Has Bush doctrine something to do with the the news that Tribal force to hunt al-Qaeda- Taliban,
Jirga warns tribesmen against harbouring terrorists!
A timeline of change of hearts from 1837-2004, as a result of new interventionist Bush, lands where law never ruled are now changing, was war on terror not about this change?
How effective pursuel of policy changes the heart and mind of people even if the habits date back to centuries.. The changes that we see in our region as a result of effective interventionist policy to counter terror..
(A compilation from various sources)
History of violence and terror from past to present..
From 1838-42..
From the British point of view, the First Anglo-Afghan War (1838-42) (often called "Auckland's Folly") was an unmitigated disaster, despite the ease with which Dost Mohammad was deposed and Shuja enthroned. By October 1841, however, disaffected Afghan tribes were flocking to support Dost Mohammad's son, Mohammad Akbar, in Bamian. On January 1, 1842, their presence no longer wanted, an agreement was reached that provided for the safe exodus of the British garrison and its dependents from Afghanistan. Five days later, the retreat began, and as they struggled through the snowbound passes, the British were attacked by Ghilzai warriors. Although Dr. W. Brydon is frequently mentioned as the only survivor of the march to Jalalabad--out of a column of more than 16,000 (consisting of about 4,500 military personnel, both British and Indian, along with as many as 12,000 camp followers) who undertook the retreat--a few more survived as prisoners and hostages. His British protectors gone, Shuja remained in power only a few months before being assassinated in April 1842.
Between 1947 to 2001…pre 911..
The Pak-Afghan border, also known as the Durand Line, is artificial, porous and in field often practically invisible, and because the population on both sides of the border consists of the same Pashtuns, it has been easy for the al-Qaida agents and Taliban remnants to hide and operate in the frontier region, moving across the border whenever hunted on one side. This has enabled continuous low-intensity resistance against both the Pakistani troops operating in south, and against the US-led coalition troops operating in Afghanistan. Clashes with al-Qaida terrorists and Taliban fighters have been regular both in Pakistan's Tribal Agencies (where Pakistani policemen are being killed almost on a weekly basis) and in the Khost and Paktia provinces of Afghanistan.
The situation has been further complicated by the fact that part of the NWFP belongs to the so-called Tribal Agencies, which enjoy very wide autonomy. This has prevented efficient operations by Pakistani law-enforcement bodies in these areas. The Khyber Agency, covering the Pakistani side of the legendary Khyber Pass, has been the calmest and best controlled of the Tribal Agencies, but even there the Pakistani police have to move in armoured vehicles. The Pashtuns are living traditionally in large compounds resembling fortresses, with watchtowers and barbed wire. It seems men only leave the compounds armed up to teeth, and women only wearing burkha. However, inside the fortresses, women are free to make-up, and men are watching Baywatch from television. Public matters of the tribal areas are decided in tribal councils, jirgas.
Pashtun resistance against all external interference into their business is fierce, which has been experienced in the past by the British, the Russians, as well as the Pakistani government. For many Pashtuns, Pakistan, which is ruled mainly from Punjab, represent almost as unpopular a "colonial administration" as did the British India and the Soviet Union. When Pakistan tried to install electrometers in the tribal areas, the Pashtuns installed heavy machine guns and anti-tank missiles on the hilltops and informed the Pakistani authorities that they were not going to pay for electricity. Ever since, Pakistan has let electricity flow to the Tribal Agencies for free, as Islamabad considered it better that "progress" would penetrate the Pashtun areas through electricity (including mass media), than if the areas would isolate themselves totally from the outside world, ending up in the Taliban type of solution.
And now fast forward today to 2004….
Elders of the Ahmadzai Wazir tribe on Sunday decided to raise a 600-strong armed force to hunt down al-Qaeda and the Taliban in South Waziristan Agency and also capture the wanted tribesmen for handing over to the administration.
Who are some of these players..
The Wazirs are one of the influential Pashtun tribes - the Pashtun nation is divided into several important tribes, like Wazirs, Wardaks, Zadrans etc. - and now it seems that at least the influential Ahmadzai clan of the Wazir tribe has agreed on co-operation with Musharraf's administration against the Taliban and al-Qaida. The Ahmadzai are influential both in Pakistan's NWFP and in Afghanistan, which gives the truce quite good prospects for efficient operations against the al-Qaida. At the same time, co-operating with influential Pashtun tribes prevents the disastrous scenario of all the Pashtun population turning against Musharraf and against the anti-terrorist operations.
For more than two years already, Pakistan's troops have operated against al-Qaida also in the Tribal Agencies, both alone and co-operating with American agencies, but these operations have been constantly facing troubles with the fierce resistance of the local Pashtun population, thus endangering the struggle for the "hearts and minds" among the locals. Pashtun anger against anti-Taliban war and Musharraf's reformism have given the terrorists an advantage of moving among the locals like Mao's guerrilla fish in the water of local population. Pashtun tribal elders have been swearing death to Musharraf, accompanied by radical Islamist mullahs. Now, however, it may be that the Musharraf administration has finally gained blessing of at least some influential Pashtun tribal leaders to expel the al-Qaida from its last regional fortress.
At the best, this move might turn to be crucial for capturing Usama bin Ladin and Ayman al-Zawahiri - taking that they would still hide in this area and not somewhere else - because eminent Pashtun co-operation will also mean radical increase in the amount of useful intelligence, of informants, and loss of al-Qaida agents' ability to exploit Pashtun family loyalties. If bin Ladin is out there, he will be sleeping very badly in the coming months.
Why change of hearts...by the tribes who have history of not listening and resisting..
Relentless pressure on Pakistan and US zeal based on Bush doctrine to eliminate terror...
Elders of both the tribes Malik Noor Ali, Zalli Khel and Malik Muhammad Ali, Tojaikhel of Ahmadzai said the tribesmen had given every support to the Afghans during their war against the then Soviet Union, who had occupied their homeland by force and they were subjected to untold atrocities. Since, Afghanistan is ruled by their own people now, therefore, there is no justification of their using our land for subversive activities.
Net result…
More than 3,000 tribesmen from the Zalikhel, sub-tribe of Wazirs, assembled at Wana, headquarters of the agency, to finally warn locals not to give shelter to foreign nationals. The Jirga decided that if a local tribesman provided shelter to any foreigner, his house will be demolished and a fine of Rs 1 million will be imposed on him along with expulsion from the agency.
Four senators and a former MNA from Fata - Zahir Khan Aurakzai, Sajjad Hussain Tori, Hamidullah Jan Afridi, Malik Ajmal Khan Wazir and Maulana Noor Muhammad - attended the Jirga.
"We have decided to raise a 600-member armed force and take action against violators. We will start the activity against suspected terrorists and their protectors from Monday," said Malik Noor Ali.
The tribal elder presided over the Jirga, which was unanimous in purging the area of unwanted elements and arrest the local tribesmen for surrender to the administration on charges of being protectors.
The Jirga also decided to increase the number of the armed tribal Lashkar, if the need be. "There will be no need for the armed forces to intervene because from now onwards we will take action against such persons on our own," Malik Ali said.
The Jirga resolved to hand over foreign nationals to the administration in case they were captured during the search operation and also the three local tribesmen wanted by political authorities. The three wanted men belonging to Zalikhel sub-tribe - Maulavi Abbas, Muhammad Sharif and Naek Muhammad - are in hiding and have refused to surrender to the government so far. However, their houses have been demolished as punishment by the administration after they were charged of offering shelter to suspected foreign terrorists.
A number of elders addressed the Jirga and claimed that no foreign terrorist was hiding in the agency."Things are moving forward in the right direction. Now the tribesmen have decided to act and they will," hoped Assistant Political Agent Wana Rehmatullah Wazir, who also held a separate meeting with the elders of Zalikhels at his office. He said the tribal elders were told to take action on their own, otherwise the government would again move to the areas and launch the search operations and the entire responsibility of any untoward incident would rest with the tribesmen.
Wazir said Zalikhel tribesmen were creating problems for the administration and now the Jirga has given its word to take action against the wanted tribesmen and suspected terrorists as well.
"Everyone, either local or foreigner will be handed over to the government. No one can hide there now," the official said, adding that the tone of the Jirga members indicated that the tribesmen have decided to take stern action.
"We will not wait for too long. If the force is unable to accomplish the task, the government will intervene again," Wazir said, adding that many things are expected to happen. However, he did not elaborate.
The official said the next round would be against local robbers, kidnappers and other criminals to clean the agency of anti-social elements. Shops and other business concerns belonging to the Ahmadzai Wazirs in Wana have been closed down and the tribesmen avoid going to the market due to fear of arrest, locals said. "Wana bazaar is flooded with Afghans, as Wazir tribesmen stay away," said Dilawar Khan from Wana.
Agencies add: "Save your region from destruction for a handful of people," Senator Muhammad Tahir told hundreds of tribesmen at the meeting. "Hand over the people the government wants to get out of this quagmire."
"We hope that after today’s Jirga government will stop military operation in the area," Senator Ajmal Khan told reporters. Senator Hamidullah Afridi asked the tribal elders to "take action against the hiding foreign suspects in the area otherwise Pakistan military will launch an operation against those who are harbouring them".
Tribal elders in their speeches resolved that no foreigner would be given shelter by the local tribesmen. Rehmatullah Wazir welcomed the tribesmen’s decision to set up the armed groups. "We are satisfied that they want to cleanse their area themselves," he said.
Meanwhile, Director-General, Inter Services Public Relations, Major General Shaukat Sultan said Pak forces are doing developmental work in the tribal areas, besides conducting operation against all elements that are carrying out terrorist activities inside Pakistan or using its soil for such activities against other countries.
Talking to the BBC, he said: "Pak forces are there to counter miscreants, terrorists or other such elements. We have not been running after a particular person in the tribal areas." Responding to a question, he said: "We have been conducting operation neither against the al-Qaeda nor Taliban. We have been conducting operation against all the elements which are either carrying out terrorist activities inside Pakistan or using Pakistani soil for such activities against other countries. We have been very much successful in our mission as I think we cleared more than 90 per cent of Pakistan’s tribal areas from such elements."
To another question about the arrest of tribal elders, Shaukat said as an agreement was reached between the government and tribal leaders not to allow any miscreant in their areas and all those who have violated the agreement have been arrested by the government.
Both the tribal elders once again asked the foreign elements hiding in South Waziristan Agency to surrender.
Quami Lashkar (Tribal Force) has been formed, they said, which would be in the fore front in the hunt for foreign elements while the Pak Army and FC would back them on their request.
They said, nine suspected persons of Ahmadzai tribe are on the list for harbouring foreign elements out of whom two, Maulve Mira Jan and Maulve Abdur Razaq have been handed over to the political administration, while the rest would be handed over today.
Endnote
Of course this does not mean an end to the global terrorist threat, since al-Qaida has been busy to disperse its cells around the world, and to infiltrate many other terrorist organizations in order to unite them into a war against the United States and its allies. Terrorism will resist as a fashion of political extremism as long as the functioning of world politics and media make it cost-efficient and beneficial for its users.
Police, intelligence and military victories are of course important on the tactical and operational levels of the war against terrorism. However, in long term and on strategic level, the struggle must be won as an ideological battle: the war against terrorism is essentially a new Cold War, an ideological struggle, where Western people as well as Muslims must stand consistent in defence of free and democratic political culture. Terrorists will be defeated when mass fear, distributed by media, can no longer shake the foundations of democratic societies and influence their policy-making.
Radical Islamism, one of the suitably antagonist ideologies for terrorist purposes (along with radical socialism and radical nationalism), will be best contained by clearly siding with its opponents in the "Islamic civil war". Islamic reformism, conservative Islam and even moderate Islamism should all be seen more constructively than is being done today. Employing the dangerous "civilization" model and aiding anti-Muslim regimes will only benefit radical Islamists to gain power within Islamic societies. It is Muslims we must support against radical Islamism - not those who oppress Muslims. |
