By Farooq Hameed Khan
Operation Rah-i-Rast has successfully achieved its immediate objectives of routing the Taliban militants including elimination of its middle and lower-tier leadership and securing the major cities and villages in Swat valley, yet the battle is far from being over.
The Taliban's military strategy calls for a temporary retreat when faced with a military defeat or total annihilation. Instead of fighting till the last fighter in the face of combined US and Northern Alliance onslaught in 2001, the Taliban abandoned Kabul and fled to the mountains only to regroup and launch hit-and-run attacks on Coalition forces within a few months. The battle for Mingora, was expected to be prolonged and bloody, but after initial resistance and heavy losses, the militants fled, enabling the Army to secure Mingora earlier than expected.
While the Taliban's command, control, communication and training network have been more or less destroyed in Swat valley, the fact that the top Taliban leadership and remaining militants have scattered into the mountains or moved to adjoining areas gives them the ability to regroup at a later stage.
To prevent the militants' re-emergence, the momentum of Operation Rah-i-Rast must be maintained to keep up the hot pursuit till their total elimination or surrender including the top leadership. All possible routes of infiltration and logistic support from Afghanistan must be blocked to prevent reinforcements aiding the Taliban militants, now on the run. With the Taliban myth shattered and the stunning fightback by the local lashkar in upper Dir, such armed uprisings need to be encouraged in other areas to help isolate and wipe out the remaining militants.
Operation Rah-i-Rast has finally exposed the involvement of the foreign hand that was being repeatedly referred to in the recent past. While Pak Army was engaged in intense operations in Swat valley, a US two star general amusingly stated, 'we are witnessing some interesting movement across the borders into Pakistan'. He was obviously referring to the hordes of Indian and foreign intelligence agencies' sponsored Tajiks, Uzbeks, Afghans and Indian agents infiltrating across the Durand Line in aid of the militants. Hundreds of these foreign militants have been killed or captured by the Army. Well General, who is playing the double game?
The Army, has also destroyed or captured large caches of US, Russian, Israeli and Indian origin weapons and ammunition from Taliban militant strongholds. Pak Army officers and men involved in Operation Rah-i-Rast have confirmed the use of sophisticated weapons including sniper rifles, rocket launchers etc by the well trained Taliban militants. Indian, Afghan and US currency were commonly found from the captured and dead militants.
The US Foreign Policy Journal had also highlighted in its earlier issue this year, that the Indians were neck deep in supporting the Tehrik-i-Taliban in Pakistan. It states, 'while the US media has frequently reported on Pakistani ties to the jihadi elements launching attacks in Afghanistan, it has less mentioned the Indian support for insurgent forces attacking Pakistan Army'.
Earlier in 2009, the Americans had admitted that the Pentagon did not have 'complete' record of about one third of the 242,000 weapons the US provided to the Afghan Army or for a further 135,000 weapons other countries sent. I still recall while serving in General Headquarters way back in the early nineties how meticulously the US Defence representatives in the American Embassy in Islamabad would periodically reconcile the serial numbers and location of each of those dozens of Stinger missiles that were left behind by the US forces or remained in Mujahideen custody for many years after the Afghan war.
It is unbelievable that the weapons from NATO/Afghan Army inventories went missing right under the nose of NATO and US forces in Afghanistan without their knowledge or to put it more aptly, has all this happened with their connivance and tacit approval? No one more responsible than the DG ISPR had sarcastically remarked, "stop worrying" about Pakistan's nukes and start worrying about the weapons gone 'missing' in Afghanistan".
One striking feature of Operation Rah-e-Rast is the high officer to jawan casualty ratio, almost 1:7, implying the shahadat of one officer for every 700 shaheed jawans. This strongly reflects the inspiring leadership, motivation and the spirit of comradeship that binds the officer leaders with their soldiers, that generates the true qualitative edge of our Army over any adversary. The Army has not only retained its core values but continues to build on its inner strength and cohesion that remain the envy of our enemies.
If Pak Army has successfully broken the back of the Swat militancy in key towns and villages, all credit to the PAF for the innumerable well planned and executed precision airstrikes that destroyed militant bases, ammo dumps, training centers, underground command structures etc in the inaccessible mountain terrain. The fact that the Air Chief visited troops in Mingora along with the COAS, speaks truly of inter service cooperation and special commitment of the PAF in such operations. Visit by the President and Supreme Commander or some from the army of ministers to meet troops on ground or even inquire about the wounded in CMHs are now overdue.
A recent article in The Washington Post by Christine Fair, a senior American political scientist associated with the Rand Corporation, a Washington Think Tank, indicates their mindset vis-a-vis trust in Pakistan's ruling elite. This write up calls for establishing a World Bank administered Trust Fund to oversee the expenditure of billions of dollars going to Pakistan so that they do not disappear into the pockets of well-connected kleptocrats and their cronies instead of helping the Pakistanis in need. This article appears in the backdrop of corruption scams involving government functionaries reported in the media almost every other day.
The real test of the government's credibility and sincerity to the cause of the IDPs therefore lies in the transparent and streamlined system of expenditure and accountability of all foreign aids and grants in support of the IDPs. At the domestic level, proliferation of many relief funds including those on behalf of the President, PM, Speaker, Governor, Chief Minister etc is likely to result in poor coordination and financial mismanagement etc. The government must rationalize the number of these funds and make public their receipts and expenditures on regular basis so as to put at rest apprehensions about their accounting and judicious utilization.
At a time when valiant officers and men of the Army and the civilians were shedding blood and sacrificing their lives in the battle for Pakistan, there came reports of our Embassy's grandiose royal dinners with some of our entertainment starved leaders enjoying the luxuries and nightlife of Washington and New York. The public has a right to ask if it was only their responsibility to offer sacrifices for the country; could not our worthy leaders have deferred their thirst for extravagance and fun for a more appropriate occasion later on.
If only the tales of heroism of many Shaheed sons of the soil like Capt Najam, Capt Asim, Capt Bilal, Lt Atif, Major Abid Majeed Malik, and the martyred jawans are known to the party swingers of Washington and New York, perhaps their heads would drop in permanent shame.
Operation Rah-e-Rast marks the beginning of the decisive battle to eliminate the militants to the last and restore the writ of the state. The operation must continue till all military objectives are fully achieved and lasting peace and security are ensured. In no way should the military gains of Operation Rah-i-Rast including the sacrifices of the courageous young officers and men be compromised for sake of political expediency.
The writer is a retired Brigadier and Chairman Editorial Board of National Defence Times
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