SHAFAQNA PAKISTAN (Shia News Agency)
Dr Raja Muhammad Khan
For the last few months, much has been written about the influence of Daish, also known as the Islamic State in western parts of Pakistan; the FATA area. International media and security analysts, taking lead from the private Pakistani channels, projected this largely. So much so, while in United States, General Raheel Sharif, Chief of Army Staff had to make a categorical statement that, “Islamic State (Daish) would not be allowed to take root in Pakistan” he really meant that. Indeed, he was confident that, his Army is capable of fighting them out, if they ever try to establish themselves in any part of Pakistan.
The statement of General Raheel gain strength from his actions. In fact, in less than a year’s time, since he assumed the command of Pak Army, he proved to be a practical soldier and meant, what he says. Under his proficient command, Pak Army launched the most difficult operation in North Waziristan Agency, despite many political odds. Now, Operation Zarb-i-Azb has almost achieved its objectives. Operation Zarb-i- Azb was not the only action, but, there have been parallel military operations going on in many other parts of FATA, particularly, Khybar-one, Tirah and Orakzai. TTP militants in all areas have been crushed through these military operations.
Over the years, the militants and militancy havedamaged the basic filament of Pakistani society. The traditional Pakistani society is based on very firm social norms and values, which are beneficial for Pakistani society as well as the global community. These Pakistani values are driven from our religious values and include; peace, tolerance, religious and social harmony and respect for each other. Once Army Chief was issuing his commitment against the IS or Daish, he exactly knew that, besides a very strong Army, he has a dedicated support of Pakistani nation behind him. He exactly knew that, people of Pakistan are now sick of militants and militancy. Indeed, there is a continuous, ongoing war against the terrorists of TTP and many others by Pak Army and Nation as a whole, how can we afford another international terrorist group within Pakistan.
While discussing the dynamics and origin of IS or Daish;Da’ish is the Arabic acronym of Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL), now proclaimed as Islamic State(IS). This is a militant group, currently occupying some areas of Syria, Iraq, Libya and Egypt.
Though, this group represent itself to be fighting for the cause of Islam and a wider Muslim state, but, the Muslims all over the world condemn their activities, which is inhuman and against the basic Islamic teaching and norms. It is considered to be the new form or off shoot of the Al-Qaeda, another terrorist group, which has been widely operating between the Pak-Afghan border and later shifted its base and activities in Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The militant group has operated under various guises until its current chief, AbuBakr al-Baghdadi declared setting up an Islamic State across parts of northern Iraq and Syria in June 2014.
In Arabic, the group is known as Al-Dawla Al-Islamiya fi al-Iraq wa al-Sham, or the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham.
The term “al-Sham” refers to a region stretching from southern Turkey through Syria to Egypt (also including Lebanon, Israel, the Palestinian territories and Jordan). Now, the militant group self proclaimed to be called simply as the Islamic State, a term more accurately reflecting the organization’s aspirations of creating a caliphate across national borders. They prefer to be known either as the Islamic State—al-Dawla al-Islamiya in Arabic—or just the State, al-Dawla. The organization has said its goal is to form an Islamic state, or caliphate, over the entire region, stretching from Turkey through Syria to Egypt and including the Palestinian territories, Jordan and Lebanon.
As Zarqawi’s prominence within the Iraqi insurgency reached its peak, an agreement was struck between him and Bin Laden and in October 2004, Zarqawi declared his allegiance to bin Laden and changed his group’s name to Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI). Following Zarqawi’s death which marked a victory for U.S. forces, Abu Ayyub al-Masri, an Egyptian-born explosives expert and former Zawahiriconfidant, emerged as AQI’s new leader. Later in 2010, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi rebuilt IS capabilities. By 2013, it was once again carrying out dozens of attacks a month in Iraq.
The group has now become a self-sustaining financial entity, earning more than U.S. $3 million a day from oil smuggling, human trafficking, theft and extortion, according to US intelligence officials and private experts.
The Islamic State group has taken over large sections of Syria and Iraq, and controls as many as 11 oil fields in both countries, analysts say. It is selling oil and other goods through generations-old smuggling networks under the noses of some of the same governments it is fighting: Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq, Turkey and Jordan.
IS fighters have access to, and are capable of using, a wide variety of small arms and heavy weapons, including truck-mounted machine-guns, rocket launchers, anti-aircraft guns and portable surface-to-air missile systems. They have also captured tanks and armored vehicles from the Syrian and Iraqi armies. Their haul of vehicles from the Iraqi army includes Humvees and bomb-proof trucks that were originally manufactured for the US military. The group is believed to have a flexible supply chain that ensures a constant supply of ammunition and small arms for its fighters.
According to writers like Muhammad Amir Rana, “It doesn’t matter that Daish has not yet established its presence in Pakistan — it has already changed the dynamics of militancy here.” Indeed, the military operations in various parts of FATA have broken the terrorist’s backbone and they try to link themselves with this new international terrorist’s organization, Daish or IS. This is evident from the statement, describing the dying state of militant groups in Pakistan that, “Our groups were in crisis; now Daish has provided them with a powerful framework that is transforming their narrative.”
Besides the valiant actins of Pak Army and its commandand the nation is all set, not to allow, the footprints ofDaish or IS in Pakistan. This indeed, is a national resolve and every Pakistani is committed to this. Let us our political leadership and religio-political parties join hands together with people and Armed Forces of Pakistan, while setting aside their petty gains.
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