DNA Edit: Terrorist Politician

The fact that a spokesperson from the Pakistan Army said that they would have no problem if Hafiz Saeed were to join active politics should come as no surprise. But we do need to worry about the timing.

The Pakistan Army’s ready endorsement of the Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief is especially worrying now as it comes at a time when the Army, in a bid to press for peace, has announced ‘cessation of ops’ during Ramzan in J&K. If Saeed and the JuD were indeed granted political membership, it would be even harder to identify the sources of funds which are used for terrorist activities — making them effective proxies for the Pakistan Army’s anti-India activities.

The second point is that JuD, if granted party status, ensures that Saeed can legitimately travel across Pakistan for campaigning. One could argue that there are already few curbs on Saeed at the moment. Yes, that is true, but the few that are still there would vanish.  The third point is that if more such extremists, like Saeed, are allowed to join politics, politicians in Pakistan advocating a mainstream, moderate line on India could be under more pressure than they already are and thus any meaningful dialogue between the two countries, or CBMs, or anything else, could vanish altogether. 

Indeed, the entry of Saeed and those of his ilk, if allowed into mainstream politics, has dangerous implications for India as extremist politicians may soon become the norm, and somewhat reasonable faces like Nawaz Sharif’s will be a thing of the past. Already, internal reports have revealed former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was against what he called the “mainstreaming of terrorists”. Perhaps, it is no coincidence that since Sharif’s ouster, public activities of not just Saeed, but other people believed to be linked to terror activities, have gone up.   

Saeed and the JuD have been down this road before. Last year, Saeed’s religious charity launched the Milli Muslim League (MML) party which openly supports them. Though the MML has not yet been officially registered by the Election Commission of Pakistan, Saeed has kicked off his campaign and seems confident that the MML will contest general elections this July.

This is a big worry and India needs to keep a close watch on his activities, especially during Ramzan. The LeT has already declined the Centre’s offer to halt ops, and given that Saeed is co-founder of the LeT, it’s more likely than not that the JuD and other terrorist outfits will follow suit. Peace during Ramzan is something the Centre will be looking forward to.

Last year, over 40 were killed, including terrorists, security force personnel and civilians during this period. Also, the unprecedented scenes of violence, especially the lynching of a cop, that the Valley witnessed calls for a “healing hand”.

That’s why the call for truce is welcome but with caution. At a time when residents are willing to be ‘human shields’ in order to protect terrorists during operations, the government needs to ensure that its forces remain safe and prepared. The ‘healing hand’ policy should not be a licence for terrorists to kill and unleash mayhem.