Challenges Pakistan is presently facing are too big. They cannot be overcome by superficial debate like we witnessed in the Senate on Friday. The country's crises have taken new twists and most of our parliamentarians continued this 'futile' debating exercise for the last over one year.
One can understand the rationale of the JUI-F senator Maulana Muhammad Khan Shirani's attempt to distance Madaris from the present-day Talibanization, militancy and terrorism. This is the right time for religious parties to disown the militants. Maulana Shirani was also calling to stop the use of "Taliban" terminology for the militants, currently under siege in Swat.
"Religious schools have never been associated with militancy or terrorism," claimed Shirani. He was giving a very strange but equally interesting reason to prove his claim. He said that religious Madaris never hired retired military persons to train the militants. JUI-F leader, however, did not explain the link between retired military officials and the training provided to the militants.
Since he is from Maulana Fazalur Rahman-led JUI-F party, he had to stop there. JUI-F is known for keeping certain things under the carpet and they use them tactically according to the party's political needs. No one can say for sure as to when the next episode of Maulana Shirani's claim would come round.
This is not the time to own the group, which, according to our senators, should not be known as "Taliban' anymore. But these religious as well as political parties will never own a group that is under what is generally called "effective" military siege. Some recent reports say that Maulana Fazalur Rahman was very close to Baitullah Mehsud, the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) leader at one time in the past.
In the last decade, when Taliban were ruling most of Afghanistan, the parties like Maulana Sami-ul-Haq-led JUI-S was leading a campaign, with claims that most of the Afghanistan Taliban were the graduates of its Haqqania Darul Uloom, situated on main GT Road in District Nowshera. But after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and subsequent US attack on Taliban in Afghanistan, even Maulana Sami stopped such claims. A very well-known Defence Council for Afghanistan was launched from Maulana Sami's Madrassah.
What Maulana Shirani was saying in Senate on Friday was nothing new. Maulana Sami did so in the past. Shirani was speaking right in accordance with new emerging situation. Our political Maulanas do this whenever their political careers reach at the verge of collapse. Like his party chief Maulana Fazal, Maulana Shirani, however, opposed military operation in Swat. It is ironical to say that it was none other than Maulana Fazal who instigated the war in Swat after his statement in the National Assembly that Margalla hills are only obstacle to capture the federal capital.
The other serious development of Senate debate was the revelation made by some ANP senators. They warned us of another emerging crisis. This crisis is coming in the shape of growing hatred in Pukhtoons against Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and some Sindhi nationalist parties.
The crisis about which we were informed by ANP senator Zahid Khan could be more serious than we presently face in Swat and other parts of Malakand division. He drew government's attention towards an incident in Jamshoro University where Pukhtoon students were forcibly ousted from the hostels and stopped to sit in the examination that resulted in loss of one academic year.
PML-N Raja Zafarul Haq asked the government to ensure early completion of military operation, and warned that a prolonged offensive could result in creating difficulties for the country and enemies of Pakistan could exploit the situation for their advantage.
Professor Khurshid Ahmad of Jamaat-i-Islami warned that some hidden hands have been using the name of Taliban and are involved in disturbing law and order in Swat.
Javed Ashraf Qazi of PML-Q said that Taliban are receiving weapons and other resources from Kunar province of Afghanistan that is under control of Taliban. The former ISI chief said that Taliban tried to take over Swat under the garb of implementation of Nizam-i-Adl. They were, in fact, playing the game to destabilize Pakistan. There was no option left but root them out through military operation. Senator Mian Raza Rabbani of the PPP said that military action is not a final solution of the problem but political strategy will have to be adopted to resolve the issue.