Recently, there have been discussions of links of important figures from Pakistan Army with terrorist organizations. Especially, after the Mehran Base Assault, Pakistan Army was under immense pressure regarding the same allegations. There have been rumors that there are individuals within the security forces themselves who provide highly confidential information to the terrorists regarding security arrangements and security check points. Now, it has turned out to be a fact that there are individuals in Pakistan Army who, against the rules in the institution, have some connections with fundamentalist organizations. The arrest of Brigadier Ali Khan on Tuesday, June 21, 2011, has proved this fact.
Brigadier Ali Khan has been on routine GHQ posting and is alleged to have contacts with Hizb-ul-Tehrir a fundamentalist organization that was banned in 2004 by former Pakistani President Pervez Musharaf. The DG ISPR, Major General Athar Abbas has confirmed his arrest and has mentioned that he would be probed about the allegations. But he avoided detailed information with the view that further details may hamper the investigations.
The incident like discovery of Al-Qaeda Chief, Osama Bin Ladan, from Abbotabad and the Meharan Base Assault and now the Arrest of Birgadier Ali khan do point at the facts that there have been soft hearts in Pakistan Army for the terrorist organizations. This also relates to the reasons of the some drastic incidents in the war against terrorism. Pakistan Army itself seems to have realized this fact. Recently it seems to have turned very active in picking out those soft hearts beating in sympathy of terrorists. The arrest of Brigadier Ali Khan is a very important success in the same regard; in addition, the fact that his arrest has been made public by Pakistan Army shows that Pakistan Army, as an institution, seems to have declared to be against any sympathy for the terrorist organizations.
The lack of evident and firm stand against terrorism by Pakistan has been affecting them badly in the recent years. Once, it had opted for going against terrorism, it had to be very rigid in its stand. The ambiguity in this regard provided a chance to certain culprits both in Pakistani Politics and Pakistan Army to take complete advantage, influencing the effective steps against terrorism and the credibility of Pakistan as an anti-terror ally. Though Pakistan has sacrificed much in this war against terrorism, in the form of loss very precious, including important political figures, security personnel, and mostly civilians, stillAmerica and the neighboring Afghanistan and India have persistently been questioning the Pakistani position and have been pressurizing Pakistan to do more against terrorism. It is just because the culprits within the concerned institutions have been hampering the process from becoming completely effective.
With this arrest, at least, Pakistan Army has made it clear that with culprits existing within the force itself, it would never be able to win a decisive war against terrorists. It has to carry on the same rigid stand in order to trace the likes of Brigadier Ali Khan within its personnels and make them accountable of their misdeeds. It will certainly help them in securing itself further by cutting down the information sources that provide clues to the terrorists regarding the security forces and their properties. It would also be helpful in cleaning the institution from sectarian differences that may arise because of connections of personnels with extremist organizations. Moreover, this particular stand would help it earn its credibilility and prestige as an institution and would definitely assist them much in winning the war they have been fighting against terrorism for the last ten years with a series of valuable sacrifices.