General Jehangir Karamat, former Chairman of Pakistan's Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1997 to 1998, joined the Atlantic Council's South Asia Center for a discussion on the challenges facing Pakistan's army. General Karamat was Pakistan's Ambassador to the United States from 2004 to 2006, and he currently heads a Lahore-based think tank called Spearhead Research, which focuses on social, economic, military and political issues concerning Pakistan and Afghanistan. The event was moderated by Shuja Nawaz, the director of the South Asia Center.
Karamat described militant activity emanating from the tribal areas as a "full-blown insurgency" and predicted a long and protracted, though ultimately successful, struggle to contain the fighting and bring stability and development to the troubled regions. He added that the most dangerous threat presently posed by the Taliban is its potential to establish links with existing extremist groups elsewhere in Pakistan to carry out attacks deep within the country. Such attacks could destabilize the civilian government as well as disrupt Pakistani military operations in the tribal areas.
Karamat noted the strong support of the Pakistani population and media for the recent army operations in Swat, citing an awakening to the very real threats posed by the Taliban.
Ultimately, a lasting stability will of course require not only military resolve, but also political solutions as well. Although Pakistan has a democratically elected and constitutionally viable government, debates between the President and Parliament over divisions of power remain. Finally, Karamat said that the large amount of international assistance being offered to Pakistan is a positive opportunity for the country to "get its act together."
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