Needing An Intellectual Riposte To Terrorism

It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.”

It has been observed that Pakistan’s national security bodies have no or
little intellectual collaboration with the research institutions or this
partnership is just too inconsistent that it could not prove rewarding for
the state. The fast emerging geo-strategic and geo-political situation, in
wake of war against terrorism in South Asia, when anti-Pakistan rhetoric
reigns in the Capitol Hill and Pakistan’s hamstrung response fails to
impress the West, requires that immediate steps be taken to turn tables in
support of Pakistan so that anti-Pakistan designs could be fully foiled as
wary West is keenly calculating Pakistan’s success against Taliban militants
in Malakand Division.

Moreover, nuclear capabilities of Pakistan are also an
eye-sore for many countries who view any threat like the Taliban as a
possible belated threat for the West as well. For this purpose, it is
imperative for the Pakistan government to set up a premiere think tank
institution for high-quality & objective research and deep analysis with
sophisticated analytical tools developed for this purpose to generate
knowledge, insight information, options and solutions that will be both
effective and enduring. Another main objective of this development should be
to vitiate the malevolence designs of two of Pakistan’s recurrent enemies-
Israel and India. And our policy planning will also be supplemented with a
well prepared strategy in hand, to carry out most appropriate steps for
achieving the cherished goal of national security.

The post 9/11 scenario, arising in context of U.S-Al Qaida’s long drawn war,
has brought more troubles and convoluted difficulties and compulsions for a
satellite state like Pakistan which was already facing multiplex enemies
like Taliban and India in the immediate periphery.

While according to Pakistan’s researchers in the universities, India’s as
many as 14 assorted research institutions are already conducting research on
different Pakistan-related topics including sectarianism and socio-political
centrifugal movements like MQM, for the sole purpose of weakening Pakistan
from within and defaming it as well, in the eyes of the West and the USA; so
that it could be ultimately left at the mercy of hegemonic India.

Pakistan’s belated military operation in Malakand Division to flush out the
terrorists and splintered suicide attacks against government institutions
and the security forces has further heightened the need for proper policy
planning to effectively get rid of the terrorists and the fifth columnists
working in guise of either Taliban or the BLA. This tricky imbroglio has
aroused the need for the establishment of a new think tank institution which
may work as a premiere guiding institution for Pakistan government to carry
out studies, with the help of universities, on vital issues of national
importance. The proposed think tank institution is proposed to be named as
the “National centre for conflict management and crises studies” with the
primary focus on South Asia especially Pakistan’s perennial adversary;
India.

The underlying idea behind this proposed think tank is to help in proper
policy planning and strategic analysis through composite research and
examination for protecting vital national security, saving economic and
political interests vis-a-vis India and to recommend counter-planning and
crises management means for Pakistan’s policy planners to supplement their
efforts at broader level. It may work on the pattern of *Rand
Corporation*of U.S.A.

It may be added here that think tank institutions are not a new-fangled or
unfamiliar experience in promoting foreign affairs objectives. The term
“think tank” found its use since the 1950s. More commonly, “A think tank is
an organization, institute, corporation, or group that conducts research and
engages in advocacy in areas such as social policy, political strategy,
economy, science or technology issues, industrial or business policies, or
military advice.”

It were early-day Muslims especially second Caliph Hazrat Umar (R.A) who
envisioned and developed many state institutions including the system of
Baitul Maal to supplement the concept of public friendly good governance and
to well take care of the people of expanding Islamic state. Afterward, it
was during the golden age of renaissance in Europe, that it started
developing state institutions to advance the cause of state interests in a
conflict ridden Europe. The establishment of *East India Company* is a
particular example which helped to expand England’s economic interests
globally. In the meantime, Muslim states, due to their intellectual
backwardness and retrograde state structures, perished one by one by the
daedal European powers.

Usually in the USA and Canada, many think tanks are non-profit
organizations, with tax exempt status. While many think tanks are funded
by the governments, interest groups, or businesses; some think tanks also
derive income from consulting or research works related to their
mandate. Pakistan’s new think tank, however, may be funded and run by the government through its
auxiliary arms like the armed forces and public sector universities, to
conduct research on issues of national importance like Talibanization and
emergence of centrifugal conflicts.

It may be noted here that a new trend, resulting from globalization, is
collaboration between think tanks across the continents. For instance, the
Brookings Institution, Washington DC, collaborates with Ministry of Foreign
Affairs of Qatar for an initiative on West-Islam relations. Also in the area
of West-Islam relations, Strategic Foresight Group, a think tank based in
India, works closely with the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in the
European Parliament. Likewise, the World Economic Forum has created a
Council of 100 leaders on West-Islam relations, which brings together heads
of major global think tanks ranging from Oxford Islamic Centre at Oxford
University to Strategic Foresight Group, Observer Research Foundation,
CASS-India, CSDS, Centre for Policy Research, ETC in Delhi and Al-Azhar
University in Egypt.

It is important to note down that think tanks in the United States have
played a definite role in forming both foreign and domestic policy. The
number of independent think tanks in the United States has exploded from a
mere 55 in 1945 to over 1,100 today.

In 2008, the term ‘Tankette’, usually used by the military, was also used to
describe a mini think tank that was to be held online. A ‘Tankette’ has
similar features to a traditional think tank, but generally has fewer
participants (around 10), and is held online using some kind of web-based
softwares to enable real-time collaboration and ‘think-tanking.’

It is high time that the Muslim world and especially Pakistan government
learn from the West and stand up to respond to any besmirching of Islam or
creating fear of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal in the Western people.

Short URL: http://www.daily.pk/?p=11488

on Sep 30 2009. Filed under Editorials. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry