Saman Hamid
There is no denying that after a long time Pakistan is changing and things are moving towards betterment. The Pakistan Super League final was successfully held in Lahore, the attendance and security was well entrusted and all ended well as for the time being the recent wave of terror has also subsided at least from the minds of Pakistanis. So far the death toll from terror attacks lingers at 150 as the Armed forces have decided to launch the next step towards securing Pakistan. Radd-ul-Fassad launched in late February has entailed numerous intelligence based operations throughout Pakistan and many incidents have been successfully averted including those in Balochistan. Another development that needs to be highlighted though is the recent statement from Shuhuda foundation. This foundation deals with the cases of students killed in the Lal Masjid operation came in the spotlight recently when the Jamaat ul Ahrar (JuA) faction of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), likened the Lahore Charing Cross suicide attack to the killing of Abdul Rashid Ghazi, called it part of their “Ghazi Operations”. Shuhada Foundation (SF), strongly condemned Ahrar for naming its activities after Abdul Rashid Ghazi and dubbed the outfit anti-Islam and anti-state. TTP claims its origins from the Lal masjid Operation. This is the first time there has been a major outburst from the SF and their condemnation signals a paradigm shift. Pakistanis fully realize the difference between terrorists and the divergent. There is zero tolerance for those who impose via violence. It is just not a statement creating distance it is denouncement of an ideology.
There are big questions in the society, the terrorist do not have an excuse anymore, taking a life is a crime more than ever. Avenging the unjust is not an excuse anymore. The Lal Masjid Operation was touted as a “bold” step against those practicing Islam back in 2007. The media relayed the facts to the TRP’s (Television Rating Point) dictates. The enemy capitalized the opportunity to divide the nation. The Army Public School incident in 2014 was a point of inflection the nation realized that there is no link of the terrorists with Islam. As everyone came together, the armed forces launched Zarb-e-Azb. Two years later the successful completion led us to the next stage. There are skeptics out there who question the operations and criticize the scope of these actions. Suffice to say there are those who question the lag in the implementation of the National Action Plan but at the same time there is a growing quarter questioning military courts. With the hope to retain consistency the first step has come from SF, the same group that a point in time supported DAESH.
Pakistanis are at crossroads; there is the China Pakistan Economic Corridor that is re-building Pakistan’s economy and infrastructure and for once the deadlines are being met with, the bounty is flowing in the economy and reaching grass roots, if anything the Stock Exchange and GDP growth rate must shut the critics. The fact that the Western world is busy countering China cannot be ignored either as in the process India is gaining prominence. PM Modi was invited by Barack Obama at least twice on state visits during his tenure. This is the same leader who was barred the US visa post Gujrat riots. The Kashmiris rally on reinvigorated post Burhan Wani’s assassination last year but their voices are deliberately being drowned out in the clamor of slanders against Pakistan. As the Indians ceaselessly blame every bad thing happening to them on Pakistan and have successfully derailed any hope with SAARC, another platform took center stage recently. The Economic Cooperation Summit successfully was held in the beginning of March. The ten member states of the organization namely; Pakistan, Iran, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistaan vowed to make this powerful economically and an engine for growth for all participants.
It is akin to sitting in a space shuttle as far as the Pakistanis are concerned. As we wait to take off we are praying and hoping that the “bosses” have made all the right calculations, we are excited to explore new horizons and venture into unchartered territories but there are always risks and of course there are those who never wanted us here; the rivals. We need to look at our mind our psyche. As a nation we have come a long way organizations like SF have sensed this change and few are willing to step back. The statement is testament to the success of our Armed Forces the grey areas in terms of extremism taking the aid of Islam are vanishing.
