Bus of women students targeted in Quetta

khoji · June 16, 2013, 8:57am

Re: Bus of women students targeted in Quetta

Although there are some similarities (and at times the militants support each other) but I see LEJ and TTP as different entities. The motives of both are different, TTP wants to impose what they consider “shariah” in the country and LEJ want to create a hardline sunni state where there’s no role of shias and others.

TTP is based in the border areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan, where as LEJ is a Punjab based outfit like LET and JEM. LEJ/SSP are in the country for the past 35 years (before the creation of TTP) and they’d stay even after their defeat. TTP and LEJ can be tackled differently, after the previous attack Imran specifically asked for operations against LEJ but nothing happened. It seems as if even the state is scared of them. All the high profile attacks on the military have taken place through these militants which also called Punjabi taleban, and it seems as if their sympathizers are present in the military as well.

Taliban Afghanistan, TTP, LJ, Jamat ud Dawa, etc. are different entities. Their immediate goals are different based on their immediate surroundings. But these are part of the same ideology.
They all join together to form a bigger picture. The picture they all believe in is a hardline Wahhabi state (not ‘hardline Sunni state’) where no one, shia or sunni, would dare to oppose them (TALIBAN), where non-Wahhabis would have the status of dhimmi (LJ and SSP, where everyone follows their own brand of shariah (TALIBAN), where training is provided to wage fasad against other infidel countries (TALIBAN and JuD), etc.

Pakistan’s goal must be to eliminate extremism of all kinds. Just cherry-picking good and bad extremists is never going to solve the problem. It is because of this myopic vision that extremism has not been eliminated in the country. Musharraf thought TTP is ok but foreigners among TTP are a problem. Nawaz thinks JuD and LJ/SSP are ok. Imran thinks Taliban are ok but LJ is bad.

If we agree that all of them are different form of the same pathetic ideology then we will realize how fruitless negotiations are with them. They are all equally inspired to achieve their immediate goals and they are willing to give their lives to achieve these goals. There is just no stopping them by talking. They are not out there to be reasoned with. They are out there to impose their perceived vision of takfiriat over all Muslims.

America is just an excuse they use to win popular support in Pakistan. In reality they will continue to achieve their goals no matter what the case is. Their enemy is not just America but democracy itself. Their enemy is not just America but ALL non-Wahhabis. They will not stop unless they either subjugate them or kill them or throw them out.
Just like it is futile to negotiate with LeJ/SSP to stop killing shias and Sunnis. Similarly it is futile to negotiate with Tailban to stop trying imposition of THEIR shariah over all Muslims.

So how to stop them? Well,

. FIGHT WITH THEM.

. Since a satanic ideology can not be eliminated by fighting alone, we need to see where they are being inculcated in this ideology. Identify the madressahs which provide them ideological background, EVEN IF THOSE MADRESSAHS DON’T ACTUALLY TRAIN THEM IN TERRORISM.

. Look at their sources of income, and make it a crime for anyone to support them.

. Create special summary courts for trial of extremists of all kinds. Don’t just rely on regular corrupt judicial system.

. And remember that trying to start ‘negotiations’ without first putting them on back-foot is equivalent to plain surrender of Pakistani society in front of them.