At present, Pakistan has become a battleground for one of the most sophisticated forms of modern warfare; the fourth generation war. Aimed at spreading chaos and confusion, a sophisticated psychological element is an essential feature of this war. Media manipulation and propaganda are considered to be the two primary instruments of this psychological war. As a matter of fact, a group of people in the country are complicating the issue of terrorism in the country and can aptly be termed the “Confusion Brigade.” Their flawed logic, confused ideas and unrealistic suggestions have been instrumental in evolving a fallacious narrative vis-à-vis the terrorism issue in Pakistan.
The members of this so-called Confusion Brigade can easily be traced in the media, the intelligentsia and certain political and religious parties. These apologists and sympathizers of militants have always been a major hurdle in the way, formulating a strong public opinion against the miscreants. At times, they have extended unqualified moral support to the so-called Jihadists. They have always been seen busy in rationalizing their radical beliefs and justifying their violent actions. Firstly, they have been attributing the current wave of terrorism to Pakistan’s ‘unwise’ decision to join the so-called War on Terror. Likewise, they have also portrayed militancy as only a natural and logical reaction of certain atrocities, committed by the US and its allies, like their unjustified invasion in Afghanistan and drone attacks in Pakistan. Secondly, they have been, covertly and overtly, supporting theses militants in their ‘noble cause’ for the enforcement of Islamic Sharia in Pakistan. To them, the end always justifies the means.
This “Confusion Brigade” has also been equally anxious and active in suggesting certain remedies to tackle the issue of terrorism in Pakistan. At first, the imposition of Sharia was recommended to pacify all the violent Sharia enthusiasts in the country. Bedsides some religio-political leaders, the hardline position taken by the TNSM’s leader Sufi Muhammad and Lal Masjid Islamabad’s clerics was quite conducive to evolve this remedy. Consequently, the government of Pakistan reluctantly decided to enforce sharia laws in Malakand division under Nizam-e-Adl Regulations 2009. However, this experiment miserably failed in setting things right in the Malakand division. After this, in the face losing public appeal of all Sharia-related slogans and rising violence in the country, initiation of an open-ended dialogue process to engage all militants was forcefully argued and suggested by these apologists. For this purpose, the terms ‘good Taliban’ and ‘bad Taliban’ were coined. This was the primary reason the government wasted time trying to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table before the launch of Operation Zarb-e-Azb last year.
Comprising some leaders from certain political and religio-politcal parties, the political segment of the Confusion Brigade has been most vocal and active. In general, in order to keep their conservative as well as religious vote bank intact, almost all political parties in the country, including the ruling PML(N), have been quite reluctant and lethargic to take any harsh measure against the militants in the past. In this context, the role of a mainstream political party like PTI is worth mentioning. Instead of taking any strong position against militancy, it has been observed as consolidating its political support base in KPK province. At first, PTI chief Imran Khan tried to disassociate Pakistan from this War on Terror by declaring it an American war. After this, while protecting and supporting the Taliban, he went to such an extent that the Taliban chose to nominate him to represent them in the Government-Taliban dialogue process last year.
Similarly, unlike his predecessor Qazi Hussain Ahmed, JI’s former Ameer Syed Munawar Hassan took a most rigid and controversial position in spreading chaos and confusion vis-a- Vis the issue of terrorism and extremism in Pakistan. He shamelessly dared to declare militants martyrs who were fighting against the Pak Army in our country. Undoubtedly, the remarks made by Syed Munawar Hassan are an ugly spot on the face of Jaamat-e-Islami which will never fade way. The Pakistani nation will never forgive the irresponsible attitude of the JI at the most sensitive juncture of the history of the country.
Although last month’s unfortunate APS carnage in Peshawar has significantly dissipated all sorts of confusions related to the issue of terrorism in Pakistan by considerably exposing the real face of the terrorist, yet this so-called Confusion Brigade doesn’t seem to have given up completely. After a short pause, now these people have again taken up their original task of misleading the nation. Terming it a ‘suicidal attack on democracy’, JUI leader Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman has not only strongly opposed the twenty first constitutional amendment but has also actively tried to persuade other religious parties to resist this amendment in the National Assembly. Ironically, Maulana’s current motivation to oppose this amendment is more derived by his concerns for the militants than fundamental rights and constitutionalism.
After the Peshawar tragedy, it was expected that Imran Khan would play a proactive role in evolving a new counter-terror narrative after publicly extending an apology to the nation over his previous attitude on the issue. But regrettably, having only made a much criticized visit to APS Peshawar, Imran Khan has once more chosen to resort to his usual rigging-rhetoric and anti-government statements. Strangely, despite their mutual confrontation and political differences, both IK and Maulana are on the same page as far as this single issue is concerned.
Having confused the issue of terrorism, our politicians have somehow shifted all the counter-terror burden on the army which is, now, preforming all relevant tasks ranging from conducting the military operation to trying militants in courts. This is the time that all these confusion-mongerers should be watched and checked. Likewise, our media should refrain from becoming the mouth-piece of these people. If this Confusion Brigade is not forcefully disbanded, then it will soon be successful in diluting the nascent counter-terror narrative for which we have paid a heavy price in Peshawar.