Pakistan’s necessary response

2026-03-06 - 22:43

THE war has already begun; there is no way back. It is essential to take it to its logical conclusion. It is now necessary to teach them a lesson and set them straight; there is no other option. Any country that allows those who raise weapons against Pak Army to use its soil is an enemy of our country and our people. It cannot be called by any other name. And whoever tries to blur this relationship of enmity and weaken the spirit of the people and the army cannot be a friend of the country or its people. Although operational cooperation and joint actions between Al-Qaeda, the Taliban and Pakistan’s militant groups are not a new phenomenon, it seems that this cooperation and coordination are now deepening. Behind this stands the Afghan government, which is providing these terrorists an opportunity to hide on its soil. Pakistan has only one demand: since these terrorists are involved in terrorist activities in Pakistan, either the Afghan government should take action against them or Pakistan will act against them itself. Now that the Afghan government has neither acted against these terrorists nor handed them over to Pakistan, Pakistan was compelled to take direct action on its own. The truth is that when different groups are part of the same ideological movement, their military planning may differ in a regional context and ethnic and linguistic distinctions may exist. However, at the ideological level, no clear line of separation can be drawn between them. In some cases, ethnic and linguistic differences may lead to resentment, but in the presence of a common enemy, these divisions fade away. If today these groups have left the United States and India as their common enemies and have turned against Pakistan, then tomorrow, after harming Pakistan, they may also stand against the Afghan Taliban. A global study of these movements and groups can be extremely helpful in policymaking and in shaping public opinion. Our politicians, scholars, writers, lawyers and bureaucracy must be aware of this understanding, because without it, the intentions of terrorists cannot be comprehended. The strategy of terrorists is multidimensional: they incite sectarian sentiments among the public and target business centers. They attack state institutions, with the police and the army at the top of the list. In this way, the roots of the state are being hollowed out. A major cause of terrorism in Pakistan is the terrorist centers established in Afghanistan. Pakistan has repeatedly demanded that the Afghan government eliminate these centers of terrorism, which are not only being used against Pakistan but will also pose a serious threat to Afghanistan’s own future peace. The government has not been willing to do so, which has now become a cause of war between the two countries. Even now, Afghanistan has the opportunity to respect Pakistan’s legitimate demand by either preventing the terrorists based there from carrying out such activities or by granting Pakistan the authority to act against them. This would lead to a ceasefire between the two countries and open the way to peace. —The writer is contributing columnist, based in Faisalabad. (ranazahid4@gmail.com)