It is high time that our government conceived a war plan to counter the militancy in the country. What is the “endgame” strategy as far as Pakistan is concerned? What will be the scope of operational support to Nato, including drone attacks, and how will it address the militancy on our side of the Durand Line? What international financial support will Pakistan be receiving and how much the country will be spending on the anti-militancy campaign? How will Pakistan figure after a Nato withdrawal from Afghanistan? What will be implications of the designation of Afghanistan as the United States’ major non-Nato ally? To start with, I appreciate the government’s decision to restore Nato supply route, which was our obligation as coalition partners. But it is now time for reflection over national policy formulation and the decision-making process. The fundamental reason is that we entered all conflicts with no vision for conflict termination strategy. Most of our strategic decisions for security were taken due to political-military coercion or for short-term personal political gains of the rulers. The classic example is Pervez Musharraf’s decision to enter the US-led coalition.

Enough diplomatic and financial damage has been done to Pakistan. We definitely need to assimilate our national interests and the international concerns for the global security. It is only through correct blending of these will lead us to a correct decision. Our notions and ideas regarding security need to be reviewed. We are in a different kind of war, with no visible enemy yet the enemy is source of international concern and security. Pakistan cannot afford to be isolated. The war we are in is totally different and it is not enough to roll tanks and massive fire power. This is a war of exceptionally high standard of intelligence capabilities. The enemy has cells all over the world and that is where the importance of international cooperation is needed.
Brig (r) Asif Alvi,
Islamabad, July 11.