Vile propaganda against Armed Forces

Written by Sajjad Shaukat


Pakistan’s armed forces have achieved a landmark victory by dismantling the command and control system of the Taliban in Swat, Dir and Buner and other adjoining areas. This fact was witnessed in the recent weeks, when renowned militant commanders were captured, and most of them surrendered. But our misfortune is that some external and internal elements have always acted upon a deliberate propaganda campaign against the security forces under one or the other pretext. As regards external elements, the US and some western countries who had been criticizing Pakistan’s armed forces in the past, underestimating its capabilities by remarking that the Taliban insurgents would occupy Islamabad took a u-turn. In this respect, quite contrary to their previous misperceived approach, American and western high officials have been highly appreciating Pakistan’s forces, donating million of dollars for the IDPs. Besides high officials of UK and other European countries, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Special Envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke and US Central Command (CENTCOM) Chief Gen David Petraeus admired the determination of Pakistan’s armed forces in achieving quick success against the insurgents.

Notably, what the US-led NATO forces, equipped with the latest sophisticated weaponry could not do in the last eight years in Afghanistan, Pakistan’s armed forces did within eight weeks as now Taliban are on escape. And operations are going to reach their logical ends. But it is our misfortune that like India, some Pakistan-based human rights organizations, civil societies and NGOs including a particular newspaper and its TV Channel along with its journalists which have been serving the interest of their external paymasters leave no stone unturned in distorting the image of Pak Army through their vile propaganda. In this regard, while blaming our armed forces for extrajudicial killings, on August 18 this year, a renowned political expert on the affairs of Frontier Province and Afghanistan wrote in that daily of Pakistan, “By now it has become routine for many returning Swati residents to see unclaimed bodies dumped in different parts of Swat, Buner and Dir districts”, which also include “hanging bodies from lampposts.”While citing the fact-finding mission of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), he also quoted its Chairperson Asma Jehangir, expressing the HRCP’s grave concern on such a worrying development…over numerous extrajudicial killings carried out by the security forces.”

In this respect, on May 27, 2009, the same expert had indicated in the same newspaper, “One doesn’t know how long the army action will continue…the massive displacement of people caused by the military action was not properly foreseen by those who planned it.” Since the end of April this year when the Malakand military operations were launched, this vile propaganda has included a number of other false dimensions such as exploiting the emotional state of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPS), showing interviews of the innocent persons in which their tales of suffering were exaggerated—projecting self-created images of scattered dead bodies, collective graves and stories of burying without Islamic rituals.

Now, all the self-concocted stories of Pakistan-based internal propagandists have proved untrue in wake of real facts. Pak Army has broken the backbone of the Taliban militants, and there is only pocket resistance in some regions, while our troops are rapidly advancing in South Wziristan. But these hostile elements are still misguiding the general masses by saying that security forces were killing innocent civilians instead of real militants. They have alleged the security forces for all the troubles of the war-zones. Nonetheless, this vile propaganda needs to be countered by showing the other side of the coin in accordance with the ground realities.

The people of every province are aware of the fact that Swat peace agreement was signed on February 15 between the government and the militants led by Sufi Muhammad. But after enforcement of Nizam-e-Adl, the insurgents continued to advance other areas beyond Swat, continuing their previous criminal activities like beheadings, destroying public property, hostage-takings etc. When the Taliban commanders felt that they could not cope with the Pakistan’s armed forces, they started executing their own militants, while most of them succeeded in running. Later on, majority of them surrendered. Even during their control in Swat and other Malakand regions, these insurgents beheaded their rivals. So “unclaimed bodies dumped in different parts” and “hanging bodies from lampposts” were tactics used by the Taliban to spread fear and terror among the populations including the militants in order to avoid desertions.

It was owing to the brutal acts of the Taliban insurgents that majority of the Pakistani people, civil societies and religious parties entailing PPP, PML-N and ANP have supported the military operations which were launched to restore the writ of the government. The general masses of the affected areas and the IDPs, themselves, wanted that our security forces must eliminate Talibanisation once for all. They know as to who is responsible for their plight. Besides other international organizations, in the recent past, even Pakistan Army had sent many trucks of rations and bedding to the IDPs at Mingora and other concerned regions. Our defence forces also donated a part of its daily ration to these suffering people, while deploying its medical resources in all the concerned camps. Pak Army also managed the evacuation of civilians from the war-zones, using all available resources. For this purpose, Special Support Group with more than 100 buses and many trucks facilitated moving out of the IDPs, trapped in the operation areas. For that aim, helicopters were used to lift civilians.

At present, no doubt, military operations have almost reached their logical end and a majority of the IDPs have returned to their native homelands. Their return continues on daily basis. In this context, some political parties and leaders of our own country namely, Jamat-i-Islami and Imran Khan who have been manipulating these operations in order to increase their vote bank have become silent as they have nothing new to say against the security forces, but still they can create some hostile justification for the sake of hostility.

It is of particular attention that some of our writers, commentators and NGOs are definitely financed by external enemies which are trying to destabilise Pakistan. Ignoring the sacrifices of Pak Army, their propaganda campaign against our armed forces is part of a conspiracy against Pakistan. As regards Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, in 2006, I had myself visited its head office, located in Lahore. I met some writers of that particular newspaper, who have been working there. I came to know that its members were being sent to the villages of Pakistan so as to note various crimes which were also published in magazines and afterwards these were sent to western countries, particularly America with the sole aim to show the progress of this Commission which is financially supported by the US. No doubt, we must condemn these crimes in our society, but if we point out these anti-social activities to please our foreign masters, and in order to tarnish the image of our own country including its forces, such a practice itself becomes a greater crime. In this connection, I ask HRCP’s Chairperson Ms. Asma Jehangir as to why multiple crimes, committed inside the United States are not being indicated by this Commission with detail.

From time to time, a number of students have been shot in various American universities, but I did not read any statement of Asma Jehangir in that regard. And why there is no detailed statement against American forces, CIA and FBI which have so far killed a number of innocent Muslims entailing Pakistanis at various detention centres under the pretext of war against terrorism. Recently, even Obama Administration has started investigation in this connection.

The fact of the matter is that any writer, author, commentator and member of a NGO can get good coverage in the western media along with financial help, provided he distorts the image of Pakistan and its army. As a matter of fact, one cannot note difference between these hypocrites and the US-Hindu-Jewish lobbies which are determined to disintegrate Pakistan which is the lonely nuclear state in the Islamic world. It is mentionable that the ongoing military action is not a conventional, but a guerilla war, so no timeframe can be set for its end as pocket resistance and suicide attacks cannot be eliminated suddenly. But it is owing to rapid progress of military operations that the networks of the Taliban militants have been shattered, and level of suicide attacks have reduced to the minimum. Now right hour has come that by setting aside the vile propaganda campaign of the anti-Pakistan elements, all the patriot Pakistanis must unite in backing our armed forces in coping with the insurgents.