Owais Tohid - Senior journalist

The operation to cleanse North Waziristan of Al Qaeda and Taliban militant carries immense national, regional and international significance. Thus, the barometer of its success varies and differs if you look at it with the eyes of people of Pakistan and the binoculars of the international community especially the US.

It needs to be seen with fresh eyes and renewed perception beyond the stereotypes of the terms of good and bad militants and the so-called strategic depth doctrine.

The US would like to see its success because it doesn’t want to face embarrassment to witness the same script rewritten on Afghan soil post withdrawal unlike unstable Iraq despite spending 2.2 trillion dollars.”

The military seems determined to strengthen the western borders and establish the writ of the state in the tribal belt before the withdrawal of US troops to counter any threat coming from across the border where anti-Pakistan Taliban have made sanctuaries. It also wants to erase the tainted image of Pakistan that the tribal belt, particularly North Waziristan, was the epicenter of global terrorism.

But it needs to expand its operation beyond the tribal belt to eliminate the tentacles of terrorism across the country to ensure it’s not half-baked this time around. It also faces the biggest challenge of rehabilitating over half a million uprooted tribesmen.

For many in Pakistan, the real success will be measured when the nurseries of extremist and militants groups are eliminated across the country.

But that cannot happen in days or months as the seeds of extremism which were sown during Zia’s regime, have now grown into deadly plants. To me, it’s a forward movement as is used in diplomatic lingua. It warrants cautious support but also greater transparency. The ties with extremists groups is like a quilt sewn with threads of blood, so unraveling the seam needs extra care because it’s painful.

Opinion

Editorial

Smog hazard
Updated 05 Nov, 2024

Smog hazard

The catastrophe unfolding in Lahore is a product of authorities’ repeated failure to recognise environmental impact of rapid urbanisation.
Monetary policy
05 Nov, 2024

Monetary policy

IN an aggressive move, the State Bank on Monday reduced its key policy rate by a hefty 250bps to 15pc. This is the...
Cultural power
05 Nov, 2024

Cultural power

AS vital modes of communication, art and culture have the power to overcome social and international barriers....
Disregarding CCI
Updated 04 Nov, 2024

Disregarding CCI

The failure to regularly convene CCI meetings means that the process of democratic decision-making is falling apart.
Defeating TB
04 Nov, 2024

Defeating TB

CONSIDERING the fact that Pakistan has the fifth highest burden of tuberculosis in the world as per the World Health...
Ceasefire charade
Updated 04 Nov, 2024

Ceasefire charade

The US talks of peace, while simultaneously arming and funding their Israeli allies, are doomed to fail, and are little more than a charade.