After this season of death

Dr Muzaffar Iqbal
Friday, May 22, 2009

What would be Swat like after this season of death and destruction is over and the last Talib has been killed, captured, or has managed to melt into the general population, now fleeing in terror, generating a massive exodus that is already making headlines around the world and brining millions of dollars into the coffers of the rulers? Suppose all goes 'well' and the so-called writ of the state has been established by the time first snow falls on the mountains surrounding the valley, how would the state safeguard its writ against the return of the unvanquished once the barrels of guns have become silent in the ensuing inhospitable conditions?

Those who have launched the grand operation may or may not have given thought to the post-operational scenarios, but they certainly have shown little knowledge of history, for even a basic understanding of history would lead one to confirm that no state has ever been able to establish its writ at gunpoint. States establish their writs on the foundation of values, worldviews, and principles which are shared by those who live in a given state. If a certain portion of population rebels against the state, it cannot control the area of their residence merely by guns; it has to renegotiate its writ, accommodating certain parts of the demands, modifying others, in turn, reactivating a certain degree of confidence in the grieved party and thereby concluding a new modus operandi.

This is not to say that tyranny has no place in world history, quite the contrary. Tyranny can force a populace into submission, but this submission has never produced states which can prosper and become polities where one can live a normal life; such polities always remain strained, fractured, and in most cases, prone to the rule of violence as soon as the guns are removed from the scene.

There is no time now for relieving this summer of its share of death, but someone must think about what would happen after all the Taliban have left the valley? Where would they go? Would they simply give up what they have been doing for years? Can all of them be killed? Chances are that they will simply bid their time and return once conditions relax. Furthermore, their kin in Afghanistan have no option but to keep their fight against the occupying forces unto the last man. And hence, if the hope is that this spectre will disappear anytime soon, it is more like a fool's dream rather than a serious possibility.

This is not to say that there are no solutions. The solution is rather obvious: a major shift in Pakistan's foreign policy. But it is also obvious that one cannot expect the current rulers to choose this option, which can bring a lasting normality in Pakistani polity, rather, they have decided to pursue the policies of the last military dictator. This brings dollars for sure, but in return, it tears apart whatever is left of the national fabric. A short-term peace, if it comes at all, is all that can be bought with this foreign money, most of which will disappear into mysterious alleys, as it has always done.

The solution, of course, is obvious: dissociate the state of Pakistan from the American occupation of Afghanistan and forcefully protect national sovereignty: absolutely no drone attacks, a complete neutrality in respect of Afghanistan and a national agenda of reform and renewal in the broad sense of institutional reform. Anything short of such a policy change is bound to fail. Yet, realistically speaking, one cannot expect this to happen in the present circumstances, because there are simply no political or non-political forces interested in doing so. The bandwagon of politicians is full of what Pir Pagara of old times used to say: yes to the race, but the first ten horses must be mine.

The alternate policy option requires an alternate political force; such a force is neither present nor emergent in a polity mired in deep ethos of death and destruction. N-league is bidding time, hoping that its turn will come and that when its turn comes, the other party would let it enjoy what it is allowing them to enjoy for five years. This wishful thinking, coupled with opportunism and small share of the pie in Punjab, makes this one-man's party do exactly what it should do: bid time and remain in the waiting. All other political parties are too small, too narrow, or lack mass appeal to have any chance of coming to power through a political process that can allow an alternate agenda to flourish.

Thus Pakistan's slide into anarchy will continue, even if the Swat operation succeeds. This is simply despairing, but the resultant despair in this season of death and destruction is no more and no less than what it has always been, even though, this time around, there is an edge to it because now it is soaking in blood.

The writer is a freelance columnist Email: quantumnotes@gmail.com

Courtesy: The News International