The Hindu : `Musharraf has failed to check extremists'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jan 20, 2004

International

International

`Musharraf has failed to check extremists'

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD, JAN. 19. An international non-governmental organisation has alleged that there is little movement on the promises made by the Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf, over two years ago to crack down on terrorism and end the jehadi culture. The International Crisis Group (ICG), an NGO specialising in studies on conflict zones, has reported some harsh ground realities vis-a-vis Pakistan.

The report titled `Unfulfilled Promises: Pakistan's Failure to Tackle Extremism', examines Pakistan's track record in the wake of the much publicised speech of Gen. Musharraf on January 12, 2002, at the height of tensions with India. It says his promise to drive away extremism from madrasas (Islamic schools) remains unfulfilled. An estimated 1.5 million students attend unregulated madrasas funded by all kinds of sources.

Today, two years after he promised his sweeping reforms, the jehadi madrasa remains the key breeding ground for radical Islamist ideology and the recruitment centre for terrorist networks.

The report states that the failure to curb rising extremism stems directly from the military Government's unwillingness to act against its political allies among the Islamist groups. "Having co-opted the religious parties to gain constitutional cover for his military rule, Gen. Musharraf is highly reliant on the religious right for his regime's survival," says Samina Ahmed, ICG's South Asia Project Director.

"It's no surprise, then, that he hasn't intruded on the mullahs' turf by reforming the madrasa system in any significant way."

In his speech, Gen. Musharraf promised a list of measures to tackle extremism, including bringing the madrasas into the mainstream. The Government pledged to register all madrasas, to have them adopt a Government-approved curriculum by the end of 2002 and to stop their misuse for preaching political and religious intolerance.

Gen. Musharraf had promised to crack down on terrorism and end the jehadi culture. He declared that no organisation would be allowed to indulge in terrorism in India-administered Kashmir. While several Pakistani groups were banned, their leaders were not prosecuted under the Anti-Terrorism Act. However, the record shows something more. One extremist leader was allowed to run for Parliament and indeed won a seat though more than 20 charges of violent crimes were pending against him. Many secular politicians were disqualified for much less, including not having a higher education. Banned groups were allowed to continue working under new identities with the same leadership. "Many, though banned a second time in November 2003, continue to function unhindered and are likely to resurface under new names again," according to the ICG.

"Musharraf's priority has never been eradicating Islamic extremism but rather the legitimisation and consolidation of his military rule", says Robert Templer, Director of Asia Programme at ICG. "For that, he depends on the religious right. If the U.S. and others continue to restrict their pressure on Musharraf to verbal demarches, the rise of extremism in Pakistan will continue unchecked".

The report says Gen. Musharraf is following the pattern of the country's previous military rulers in co-opting religious extremists to support his Government's agenda and to neutralise his secular political Opposition. Far from combating extremism, the military Government has promoted it through its electoral policies and its failure to implement effective reforms. Whatever measures have so far been taken against extremism have been largely cosmetic, to ease international pressure.

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