Dealing militants militarily is, of course, indispensable in the present circumstances, but it amounts to suppressing the fever and not treating the infection, or the cancer, causing the fever.
The Bangladesh Today, Dhaka
Pakistan Army and Air Force are struggling in Swat and Bajour, the restive North Western areas of the country, to destroy the hideouts of militants. In Sawat, a suicidal vehicle has been targeted successfully. In Bajour the daylong air strikes killed many terrorists. The big question, however, is: if Army succeeds in ending the present turmoil, will the problem be sorted out forever? Dealing militants militarily is, of course, indispensable in the present circumstances, but it amounts to suppressing the fever and not treating the infection, or the cancer, causing the fever.
There are three main factors behind unending replenishment of manpower to militants. Firstly, policies of successive Pakistani governments vis-à-vis mushroom growth of madrasas (Islamic seminaries) which are in thousands now across the country. The main bastions of the seminaries are tribal areas, situated at Afghan border and governed directly by Federal Government, settled districts of North Western province and fertile vast plains of south Punjab. If lack of modern education is the reason in Tribal and North Western areas, perpetuation of feudalism and the resultant poverty are the source of problem in south Punjab.
This brings us to the second factor. Unlike India, where land- ownership pattern was drastically changed by the policy makers soon after the partition of the sub-continent, the anachronistic feudal system in Pakistan continues to plague the economy as well as the social set up. In Indian Punjab, the ceiling of ownership of agricultural land is 24 acres per family whereas in Pakistan one can own land without any limit. Presence of dynasties in elected bodies, starting with local institutions right upto the top law makers’ house, is one of the many fallouts of the ever green Pakistani feudalism. South Punjab is the worst hit area in this context. The present Prime Minister Mr. Yousuf Raza Gilani and Foreign Minister Mr. Shah Mahmood Qureshi, both belong to South Punjab and both have inherited their respective positions in the elected assembly from their ancestors. The primitive land ownership- pattern , illiteracy and poverty are coercing masses to send children to seminaries where boarding and three meals a day are free. Sending four to ten years old children to Gulf -Emirates to “work” as camel jockeys can also be attributed to the same factors. Countless seminaries of South Punjab are playing the role of nurseries for un-ending number of militants.
Thirdly, the education system is class-oriented.. Unfortunately, policy-makers in Islamabad are oblivious of the fact that all the militants are either product of Islamic seminaries or inefficient system of government-run schools. A million dollar question is : why high quality expensive educational institutions are not supplying any manpower to militants? Some years back when Sufi Muhammad, a self proclaimed religious leader of Swat, led a lashkar (army) of thousands of fighters, most of them armed with sticks and rusted old-fashioned guns, across the Afghan borders to fight against the Americans and defend Talibans, after all their majority consisted of stark illiterates or ‘graduates’ of seminaries !
United States and her allies must pay attention to these deep rooted factors as well. After all cutting a supply line is the basic tactic in a war.
The Bangladesh Today, Dhaka
Pakistan Army and Air Force are struggling in Swat and Bajour, the restive North Western areas of the country, to destroy the hideouts of militants. In Sawat, a suicidal vehicle has been targeted successfully. In Bajour the daylong air strikes killed many terrorists. The big question, however, is: if Army succeeds in ending the present turmoil, will the problem be sorted out forever? Dealing militants militarily is, of course, indispensable in the present circumstances, but it amounts to suppressing the fever and not treating the infection, or the cancer, causing the fever.
There are three main factors behind unending replenishment of manpower to militants. Firstly, policies of successive Pakistani governments vis-à-vis mushroom growth of madrasas (Islamic seminaries) which are in thousands now across the country. The main bastions of the seminaries are tribal areas, situated at Afghan border and governed directly by Federal Government, settled districts of North Western province and fertile vast plains of south Punjab. If lack of modern education is the reason in Tribal and North Western areas, perpetuation of feudalism and the resultant poverty are the source of problem in south Punjab.
This brings us to the second factor. Unlike India, where land- ownership pattern was drastically changed by the policy makers soon after the partition of the sub-continent, the anachronistic feudal system in Pakistan continues to plague the economy as well as the social set up. In Indian Punjab, the ceiling of ownership of agricultural land is 24 acres per family whereas in Pakistan one can own land without any limit. Presence of dynasties in elected bodies, starting with local institutions right upto the top law makers’ house, is one of the many fallouts of the ever green Pakistani feudalism. South Punjab is the worst hit area in this context. The present Prime Minister Mr. Yousuf Raza Gilani and Foreign Minister Mr. Shah Mahmood Qureshi, both belong to South Punjab and both have inherited their respective positions in the elected assembly from their ancestors. The primitive land ownership- pattern , illiteracy and poverty are coercing masses to send children to seminaries where boarding and three meals a day are free. Sending four to ten years old children to Gulf -Emirates to “work” as camel jockeys can also be attributed to the same factors. Countless seminaries of South Punjab are playing the role of nurseries for un-ending number of militants.
Thirdly, the education system is class-oriented.. Unfortunately, policy-makers in Islamabad are oblivious of the fact that all the militants are either product of Islamic seminaries or inefficient system of government-run schools. A million dollar question is : why high quality expensive educational institutions are not supplying any manpower to militants? Some years back when Sufi Muhammad, a self proclaimed religious leader of Swat, led a lashkar (army) of thousands of fighters, most of them armed with sticks and rusted old-fashioned guns, across the Afghan borders to fight against the Americans and defend Talibans, after all their majority consisted of stark illiterates or ‘graduates’ of seminaries !
United States and her allies must pay attention to these deep rooted factors as well. After all cutting a supply line is the basic tactic in a war.
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