A front page photo in this paper's Tuesday edition showed the Corps Commander Multan flanked by some other senior officials on his way to supervise preparations for an army operation, not at a border front nor the violent extremists in the tribal badlands but a criminal gang led by one Ghulam Rasul, alias Chhotu (little guy), holed up in a small island located in the riverine area of Rajanpur in southern Punjab. This was happening in a province where the government bristled at any suggestion of calling in the paramilitary force, the Rangers, claiming to be in full control of the law and order situation.
The soldiers had to be called in after the Punjab Police's attempt to take out the Chhotu gang ended in a fiasco. Seven policemen lay dead and another 24 held hostage by the criminal band raising questions about the police high-ups' sense of judgement for launching a poorly prepared action, Zarb-e-Ahan (iron strike), that turned into 'Zarb-e-Chhotu'; provincial government's 'all is well' claims; and unprecedented use, in desperation, of airpower in a civilian area that may have killed the wrong people. The police chief got all the blame for carrying out an ill-conceived operation considering that his men were not well-equipped to take on the criminals hiding in a deeply forested river island and using military grade weapons and fortified bunkers. He is reported to have pushed the police into action, telling them if they were reluctant to enter the area he could go in first. The chief's orders of course had to be obeyed. The result was a complete disaster. Lives were lost and the mighty Punjab Police left facing a humiliating defeat at the hands of a bunch of bandits. Ultimately, the government ended up doing what it had been trying to avoid by acting in a hurry.
Chhotu (the nickname given him by the leader of a gang with whom he started his criminal career) and his men had been engaged in various criminal activities such as extortion, kidnapping for ransom, highway robberies, gun-running, and murder in the Rojhan tehsil of Rajanpur district for a long time. Back in 2005 they kidnapped 12 Chinese engineers from the Indus Highway, though they were released without ransom at the intervention of local tribal sardars. During the last decade, the police carried out two operations against the band, but failed to finish it off. The key reason for the failure was that they were protected by the area's influentials, including local politicians. This time though was different, urging effective action. The gang was believed to have provided sanctuaries to violent extremists suspected of receiving material support from RAW agents across the border in Afghanistan, as well as Baloch insurgents. There was concern also about securing the Indus Highway, which falls along the main route of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Hence the Army wanted to have the area cleared of the Chhotu gang, creating a sense of urgency for the government. That explains why the Punjab police moved hastily to undertake an ill-fated action.
Anxious to avoid any involvement of the paramilitary force or the Army the provincial government put pressure on its police chief to act immediately, who in turn transferred the pressure onto his men disregarding demands of the situation. Consequently it ended up facing a double whammy of an ignominious failure and doing the undesirable in calling for the Army's help. The soldiers managed to capture alive Chhotu along with others and free the police hostages unharmed. Still, it remains to be determined as to who exactly is to blame for the unnecessary loss of life and the humiliation suffered by the police department: the police chief or the chief executive of the province?
Meanwhile, the Punjab government's claims of normalcy stand exposed. Contrary to evidence, it has long been insistent that there are no terrorist sanctuaries or no-go areas in the province to ward off growing demands for Sindh-like security operations. At the back of the denial are believed to be two reasons: one a suspected soft-spot for the religious extremist regardless of their evil deeds; and the other, apprehension that like in the case of Karachi one thing could lead to another, and before anyone knew security operations could enter politically sensitive area of financial scandals. Whatever the reason, refusal to acknowledge the reality was not going to make the problems go away. Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif would have been wise to take timely notice of the problem and use all available options, including the Rangers' help. As it is, despite his displeasure low profile security operations have been already in progress in the province. And now taking over from the police the Army has cleaned the River Indus island of the Chhotu bandit gang forcing it to surrender.
Those following the protracted stand-off first with the police and then the soldiers - who needed to proceed carefully because of the hostage situation - had wanted the criminals to be caught alive so they could expose the politicians who used them for their own purposes. That has been done. But considering the prevailing political culture it is wishful thinking that the nexus between influential personages and the criminal elements will be broken and that the former would be held to account. Bandits like Chhotu who come from poor families and are driven to lives of crime because of systemic oppression are disposable, but no harm can come to their patrons. In due course, it will be business as usual though in some other area, away from the well-guarded CPEC. saida_fazal@yahoo.com