Never before in Pakistan has the parliament spoken with such clarity of thought and sincerity of purpose as it did this Wednesday by unanimously adopting a resolution that so unambiguously puts across the will of the people on the crucial issue of national security, particularly the militancy in tribal areas. The resolution might have promised what is difficult, if not impossible, to obtain on the ground, but that is not the point.
Parliamentary resolutions are never binding; however they embody national aspirations which a democratic dispensation like the one we presently have cannot afford to disregard. The 14-point resolution, hammered out by a committee comprising all shades of opinion in the parliament after the members had spoken for two weeks and received in-camera briefings from military authorities, touches most of the issues affecting national security, and offers opinion-cum-solution to most of them. Militancy in the tribal areas and the ongoing low-intensity insurgency in Balochistan figure more prominently.
The parliament wants "an urgent review of our national security strategy and revisiting the methodology of combating terrorism in order to restore peace and stability to Pakistan and region through an independent foreign policy". A special committee of parliament would periodically review progress in the implementation of the resolution.
Where the resolution makes a distinct departure from the existing policy is its demand that talks be held with the militants in Fata and other troubled areas of the NWFP. So far, the government has insisted that dialogue with the militants would take place only after they lay down arms.
On the face of it the government demand appears to be at variance with the US-led coalition's which is against any kind of dialogue or agreement with the militants but it served the same purpose because a tribal fighter would never part with his weapon and there is no question of surrender as such.
In a clear defiance of the United States the parliamentary resolution wants that the "dialogue must now be the highest priority, as a principal instrument of conflict management". The resolution also takes notice of the "incursions and invasions" - though the intruder has not been named - and calls upon the government to deal with it "effectively".
At the same time, it promises to deny the Pakistani soil "for any kind of attacks on other countries" and foreigners "if found" shall be expelled from Pakistan's territory. A political dialogue with the people of Balochistan is also pleaded in order to address "their grievances and redistribution of resources". And most important, the military deployed in restive areas would be "replaced" with civilian law enforcement agencies "as early as possible".
One is struck by the unanimity that appears to be underlining the resolution, as it greatly fits into the public demand for a dialogue with militants, and denounces "incursions and invasions" by the coalition forces. It also underscores the imperative of regular forces' withdrawal from the embattled region.
Essentially, the resolution runs counter to the existing government policy and rejects co-operation with the US-led coalition in the so-called war on terror. Why such a dramatic departure from the long-held position? There could be three important reasons that forced adoption of a unanimous resolution by the joint session of the parliament.
One, the parliament simply could not afford to be divisive in this matter; therefore it had to come out with a unanimous stand. Two, there was the thinking in the military circles that regular troops should be disengaged from a conflict that is within the territorial boundaries of Pakistan.
The Constitution adequately caters to the problem of the type we have in Fata and Balochistan and for that civilian forces should be deployed. Pakistan Army has not been trained to fight militancy and extremism. Three, dramatic developments with regard to war in Afghanistan are expected in not too distant a future, with Saudi Arabia working to bring together the Karzai regime and Afghan Taliban. The resolution tends to create a conducive atmosphere for a painless switch-over to this emerging scenario.
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