The announcement of Azm-e-Istehkam has stirred a countrywide debate. The shortcomings of previous military operations are being cited as reasons why another military campaign will not provide Pakistan with the essential security it needs. The last military operation was decided under the National Action Plan (NAP), but what we tend to forget is that NAP was not implemented in letter and spirit. In addition to a military offensive, military court trials and punishments, and the elimination of terrorists, NAP also sought to eradicate extremism from society.
Unfortunately, the half-implementation of NAP left the preconditions of terrorism untouched. The seminaries could not be reformed and brought under scrutiny. The remaining segments could not be integrated back into society. Hence, intolerance, religious compartmentalization, and religiously driven violence took root again, allowing groups like Tehrik-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) to flourish. Today, the mob vigilantism of TLP is uncontrolled, and we are staring into an abyss where the lines between extremism and terrorism have blurred. Now, with Azm-e-Istehkam, the strategists must be well aware that nothing much will be achieved by force alone unless it is backed by an equally dedicated effort to root out extremism. Seminary education has to be redefined, and this is an intrusive and highly challenging task. Alongside gun and grenade, the power of reshaping beliefs from radicalism to moderate Islam has to be the fulcrum of any operation. How prepared are we for this aspect of de-radicalization? Not much, it seems.
Azm-e-Istehkam should not repeat the mistakes of previous military operations. If it is only an expansion of intelligence-based operations, the government must consider laying down a policy plan for eradicating extremism. In parallel, moderate policies and legislation must be enacted to create a balance. The process of bringing tolerance back to Pakistan will take years, but seeing the intolerance and mob justice reach its peak, it is high time that a counterplan is implemented.
