Pakistan faces its Frankenstein's monster

A week after the gruesome killings of 152 people in Pakistan – 133 of them schoolchildren – the government has decided to take the fight to the murderers. 

As the country unleashed its military might against the Pakistani Taleban, the country’s politicians have come together in a rare show of force against the militants.

The same spirit of unity is also displayed in protests staged in Islamabad and other cities against mosques sympathetic to the Taleban. 

In what was billed as a historic achievement for Pakistan, President Nawaz Sharif announced this week that a military court has been set up to try terror suspects. “This nation and history will not forgive us if we don't do anything now,” Sharif was quoted as saying.

In the aftermath of the slaughter, these latest moves by the government should not come as a surprise. No one remained unmoved by the horrific incident. But whether this court and the ongoing military offensive will be a game-changer in Pakistan’s fight against extremism remains to be seen.

Pakistan is no stranger to political violence. Attacks are often massive and capture the world’s attention. And each time, frenzied debate erupts about the pros and cons of negotiating with the Taleban.

But, following the slaughter of innocent schoolchildren at a military-run school, it appears that the central government is in no mood to talk or seek political solutions to this problem.

In most sub-national conflicts, the aim of the non-state actor is to force the government to come to make concessions. Violence is use to show the price that will be paid should concessions not be granted. Insurgency is, after all, a form of communicative action. 

But this time around, the Pakistan government is not balking. Instead, the massacre has united political rivals and forced people to speak out against extremism. And the government has sworn to crush all of forms of extremism – religious and political. 

It’s a wake-up call for many followers of Islam both in and outside Pakistan, who often argue that Muslims could never do this to fellow Muslims, much less schoolchildren. Too often they embrace an anti-Western narrative that basically blames the US and Europe, as well as India, for their woes. 

But this time around, the massacre in Peshawar was too close to home. Pakistanis from all walks of life – especially those who like to entertain the conspiracy theory – can no longer deny the political underpinning of the Taleban attack that basically shows that there is nothing beneath them in terms of humanity, norms and principles. 

But the government would be defeating its own purpose if it strays from stated principles and objectives. There is a vast difference between seeking revenge and pursuing justice. 

Arresting these terrorists and trying them – even hanging them – might show the world that the authorities are doing something about it. But when you fight against fanatics who have no qualms about putting their own lives on the line, the country’s due process doesn’t exactly qualify as a long-term strategy.

For decades Pakistan has been permitting Muslim radical groups to plan attacks in Kashmir, Afghanistan and Western countries. The Frankenstein monster they helped nurture has begun making demands of its creator. Undoing what has been done for decades will not be easy, and the government must be committed to a long-term fight. 

For the time being, it appears that the people have rallied behind the authorities. The world might well continue to complain that Islamabad is not doing enough, but if Pakistan is pledged to ceasing this decades-old practice of nurturing radicals, its leaders must stay the course.