Drafts by Shemrez Nauman Afzal
Unpublished Draft
The new civilian government in Pakistan tried its best to initiate a peace process by bringing th... more The new civilian government in Pakistan tried its best to initiate a peace process by bringing the TTP to the negotiating table: but the very day this process was supposed to begin-when a delegation of clerics was supposed to take the government's message and offer of talks to the TTP-a US drone strike took out Hakeemullah Mehsud from play. The fallout of this single drone strike shattered all hopes for peace conjured up by the new civilian dispensation in Pakistan-the PML-N in the Center and the PTI in KP province-who pinned their hopes on negotiations rather than what Pakistan's Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif, calls "unleashing senseless force" to end the bloodshed that has seen almost 40,000 Pakistanis killed so far, including more than 5,000 military personnel and thousands of members of the various arms and elements of Pakistan's security apparatus and forces, such as the police, paramilitary troops and even intelligence agencies' personnel and operatives. The US drone strike that killed Hakeemullah Mehsud not only dashed the chances for a negotiated peace between the Pakistani state and the TTP: it also brought with it a more deadly repercussion that manifested a few days after Hakeemullah's death and the deliberations of the Taliban shura (apparently stationed in North Waziristan as well as Afghanistan's Kunar province-whether this is the overall Taliban shura for both the Afghan and Pakistani Taliban, or just the TTP ruling council with little to no links with the Afghan Taliban movement, is yet to be clarified and ascertained). Now, the TTP is led by the Swat Taliban leader, Mullah Fazlullah, who is ardently opposed to talks. Out of three choices for the TTP leadership position, Fazlullah emerged as a dark horse and now leads the insurgent movement which has waged a bloody war against Pakistan since 2007, when the movement was formed. Fazlullah has always been a fervent enemy of the Pakistani state, and his election/selection as TTP leader is unorthodox for many reasons: he is the first non-Mehsud non-Wazir leader of the TTP, and does not even hail from the tribal areas. When he was ousted from Swat in 2009, instead of seeking refuge in North Waziristan, Fazlullah crossed the border and set up base in Kunar and Nuristan provinces of Afghanistan.
Papers by Shemrez Nauman Afzal
Islamic Theology of Counter Terrorism, 2020
Incitement of Muslim sentiments can be exploited even by wheelchair-bound extremists for their ow... more Incitement of Muslim sentiments can be exploited even by wheelchair-bound extremists for their own destructive purposes – but it is Muslims themselves who must battle against extremist tendencies: with reason and rejuvenation through a return to the truest essence of the Islamic faith.
Spearhead Special Reports, 2010
Extremism is a pervasive problem that fuels fundamentalism and generates terrorism as a
necessar... more Extremism is a pervasive problem that fuels fundamentalism and generates terrorism as a
necessary outcome. Extremism is not only a process of thought; it is also a definitive characteristic that can overtake both thought and action, thereby giving way to militant extremism, and consequently, terrorism. An extremist mindset is bound to be borne out of a perception of arbitrary pressure – of force and oppression – and the most likely outcome of its actions is bound to be a last ditch resort to extreme ends. The most dangerous thing in today’s world, therefore, is an extremist preacher who can not only practice extremism, but can also preach and train others in extremism, intolerance and professing of hatred. This process can be referred to as the ‘militarization of extremism’, where a cohort of followers is garnered not on fundamentals of a faith, or a religion, or a way of life, but on the extremist interpretation of any of those fundamentals. But is there a way out of this spiraling abyss? Are we are only fuelling extremism by killing extremists? Can those who have been indoctrinated in the message of hate be reclaimed towards the message of tolerance and peaceful coexistence? Does that mean we need to convert extremists to moderation and balance?
Spearhead Special Reports, 2010
Pakistan’s security perceptions and national interest must be factored into the roadmap for
regi... more Pakistan’s security perceptions and national interest must be factored into the roadmap for
regional peace; the inclusion and mainstreaming of the Pakhtun population of both Pakistan
and Afghanistan is the first step towards achieving a lasting peace and eliminating religious terrorism and militant extremism from the region.
Spearhead Special Reports, Mar 2014
The story of peace talks between the Pakistani government and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP... more The story of peace talks between the Pakistani government and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) – and how they ultimately failed – is a unique tale in the saga of the Global War on Terror (GWOT), especially in the war of Muslim nation-states versus Islamic extremism and fundamentalist militias in South Asia. Among many questions (and some answers) concerning the Govt-TTP talks, this analytical report explains the most important of these questions: why the peace talks failed; by doing so, it tries to understand whether a negotiated peace could still be achieved in Pakistan or not (and should such a course of action still be considered for successful policy implementation or not). Be that as it may, the actions of all parties in Pakistan’s internal conflict are loud and clear for everyone to see.
Was the Pakistani government and military waiting for the peace talks to fail, in order to launch a calculated and targeted military operation with the legitimacy of having explored all other non-military options? What kind of balance is the Pakistani state trying to achieve in the precarious year of 2014, where military action in the tribal areas and unfavourable regional developments could lead to dangerous instability, or even worse, a faltering and unlikely peace? Is Pakistan negotiating towards the final battle that it will fight (against the TTP militant group and against Al Qaeda allies in the country) for its internal security, peace, stability, and very survival? Many questions were asked, and are still being asked: this analytical report tries to understand the developments between November 2013 and February 2014 that concern Pakistan’s internal security and existential threat matrix, and develop an estimation of policies, perceptions, actions and reactions that have led the country’s political and military leadership to choose the course that they have embarked upon – and have reached till March 05, 2014.
Islamic Theology of Counter Terrorism, 2018
In a rapidly evolving world, where the line between fact and opinion is blurred – if it exists at... more In a rapidly evolving world, where the line between fact and opinion is blurred – if it exists at all – labels, ascriptions and attributions are used by humanity to save time and simplify associations. If one believes the notion that ‘all British are white’, one would presume every Caucasian and otherwise fairskinned human to be British – but such a belief is erroneous for both variables: not all white persons are British, and not all British persons are white. Despite such glaring contradictions – unnecessary and unhelpful simplifications – the world and its inhabitants continue to peddle opinions and assertions as statements of fact. An additional fallacy contained therein is the element of subjectivity: an opinion – which may change from person to person, from circumstance to circumstance – does not necessarily represent objective reality, which will be similar – if not the same – to all those who perceive it. And even if all perceivers agree on the objectivity of a statement, the element of subjectivity necessitates that each perceiver assigns a unique degree of validity / veracity to that objective truth, and experiences a unique relationship or association to that truth. These philosophical questions, and caveats, about being and reality are the quintessential starting point in the study of countering violent extremism, or CVE. Objective reality, as well as subjective associations, experiences and sentiments, all have a role to play in the discussion as well as manifestation of the phenomena of ‘extremism’. The intuitive sequence of formative inquiry therein is as follows: what is extremism? What is extremism characterised by? Who is an extremist: how is an extremist identified? Is extremism a choice – an act of volition and/or human agency – or is it a state of existence, of being, that overrides the human will and overrules psychological controls? Beyond the concept and definition, are there types, categories, classes and degrees of extremism? Can extremism exist in society without extremists? And finally, if extremism is bad for society, can it be resolved or cured, and how so?
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Drafts by Shemrez Nauman Afzal
Papers by Shemrez Nauman Afzal
necessary outcome. Extremism is not only a process of thought; it is also a definitive characteristic that can overtake both thought and action, thereby giving way to militant extremism, and consequently, terrorism. An extremist mindset is bound to be borne out of a perception of arbitrary pressure – of force and oppression – and the most likely outcome of its actions is bound to be a last ditch resort to extreme ends. The most dangerous thing in today’s world, therefore, is an extremist preacher who can not only practice extremism, but can also preach and train others in extremism, intolerance and professing of hatred. This process can be referred to as the ‘militarization of extremism’, where a cohort of followers is garnered not on fundamentals of a faith, or a religion, or a way of life, but on the extremist interpretation of any of those fundamentals. But is there a way out of this spiraling abyss? Are we are only fuelling extremism by killing extremists? Can those who have been indoctrinated in the message of hate be reclaimed towards the message of tolerance and peaceful coexistence? Does that mean we need to convert extremists to moderation and balance?
regional peace; the inclusion and mainstreaming of the Pakhtun population of both Pakistan
and Afghanistan is the first step towards achieving a lasting peace and eliminating religious terrorism and militant extremism from the region.
Was the Pakistani government and military waiting for the peace talks to fail, in order to launch a calculated and targeted military operation with the legitimacy of having explored all other non-military options? What kind of balance is the Pakistani state trying to achieve in the precarious year of 2014, where military action in the tribal areas and unfavourable regional developments could lead to dangerous instability, or even worse, a faltering and unlikely peace? Is Pakistan negotiating towards the final battle that it will fight (against the TTP militant group and against Al Qaeda allies in the country) for its internal security, peace, stability, and very survival? Many questions were asked, and are still being asked: this analytical report tries to understand the developments between November 2013 and February 2014 that concern Pakistan’s internal security and existential threat matrix, and develop an estimation of policies, perceptions, actions and reactions that have led the country’s political and military leadership to choose the course that they have embarked upon – and have reached till March 05, 2014.
necessary outcome. Extremism is not only a process of thought; it is also a definitive characteristic that can overtake both thought and action, thereby giving way to militant extremism, and consequently, terrorism. An extremist mindset is bound to be borne out of a perception of arbitrary pressure – of force and oppression – and the most likely outcome of its actions is bound to be a last ditch resort to extreme ends. The most dangerous thing in today’s world, therefore, is an extremist preacher who can not only practice extremism, but can also preach and train others in extremism, intolerance and professing of hatred. This process can be referred to as the ‘militarization of extremism’, where a cohort of followers is garnered not on fundamentals of a faith, or a religion, or a way of life, but on the extremist interpretation of any of those fundamentals. But is there a way out of this spiraling abyss? Are we are only fuelling extremism by killing extremists? Can those who have been indoctrinated in the message of hate be reclaimed towards the message of tolerance and peaceful coexistence? Does that mean we need to convert extremists to moderation and balance?
regional peace; the inclusion and mainstreaming of the Pakhtun population of both Pakistan
and Afghanistan is the first step towards achieving a lasting peace and eliminating religious terrorism and militant extremism from the region.
Was the Pakistani government and military waiting for the peace talks to fail, in order to launch a calculated and targeted military operation with the legitimacy of having explored all other non-military options? What kind of balance is the Pakistani state trying to achieve in the precarious year of 2014, where military action in the tribal areas and unfavourable regional developments could lead to dangerous instability, or even worse, a faltering and unlikely peace? Is Pakistan negotiating towards the final battle that it will fight (against the TTP militant group and against Al Qaeda allies in the country) for its internal security, peace, stability, and very survival? Many questions were asked, and are still being asked: this analytical report tries to understand the developments between November 2013 and February 2014 that concern Pakistan’s internal security and existential threat matrix, and develop an estimation of policies, perceptions, actions and reactions that have led the country’s political and military leadership to choose the course that they have embarked upon – and have reached till March 05, 2014.