REMARKS BY AMBASSADOR MAHMUD DURRANI

AT THE BROOKINGS INSTITUTE

ON

“ PAKISTAN 'S WAR ON TERROR AND BUILDING BRIDGES BETWEEN THE WEST AND THE ISLAMIC WORLD

December 12, 2006

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I would like to thank the Brookings Institution for having given me this opportunity to talk to you about “ Pakistan 's War on Terror” and present some thoughts on “Building Bridges between the West and the Islamic World”. In recent weeks I have spoken on counter-terrorism at SAIS and some other places in town, therefore a few of you may be receiving an overdose of my views, for this I beg forgiveness.

Pakistan has been a steadfast ally of the United States on almost all major issues confronting it in the post world war-II period. Initially it was the containment of the Soviet Union through a series of multilateral and bilateral pacts, followed by reversal of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and now the global war against terrorism. In the closing days of 1979 the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan ; the US in close collaboration with Pakistan , supported, funded and trained the mujahadeen. This cooperation led to the defeat of the Soviets in Afghanistan and their ultimate withdrawal. Unfortunately the US after its victory in Afghanistan allowed itself to be diverted elsewhere, leaving Pakistan to contend with the wreckage of the jihad in Afghanistan . Therein lay the seeds of the present day problems in Afghanistan .

Let me clarify that today Pakistan is fighting this war, not only to make the world a safer place but also to eradicate the menace of extremism and terrorism from within our country. Pakistan was created a liberal state by our founding father and we do not want to loose our soul to the dark forces of bigotry and extremism, which not only pollute the minds of our innocent youth but also bring a bad name to Islam, a religion of peace, harmony and moderation.

Post 9/11, Pakistan has been a full time partner with the US in the global war against terrorism. Today as a frontline state we remain resolute and determined to destroy this menace.

Pakistan has made an impressive contribution in this global war against terror. We have pursued Al-Qaeda and its allies aggressively through counter-terrorist measures across our country as well as in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). We have conducted several operations along the Pakistan Afghan border, in coordination with allied forces operating in Afghanistan . The Pakistan Army has also launched over 100 major operations in our tribal areas against terrorists and their supporters.

Through good intelligence and the cooperation of the US , Pakistani security forces have been successful in destroying entrenched terrorist sanctuaries in our tribal areas. We have apprehended over 600 Al-Qaeda operatives and affiliates including some of its top leaders. Needless to say this is not without cost. Pakistan has lost over 700 soldiers – more than the casualties suffered by the Afghan and ISAF forces combined. Yet we remain firm in our resolve. During the Pakistan Army's operations in FATA since August 2003, a total of 698 terrorists were killed. A total of 324 foreigners and 742 local terrorists were apprehended. Yet we remain firm in our resolve. The deployment of two infantry divisions in our tribal areas and the presence of another two infantry divisions in Baluchistan speak volumes of our resolve.

This war, ladies and gentlemen, is complex and cannot be won on the battlefield alone. We need to fight this war at multiple levels, through a well thought out strategy, while changing our tactics to adapt to the changing scenarios. We will start to win the war when we are one step ahead of the terrorists and not merely reacting. I can assure you this will be a long haul. Therefore, commitment and patience are fundamental.

Fighting a conventional war is a piece of cake when compared to fighting terrorism. A conventional war is fought against uniformed soldiers where lines and rules of engagement are clearly defined. While fighting terrorism it is difficult to differentiate between friend and foe, as most engagements are fought on friendly territory and the collateral damage is at times far greater than that suffered by the enemy. Any ham-handedness or insensitivity to the population can further aggravate the situation by forcing the good guys into joining the bad guys.

We in Pakistan are trying to ensure that conditions that breed terrorism are also addressed concurrently with the counter terrorist operations. Terrorism grows in a toxic brew of marginalization, ignorance, poverty, deprivation, lack of opportunity and real or perceived sense of injustice. For example we have launched a program to bring our tribal areas into the national mainstream by providing them with education, economic opportunity and political participation. The US is an important partner in this endeavor.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Terrorism is now a global threat and we have to fight this menace collectively as the terrorist respects no boundaries. We will defeat terrorism only if there is harmony in our effort. I will now take the liberty of presenting to you a broad military strategy, which to my mind is essential for conducting successful counter-terrorist operations in a multi state environment. This strategy has the following seven ingredients: - Sharing of intelligence, quick reaction forces, denying space to terrorists, building trust, flexibility of plans, coordination and follow-up.

•  Sharing of sound actionable intelligence both at the strategic as well as at the tactical levels. Foiling of attacks against Trans Atlantic flights is a good example of the timely sharing of actionable intelligence at the strategic level. Timely and accurate intelligence at the tactical level is vital to capturing or destroying a slippery target. Being one step ahead of the terrorist is the name of the game.

•  Well placed quick reaction forces. The availability of well placed quick reaction forces in all sectors of operations is vital to capitalize on intelligence before the bad guys vanish.

•  Denying space to the terrorist. The terrorist operates in small groups and merges with the locals. Geographic spaces should be denied to the terrorist by the control of entry points and domination of space through efficient use of military, para-military and police. Abandoning space to the terrorist at night or for a part of the day is not a good idea as this provides the terrorist freedom of action and places the hapless population at their mercy.

•  Building Trust . Trust is the first casualty when the going gets tough and there is an urge for scapegoating, unfortunately this has happened frequently in our region. The blame game, especially through the media is a cancer and should be resisted. Misunderstandings must be cleared at the earliest. There should be no chink in the collective armor of cooperating nations. A frequent and informal consultation between allies is one vehicle for building trust.

•  Flexibility . While maintaining the ultimate objective of defeating the terrorist, the counter terrorist strategy and tactics should be flexible enough to adapt to the ever changing environment.

•  Excellent coordination. Both in the operational and intelligence functions between cooperating nations. The cooperating countries need to weave a strong and flexible web to defeat the terrorist.

•  Follow Up . After an area has been cleared of terrorists or their strength dissipated, it is essential to conduct follow up operations to: provide a superior alternate ideology to the people, win their hearts and minds, and address their politico-economic grievances to deny the terrorists safe havens and recruiting grounds. Finally maintaining a long term relationship with the region is important. Abandoning the region or a people after the achievement of short term politico-military objectives can lead to disastrous consequences.

Ladies and Gentlemen

I will now address the much maligned FATA strategy which we have launched in one of the seven tribal regions of our border with Afghanistan . The fundamental objective of this strategy is to wean away the population of this territory from terrorism by offering them an alternative. The agreement was achieved through a Grand Jirga . The two major parties in this Jirga are the Federal Government on the one hand and the Tribal Elders of North Waziristan on the other hand. The primary purpose of the Jirga is to bring peace to this Agency and to check extremists and militant activities within North Waziristan or across the border in Afghanistan . The Tribal Jirga has agreed to the following conditions:

•  Law enforcement agencies will not be attacked and no kind of target killing allowed.

•  No parallel administration will be established in the area. The authority will rest only with the Government of Pakistan.

•  The border with Afghanistan will not be crossed for any kind of militancy.

•  No ingress in settled areas adjacent to North Waziristan Agency will take place.

•  All foreigners in North Waziristan Agency will leave Pakistan . However, those who are unable to do so for certain genuine reasons shall respect law of the land and abide by all the conditions of this agreement. They will surrender arms and would not be allowed to carry out any militant activities in Afghanistan .

I will take this opportunity of presenting to you two important decisions taken during the meeting between the Presidents of Afghanistan, Pakistan and the US in September this year. The first decision was to use the influence of the tribal elders from Afghanistan and Pakistan to root out terrorism and the second decision was to improve the channel of intelligence sharing between the two neighbors. The improved system of intelligence sharing is already in place while negotiations are underway in the region to flesh out the details for holding tribal jirgas.

Finally I will add two of my own recommendations which I believe will help the war against terror in our region. First is the management of nearly three million Afghan refugees residing in Pakistan and their movement across the border under the traditional easement rights and the second recommendation relates to the winning of the hearts and minds of the Pashtoon population in Afghanistan.

Pakistan continues to support a large number of Afghan refugees since the eighties, though many of the current refugees were born in Pakistan . Nearly half of the city of Quetta in Baluchistan is populated by Afghans. I do not mean to sound inhospitable but the presence of such a large Afghan population in Pakistan is a part of the problem. It is time UNHCR with the support of the US finds the funds to move the Afghan population out of refugee camps in Pakistan and to relocate and settle them in Afghanistan ; concurrently there is a need to seriously restrict the moment of people crossing the border through proper documentation, allowed under the easement right.

My second recommendation relates to the winning the hearts and the minds of the Pashtoon population of Afghanistan . This can only happen with a major infusion of funds and resources. Some commentators have asked for a mini Marshall Plan to improve the quality of life of the Afghan Pashtoon, so far the Pashtoon areas have only seen the rough end of the stick. My biggest fear is the merging of the Taliban activity with Pashtoon nationalism. This will also have a major blow back effect in our frontier regions.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

One last point. Pakistan wants peace both on its eastern as well on its western border. For only peace on our borders can bring internal stability, economic development and the much needed improvement in the quality of life of our people. Pakistan has bled twice for Afghanistan. First time, when we supported the world's effort to drive out the Soviets and more recently post 9/11. Pakistan can realize its dream of becoming a regional trading and energy hub only if Afghanistan is politically and economically stable. An unstable Afghanistan is a hindrance for the realization of our dream. We wish Afghanistan peace and stability - for their sake and also for our own sake.

Ladies and Gentlemen

Now let me shift gear and say a few words on “Building Bridges between the West and the Islamic World”. This subject deserves a fuller treatment but I am afraid I do not have the time to do justice that this issue deserves; I may already be loosing your attention. Therefore I will only outline four pillars on which the multi-lane bridge can rest. And these are:-

•  Dialogue . Dialogue is the ultimate panacea against mistrust. Dialogue needs to be undertaken at multiple levels. Interfaith dialogue, dialogue between civil societies, academic institutions, religious institutions, governments, at the United Nations, at the Organization of Islamic States, and the like. Developing institutional linkages for a sustained dialogue is essential.

•  Respect each others sensitivities . Both sides should respect each others sensitivities by avoiding inflammatory, irresponsible and communal based statements, especially through the media, because they widen the gulf rather than bridge the gaps.

•  Ease of Travel . Although it is the right of every country to protect itself, a siege mentality is counter productive, as is name profiling. In all fairness to the Department of Homeland Security in this country; it is making a huge effort to educate its personnel about religious and social sensitivities of foreign visitors.

•  Political Will . Maintaining political will in the face of the occasional politico-religious storms, short term political hurdles and other obstacles is vital for the success of the bridging effort.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I thank you for your attention.

December 12, 2006