Lashkars vs Taliban

Sajjad Shaukat

Recently, by raising their own traditional militias, called Lashkar, on June 7 this year, hundreds of tribesmen in Upper Dir laid siege and killed 14 Taliban in reaction to a mosque blast which killed 40 individuals on June 5 during Friday prayers. At some places clashes have been reported between the local tribesmen and the Taliban in the Malakand Division.

It is notable that in 2008, moderate tribesmen in their affected parts of the NWFP had challenged the extremists by raising Lashkars. In that respect, Asfandyar Wali Khan, leader of the Awami National Party, who himself survived in a suicide attack had remarked regarding the Lashkars, "It will be the people versus the Taliban." Lat year, on October 10, seeking reprisals through a suicide attack, the Taliban militants massacred 100 tribesmen in Orakzai in a jirga, called to raise a Lashkar. Similar sorts of events had also occurred in some other tribal regions. Discouraging the tribal elders, some Western and our political analysts had opposed the formation of tribal Lashkars, saying that the tribal elders were risking retaliation from the Taliban warriors.

But this year, situation took a dramatic change, which greatly encouraged the tribal elders to form Laskars without any fear of the Taliban. In this context, within less than three months, Pakistan's armed forces have successfully ejected the well-trained and well-armed Taliban militants out of Buner, Dir, Swat and other adjoining areas. By sacrificing their lives, our forces killed and captured thousands of the militants - breaking their backbone by eliminating their control and command structure. Reports suggest that tens thousands of the Taliban have fled Malakand and Swat regions. After achieving victory in these areas, military operation has also been launched in South Waziristan. In this connection, on June 14, Governor of the Frontier Province, Awais Ghani said at a press conference that the government has ordered a "full-fledged" military operation against Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan chief Baitullah Mehsud and Mehsud tribes for harbouring terrorists, abetting terrorist activities and killing innocent people.

He further stated with reference to Afghanistan, "There are a large number of foreign terrorists in these areas. They are getting help from outside." Recently, this fact was proved when Pakistan Army captured a number of foreign fighters, spies of Indian secret agency, RAW and other militants who confessed that they got training from Afghanistan. In this respect, ISPR spokesman, Maj Gen Athar Abbas revealed in various press briefings in relation to the ongoing military operations that a number of foreigners from Chechnya, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Saudi Arabia, Libya and India, including Afghanistan having connections with the enemy countries have been arrested along with heavy caches of arms and ammunition, made in India and America. In one of the briefings, he disclosed that 400 foreign fighters were captured who had been infiltrated into Pakistan with the help of some external agencies bordering Afghanistan.

In the past few days, terror incidents have taken place at rapid succession. Besides some major events like suicide attacks at the Pearl Continental Hotel in Peshawar, Rescue 15 building in Lahore and martyring Pakistan's top religious scholar Allama Dr Sarfraz Naeemi Al-Azhari, these incidents continue as noted in the public places of Peshawar, Islamabad, Dera Ismail Khan, Upper Dir, Kohat, Nowshera, etc,. For almost all these terror-events, TTP led by Baitullah Mehsud claimed responsibility, especially for the Lahore carnage whose actual target was the building of Inter-services Intelligence Agency (ISI). He had also admitted that his militant group had raided the Manawan Police Training Centre in Lahore.

As regards Bailtullah Mehsud, reports suggest that on several occasions, the US military commanders had been provided with his exact location by Pakistan's secret agencies, but the CIA-operated predators did not hunt him as he is Pakistan's real enemy who masterminded almost every suicide mission in the country. In the past, US had killed the Taliban leader, Nek Muhammad through a missile when he was using his mobile phone, but Mehsud is free to talk on phone. In fact, Mehsud whose insurgents are more active in Waziristan is common agent of RAW and CIA. While, playing a double game, his sole aim is to destabilize Pakistan.

However, effective and decisive military operations could be judged from the fact that even an influential leader of the Mehsud tribe in South Waziristan Agency, Qari Zainuddin, revealed that he had mobilized 3,000 armed followers for an attempt to wipe out Baitullah Mehsud and to drive his al Qaeda supporters out of the country. In an interview with The Sunday Telegraph, Zainuddin declared that Mehsud had betrayed both his religion and his tribe. He elaborated that Islam did not allow "these bombings in mosques, in markets, in hospitals". He further remarked that he did not agree with Mehsud, responsible for sending out hundreds of suicide bombers and staging attacks across the country.

Nevertheless, after Upper Dir, this latest evidence in Waziristan shows a growing anti-Taliban sentiment in the tribal areas - a shift that comes as suicide attacks have surged, while Pakistan's armed forces have been successfully waging a war against these insurgents.

Besides, some other developments have also emboldened the tribesmen, giving a greater impetus to raise Lashkars in their concerned regions in order to cope with the Taliban militancy which has challenged their survival.

After facing a prolonged threat of the Taliban owing to their anti-social activities such as beheadings, burning of girl's schools, destruction of installations, abductions for ransom, smugglings, etc. in the name of holy war, tribal people have come to know that the Taliban militants wanted to impose rule of terror under the cover of Shariah. In this context, more than four million Internally Displaced People (IDPs) refused to accept Taliban style of Shariah and preferred to live in camps. All these anti-Islam crimes of the banned Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi (TNSM) led by Sufi Muhammad and Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) headed by Maulana Fazlullah, including that of Mehsud exposed their real face before the people of every province of Pakistan - especially before Pashtoons of the Frontier Province. It was due to these sinister designs of the militants that all over the country, leaders of various political and civil societies - particularly religious scholars have strongly backed the military operation, denouncing the Taliban. From Lahore to Karachi, a number of conventions were held in this connection.

Nonetheless, when the peace-loving tribesmen and Pashtoons found that public opinion in Pakistan has turned against the Taliban whose atrocities are unjustified, they decided to support the armed forces by raising Lashkars.

There is appropritate logic behind Lashkars which are part of centuries old traditions of the tribal people. In Pushto language, the term, "Chaghah", which also means "a loud scream" was coined in the past. It means existence of emergency which requires assistance of other tribesmen. In the cultural history of FATA, shepherds were very common, having their cattle grazing in grassy fields. When the cattle were threatened by the wolves' attacks, then the shepherd used to raise alarm (Chaghah) for help. Hearing his screams, the tribal people used to gather and form a Lashkar to rescue the cattle and the shepherd. Similarly, at present, Lashkars have been formed by these people under the same "Chaghah" concept in form of traditional armies of volunteers, equipped with arms to fight the today's terrorists (wolves) who have been destroying the infrastructure, business activities, daily life and religious rituals, killing the innocent people through suicide attacks and bomb blasts.

It is mentionable that formation of Lashkars is not a permanent phenomenon, but a temporary arrangement indigenously made with the help of political agents to serve the public interest. These traditional groups have no political agenda as the Lashkar people will disintegrate and start their routine life when threat of the Taliban is over. A renowned political thinker, Morgenthau remarks that sometimes politicians have to "choose between the lesser and the greater evils" in accordance with "the circumstances of time and place".

Although the government has been implementing a multi-prone strategy in coping with the Taliban militants supported by the external elements, yet encouraging the Lashkars is also a necessary evil, while there is already logic behind these Lashkars, being part of tribal traditions.

Now organized resistance by the people of Upper Dir and preparation by the supporters of Qari Zainuddin against the Taliban militants have provided an incentive to other tribal elders to raise similar Lashkers in their areas, while Pakistan's security forces have decided to eliminate the militancy once for all. A strong sense of unity among our armed forces and the tribesmen is very essential in coping with the Taliban insurgents successfully.

The writer is author of the book: US vs Islamic Militants, Invisible Balance of Power