Act to Stop Pakistan Driven towards being a Failed State

By: Zulfiqar Haider and Zulfiqar Shaikh

It is disturbing to read the revelations made by WikiLeaks that some Middle Eastern governments have been pumping money to specific religious groups in Pakistan which is utilized in promoting terrorism in and outside the country. This comes to bolster concerns by some experts who have already been raising alarm to this frightening phenomenon, and associated loopholes and misadventures on part of our state institutions in this regard. 

What is of grave concern is the fact that Mr. Bryn Hunt, then Principal Officer at US Consulate, points out to critical information on existence of recruiting centers, their exact locations, their mechanisms, and a lot more; all gathered through a couple of visits and interviews with locals in two districts of Southern Punjab.  This shows that such information is a common and local knowledge for people in those areas, but apparently is so easily missed out by our agencies as we see no actions against such centers. The revelations further disclose vital bits of information on such terrorist networks working in guile of religious centers and charities; how are these funded, how are these used as recruitment centers, and so much so as the prevalent rate which is Rs.5 to 6 lakh for suicide bombers to be paid to parents for their “service to religion”. 

Let’s look at the hardcore undeniable facts, keeping WikiLeaks aside for a while. Overwhelming numbers of terrorist attacks in Pakistan happening every other day are conducted by young ‘suicide-bombers’. Some conclusions can be made as matter of facts in such phenomena. First, these young suicide bombers have to have religious motivations to commit such bold actions. Two, these youngsters must have gone through a process of brainwashing and motivation by some leaders (mainly religious clerics), who show them green pastures of jannat and get God’s blessings by performing highest level of ‘jihad’. Third, these leaders must have well defined objectives and funding sources. Fourth, and very importantly, there must be an organized and well-resourced network to conduct such acts of terrorism (which, of course, is propagated as an act of implementing God’s writ)

These are all dangerous truths. A daily-basis recurrence of violent acts in the country only proves the existence of a systematic network of terrorism. The process must involve very well-coordinated steps of recruiting manpower (suicide-bombers), heavily indoctrinating them to take action, preparing them at training camps to effectively undertake the operation, funding mechanisms, deep inside information, intelligence gathering and communication, acquiring and consolidating weapons and explosives, and distribution of funds to various players in all these steps.  

And what is even more terribly dangerous? It is the simple hovering fact that apparently all of this inexorably goes undetected by our state institutions whose colossal funds are disbursed uninspected. 

While Mr. Hunt was able to glean such sensitive information in just a couple of his visits and meetings with locals (including a local Nazim) in two districts of Southern Punjab, anyone responsible of taking actions against them, with all of state machinery at disposal, must not imaginably be doing his/her job well. Else, (if that’s not the case) we are left with more dire and grave questions.

Anyone with simple working logic should ask simple questions. How and where such huge amount of Rs. 100 million is per years is spent by these specific religious institutions? How much of it goes to the so called religious leaders? And how much of it goes to local officials to turn a blind eye to all such glaring facts and flows of funds?

Does it take any sophisticated intelligence mechanisms to sort out those religious institutions that propagate idea of physical elimination of all others who do not subscribe to their brand of religion? Moving on, how many of these shortlisted institutions with screwed beliefs would have infrastructure to hire, motivate, train, equip, coordinate manpower and then launch a mass-killing spree or damage national resources and people (who are becoming worthless each day)? It’s not so difficult, and narrows down any required possibilities of action against the germinators of terrorists networks. 

To undertake these entire prerequisite steps successfully (to which all of us are now witness on daily-basis) actors and planners behind the gruesome acts of violence must have large sanctuaries, in façade of madressahs, in remote (or may be not-too-remote) areas with weapons and explosives caches in or around those centers. They must have strong bonds with terrorist training camps. Is it difficult in this age of technology and areal surveillance to pin point and take out actions to dismantle this organized set-up, if there is a will?

Instead, each and every corner, of Pakistan is witnessing the blossoming fruits of these heinous actors and networks. To save this poor nation, we are taking no genuine actions. We are showing no interest to our people and to international community that we are serious to fight these terrorism sprawls; or even owning this war. Our police and military have showed no serious attention, till date, that they want to neutralize these sources of terrorism. 

Alas, we surely are taking long leaps towards, and getting very closer to, being declared a failed state. We should not blame anyone but ourselves. Pakistan is fast becoming a state which is incapable of securing its people and sensitive installations. 

The planners and mentors (godfathers) of these terrorist breeds are freely roaming here and there. They are well endowed with human and financial resources. Their action-plans and objectives go relentlessly successful. Sometimes, these godfathers provide their dedicated recruits a chance to have on-job training by hitting ‘soft-targets’ like worship places, markets, minorities. This helps the committed lot to get hardened and enhance their confidence to accurately undertake their hard-targets. 

No rocket-science is required to find out who are the mentors and godfathers of these terrorist elements. What to expect from those who are supposed to protect us and contain such terrorist activities, but in reality they continue to consider them as national strategic assets.

It’s a pity that our next generation will not be trusted by the global community, whose current administrators have proven to be inefficient, or complicit, in illegal and destructive activities, and in fact are blackmailing the world using such a heinous base.

Failing to curtail fast-growing and getting-more-organized networks of terrorists, having sympathies with such actors (in the name of religion), strong indications of having people inside state institutions protecting world’s most wanted and hated people like OBL, and nurturing outdated and self-damaging concepts of strategic assets/depth are all genuine concerns of international community. The uncontrolled and worsening situation and deep existence of terrorist networking channels are only helping Pakistan land in the category of not even a failed state, but a rogue one.