The terror we inhale everyday

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This has to be the most cliched and over discussed topic in our society. But such is its prevalence, intensity and menace that there can never be enough discourse on it. There are clearly three types of terrorism that currently grip pakistan. All three stem from concocted interpretation of islam and are somewhat linked to each other. One is the "jihad" against pakistan government for Participating in the US war against terrorism. Another is the demand for promulgation of "sharia" (read "hijab and beard regulations" because thats all that sharia means to them). And third is the sectarian terrorism targeting shias.

The most dominant motive right now is the first one: jihad against pakistan government. The main demand here is that pakistan government stops operations against fata millitants, ceaseslogistics support to Nato and disallows drone attacks. The US presently has 66,000 troops in afghanistan but sometime in 2014 they will just have 10 % of these left with the core objective to train afghan forces and to carry out specific raids. Therefore by 2014, this motive for suicide attacks should automatically reduce. Does this mean that pakistan should concentrate on weakening millitants in pakistan by killing their top tier in pakistan so that when US forces withdraw not only will their primary motivation will have fizzled out but they dont have leadership either.

There is another case for doing so. A monster's need is to destroy. When this monster that we have created doesnt have its initial raison de'etre it may look for another one! And post withdrawal of US troops, their new reason for existence might be the demand for shariah imposition in pakistan. Their view of shariah again will be totally different from the average pakistani's and so that will again fuel terror in their minds. This is another reason why they must be weakened now so that we can have results by 2014.

But the true death of this terror ideology will come only when these tribal areas are brought within the garbs of soco economic development. That entails preferential implementation of socio economic agenda. A good initiative if the reconstruction opportunity zones in these regions never got implemented. Giving these people preferential market accesses in foreign countries, allowing them to dream of a better future are the only thing that wil guve them hope. If they continue to live in wretchedness, their disillusionment will continue to be exploited by incorrect twisted islamic ideologies.

With the US set to withdraw from the region, interest of the West in pakistans socio economic development will wane. Depending on foreign help will therefore be foolish.
The new government will have to continue the war against terror with the clear objective of eliminating the millitants' leadership so that come 2014 there is no US and no millitants. And i never thought id say this but if that entails cooperating with US for their drone strikes if they have actionable intelligence, then be it.

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