I still remember that day when Altaf Hussain had warned the Pakistani government about the ongoing Talibansation in Pakistan. I also remember the reaction of some political parties on that statement of Altaf Hussain. Initially every party scoffed and ridiculed Altaf Hussain on the notion that there is a menace of rising talibanisation, and he is just kidding himself and others.
However with the passage of time, it was proven that Altaf Hussain was completely right that the menace of talibanisation is raising its ugly head across mainstream Pakistan. As a result the scourge of extremism is eating us from inside. In my opinion and based upon some research of the major think tanks. The major non-economic problem being faced by Pakistan is the threat of rising Islamic extremism. But what happened after that, I think everyone knows very well about it because we all suffered from this and are still suffering from this talibanisation.
This has become a habit of our nation first we suffer from problems then we realise that Altaf Hussain was right, now recently the US congress has passed a significant piece of legislation. With the assent of President Obama Under this new law the Haqqani Network of North Waziristan, has been designated as a terrorist network and organisation. Thus any attacks by this organisation beyond Pakistan on American interests could lead to a diplomatic and political disaster for the regime in Islamabad. This could give the naysayers in Washington, Kabul and New Dehli the perfect excuse to finally label Pakistan as a “Rogue State” or a “Terrorist Haven”.
Therefore it is high time that the policymakers in Islamabad convene a round table conference and take notice of the fact that Pakistan is on the path of impending perdition. If the proper measures are not taken, Pakistan can implode and suffer a fate worse than Afghanistan in its civil war era.
The current leadership and federal government of Pakistan are quite oblivious or indifferent to the latest legislation passed by the Congress. We are still obsessed with the useless Strategic depth policy of Hamid Gul, or the Islamist ideology of Gen Zia Ul Haq. It is high time that the military and civil leadership and the civil society of Pakistan unite. In reality we face a threat from within. The elements of Taliban, al-Qaeda and their like mined allies (The Haqqani network) are not in the interests of Pakistan. Rather these elements are jihadist fanatics who just want to propagate their violent ideology and they believe by seizing Pakistan’s nuclear assets they can achieve their goal of domination.
At the end of the day Mr Altaf Hussain is absolutely correct in his assertions that have profound and long term implications that the government must stop fighting with judiciary and other institutions. The time is for the government to unite all democratic forces and all political parties on one platform. Then form a comprehensive counter terrorism strategy and take action against the miscreants of the Haqqani Network and the terrorists who have killed more than 35,000 Pakistanis.
The country’s economy is in doldrums. At this point the country needs a cohesive and united leadership for better management of the economic and political affairs. We are nearing the point of no return.
The situation in Balochistan is at a critical mass and the thought of succession of Balochistan from the federation is not a myth anymore, rather the Baloch people are fed up with the cruelties of the agencies and the missing person’s fiasco. The government must rein in the agencies; reach a broad consensus with all the political parties and the democratic forces to save this country. Pakistan is surrounded from the outside and the inside. We must realise these facts as soon as possible before it is too late. This time I hope the Pakistani nation understands and heeds Altaf Hussain’s revelations about the bleak outlook of the country rather than ridiculing him. The time to ridicule and defame each other has long gone, it is now or never if we are not serious to Altaf Husain’s statements and lamentations Pakistan will be the ultimate loser whether we like it or not.