VIEW: North Waziristan, the Punjabi Taliban and the Durand Line —Naeem Tahir

Baitullah Mehsud and Maulvi Fazlullah supported the violent Punjabi Taliban who had a sectarian agenda and turned a blind eye towards criminals, smugglers and the drug mafia and took their share of the booty

The recent attack on the Ahmedis, Faisal Shahzad’s terror attempt in New York, Fazlullah’s presence in Nuristan and a new warning by the Taliban of attacks on army personnel, minorities, Shias and the MQM, have stressed the urgency of an army operation against the Taliban and al Qaeda in North Waziristan. The US is even considering an independent attack.

The operation against terrorists in North Waziristan will need to take place, but when? The timing is very important. Some issues will need to be settled before the operation. They are: consolidation of the successes of Operation Rah-e-Rast and Operation Rah-e-Nijat, the clearance of the Punjabi Taliban and future control at the Durand Line for the stoppage of infiltration to and from Afghanistan.

The operations in Swat and South Waziristan met with success after a great deal of sacrifices. Swat and Malakand were terrorised and, as they were settled areas of Pakistan, they had to be cleared first. Next was South Waziristan, which was a tribal territory but the operational centre of the Taliban and al Qaeda for their terror activities against Pakistan. Perhaps most people already know that as a division of operational strategy, the terrorists had decided upon South Waziristan as their headquarters against Pakistan and North Waziristan as their headquarters for Afghanistan.

Baitullah Mehsud and Maulvi Fazlullah were the main instigators against Pakistan, with foreign ‘specialists’ and ‘consultants’ as supporters. They also supported the violent Punjabi Taliban who had a sectarian agenda and turned a blind eye towards criminals, smugglers and the drug mafia and took their share of the booty. The atrocities committed by them in Swat and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were horrendous and the people’s suffering unimaginable. The Swat action was the first to be undertaken under the rubric Operation Rah-e-Rast and it included many heroic deeds that the world should know about, including, in particular, the Peochar heliborne attack, which is said to be the largest since World War II. Normalcy has been restored, by and large, although it is still feared that Maulvi Fazlullah may have escaped to Nuristan in Afghanistan along with some 5,000 criminals involved in terror activities. He may be marking his time (if he is alive) to sneak back through the porous border marked by the Durand Line.

Rah-e-Rast was followed by Rah-e-Nijat. This was a very large operation in most of the areas of South Waziristan where terrorist strongholds were attacked. The much objected to drones of the CIA also participated. The Taliban, the covert supporters of the Taliban in the political parties and the elite society including the media, termed drone attacks to be an attack on Pakistan’s sovereignty. This was an effort to raise public sentiment to get rid of the drones and, thus, provide relief to the Taliban-al Qaeda combination. Ultimately, the valiant armed forces of Pakistan gave several sacrifices and overpowered the terrorists, whilst the drones got Baitullah Mehsud. The surviving terrorists must have escaped to the safe haven of North Waziristan or Afghanistan, taking advantage of the porous Durand Line. Some splinter groups have been formed and are still operating.

The Punjabi Taliban of Muridke, Jhang and elsewhere are also operating and they coordinate with their headquarters in North Waziristan. These groups must be dealt with to secure the lives of Pakistani citizens. The urgency of this task has been underlined by the recent attacks in Lahore and the many subsequent threats. Splinter groups like the Asian Tigers and others have adopted different strategies. To eliminate them, the federal government and the army needs to get full support from the Punjab government, and this has not been forthcoming so far. The PML-N leadership has had relations with the Taliban and it is time they finally decide which side they are on. This should be a deciding factor before the next ‘operation’.

The Durand Line is of critical importance for the future. The loose demarcation of the boundary between Pakistan and Afghanistan is the main source of problems. The Durand Line refers to the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, which is poorly marked and is approximately 2,640 km long. It was established after the 1893 Durand Line Agreement between the government of colonial British India and Afghan Amir Abdur Rahman Khan for fixing the limits of their respective spheres of influence. On the plea of facilitating the tribes to meet their co-tribals on either side with ease, controls are so relaxed that most of them can walk through the openings in the mountainous terrain almost without any check. This becomes the most convenient method of infiltration into Balochistan and areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Waziristan. Proper administration of this border has been resisted by Afghanistan, primarily because of the revisionist baggage of history. Some Afghan elements still cherish the dream of Afghanistan to include within its territory the areas up to Bahawalpur as it was in the time of Sher Shah Suri in the early 16th century and up to 1840. Then, following the British, the Sikhs took this territory. This historical baggage must be shed, and ground realities faced by the Afghan leadership. The porous Durand Line is the most dangerous place in the world .A settlement on effective controls must be arrived at for the success of an army operation. This will block runaway terrorists from escaping to Pakistani territory and avoiding action by the Afghan and international forces.

The operation in North Waziristan is indeed unavoidable and urgently required, but the considerations of protecting the people in mainland Pakistan and control of the infiltrators through the Durand Line must take precedence. At this time the operation is as important for Afghanistan and the US as it is for us, perhaps more for them. It will help the US complete its assignment and get out of Afghanistan and for Afghanistan it could mean lasting peace. For Pakistan it will mean safety of life and property.

Action in North Waziristan must be undertaken, but the timing must be decided by the government of Pakistan and the armed forces, and it should follow the settlement of these issues.

Naeem Tahir is a culture and media management specialist, a researcher, author, director and actor. He can be reached at naeemtahir37@gmail.com