementation of the measures approved by the apex committee. Another important decision taken by the apex committee is to intensify the crackdown on radical sectarian outfits. Despite the fact that terrorism in the country has mainly been in the form of sectarian and religious violence, banned outfits have continued to operate with impunity under new banners. Although law-enforcement agencies have cracked down on some factions, some others have been spared, perhaps due to political expediency. While the chief of the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi ... a 'more violent' offshoot of Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistain. LeJ's purpose in life is to murder anyone who's not of utmost religious purity, starting with Shiites but including Brelvis, Ahmadis, Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Rosicrucians, and just about anyone else you can think of. They are currently a wholly-owned subsidiary of al-Qaeda ... , Malik Ishaq -- who backed one group in the Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat ...which is the false nose and plastic mustache of the murderous bannedextremist group Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistain, whatcha might call the political wingof Lashkar-e-Jhangvi... -- as well as some other top leaders of the LJ, have been killed, the leader of the other faction of ASWJ, Maulana Muhammad Ahmed Ludhianvi, roams around freely, apparently under the security agencies' protection. A major reason for the Punjab 1.) Little Orphan Annie's bodyguard 2.) A province of Pakistain ruled by one of the Sharif brothers 3.) A province of India. It is majority (60 percent) Sikh and Hindoo (37 percent), which means it has relatively few Moslem riots.... government's reluctance to act against the group is the upcoming local government elections in the province; that would defeat the objectives of the action plan. It remains to be seen if this changes after the apex committee's decision to act without discrimination. In this context, the recent statements by some provincial ministers denying that Punjab is the hub of violent sectarianism are most perturbing. Belatedly, the civil and military leadership seems to have realised the need to clamp down on hate speech and hate literature that incite violence along religious lines. It is mostly radical holy mans who instigate mob attacks on Christian and other religious communities on false charges of blasphemy. The suggestion for the government to appoint prayer leaders in mosques has merit. Although such a radical move may not be possible in the current situation with the administration having little capacity to exert control over each and every mosque in the country, the holy mans inciting sectarian violence must be brought to justice. Religious extremism is so deeply entrenched in society that it will not be easy to root it out. Religion is capable of many different interpretations. The problem arises when Death Eaters and bad boy holy mans appropriate the function of religious interpretation. This situation has to be reversed. It is going to be a protracted struggle that can only be won through strong commitment and resolve. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 A Sunni-KSA-vs-Shia-Iran confrontation can still very easily occur in the ME + Persian Gulf, + despite the KSA being Amerika's ally + post-P5+1 Nuke Deal Iran now also being nominally the US' OWG Co-Superpower sibling. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2015-09-16 22:23 |