There was a very intriguing debate that took place in the lecture last week about the army's role in the eradication of the Taliban from the roots of Karachi and an absurd comment caught my attention. This comment claimed that the army has failed to rid Karachi of the terrorists that reside within it "because it can't."
There are some factual inaccuracies behind the construction of this statement, the reason is actually that the army has no jurisdiction to conduct military operations on it's own, not that it is incapable of doing so. There is no doubt in the competence of the Pakistani army, if we consider the nature of this conflict, and then examine the US forces in Iraq and then in Afghanistan, they have been there for longer than terrorism has existed in Pakistan and with a larger scale and better resources. Now if we asses the success of the our army, it has done an exceptional job in the fight against terrorism. The fact of the matter is that the army is an entity of the state, hence it does not have the freedom to practice it's will and requires the consent of the government to launch any such operations. Therefore, I believe that it is the lack of political will to take such measures which is one of the primary reasons Karachi still acts as a harbor to the Taliban.
Additionally, Karachi is identified as one of the largest cities of Asia with it's population touching nearly 24 million. The number of Pakhtuns that lodge within the city has increased dramatically over time, initially starting with the arrival of Afghans and more recently the people of the northern areas of Pakistan. Even though all Pakhtuns are certainly not Taliban's, but since most Taliban's are Pakhtuns, the Taliban found sanctuary in Karachi. This incredibly large population coupled with the rise in Pakhtuns built a colossal barrier in the way of the identification of these Taliban as separate from the average citizen. Furthermore, there is also the issue of the ideology of terrorism. Even after the extermination of the Taliban, it is likely that they leave behind the ideology that guides their barbaric actions in other people, and the eradication of an ideology is nearly impossible and is something that no army in the world can conquer.
Therefore, I believe that the fight against terrorism is one that has to be fought at a national level and not just by the Army. All citizens of Pakistan must do whatever is in their domain to help conquer the Taliban and their ideology.
There are some factual inaccuracies behind the construction of this statement, the reason is actually that the army has no jurisdiction to conduct military operations on it's own, not that it is incapable of doing so. There is no doubt in the competence of the Pakistani army, if we consider the nature of this conflict, and then examine the US forces in Iraq and then in Afghanistan, they have been there for longer than terrorism has existed in Pakistan and with a larger scale and better resources. Now if we asses the success of the our army, it has done an exceptional job in the fight against terrorism. The fact of the matter is that the army is an entity of the state, hence it does not have the freedom to practice it's will and requires the consent of the government to launch any such operations. Therefore, I believe that it is the lack of political will to take such measures which is one of the primary reasons Karachi still acts as a harbor to the Taliban.
Additionally, Karachi is identified as one of the largest cities of Asia with it's population touching nearly 24 million. The number of Pakhtuns that lodge within the city has increased dramatically over time, initially starting with the arrival of Afghans and more recently the people of the northern areas of Pakistan. Even though all Pakhtuns are certainly not Taliban's, but since most Taliban's are Pakhtuns, the Taliban found sanctuary in Karachi. This incredibly large population coupled with the rise in Pakhtuns built a colossal barrier in the way of the identification of these Taliban as separate from the average citizen. Furthermore, there is also the issue of the ideology of terrorism. Even after the extermination of the Taliban, it is likely that they leave behind the ideology that guides their barbaric actions in other people, and the eradication of an ideology is nearly impossible and is something that no army in the world can conquer.
Therefore, I believe that the fight against terrorism is one that has to be fought at a national level and not just by the Army. All citizens of Pakistan must do whatever is in their domain to help conquer the Taliban and their ideology.
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