AS the assorted mix of militants present in Pakistan — global and local — succeed in making their attacks more deadly, the question arises — who is dominating the narrative? Judging by recent events, particularly the audacious attack on Karachi airport on the night of June 9, it is clear that the militants have the upper hand. They have demonstrated their superiority in several crucial areas that were necessary for a successful operation and its desired consequence of spreading terror among Pakistanis.

Firstly, in terms of intelligence they proved that they were more than a step ahead of our own agencies. The precision in planning showed that a detailed reconnaissance of the area had been undertaken for security gaps. Meanwhile, our premier intelligence agency, the ISI, appeared to be more concerned with its own image following the accusation levelled against it by television anchor, Hamid Mir. Its orchestrated battle with Geo and its owners perhaps distracted it from its main responsibility of intelligence-gathering.

Regrettably, in this conflict which has serious repercussions for freedom of the media, competing television channels have outdone each other in trying to protect the reputation of the powerful ISI. The hapless minister of defence has also been pushed into initiating action against Geo for vilifying a ‘national asset’.

With misplaced priorities, it is not surprising that intelligence — even if available — was not acted upon. However, since these agencies have been forgiven for other lapses in the past, such as the presence of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan for many years and the attack on the Mehran naval base in Karachi, it is clear that the civilian governments, at the centre and the province of Sindh, will bear the brunt of the Karachi airport disaster as well. Not that the governments at the centre or the province came through inspiring any confidence among terrified citizens of Karachi.

While the terrorists are opting for revelations, the government’s narrative is shrouded in secrecy.

Secondly, while all that the Pakistanis were exposed to, through the media, were trading of accusations and passing the buck between the two, the militants established themselves as more media savvy. They left little time for speculations to do the rounds or conspiracy theories to take root.

With the kind of confidence that comes with an unchallenged successful operation, the militants were quick in not only owning up to the act but in identifying those (from the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan) who participated in the attack and were killed by security forces. This kind of clarity in communicating with a terrified citizenry should have come from those wielding power, civilian or military.

There has been little transparency from either in identifying the reasons for the massive intelligence failure and the shattering of citizens’ confidence. Instead, the expected rituals have been completed, including the setting up of an inquiry commission.

Thirdly, this was the determining moment when the government, represented by the popularly elected prime minister, should have taken the initiative in controlling the narrative surrounding the attack. The director general of the Rangers, stationed in Karachi, declared the airport area clear and safe rather prematurely. And then there were vague references to Indian involvement, based on some weapons and chemicals recovered from the militants. While the bottles of chemicals as shown on television channels established India as the manufacturing country, the Urdu text on the labels indicated their import by a Pakistani company.

What Pakistanis needed and expected from their government, and the prime minister in particular, was a public address explaining the circumstances, the reasons for security failure and steps being taken to ensure greater safety for citizens.

Our media-shy prime minister chose to remain incommunicado, apart from calling for reports from various organisations. At this crucial juncture, that demanded leadership and reassurances from Mian Nawaz Sharif, the debate was taken over by the frenzied television channels that once again competed to laud the courage of the security forces involved in the operation against the terrorists.

There’s still no explanation for the prime minister’s silence or reticence on the subject. A page taken from the terrorist’s strategy of transparency would help. With each new attack, responsibility is openly claimed (apart from a brief period when talks with the Taliban were on the cards) exposing the security agencies’ vulnerability. While the terrorists are opting for revelations, the government’s narrative is shrouded in secrecy.

If the current prime minister and previous ones have failed the citizens in their hours of distress, other political leaders have not performed any better. Apart from standard statements of condemnation, following the Karachi airport attack, our elected representatives did little to address the situation or call for accountability from those responsible. The PTI chief, Imran Khan, in fact called for an end to aerial bombing of militants’ hideouts in North Waziristan immediately after the Karachi airport attack. If there was any concern expressed by him on the attack, there was no or scant media reports.

The political leadership in Pakistan seems gripped by fear. Fear of militants and of the military. In such a scenario where there is no coherence of policies — apart from the oft-repeated and vague statements on the need for dialogue with the Taliban — the narrative on the response to terrorism has been effectively hijacked. The debate is being determined by the right-wing pro-Taliban media and the political parties who put their weight behind this narrative.

Without wishing to sound alarmist, one wonders how closely the powers that be in this country are following the developments in Iraq where the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) have captured key cities and are closing in on Baghdad. The Iraqi government and its army underestimated the strength and capacity of ISIS. There are lessons to be learnt. On Sunday, the ISPR announced the launch of a military operation in North Waziristan. Belatedly, the federal government has decided in favour of action. However, the prime minister must keep communication lines open.

The writer is chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan.

Published in Dawn, June 17th, 2014