Operation Rah-i-Nijat, ‘the path to deliverance’ is the name given to the military operation in South Waziristan. But as the military makes inroads in the tribal area, evoking a spirit of redemption amongst the locals seems to be the most challenging aspect.
As military troops enter a decisive battle in the heart of the Taliban stronghold, over 120,000 locals have been forced to flee their houses. The exodus is not expected to be as big as that from Swat since the population of the tribal agency is nearly half that of the Malakand division. Still, prompt actions need to be taken.
It is important to note that the differences between the humanitarian crises in Malakand and Waziristan are significant, and involve more than just a numbers game. With the Rah-i-Rast operation in Swat, the military was aided by local lashkars in their fight against insurgents who had occupied the valley. In Waziristan, however, the military is not expected to enjoy local support, which makes things more challenging. Unlike Swat, where militants were outsiders to begin with, the Taliban in Waziristan are amongst the local Mehsud tribe, making things far more complex.
For that reason, the military’s fight in Waziristan will have to go well beyond warfare. It will not only be about battling militants, but also winning the hearts of the locals. In an early gesture to counter Taliban propaganda and win hearts and minds, leaflets – both in Urdu and Pashto – containing a message from the Chief of Army Staff were dropped in Mehsud areas. The purpose was to clarify that the army’s war is not against the Mehsud tribe, but against the Taliban in particular. The pamphlets stated:
The aim of current military operation is not to attack proud and patriotic Mehsud but it is to save them from the clutches of ruthless terrorists who have destroyed peace of the whole region.
The message speaks volumes about the mindset of the locals in Waziristan and the challenges in store for the Pakistan government and military.
These initial attempts by the army to distinguish between Taliban militants and ordinary Mehsud tribesmen have not been too effective, though, and the people fleeing from Waziristan appear to be disillusioned by the ongoing operation. Despite reassurances, the locals still feel that their background immediately provokes discrimination. According to reports, most of the IDPs fleeing Waziristan have alleged discrimination by the authorities and say they are being coldly received as compared to those who fled from Swat. The attitude the tribal displaced are encountering is no doubt humiliating and unwelcoming.
For their part, the authorities justify the strict treatment of refugees by pointing to intelligence reports accusing the majority of the locals of being supportive of the Taliban. The fear of Taliban sneaking out of the tribal area with the displaced locals is higher than ever before. As a result, the IDP camps are not a friendly abode. Most of those fleeing Waziristan are thus refusing to stay in camps, and are renting houses, a decision that makes them vulnerable to security checks (for example, they have been asked to provide adequate paper work as guarantees).
Alarmingly, the anti-Taliban locals are not very hopeful about the operation. Popular belief amongst them pits the army operation as a ‘power show,’ rather than a significant step towards eliminating the Taliban. Forced to evacuate their homes and suffer ill-treatment at the hands of security personnel for a mission that they do not fully believe in makes the IDPs of Waziristan particularly vulnerable to Taliban recruitment.
The fact is, the attitude of the authorities and the public at large towards the Mehsuds is one of caution and fear more than sympathy and concern. Such prejudice only bolsters the Taliban agenda, fueling recruitment from among Mehsud ranks. But the war cannot be won if the Waziristan locals show indifference towards the need for combating Taliban and their infrastructure. Without winning the hearts of the people, the military’s victory will only be temporary. If we want this to be a ‘decisive blow,’ we have to overcome our insecurities and let sympathy overcome prejudice.
Dire situations such as these require us to rise as a nation. Let us extend our support to the IDPs of Waziristan, regardless of their past and their support for the Taliban. This is our chance to help our people break free from the shackles of the Taliban. Let’s take the path of salvation together.
Sana Saleem is a Features Editor at BEE magazine and blogs at Global Voices, Pro-Pakistan her personal blog Mystified Justice. She tweets at twitter.com/sanasaleem.
The views expressed by this blogger and in the following reader comments do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Dawn Media Group.
Very well written article congratulation the ladies of Pakistan must stand on their feet to claim their status. One women educated is the nation educated.
I don’t know whether the terrorists have fled our homeland yet. But what about the terrorist left behind. How are we going to ever fight the worst form of terrorism…..the corruption within.
I believe women of Pakistan will have to get rid of old practices of wearing burqas, hijabs and long scarves. Pakistani women will not have to come out of houses but change dramatically to avoid female teachers being dragged out of bus and shot. Pakistani women
encourage male aggresiveness by being submissive. Take steps and change Pakistan social mind set.
burqas, hijabs and long scarves are reflection of female docility and timidity that is shamelessly exploited by the male sex.
See what the heartless terrorists are doing to Muslim women. No Mullah is saying a word to condemn them.
In Khar: Two women teachers were gunned down in Shandai Mor area of Bajaur on Wednesday.
According to eyewitnesses masked gun men stopped a vehicle dragged the women out and sprayed them with bullets. Two men sitting in the vehicle also suffered bullet wounds.
The women were going home from their school in Khar.
The incident took place in a high security zone where there are many security checkposts.
Sources said that Shazia Begum and Shamim Begum worked in a government run community school.
They belonged to Malakand district and lived in a government colony. Their bodies were sent to their villages.
The injured were identified as Liaquat and Nadir.
Meanwhile, security forces captured 12 suspected militants during search operations in Khar and Mamond areas and two militants, surrendered.
Pakistan women will have to come out of there house to protest against mullah culture in the society that is fanning religious extremism.
Nicely written, and to the point. I think it is time to remove the terrorists from Pakistan. The battering that the Pakistan brand name has taken over the last 5 years is staggering. I live outside Pakistan and while few people had an opinion about my country in the past, now it is a mixture of sympathy and poorly-disguised hostility. I have tried to explain that Pakistan has many eminent scientists and it is not like Pakistan is swarming with terrorists. But, I can tell by their expressions that they don’t buy it. I get the feeling that we have come to the end-game in terrorism. The army must root out the evil and not make token gestures as they have in the past. Our country’s existence is at stake and our army owes it to the people of the great nation of Pakistan. My best wishes to the people of Pakistan – TA
It is the religious duty of every Muslim to rush for the aid of Mahsuds. Do not give them an impression that entire Mehsud tribe is terrorist. They had served in the army and fought two wars . Some of them attained gallantry awards and many others gave their life for Pakistan. Some of them became even Generals. We must come forward and extend all possible help as was done after the Kashmir earthquake.All those living in any part of Pakistan should help each other like brothers. With your courage you will beat terrorists and inculcate in the minds of Mehsud tribe that they are as dear to us as any other Pakistani.
I think there is total lack of understanding between government and the opposite terrorist forces. The root of the terrorism is abject poverty, illiteracy and misguidance about Islam. I think that the government should try to solve it through dialogues despite using forces blindly. The history tells it does not bring any solution.
The author, in all due respect, should be praising the Pakistan Army and what it is doing to get rid of the terrorists and extremists in our midst.
It is the women and children they are now targeting not men in uniform.
There are neither Muslims nor patriots to their own cause.
Regards
Has anyone ever thought of having a dialogue with these people. You call them illiterate, ruthless, narrow minded and bigotted.
They call you Kafirs!
You kill them and they kill you. Only God knows who will kill more of whom?
I suggest we must sit across the table and show some respect to each other and try to talk sense with each other without an iota of arrogance. I am sure we will find a way out. After all we are all Pakistanis!
How can we continue to kill each other so mercilessly?
My heart goes out to the women and children who got slaughtered in Peshawar today.
Are they not human beings?
Who is responsible for their death?
i agree with the author. the so called operation that is being carried out by our government is totally useless. i don’t think most of those “terrorists” must have already left with the IDPs becuse they are not here to fight an honest war but create fear among people. it is better for them to attack where people are unaware then at a place where is ready for their action.
Educated pushtoon community members can reinstate the vital sign of the Wazirastan. They can modify their deadly thoughts and can be a part of new comprehensive strategy on the basis of long term developmental project for this burning part of the world. Army operation is just one chapter of the strategy book; rests of the other chapters also need to open. Pushtoon writers and film directors can craft movies to make them flexible and changeable.
As for as IDP,s are concerns, I think this is good opportunity for Government and other related NGOs to cordially support them and fulfill their daily requirements. They can also put some enlighten seeds in their minds.
South Waziristan IDPs are significantly different to the IDPs from Swat, which the author rightfully acknowledges. I do support the author’s philosophy but I feel just by being ‘NICE’ to these people we cannot eradicate the real problem. This military operation is not enough. It is perhaps the first step in clearing out the mess. The root cause of all this has been the fact that there existed in a sovereign country an area which went unchecked and unmanaged under the title FATA. There should not be a tribal belt with its own laws and regulations. The entire area that comes under the name ‘Pakistan’ should come under the generally accepted constitution, law and its rules and regulation. Then only we can protect our borders from such insurgencies.
The only real remedy now to this is that the nation has to take the responsibility of a real time ‘clean up’. Remember the recent attacks on our nation (Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Lahore and many others within the last couple of months) have been executed by people not from the tribal belt but by the Tehrik E Taliban Pakistan allies that are spread all over the country. This network has to be rooted out and the only people that can do that are the local communities. Any type of military or political action will not be able to flush out this mess. The nation in general and communities in particular have to be cautious, vigilant and work together with the security agencies to root these elements out and stand side by side in the protection and prosperity of our motherland, for which our forces and our forefathers have lost their lives to secure and protect.
Trouble makers should not go unchecked and only the civilians can make that happen. Intelligence gathering is the responsibility of the security agencies but it is always the locals, the civilians that provide this intelligence.
An impeccably-written piece of writing, I must confess. Though small, the article quite appropriately encompasses the implications and fallouts of the War being fought in Waziristan. Nevertheless, the title doesn’t quite match the content of the article, and is misleading. One thing we should keep in our minds is that being citizens of a poorly organized and corrupt country, we should not expect anything extraordinary from the authorities and stop harping on the tune of transparency, honesty, integrity, etc., because these goody-goody words don’t suit us. The government will not do anything—for sure. What we should expect, however, is that our philanthropic people should come out and lend their traumatized and suffering compatriots in a generous way, as they’ve invariably done on numerous other such occasions. In addition, we should also, through our writings, motivate and prepare our people to tighten their belts and ready for any kind of eventuality. For after all, our country is in a state of war.
Very true the Mehsud in general must be facing the music now for the ill of some of them, but then, who is responsible for this. What were the Mehsud’s elders doing when their own tribes men were planning to destabilize Pakistan, planning suicide attacks, killing men in Pakistani uniform abducting engineers etc, the list of their negative doings is quite wrong. The government has taken a right path by assuring good to the general population of this tribe, in reciprocation it is the duty of Mehsud tribe to completely disown and criticize the wrong doing of some of their tribe’s men. It is they who should try to win the hearts of Pakistanis.
AH
Nicely written.
I have strong faith in the homework done by our armed forces. I am sure that they must have done great brain storming in envisaging the aftermath of the operation Rah – e – Nijat. the woes and feelings of the IDPs of Waziristan would not have gone missing from the focus of the think tanks.
Having said that, as a commoner, I would say that people of northern Pakistan have closer proximity with the people of Waziristan. It could be that they have better access to the actual feelings as well as their inclinations towards the current operation. It is apparently not possible for the taliban to get so well established in Waziristan without having local support. Thus the attitude of the locals with the IDPs of waziristan.
I really hope that the IDP’s realise that it is no use helping the desperadoes and that it goes in their own favour to stay within the main stream. I also hope the locals overlook the mistakes made by the IDPs, if any, and to trust them and welcome them. After all the people of northern areas are well known for giiving warm welcome to their guests.
well I agree, but this whole thing is very complex and is not as easy as it seems. You have to keep an eye on them not because that Mehsud people are militants but because there are militants who might have fled out of the area and posing as ordinary people. I am a pathan and a yousafzai and I know that if you treat us(pathans whether Mehsud, wazir, Mohmand) with respect and dignity we will even lay our lives for u but there are people who are maligning the image of pathans in particular and muslims in general. I hope things improve, InshAllah.
It is very likely that many of the IDP’s from South Waziristan would have negative perceptions regarding the current military operation. This is understandable given their cultural and religous background.
Hence the Pakistan Government should reach out to them and allay such fears by providing all facilities and means as well as making use of this opportunity to interact and educate these people. The involvement of the community and civil society is very neccesary to make these people feel that they are very much a part of Pakistan.