Media in the clouds

The Pakistani Taliban in disarray, their Afghan counterparts lying low as that country proceeds to elect a new leader, and Al-Qaeda generally looking somewhat lost between ‘Khorasan’ and its ancestral Arab lands. This was the context I had contemplated for my column.

But then came the red flashes of breaking news about Hamid Mir having been attacked by a bunch of killers on the boulevard leading from the Karachi airport to the city. Chilling details like his telephone call to a friend while he was being shot at only heightened the level of intolerance gripping the country. The episode also demonstrated how easy it is for trained gunmen to ambush unarmed civilians in broad daylight, and get away with it.

In my previous article, ‘No liberals please’ (April 16), I had pointed out that (Islamic) republics were at ease with the western profit-seeking corporate model while attacking values like freedom, tolerance and rule of law. There was no reason to think that the subject would have to be revisited so soon as these very values would become casualties in an act of target shooting. Yet, here we are – confronted with another attempt to silence voices that become troublesome.

Rewind one: Saleem Shahzad, primarily known for his investigative writings, becoming a thorn in the side of those who prefer to operate in obscurity. They could not tolerate his sudden rise to notoriety with the publication of his book on Al-Qaeda and the Taliban, followed by a couple of high-profile TV interviews. Saleem Shahzad was brutally murdered and the killers remain untraced.

Saleem Shahzad’s book said a lot, perhaps too much, about our recent history. His TV appearances were more shocking in their content considering the electronic media’s powerful impact. His disappearance and death confirmed that the interviews were too explosive to be allowed to go on. It is not unusual for journalists to know too much but in our control-prone setup, that is tolerated only as long as the content is shared with the public under an unwritten code of self-censorship.

Rewind two: Raza Rumi was administered a deadly warning by killing his driver in a brazen attack in Lahore. For someone who wears multiple caps as a writer, researcher, and speaker, Raza is on the surface an innocuous enough fellow but there was something in what he said and wrote to qualify as troublesome. He is right in thinking that it is better to stay alive in order to continue the work.

Najam Sethi too has drawn attention to the clouds of fear that hover over media persons who are regarded as troublesome or worse. Violent methods are usually preceded by warnings. Journalists, like soldiers, can opt for tactical retreat.

In violent societies, a journalist needs to weigh the options carefully before passing the threshold separating reportage and advocacy by baring the whole truth. Many of Mir’s well-wishers would be anxiously waiting to see his take in a new lease of life as a top-notch media person.

Turning to the original subject, Ayman Al Zawahiri’s message to self-styled jihadis to close ranks in Syria or elsewhere is indicative of the bad blood among various Al-Qaeda factions. This coincides with the season of doubt and reflection among the Taliban on both sides of the Durand Line. They are also overwhelmed by failure, fatigue and frustration.

As the US and Nato drawdown proceeds, the Taliban narrative of fighting the infidel invaders and their local partners is gradually losing its validity. They need a new ideological underpinning and are hit by self-doubt as never before. Jihad against their own countrymen for establishing an Islamic emirate evoking visions of harsh punishments, placing women in sequestration and preventing child vaccinations is not selling very well.

The Pakistani Taliban are hit by infighting and low morale. There has been a fundamental change in the army’s attitude in so far as the TTP and allies are concerned. The near cessation of drone attacks by the CIA has another side, showing the army’s no-nonsense stance vis-à-vis local jihadis and their encumbering foreign guests.

There is another factor to consider. Time takes care of certain things the way nothing else does. After decades of conflict in Afghanistan, Mullah Omar may find it harder to mobilise new fighters in large numbers. He has called upon the Pakistani Taliban to join him in the new phase of struggle. A credible election in Afghanistan should throw up a new leadership. The difficulties in engaging the Taliban so far could diminish under a popularly elected leader.

As in Pakistan, talks between a new Afghan administration and the Taliban do not promise a quick settlement. But as in Pakistan, the Afghan Taliban may realise that the time has come to reduce violence and give peace a chance – however tenuous.

The leadership in Kabul and Islamabad must endeavour both separately and jointly to fulfil the expectations of their people for a peace dividend from democracy. They must seize the opportunity offered by this phase of self-doubt among the Taliban, and try to figure out the way forward. The fractures in Al-Qaeda too need to be evaluated in a well-coordinated civil-military action plan to move away from violence and towards peace.

Email: saeed.saeedk@gmail.com