NEW DELHI, Aug 9:
The Pakistani military’s preoccupation with using jihadist proxies to achieve its geopolitical aims is the most significant barrier to dismantling the militant infrastructure in Pakistan, says an American counter- terrorism expert.
Rawalpindi continues to selectively support some militants and target others, he points out.
This approach is predicated not only on the geopolitical utility they provide, but also on “whether they threaten the State and the level of perceived control over them,” Prof. Stephen Tankel, whose forthcoming book is provisionally titled “Peripheral Jihads”, says.
Observing that the dreaded the Haqqani Network is one such Pakistani proxy, the American scholar opines that it has been attempting to shape the priorities of militant groups in Pakistan’s tribal heartland on the border with Afghanistan.
“At an organizational level, the Haqqani Network does not attack the Pakistani State. Moreover, it provides an important interface with Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which is leading the insurgency against the State. This includes helping the military manage hostilities and providing access to TTP leaders,” Prof Tankel, a non-resident scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, writes in one of his latest commentaries on the jihadi-militancy scene in South Asia.
The Haqqani Network has utility for the Pakistani security establishment on both sides of the Durand Line, he remarks, noting that the network has helped to create the Shura Ittihad-ul-Mujahidin, as an umbrella group of Afghan and Pakistani militant leaders.
Highlighting the apparent contradictions in Pakistani insurgency theatre, the American scholar remarks that on the one hand the Haqqani Network is helping the Pakistani Army and on the other it contributes to insurgency in Pakistan “by augmenting” the capabilities of those involved.
“While the Haqqani Network has worked to limit any public association with the insurgency in Pakistan, it is a crucial enabler for Al-Qaeda, the TTP, and other groups. This includes providing access to training, expertise, resources, and the prestige that comes from participating in certain operations in Afghanistan,”Prof Tankel said.
Pakistan’s ability to do anything much about this, however, is limited, according to him.
Firstly, Pakistan Army needs to maintain the Haqqani Network as an asset in Afghanistan and in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.
Secondly, Pakistan military is guided by the fear of what a real crackdown would entail.
Looking at the larger picture, Prof Tankel cautions that jihadist violence will be a feature of the security landscape for the foreseeable future. It is difficult to quantify the dangers jihadist groups pose to regional stability, and the attendant costs for the US.
Nonetheless, there is no doubt that these jihadi groups can potentially have a more pernicious impact over the long-term. The American expert gives three reasons for this phenomenon.
One, the jihadist threat is becoming more diffused and decentralized with a welter of jihadist organizations at work.
Second, while operating as regional players with a significant degree of autonomy, most Al Qaeda affiliates continue to communicate with the core leadership.
Third, many existing and emerging jihadist group are thriving in places with ungoverned spaces.
“The global jihadist genie is not back in the bottle. Most groups are mainly concerned with local and regional issues, but some are waging what I’d term a peripheral jihad against the United States,” Prof Tankel concludes.
His prescription calls for a revision of the counter- terrorism architecture in a way that situates jihadist groups in their respective ecosystems, accounting for their potential transnational strike capabilities and connections without being blinkered by them. (UNI)
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